Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Customs Minister says using cash can help hide exploitation. 

A Ministerial Advisory Group has released its second report - criticising our response to modern crime and money laundering. 

It shows cash and assets seized by police total just 4.2 percent of the $1.6 billion criminals make each year. 

Casey Costello says cash payments also aren't good for workers. 

"In terms of protection of workers and assurin...

With two weeks left to go until Budget day, Chris Luxon addressed a crowd at a BusinessNZ event in Auckland today.

Luxon reiterated that the Government won't be splashing the cash this year - and claimed the Finance Minister was right to promise it won't be a Budget lolly scramble.

Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says this wasn't the kind of pre-Budget announcement that would make the nation sit up and take notice - a...

Ruahei Demant has been named at 10 in the Black Ferns side for their opening match of the Pac4 against the Wallaroos in Newcastle on Saturday.

Coach Allan Bunting has opted to give his co-captain first crack at first-five in 2025 leaving Hannah King on the bench.

Teenage fullback Braxton Sorensen-Magee will debut.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the selections further.

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Labour's Ayesha Verrall says tobacco's unique harm is why industry links to Government need tighter checks. 

She's put forward a Members' Bill designed to ban any linked people working on tobacco policy. 

Labour hopes it'll have cross-party support.

Verrall says other products, like vaping, don't need such strong restrictions - but tobacco's incredibly deadly.

"It kills half the people that use it - we don't have other pr...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

It's day two of the pay equity saga - what do we make of all this? Has the Government mishandled this? Was it a bad call to rush the law through the way it has? Should they admit they're just doing it for the money?

Should we take Don...

It's been 15 years since Auckland became a supercity, and new data has revealed what people believe the city needs in order to improve.

A total of 575 Aucklanders participated in the survey, casting 46,000 votes on statements, creating what’s been called a “digital snapshot” of the city’s sentiments.

Former Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk, outlined some other point of concern - as Brisbane prepares some upgrades ahead of the 2...

Six shipbuilders have been shortlisted for the job of delivering the much-anticipated new Cook Strait ferries.

This comes after the Government pulled the plug on iReX because of cost blowouts, which was set to deliver new port-side infrastructure and two rail-enabled hybrid ferries.

Ferry Holdings chairman Chris Mackenzie won't disclose the names of these companies.

"We're not making anything public...we will not announce who the s...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 7 May 2025, good news on the unemployment front... things have not gotten worse. Kiwibank's Jarrod Kerr tells Heather there's still a good case for more interest rate cuts.

Underhand, sneaky and cowardly - Heather doesn't hold back when it comes to telling you what she thinks of the Government ramming through changes to the pay equity system under urgency.
&n...

Black Ferns captain Sarah Hirini raised a few eyebrows after she dropped the f-bomb on live TV - and it's prompted some debate.

After the team claimed the world championship title in Los Angeles, Hirini gave a post-match interview, which sparked some controversy. 

NZ Herald rugby writer Gregor Paul wrote an opinion piece critiquing the practice of post-match interviews - and he stands by it.

"I'm not a big fan of sports stars ...

Let me make a prediction for you on this pay equity drama that's been playing out for the last 24 hours - the Government is going to pay for this in a big way.

I reckon that this could become one of the defining moments of this Government when we look back on it in years to come.

Kind of like the 'Mother of All Budgets' came to define Ruth Richardson and Bolger's Government and the way the cup of tea came to define David Lange's Go...

Transpower says upgrading the Cook Strait electricity cable would come at a very small cost to consumers. 

It's consulting on a $1.4 billion proposal - to upgrade existing cables and allow for building a fourth.

CEO James Kilty says the plan is to get another 40 years of stable electricity. 

He says because costs will be paid for over that 40 years, prices won't surge. 

"It'll be a few dollars a year - but by the tim...

After many hours of debate, MPs have reached the final stage of the controversial pay equity legislation.

The Government introduced the Bill under urgency yesterday - which lifts the bar for claims of sex-based discrimination and forces existing claims to restart.

NZ College of Midwives Chief Executive Alison Eddy says it's unclear how much of the sector will be impacted.

"We have to wait for the court to decide that...we've still ...

Overall employment's held steady - but the hours people work have notably contracted.

In figures out today, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1 percent in the three months ending March. 

But total hours worked are down three percent over the year. 

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr says numbers of part time workers are rising, with those working full-time falling. 

"Businesses are clearly cutting hours...

There's fears of escalation between India and Pakistan among experts.

Pakistan claims Indian missile attacks have killed eight people - and India's claiming three died when Pakistan shot down five of its planes.

Auckland University Global Studies Professor Chris Ogden says both countries have nuclear weapons. 

He says that could actually be beneficial. 

"It might actually enhance the possibility for a limited war - this h...

The final stage of a bill to increase the threshold of pay equity claims is expected to pass in Parliament.

It'll extinguish 33 active claims, requiring them to re-start under the new model - with the changes expected to impact hundreds of thousands of workers.

This bill has been met with outrage from unions and the Opposition - describing it as a 'dark day for women'. 

Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls weighed in on th...