Larry Williams Drive

A new survey from Kiwibank reveals a majority of Kiwis think owning a home is crucial to getting ahead in New Zealand - but many feel locked out of the market. Over two-thirds of non-owners feel pessimistic about home ownership, with millennials in particular believing they won't get on the property ladder. Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich says people aged 30 to 44 have seen house prices surge the most over their lifetimes - and they feel the most overwhelmed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Josie Pagani from Child Fund and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 48 hours to go until the US election - who do we think is going to win? Kamala's pulling ahead in the polls, but is this victory guaranteed?  Brian and Hannah Tamaki were in court today over their Covid-19 rule breaches during the 2021 lockdown. Should the pair be punished - or should the charges be waived by this point?  Prime Minister Cjris Luxon is under fire after calling voters 'customers' in a sit-down interview. Is this an embarrassing mistake - or should he own the corporate-speak? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 4 November 2024, US pollster Henry Olsen tells Heather whether the shock poll from Iowa could spell bad news for Republicans in other swing states - and his gut feel on the election result. Finance Minister Nicola Willis weighs in on whether Chris Luxon should have called voters 'customers'. Principals and parents in Hawke's Bay are up and arms that the Ministry of Education is axing the school bus for kids from Clive. Plus, The Huddle weighs in on the US election. Why do Josie and Trish think Kamala has got this? Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says Chris Luxon's description of voters in a recent sit-down interview was a 'slip of the tongue' as part of his corporate background. In a new episode of 30 with Guyon Espiner, the Prime Minister referred to voters as 'customers' - and defended claims that he was out of touch with New Zealanders  Nicola Willis says Luxon is focused on delivering results above all, and he knows New Zealanders are New Zealanders. "I reckon New Zealand has bigger challenges than whether or not the Prime Minister describes people as customers."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister has defended deporting 11 Vietnamese nationals, believed to be part of an organised crime group, after a major drug bust. The operation targeted 30 rented Auckland properties. About 3000 plants were destroyed, along with 48 kilograms of dried cannabis - valued at $18 million. But Mark Mitchell says deporting looked to be less of a hassle than going through the courts. "They were here illegally, they were going to be a big cost to the taxpayer - the police and Immigration worked together, they had discretion around this and they thought the best thing to do was put them on a plane straight back to Vietnam." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is trialling an intensive maths tutoring programme to pick up students falling behind. It'll run over the first two terms of next year, for about 2,000 Year 7 and 8 pupils. The trial will use small-group tutoring and supervised online tuition for 30 minutes, up to four times a week. Education Minister Erica Stanford says it's the first of its kind.  "This is going to be a hybrid model, where we have some young people learn in groups of four just with a tutor - and then we'll have a hybrid model where we've got that happening, plus some online learning using a maths programme."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's high expectations for a lawyer's tactics in defending Brian and Hannah Tamaki.  The pair are facing court over organising protests in Auckland during Covid-19 lockdowns. Brian Tamaki faces four counts of breaching the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act, with possible penalties of up to six months in prison and thousands in fines.  Lawyer Steve Cullen says it'll be interesting to see what arguments are mustered by experienced defender, Ron Mansfield. He says Mansfield could argue the case under freedom of assembly or freedom of religion provisions in the Bill of Rights Act.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon raised a few eyebrows after he called voters 'customers' in a sit-down interview. Luxon later clarified to RNZ that he didn't need to scrap the corporate speak - and defended the claim that he was out of touch. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says voters should be encouraged to expect things from politicians - and the terminology doesn't matter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's questions whether polls from Iowa will affect Republicans on election day. Donald Trump previously won the state in 2016 and 2020 - but is three percentage points behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris  Political analyst Henry Olsen says those figures seem out of step with Iowa's usual trend. "I can see Trump doing a little worse, but it's hard to see Trump losing a state that he carried by 8 points in 2020." Olsen is predicting Trump will re-enter the White House. More than 78 million Americans have already cast votes ahead of polling day on Wednesday, New Zealand time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most Australian politicians and their staffers have opted to fly Qantas, despite rules stating the cheaper fare must be chosen. Virgin Australia has raised concerns - and pointed out the preference for the pricier airline is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Virgin's services leave a lot to be desired - and they don't offer several key routes.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC are jubilant after becoming the second team in history to win their first three franchise A-League games. A critical error from Wellington Phoenix keeper Josh Oluwayemi saw Jake Brimmer grab his first of two in the Kiwi derby in the Capital. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recaps the season further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest thing that isn't a big deal but will have a big deal made of it - because it's the Prime Minister - is that Chris Luxon has called us voters 'customers'. He did it in a sit down interview where he was asked about being seen as out of touch, and he was saying he was because he talks to people all the time. He said -“It’s been a belief system of mine, talk to the customer, to the public, to the people and the voters." At which point the interviewer basically told him to ditch the corporate speak. I don’t have a problem with this, do you? This is not a big deal. When I was at university studying postgrad politics, we often referred to voters as stakeholders. As in stakeholders in the Government of the day. That's a corporate term, that's not unusual. It's also not unusual to see voters in a transactional relationship with a political party. If anything, it's actually not a bad thing for politicians to see us as customers - customers who will only come back for more from a political party if we get wha

