Larry Williams Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 26 September 2025, police have revealed they came across Tom Phillips and his missing kids several times during their period in the bush. Former police negotiator Lance Burdett is surprised they weren't able to confront him sooner. Former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast has met with Wellington Council's boss for a please explain after her old mayoral desk turned up at a second hand shop with a huge number of confidential documents in it. Former Wallaby Tim Horan says Australia really needs to win at least one of the upcoming games against the All Blacks - can they break the fortress? Plus, the Sports Huddle debates the Bledisloe and whether Noeline Taurua is likely to get her job back! 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.

US President Donald Trump announced an acquisition of social media platform Tiktok - a platform that is owned by Chinese software company ByteDance. The President said that the deal was a closed case, however Asia business correspondent Peter Lewis told Ryan Bridge that there is more to be done.  He said that although Washington has approved their side of the deal, Beijing and ByteDance are more guarded on their position.  'No representatives from ByteDance were present at the signing. In fact, ByteDance hasn't even acknowledged that a transaction is taking place.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bledisloe Cup is back for another year, as the All Blacks face the Wallabies this weekend at Eden Park.  The All Blacks need 8 more points to top 4000 against Australia. Former Wallaby Tim Horan told Ryan Bridge that this is the best chance the Wallabies have had in years, but they still respect the strength of the All Blacks.  'It's the hope that kills us with the Wallabies, because every time we go to New Zealand, we always think there's a chance.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle: Host of Sky's Aotearoa Rugby podcast Ross Carl and NewstalkZB's own D'arcy Waldegrave join Ryan Bridge to discuss the latest sports news.  The Wallabies are facing the All Blacks at Eden Park. Can they conquer the fortress? Have the All Blacks done enough after their defeat at the hands of the Springboks to fend off the Aussies? And can the Black Ferns take 3rd place after missing out on the Rugby World Cup final?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Wellington City Mayor has met with the Council CEO after her private papers were among confidential documents found in a desk bought from a dump sale. A man bought the desk at a city tip-shop and found termination agreements, whistleblower allegations, and staff pay details inside - dating from the 1980s to the 2000s. The council has launched a investigation and contacted the Privacy Commissioner.  Dame Kerry Prendergast says it's appalling the documents have gotten out but says the meeting was reassuring.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's sporting success could lead to economic growth.  The government's launched a Sport Diplomacy Strategy paper today with the goal of leveraging our sporting reputation globally.  Sports Minister Chris Bishop told Ryan Bridge that there's plenty of opportunities, including the Blackcaps in India,  where the government's trying to ink a free trade deal. He says another is the All Blacks playing in the U.S later this year.  He says investors will be going to the game and there will be a series of events to drum up interest in New Zealand.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former police negotiator says police would have had to take a balanced approach to finding Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children. They've revealed today they spent thousands of hours searching for him but knew it was unlikely he would surrender easily. Former Police negotiator Lance Burdett told Ryan Bridge they probably didn't want to overplay their hand.  He says it was a balancing act between causing physical, emotional or psychological distress to the children. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is expected to make a major announcement on the energy sector next week. This announcement comes as more and more Kiwis are calling for reform. Senior political correspondent Azaria Howell told Ryan Bridge that, according to a survey on energy reform, 62% of respondents support the government underwriting the cost of new electricity generation. 49% of respondents also said that they would be in favour of separating electricity generation and retail.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late enrolments aren't the reason for a slow election vote count.  That's according to constitutional lawyer Graeme Edgeler, who agrees with comments from the Electoral Commission that changes to voting rules won't speed up the process.  The government's ending same-day enrolments and requiring people to enrol 13 days before polling day.  But Edgeler told Ryan Bridge that it won't solve the delay.  He says checks for people on the unpublished roll or voting out of their electorates also delay the process.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's rumours in the UK a new competitor could challenging Keir Starmer to become the Prime Minister. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, says Labour MPs are urging him to take over Starmer's role. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Burnham has claimed the Labour Party needs a plan - but it's difficult to roll a leader. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's economy has been shrinking, but our largest company has seen profits surge. Fonterra's announced a 13 percent rise in annual operating profit. Its cash return to shareholders is up 30.6 percent, and its final farmgate milk payout to farmers has reached a new record high of $10.16 per kg of milk solids. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Infrastructure New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Teachers say they're seeing an alarming rise of students with extreme ideologies, including misogynistic views promoted by Andrew Tate. How can we handle this?  The oil and gas ban has been reversed and the applications are rolling in. Can this fix our energy crunch?  Chlöe Swarbrick was spotted flying business class and the rest of the Greens are outraged. What do we make of this? Budget airline Ryanair is banning paper boarding passes - and some travellers think it's disgraceful. Do we use them? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than one-third of farmers say their mobile coverage has gotten worse over the past year - and it's negatively impacting their work environment and overall safety. New reports show only 57 percent of farmland gets coverage, and there's been no improvement since 2022. Federated Farmers telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says the situation is likely to get worse with the 3G network shutting down, and they're trying to get a handle on things. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 25 September 2025, Fonterra has delivered one of its best results ever. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell speaks to Ryan Bridge about the outlook for the next year.   Half of us are buying less fruit and veggies because of the cost, but chef Mike van de Elzen says it doesn't have to be so! Teachers say they're seeing an alarming rise of students with extreme ideologies, including misogynistic views promoted by Andrew Tate. What should be our approach to deal with "Trump boys" who promote "trad wives"? It took less than two hours for the first application for oil and gas exploration to be lodged. John Carnegie from Energy Resources Aotearoa says it's a very promising start. Plus, the Huddle debates kids' political views and whether Ryanair is right to ban paper boarding passes. 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/list

