Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive
With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.
Episodes
A number of homeless people have been removed from Edinburgh to make way for tourists ahead of Taylor Swift's tour.
Taylor Swift is set to perform in the region from 7 to 9 June, and reports have surfaced of homeless people being moved amid an accommodation shortage.
UK correspondent Enda Brady says accommodation prices have skyrocketed during that timeframe - with some rooms going for $1400 per night.
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Over in the US, a slew of big-box retailers have slashed prices across their stores.
Walmart, Target and Amazon are among the big names bringing down their prices ahead of the summer season.
Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says these moves are being made to appeal to inflation-weary customers.
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One expert says the 2024 Budget was never going to be transformational, amid everything working against it.
The Government unveiled their Budget today, and Minister Nicola Willis says keeping the books sound was her main priority.
Listen to NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann unpack all of today's new updates.
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters is seeking urgent talks, as the Australian Government considers making changes to its deportation policy.
Peters says we don't want people whose formative experiences were nearly all in Australia being deported to New Zealand.
Australian correspondent Murray Olds unpacks the proposed changes - and the impact they could leave.
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A call for unity from both sides of the New Zealand Rugby governance divide.
The special general meeting ballot saw proposal 2 passed, meaning three of NZR's nine board directors must have experience at the provincial level.
Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the issue further.
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Tonight on The Huddle, Josie Pagani from Child Fund and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Is this a transformational Budget - or a big letdown? The tax cuts were unveiled and new spending priorities were revealed, are they enough?
Is it a bad look for the Government to stop funding cancer drugs?
The provincial unions have voted against NZ Rugby's gov...
On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 30 May 2024, a special Budget Day edition from Parliament.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has delivered her first Budget. She tells Heather how big your tax cut will be and how our economy will fare over the next three years.
A tax expert tells Heather the tax cuts were well overdue, but cancer advocates are disappointed funding for new cancer drugs has been d...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour was very vocal that ACT would have cut more in the 2024 Budget.
Government spending is still set to continue at record levels, despite the current drive to reduce savings in the public sector.
Seymour says ACT campaigned on cutting 'wasteful' spending - and would have liked to see more in this year's Budget.
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The provincial unions believe the heart of rugby has been secured with the New Zealand Rugby governance vote going their way.
A bid for fully independent governance has been rejected - the board will require three members holding experience as a provincial director.
Provincial unions spokesperson Rowena Duncum says this verdict is a good decision for New Zealand rugby.
"There's two things that rugby players love - they love pla...
No arrests or issues of note for police at today's mass protests.
Streets in towns and cities across the country were filled with the sounds of chanting and waiata, as thousands marched against the Government's stance on Māori issues.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell says the protests were peaceful - and wrapped up relatively quickly.
"They came along, they were peaceful, and they've left - so it seems to have gone well. There was ...
No praise from opposition leader Chris Hipkins, who claims this budget will only take New Zealand backwards.
The Labour Party has unleashed a torrent of criticism over the Government's spending plans, including a lack of new cancer drugs, climate funding, and initiatives for Māori.
Chris Hipkins says this Budget is a 'missed opportunity' to provide meaningful relief to struggling Kiwis.
"The tax cuts that are being delivered for...
The Finance Minister admits the Budget could have gone further on tax cuts, but it wouldn't have been responsible.
Today's documents included the Government's long anticipated tax package, at a cost of $3.68 billion.
Funded through a suite of scrapped spending initiatives, all workers on more than $14,000 a year will receive between $4 - $40 dollars a fortnight.
Nicola Willis says she was determined that every dollar of tax reli...
Newstalk ZB's Barry Soper says the 2024 Budget's unsurprising, as everyone was prepared for tax cuts.
Although, he says it's more like attacking an unruly hedge with clippers rather than a chainsaw.
"Further down the track, you'll see more cutting, there'll be many more people aggrieved - but when they look at tax and money in their pocket, then they'll be rather happy."
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There was no room in today's Budget to fund the cancer drugs National promised during the election campaign.
Patient Advocacy Aotearoa's Malcolm Mulholland says he's disappointed.
"There are patients right now with terminal cancer who are waiting for these medicines to be funded - if they're not funded, to be perfectly blunt, some will die."
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Changes to tax thresholds will help deliver tax relief to three and a half million people from the end of July.
Tax expert Robin Oliver says the brackets haven't moved enough.
"They're nowhere near where they would be if the tax brackets were indexed for inflation - or for wages."
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Three police officers have been injured during a demonstration in Westminster organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other groups.
One officer suffered a serious facial injury, and 40 arrests related to assaults on emergency workers, obstruction of the highway and public order act breaches were made.
UK correspondent Gavin Grey says investigations are still ongoing into the incident.
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Auckland University has released a draft policy regarding academic freedom and freedom of expression.
As written, the policy will enable the university to establish regulations around the speech used by staff, students and visitors - if it's necessary to safeguard the well-being of others.
Professor Natasha Hamilton-Hart has expressed concern with this draft policy.
"I think it's a backwards step, and it will kill the atmosphere...
Global logistics company Mainfreight is still meeting investor expectations, despite suffering drops in profit.
It's been revealed the company posted a 33 per cent fall in profit before tax to $395.4 million for FY24.
Milford Asset Management's Sam Trethewey explains these figures further.
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Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has stepped up his verbal war against the big four banks.
It's been revealed Orr sent a letter using 'colourful' language to defend the amount of capital the Reserve Bank requires these banks to hold.
NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains the issue further.
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MPs are pushing back against the Speaker's ruling on the treatment of a Maori elder in House.
Assistant Speaker Maureen Pugh demanded the Whakatohea kaumatua stop - as he tried to introduce a waiata.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee has supported Pugh - but Labour leader Chris Hipkins says a karakia's often given before waiata - and he's never seen a Speaker interrupt.
ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the controvers...
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