Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Fonterra has increased its farmgate milk price forecast for the 2024/25 season to $10.15 per kg of milksolids from $10.00/kg, and has narrowed its forecast range for the current season.

The forecast range for 2024/25 has narrowed from $9.70-$10.30 per kilo of milk solids (kgMS) to $10.10-$10.20/kgMS, with the final price to be released alongside the co-op’s final result, due in September.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further...

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog's David Farrar and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

David Seymour says the coalition isn't saving as much money as ACT would have. What do we make of this? 

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers gave an interview to the NZ Herald saying we should feel lucky to live in New Zealand. What do we make of this? 

A Wellington restaura...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 21 August 2025, no more embarrassing plane-breakdowns! Defence Minister Judith Collins tells Heather she's gone shopping for new helicopters and planes with a total bill of $2.7 billion.

You're now allowed to tell everyone what you're being paid.. but is that a good thing?

Stacey Penn lost her job after she was injured while struggling with a pit bull that had ch...

I'm gonna say thank you to the Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers, for maybe reminding us to be grateful for what we have.

He gave an interview to the Herald today and he said he thinks there is a fair bit of punching down on New Zealand going on at the moment. And he thinks that's unfair.

He says: "With the world going a little crazy, I count us lucky that we are where we are."

Now, given how much doom and gloom there is at the...

SkyCity is pushing forward with a new capital raise, after confirming a significant drop in profit.

Underlying profit's plummeted 42 percent, according to new reports.

Costs have also been rising, particularly for regulatory compliance, online gaming, and the soon-to-open Auckland convention centre.

SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge says he believes they're acting in the best interests of the company - despite the concerns.

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The ACT leader has promised less spending and fewer public servants.

It comes after numerous redundancies in the public sector, following calls for efficient spending as the coalition's budgets were being delivered.

David Seymour says the Government is not cutting costs as much as ACT would.

"We said that we wanted to reduce the number of public servants back to pre-Labour levels, and we also said that we wanted to reduce spending ...

The Defence Minister says it's important for New Zealand to have the right equipment as the Government unveils its newest defence spend.

The Government is set to invest $2.7 billion into two new Airbus A321 planes and five new MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to replace the Air Force’s Boeing 757s and the Navy's older Seasprite helicopters.

Judith Collins explained that it was important to get the right equipment at the right price range...

There's belief the job losses at the Eves Valley Sawmill will have a significant impact on the area. 

Manufacturing company Carter Holt Harvey is proposing to close the mill, which would result in 142 jobs lost.

It's wanting to consolidate its structural timber manufacturing to one site - in Bay of Plenty's Kawerau.

Tasman mayor Tim King, lives next door to the mill and says there's no chance to change the company's mind. ...

Workers are now able to speak freely about their salaries, and it's got experts speculating about what this means for Kiwis.

The House passed a new law last night preventing employers from taking legal action against workers talking about their pay. 

The bill, introduced by Labour's Camilla Belich, essentially renders pay secrecy clauses unenforceable. 

Employment lawyer Jordan Boyle says New Zealand already has a culture...

The Government's speaking about the importance of deterring threats, as it confirms a multi-billion dollar defence spend.

It's investing $2.7 billion dollars for two new Airbus A321 planes to replace ageing planes that have broken down numerous times.

The new planes will be delivered in 2028.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper talks about the potential implications of this spend.

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See omnystudio.com/l...

Tensions between Israel and other nations have escalated, with Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Australia's Anthony Albanese of 'betrayal'.

Australia is standing by its decision to recognise a Palestinian state, with a formal declaration to be made at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Netanyahu also accused Albanese of 'abandoning Australian Jews', prompting further concerns.

LIS...

A pitbull launched itself from a moving vehicle and stormed into an Auckland jewellery store, injuring an employee during the incident.

Auckland Council confirmed the owner was given an infringement notice and education on dog control after the attack.

Stacey Penn says the punishment for the owner 'wasn't fair' and further consequences are needed.

"The fact that she's already been warned previously and still chose to drive around w...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union 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! 

The OCR dropped by 25 basis points to 3 percent today, with the MPC divided about the cuts. This indicates the economy is not in a good spot - where does this leave the Government? 

Winston Peters is offering to give public evide...

The longer that this economic funk that we find ourselves in goes on, the more that Jarrod Kerr of Kiwibank is being proven right, isn't he?

And we had a cut today - it was 25 basis points down to 3 percent - and now there's the expectation that we will maybe get down to 2.5 percent before this thing bottoms out.

2.5 percent is where Jarrod Kerr has been saying for months that we need to get to.

But even though he's been saying it ...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 August 2025, acting Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby speaks to Heather about the decision to cut the OCR down to 3 percent - and why the bank didn't go for a bigger cut.

How many more days will students be off school because of striking teachers? The union's Chris Abercrombie tells Heather they're hoping to get a better pay deal from the Government.

T...