Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Could this be the year that the Opportunity Party meets the threshold to get into Parliament?

Phillip Mills, the founder of gym franchise Les Mills International, has always supported Labour and the Greens, but he's topped up donations to TOP.

Political commentator Bryce Edwards says this upcoming election is TOP's best chance, as Labour, National and NZ First continue to lose favour. 

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Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

Chris Luxon made a speech to a Business NZ audience in Auckland ahead of the 2026 Budget. He's indicated that this year's Budget won't splash the cash despite the ongoing global conflicts impacting New Zealand. Are we surprised by this?&n...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 13 May, 2026, a warning from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon that there'll be no treats in this month's Budget - we ask senior correspondent Katie Bradford how much is going on the credit card.

Sociologist Paul Spoonley on why there's not really a brain drain.

We talk to Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young on why Kiwi shoppers are loyal to local wh...

New Zealand's international credit rating has hit a tipping point, and economists have raised concerns.

Back in March, Fitch Ratings placed New Zealand’s AA+ long-term credit rating on a 'negative outlook', downgraded from 'stable'. 

Moody's later followed suit, claiming the global economic and political uncertainty presented downside risks to growth.

Fitch's Head of Asia-Pacific Sovereigns, Thomas Rookmaaker, says this was dr...

So, I’m fascinated by this article in the New Zealand Herald, which argues the All Blacks should be forced to give up business class and travel premium economy instead.

The reasoning is the cost of international travel has become so expensive that moving our teams in black around the planet is now costing nearly $87 million a year.

Dropping them back a class on the plane would bring that cost down to $80 million a year and nearly w...

Kiwis appear to be shopping close to home, according to new reports. 

Data from retail management platform Lightspeed shows about 77 percent of Kiwis surveyed prefer shopping in store above online. 

40 percent shop at local businesses, and 34 percent buy online from New Zealand retailers.

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young says they want more of this, and for people to be proud of local stores.

She says people should think about...

There's growing calls to drop the All Blacks down from business class to premium economy, as travel costs set to get worse during the fuel crisis.

Dropping all of New Zealand's premium rugby teams down a flight class would reportedly save $6 million per year - as NZ Rugby looks to cut down losses.

NZ Rugby CEO Steve Lancaster says the All Blacks need to travel multiple times a year, and this downgrade would be a stretch. 

"The...

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has warned less cash would be thrown around in this year's upcoming Budget amid ongoing economic turmoil.

Luxon told the audience at the pre-Budget BusinessNZ event that it's important for the Government to stay on track with their fiscal strategy as the election looms.

NZ Herald senior correspondent Katie Bradford says Luxon's speech is meant to signal to voters that his Government values stability and s...

In Australia, housing supply is emerging as a key issue, for yesterday's new Labor Government Budget.

It's raising taxes on investment properties and some trust funds - to give working Australians a $250 tax break.

35,000 fewer homes are expected to be built, despite net migration of 300,000 people a year.

New South Wales University Emeritus Professor, Peter Swan, says they're destroying the rental industry.

"All citizens are going...

A promise of more public sector cost-savings, as Budget Day nears.

The Prime Minister told business leaders today that the Government's cutting another $300 million dollars from the Budget operating allowance - to $2.1 billion dollars.

Chris Luxon says responsible economic management and fiscal discipline are more important than ever.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this development was largely expected....

A sociologist warns we should refrain from comparing our immigration with overseas.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon's pointed the finger at immigration - for driving lower social cohesion and trust in institutions worldwide.

He's indicated National will say more on the topic ahead of the election.

But Massey University's Paul Spoonley says it's worth having a debate about our settings - but we need skilled migrants.

"We should not compa...

A senior UK Cabinet minister is the latest to call for Sir Keir Starmer to step aside after poor local election results last week.

Four Labour MPs have quit as ministerial aides and more than 70 MPs, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have publicly urged the Prime Minister to resign or set out a timetable for leaving. 

UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's unknown who could take over Starmer's role, but the pressure is ...

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Can Auckland afford a second Harbour crossing? Chris Bishop has said we'll hear more about it in the coming months, but is this just an election promise? 

Can Keir Starmer bounce back from the local election drubbing? Should he resign?

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The manufacturing sector has been hit hard over the past few years, but ongoing global conflict has worsened current market conditions.

Average profit margins have plunged to 31.53 percent, the lowest since records began in 2018.

This has resulted in more manufacturers clearing out their warehouses, with stock on hand dropping to historically low levels. 

Unleashed Head of Product Jarrod Adam says the challenges to the supply ...