So the teacher's union is warning about a rising tide of extremism in our schools. I've read the story - what's the actual problem? That's what I'm trying to figure out here today. Apparently, some kids say they're 'Trump Boys' - i.e. like a majority of Americans, a few kids here support the Republican party or MAGA movement. The other problem apparently is some school girls saying they want to be trad-wives, or traditional wives - to have children and stay at home to raise them. Now, that's about as much detail as I could get from this particular story. And the moral of this was - the Government needs to take action on this, according to the unions. Here's the problem - children are allowed to have political views and societal views of their own and teachers are not there to police politics. Your job is apolitical, and we need to encourage critical thinking, not legislate against it. There will be people who read that story and think: here we go again with the brainwashing thing. Your job is education, not i

A new survey has revealed a significant number of Kiwis want the Government to prepare for catastrophic events that could bring about the end of the world. New University of Otago research shows two-thirds of respondents believe the Government should draft action plans for threats such as a nuclear war, bioweapons or mass famine and supply chain collapse. Professor Nick Wilson, senior researcher at the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Public Health, says New Zealand's well-placed to weather out a nuclear winter - but there's plenty the nation's not prepared for. "Although we're a great producer of food, all that food production relies on diesel, which is imported. So we haven't got a single biofuel refinery that could keep our agricultural machinery going, for example."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing push-back on the idea that children should be censored at school, as extremism spreads. PPTA members are seeing misogyny spread through the classroom, and they're putting it down to a 'toxic online culture of masculinity'. The union wants to make addressing online extremism an official policy, and is calling for Government action. Free Speech Union CEO Jillaine Heather says it's hard to stop children picking up new ideas different to their parents' views. "What you want to do, if you disagree with those ideas, is engage with them. Engage in counter-speech, dismantle the ideas, test them, get them to bring their receipts. You can't censor those ideas, surely." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are hoping to turn their luck around following their worst-ever defeat to South Africa. Ahead of their Eden Park clash against the Wallabies this Saturday, there are 11 survivors in the run-on side to meet the Aussies. All Blacks assistant coach Tamati Ellison says the team's morale is running well ahead of the big game. "I don't think worry's the right word...you prepare every week with all due respect to your opposition." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil and gas exploration applications have reopened for the first time since the 2018 ban. Companies can now apply for new prospecting and exploration permits anywhere in the country - not just onshore Taranaki. An open market application pathway's also being introduced to allocate new permits, in addition to the current competitive tender process. Energy Resources Aotearoa chief executive John Carnegie says there's concerns among investors about the ongoing certainty of this, given the backlash from the opposition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra's CEO says cheaper butter prices could be on the horizon.  The dairy co-op's announced a 13 percent rise in annual operating profit and a record-high final milk payout of $10.16 per kg. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell says it's a great result for farmers.  He says the price of wholesale butter globally has fallen 15 percent in the past two months. "At some point, that'll flow through to the supermarkets - I suspect that they'll set their own prices, but that should flow through and give it an element of relief." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.