Larry Williams Drive

A Suicide Prevention fundraiser in Dunedin has been granted a liquor license at a special hearing, despite concerns from Police and others that it would be inappropriate at such an event. ‘More Than Just A Fashion Show’ will be held at Wall Street mall tomorrow night, with proceeds going towards the Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust. Event organiser Tegan Vickery tells Heather du Plessis-Allan she’s disappointed that the light she was trying to shine on mental health awareness was overshadowed by liquor license issues. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental health nurses are worried the public, patients and health workers will be put at risk when Police stop attending some mental health callouts. From Monday, Police won’t attend ‘low risk callouts’ where there is no immediate risk to life and safety. Instead, Health NZ is expected to pick up the work. Leaked documents show only interim standard operating procedures have been developed by Health NZ. Mental Health Section Chair of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Helen Garrick tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the plan is in its infancy but the industry does not have a sufficient workforce to manage the increase in workload. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A free-trade agreement has been struck with the six Gulf nations, after an almost two-decade effort by successive kiwi governments. Senior political correspondent Barry Soper tells Heather du Plessis-Allan New Zealand should look forward to this deal with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Te Paati Māori is in trouble again as MP Takuta Ferris makes inappropriate remarks before the Justice Select Committee. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both campaigning in Nevada tonight. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the Republicans have a stronghold on the state but that Harris is coming up. Meanwhile, Trump supporters are ramping up their ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign as they spread the belief that Trump can only lose the election through fraud. And, Donald Trump is suing CBS for $10 billion over the editing of a Kamala Harris interview, saying the network practiced deceptive conduct. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A university lecturer has fired shots at the education system, claiming the number of tertiary students who are “functionally illiterate” is at crisis level. Associate Professor of Sociology at Canterbury University Mike Grimshaw believes New Zealand is under-educating and over-qualifying. He tells Heather du Plessis-Allanit’s a wider societal issue of how we value education, fund it and what we want from the system. New Zealand pumps out around 45,000 tertiary graduates a year. Grimshaw says there is no increase in the societal, cultural and economic outcomes that degrees are said to provide. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Haka drama is back today, isn't it? Because Joe Marler has now backtracked completely on what he said and has apologised for it and specifically has apologised to New Zealand fans for, in his words, “my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week, I meant no malice New Zealand”. What have you done? Are we honestly that sensitive about the haka that we can't handle it when a rugby prop - not known as the brains of the bunch -criticises the haka in a silly little social media post on X. Can we really not handle this? What did we do to him? What did we do? Did we bombard him on Twitter? Because I feel like that's what happened here and that's why he deleted his Twitter account for a while, isn't it? I think that we may have to get a little bit of a change going about how we perceive the All Blacks’ haka. Yes, it is special to us and it quite clearly is very special to the All Blacks as well, but it's not special to everybody, is it? I mean, the rest of the world just has to put up with it, don't

Over in the UK, chancellor Rachel Reeves has unveiled her first Budget in the role. The budget will raise taxes by £40 billion, the capital gains and inheritance taxes have been increased, minimum wage will increase by 6.7 percent - and a new 10-year plan for the NHS has been unveiled. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this has been dubbed the 'shock and awe' budget - with plenty of short-term pain for long-term gain. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's green shoots emerging for New Zealand's struggling red meat sector, according to new reports. The Meat Industry Association claims exports to China in August were down 50 percent to $107 million compared with the same time last year. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plenty of celebrities have expressed their support for supplement giant AG1 - but an investigation has dug up some questionable details about the company's founder. Founder Chris Ashenden has resigned amid a Newsroom investigation that raised questions over his criminal history and unpaid fines and reparations by his now-defunct firms.  Newsroom Pro managing editor Jonathan Milne says Ashenden's refusal to be interviewed set off journalistic 'alarm bells'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's less than a week until voters in the US will cast their ballots and determine a new president - and experts are wondering about the economic impacts. No matter who wins, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have policies that could have implications regarding the future of international business. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains what the candidates could do for New Zealand's economic future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gumboot Friday founder Mike King has come under fire following his recent comments about alcohol. In an interview with Newstalk ZB yesterday, King said alcohol can stop negative thoughts - and could be a solution to mental health.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says these comments missed the mark, but Labour is wrong to call for Gumboot Friday's funding to be pulled. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has continued to deny he called former head Alan Joyce up to seek free flight upgrades. Albanese has been engaging in a days-long back-and-fourth denial after allegations surfaced in a new book - and the opposition has been running with this ahead of the election. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this is still a bad look for the Prime Minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 31 October 2024, Interislander boss Duncan Roy speaks to Heather after an investigation found the people in charge of the Aratere ferry had no idea how to stop the autopilot when the ferry grounded in June.   Labour is calling for funding to Gumboot Friday to be paused after Mike King suggested on the show yesterday that alcohol is the solution for people with mental health problems. Consumer NZ wants a Government inquiry into Air New Zealand's prices. Plus, the Huddle weighs in on brawling fans at the Travis Scott concert. 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.

