Larry Williams Drive

An inquiry's being held into whether the MP for Whanganui has complied with his obligations to declare interests. National's Carl Bates didn't disclose 25 properties, linked to his family trust, many of which are rentals in the area. They weren't declared on Parliament's list of MP's property and financial interests. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell unpacked the investigation further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump came face-to-face in New York - and locked in plans for a formal meeting in Washington for October. Albanese posted a photo of the pair to his Instagram and claimed it was good to chat with the US President as part of a welcome event for world leaders.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says it's 'crucial' for the leaders to have a meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ardie Savea will stand in as All Blacks captain this weekend, with Scott Barrett ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Barrett's replaced by Fabian Holland in the run-on side, which features 11 survivors from the worst ever defeat a fortnight ago to South Africa. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Half of New Zealanders are cutting back on fruit and vegetables as the cost of living rises.  A Ministry of Social Development report reveals nearly two in five Kiwis report an inadequate income, with 48 percent cutting back on produce to save money in 2023 - more than double since 2018. Chef and host of Eat Well for Less, Mike van de Elzen, says produce isn't expensive if you buy efficiently. "We need to kind of just step back and go - what are we buying? Are we buying stuff out of season? Because you just need to use your nut a little bit. You need to think about what you're buying and the time that you're buying it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump recently made the claim that London wanted to 'go to sharia law' under its 'terrible mayor', Sadiq Khan - a claim the mayor's office has quickly dismissed. The US President made this claim in an address to the UN general assembly earlier today. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Sadiq Khan's team claimed they refused to dignify Trump's comments with a response.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Telco provider 2degrees made a net loss attributable to shareholders of $18.2 million for the 2025 financial year. Despite this, operating earnings and overall revenue, plus revenue in key product categories such as mobile, broadband and energy, were up. CEO Mark Callander says it's a tough economic environment - but the company's hoping things will pick up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners 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 New Zealand Herald released its latest Mood of the Boardroom survey and Chris Luxon and Nicola Willis are out  of Cabinet's top 10 performers. Can they turn things around?  What do we think of our new Reserve Bank Governor? She seems very committed to transparency - do we think that's what our central bank needs?  Tory Whanau has revealed she wants to run for Parliament. Do we think this is a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 24 September 2025, first we got Ikea and now we get a Swedish Reserve Bank Governor! Finance Minister Nicola Willis tells Ryan Bridge why Dr. Anna Breman got the top job. US president Donald Trump's visit at the UN was as fiery as expected, including getting stuck on an escalator! US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley was there for it all. Auckland Council has officially voted in favour of 15-storey apartment blocks along major arterial routes in central Auckland. NIMBYs can still protest during the consultation protest though! Should Kiwis pay to park at our national parks? Federated Mountain Clubs are not happy with it. Plus, the Huddle debates the damning result from today's Mood of the Boardroom. 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 Swedes do central banking a little different to us, and I reckon it's good news we've got a Swede in charge. Riksbank - their RBNZ equivalent - is really big on this thing called transparency. There's three things to know - this is stuff they do that we don't, currently. 1. They rank amongst best performing on openness and honesty in the world.2. They publish an actual forward forecast for the OCR - we don't.3. They publish alternative scenarios and minutes. In the minutes, you get to see which of these guys voted which way and their justifications for dong so. Currently, we don't even get to know which way the committee members voted, let alone why. And remember, the Fed in the US and the Bank of England do - as does Riksbank. So here's hoping the Swede in charge will help shake things up and that changes will be made and sunlight will be shone. A new dawn, perhaps, for 2 The Terrace, after a dark and cloudy rollercoaster ride of terror under Adrian Orr. Her name is Anna Breman and her CV reads