A school bus service that has operated in Hawke's Bay for the last two decades has been cut by the Education Ministry - impacting plenty of students, parents and educators. The Ministry has cut the Clive school bus service after a review, claiming there were public buses the students could use instead. Havelock North Intermediate principal Nigel Messervy says the public bus route would be a longer one for students  and they wouldn't get back to Clive until 5pm. "In some cases, those children are then walking to their homes - which might be up to a couple of kilometres away. That's a massive day." Havelock North High School principal Joel Wilton agrees the longer commute time doesn't seem appropriate.  "I think a lot of parents are finding it pretty difficult in the current situation, even with public transport or school transport available to them - and this is kind of another hurdle." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 1 November 2024, there's worry that police will stop attending some mental health callouts from Monday - but Health NZ doesn't have a plan to deal with the additional work. A Canterbury University professor says students literacy skills are shocking and he wants unis to become more elite again.   Rugby editor Elliot Smith speaks to Heather from London ahead of the All Blacks test against England.. and what do we do about that haka? And what did Heather learn about her sleep last night? Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Death toll rises while rescue efforts continue in Spain as it mops up following its worst flooding disaster in decades. At least 158 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more missing after huge rains swept the eastern province of Valencia and beyond. More than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers over allegations of sexual misconduct against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. One lawyer representing the Justice for Harrods Survivors group described it as the worst case of corporate abuse of women the world has ever seen and it took place at the world’s most famous department store in London. A purple tunic found in an ancient tomb in Greece is now thought to have belonged to Alexander the Great, experts say. The revered ceremonial garment – called 'mesoleuconsarapis' – was uncovered 47 years ago in one of three tombs at Vergina in northern Greece.  However, it was not found in the tomb of Alexander the Great himself, but rather his half-brother, Philip III of Macedon. LI

China is said to be considering approving an additional $1.4 trillion in borrowing to boost the economy. Plus, Asia Business correspondent Peter Lewis shares how the US election is being discussed in China. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Industry groups are rejoicing at the news of a trade deal with several Middle Eastern countries. The deal concludes an almost two-decade effort by successive New Zealand governments and eliminates almost all tariffs on kiwi exports toBahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Chair of Beef + Lamb NZ Kate Acland tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the Gulf nations are a high value market for red meat and is forecast to be one of the fastest growing regions for cheap meat consumption. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB Sportsreader Andrew Alderson and Sport News Director Clay Wilson join Heather du Plessis-Allan for the Sports Huddle to discuss Joe Marler’s apology over his Haka comments, benching Damian McKenzie, the first A-League kiwi derby, and Liam Lawson’s nice guy persona. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extra security has been added for Saturday’s derby between Wellington Phoenix and newcomers Auckland FC amid claims of threats of organised violence from visiting fans on social media. Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the claims of threats are absolute nonsense. “I’ve asked Wellington to send me their proof and they haven’t sent me anything.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks will face England at Twickenham on Sunday morning NZT. The kiwi side sees Beauden Barrett start at first five, Jordie Barrett return from injury and Ethan de Groot dropped for failing to meet ‘internal standards’. Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Elliott Smith tells Heather du Plessis-Allan Beauden Barrett at 10 is the “right move” as a solid position to steer the All Blacks from. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.