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Labour has called for funding to be pulled from Mike King's Gumboot Friday charity following King's comments that alcohol can be a solution for people struggling with depression. Is this a step too far? Consumer NZ is calling on the Commerce Commission to investigate New Zealand's aviation industry. Do we agree with this? Last night's Travis Scott concert broke out in huge brawls while fans waited for him to appear on stage. Is this the promoter's fault for not lining up more entertainment - or are the fans in the wrong? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has launched a bid to establish a direct flight from Auckland Airport to Brazil's Sao Paulo. He believes this could boost trade between New Zealand and Brazil by up to $1.5 billion a year. NZIER Principal Economist Chris Nixon says this is a good idea - and could open up new opportunities for New Zealand. "Given the mayhem which is happening in the United States at the moment and their incoherent economic policies - we've got to be innovative."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A professor of psychological medicine says mental health advocates shouldn't spout misinformation about alcohol.  I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday campaigner Mike King yesterday told Newstalk ZB alcohol could be a solution for people with mental health issues.  Labour has called on the Government to review its $24 million funding for his charity, which delivers youth counselling.  Otago University's Joseph Boden says although alcohol can temporarily help people think about fewer problems, it's far from a fix.  "The difficulty is - it is actually a nervous system depressant. So when misused, it can increase suicide risk." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Horowhenua District Council is re-examining its decision to stop mowing roadside berms. It trimmed back the service in July in a decision that saved ratepayers nearly $250,00 annually - but prompted outcry. Councillors have now voted to compile a report on options for reinstating it. Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden says they want to look more closely at the impacts. "It does not mean that we are going to flip-flop, all it means is that we want to understand what has happened since we stopped mowing berms." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not altogether surprised that Mike King’s comments on this show yesterday have sparked a debate. The reason I'm not surprised is because some of what he said is factually wrong. King claimed alcohol wasn't a problem for people with mental health issues - but rather, a solution. Remember, we are talking about suicide. For people with suicidal ideation, alcohol is a problem because it lowers inhibitions, meaning people are more likely to act on their feelings. And it’s a depressant, it lowers your mood, it makes you more unhappy. But some of what he said - to be fair to him - is also his own lived experience in trying to cope with his mental health issues. He said he's a drug addict and alcoholic and his whole life, he used drugs and alcohol to stop that little voice inside his head. You can’t argue with that as much, because that is his experience. And there is actually evidence that alcohol does provide a mental escape in the moment. What I'm a little surprised by is the strength of the reaction to Mike K

Optimism is rising among businesses - largely driven by construction.  ANZ's October business outlook has business confidence up five points on 66, in a 10-year high.  Meanwhile, the proportion of businesses feeling they're faring well, has climbed to -11 in the highest point since March.  Chief economist Sharon Zollner says it boils down to interest rates.  She says fewer construction firms say they're not busy than a year ago - and she explained conditions are tough, but things are starting to look up a little. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwirail says Aratere's auto-pilot button should never have been pressed. The ferry ran aground  in June as it headed out from Picton. An interim report from the Transport Accident Investigation Commission details how the crew didn't know how to turn off the auto-pilot as it steered the ferry towards land. InterIslander Executive General Manager Duncan Roy says it was pressed in error, then no one could flick it off. "They didn't know on the bridge, we didn't know on Interislander - working with the people that provided us this service right now, as we speak, to work out why we didn't know." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.