AI and technology stocks are continuing to have a significant presence in the market - but which companies are leading the charge? Broadcom and Oracle are among the companies that have generated positive results, and Nvidia made headlines following its $100 billion investment in OpenAI. Milford Asset Management's Andrew Curtayne explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Treasury has raised the alarm over the state of New Zealand's public finances as part of its long-term fiscal forecast. Record levels of Government spending, increasing health costs and an ever-growing aging population are among the concerns set to create additional fiscal pressures for the country, according to new reports. Treasury warned Net Core Crown Debt is set to hit 200 percent of GDP by 2065. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says some of these concerns were flagged as early as 2021 - and we need to start thinking about solutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister is not sharing the same fears as retailers over the surcharge ban. Scott Simpson says the legislation banning surcharges like PayWave is before the Select Committee and will be in place by next year.  36 business associations have written a letter warning the ban could be passed on through increased prices. Simpson says a lot of businesses don't use surcharges - so won't be impacted or need to raise prices. "The ones that choose to add that pricing in will be actually competitively constrained in the marketplace by those businesses that choose not to do so." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visitors will have to pay $5 an hour to park at Aoraki/Mt Cook as part of a parking trial set to be carried out this summer. Fees will include a day rate of $25 and $60 for an annual pass for regular users, which applies to anyone living outside the Mackenzie District - while residents will pay $10 per year. Federated Mountain Clubs president Megan Dimozantos has voiced disappointment with the idea that Kiwis have to pay the same rates as international visitors. "It will, unfortunately, have an impact on low-income families that are struggling with the cost of living crisis, so I don't know that this is really a solution in its own right."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three hundred potential candidates were identified in the hunt for our new Reserve Bank Governor. The role has gone to Anna Breman, who was the First Deputy Governor of Sweden's central bank. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says it was a a tough competition amongst candidates. "The Reserve Bank went through a process of both advertising and also doing a large international search to consider people that could be qualified for the role."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new housing density plan is going ahead following a heated Auckland Council debate. The plan which allows more housing near transport hubs and fewer in natural hazard zones, has passed with 18 in support and 5 opposed. It will remove 27 percent of Special Character Areas. Councillor Shane Henderson says the plan now goes out for public consultation.  "It's time for people to feedback in and say - look, we might have gotten this or that area wrong, or make some adjustments to people's neighbourhoods and things like that. It's really important that we allow people to have their say."  Housing and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has welcomed the decision. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Reserve Bank Governor is pledging to build trust and credibility. Sweden's Anna Breman has been announced to lead  the central bank, taking over from interim Governor Christian Hawkesby in December. She'll be the first woman to ever hold the role - selected from more than 300 candidates who were initially identified. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says Breman has revealed the new core ideals of the RBNZ under her leadership - and has voiced her commitment to transparency.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump lashed out at the world on climate change and immigration while addressing the UN's General Assembly.  With a MAGA style rally speech, Trump began by touting his own domestic achievements.  He went on to say the United Nations doesn't come close to its tremendous potential. Trump also claimed open border policies are a failed experiment and warned against the 'green scam'.  US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley labelled the speech 'extraordinary' and raised concerns over what this could mean for the US' relationship with allies. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Midcourter Kimiora Poi believes the Silver Ferns are only just starting to feel like their old selves heading into the second test against South Africa in Napier tonight. The Ferns have had to quickly adjust to Yvette McCausland-Durie's interim leadership as coach Dame Noeline Taurua was stood down for the series. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hoped Pharmac's latest funding proposal will save hospitals and patients valuable time. It's looking at funding five new medicines - for breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, eye conditions, and lung cancer. The proposal includes a new under the skin injection treatment, which could replace some IV infusions. Roche New Zealand Country Medical Director Dr Kerryn Symons says the injection takes just a few minutes, when infusions usually take several hours. "Our calculations show that over a period of five years, that the number of hours released in the infusion clinics is about 45,000." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven charities have dropped the Sarah Ferguson as a patron, after an email from 2011 emerged in which she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her 'supreme friend'. Julia's House, a children's hospice, was the first to remove Duchess of York - saying it was 'inappropriate' for her to continue in the role. A raft of others lined up behind them, and the British Heart Foundation said she would no longer be its ambassador. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's likely more charities will follow suit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.