Larry Williams Drive

Donald Trump has once again extended the deadline to reach a trade deal with China.  The deadline that was due to end today has now been pushed back by 3 months.  Asia Business Correspondent Peter Lewis told Heather duPlessis-Allan that this extension is, ‘kicking the can down the road.’   He says that the two countries' trade principles are making it harder to find a middle ground. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is due to meet with Vladimir Putin at 7:30am NZST to discuss the war in Ukraine.  This will be the first time the pair have met since Helsinki in 2018, and the first time the Russian President has visited the States in more than a decade.  Marco Rubio’s former chief of staff and managing partner of Firehouse Strategies Matt Terrill told Heather duPlessis-Allan that this meeting is a ‘major step’ towards a ceasefire.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle, NewstalkZB's own D'arcy Waldegrave and Andrew Gordy join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.  What will north shore golfers do without Takapuna Golf Club? And what should we make of our top netball players running overseas? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland council wants to go ahead with its plans to cut Takapuna Golf Course in half - turning it into a 9-hole course. This plan will transform half of the club into a wetland to help with any future floods.  Despite opposition from big-name members at the club such as Lydia Ko and Ryan Fox, alternative options to this plan have been rejected. Takapuna Golf Club member Phil Jaggard says the club will, 'take a moment to digest this information.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, I don't know what kind of psychosis has taken hold of the bureaucrats at Health New Zealand, but you want to see these rules that they've put out about the food and what food is allowed and what food is banned from the hospital cafeterias. It is ridiculously, ridiculously prescriptive. So what they've done is they, they, they put out, because they like wasting their time on nonsense, they've put out their new national food and drink policy. And it's divided food into three categories. You've got the green category, that's the good stuff. You've got the amber category, that's a bit naughty, but OK, and you've got the red category and that's banned. So what you are allowed to eat when you go to the hospital cafeteria is chicken.  But without the skin on. So that you're basically left with the saddest, driest chicken breast known to man. Yum, enjoy yourself. Beef and pork, that is allowed, but the staff have to trim the visible fat off, and they have to drain the fatty drippings, which completely

Health New Zealand's changing up hospital cafe menus in the name of a good diet.  Its fresh National Food and Drink policy reduces processed foods, and the portion sizes for things like slices and scones.  Food will need lower saturated fats and added sugar - examples include skinless chicken and fish.  Public Health Service Director Doctor Nick Chamberlain says it would be a bad look if hospitals didn't have healthy food guidelines. Chamberlain says they're trying to provide guidance, which still gives a huge amount of choice.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stats NZ says food inflation was back up five-percent for the year to July. The heftiest increases include butter rising 42-percent, cheese 29, and produce climbing more than seven. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says other essentials like milk, steak, and mince are also going up. Olsen says food price inflation probably won't impact next week's Reserve Bank announcement, but it is uncomfortable for households.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rail Minister Winston Peters is disputing the reported final cost of dumping the mega-ferries project which sits at $671million dollars.  Peters argues the 449-million for infrastructure, project management, and wind-down costs isn't all lost, with elements still being used.  Settlement for cancelling the contract with a Hyundai shipyard for the two new inter-island ferries cost 144-million-dollars.  It brings the total paid to the boat builders, to 222 million.  He says that was actually lower than the 300-million originally provisioned.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has begun looking in to allowing more foreign investors to by homes in New Zealand.  Currently in discussion is the proposal to loosen the active investor visa and allow investors to purchase a property.  Although discussion is in early days, a decision is expected to be made soon.  Barry Soper told Heather duPlessis-Allan, ‘you would expect that a decision would be made clear by our cabinet in the coming weeks.’  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska tomorrow.  This is the first time a Russian leader has been on US soil in more than a decade.   Donald Trump has made it clear on many occasions that he wants to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.  US Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley  told Heather duPlessis-Allan that, “He wants to be seen as a peacemaker president.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister's promising the right to protest is being protected - as the Government moves to outlaw action outside people's homes. Its new Bill would create a new offence for engaging in a targeted and disruptive demonstration outside a residence. It would carry a maximum fine of two-thousand dollars, or three months in jail.  Paul Goldsmith says New Zealanders value the right to protest, and also value privacy He says they're dealing with issues targeted at individuals and personal residences. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are set to have their summit soon, but experts have voiced concerns about what this could mean for Ukraine. European leaders appeared cautiously optimistic after holding a virtual meeting with Trump ahead of the pair's meeting in Alaska, with the US President saying his goal was to obtain a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv. UK correspondent Enda Brady unpacks the mood ahead of the meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and AUT Chancellor Rob Campbell joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Israel has hit back at Chris Luxon's comment that Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'. What does this mean for the overall Gaza situation?  Should the Royal Commission of Inquiry summons the ex-Ministers? Do you think the teachers are misjudging the public mood with their strike? Or do we have patience for their demands? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crimson Education head Jamie Beaton has set his sights on a new business venture. Concord Visa is an immigration consultancy project designed to streamline how startups and talent access new markets. Beaton explained how this venture would help people reach new oppurtunites. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has released its annual Stock Number Survey for the year ending 30 June 2025. The data shows New Zealand’s total sheep numbers fell modestly by 1 percent, and beef cattle numbers rose 4.4 percent.   The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter is set to wrap up his 12-year term, and he's gotten some criticisms in about central Government before the end. Baxter says the rhetoric directed at local Government is doing 'way more harm than good' and more teamwork is needed. "I think it's about time that central Government and local Government work together rather than throwing barbs at each other." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think what many of us are experiencing right now, re: Jacinda, Grant, Chippy and Ayesha not fronting publicly for the COVID inquiry is not disappointment, because disappointment requires us to have had a higher expectation of them. And I don't think that we did, because I think we got the measure of these people a long time ago. I think what we're experiencing right now is a sense of injustice, because these people had the power, and they used that power to do things to our lives that no other politicians in the history of this country have done. They told us not to leave our homes, they shut the border so that we couldn't leave the country or come back in. They ended some businesses through their rules, they effectively forced people out of jobs for not taking a vaccine that I would say most of us don't even bother with now. Now, we can argue about whether any of that or all of that was justified, but I don't think we can argue about how massive that was. It was huge, unprecedented power. Now, with po

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 14 August 2025, should the Royal Commission into Covid reconsider summonsing ex-Ministers Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins and co? Constitutional lawyer Graeme Edgeler reveals what he thinks could happen next. Israel's deputy foreign Minister Sharren Haskel speaks to Heather about Chris Luxon's call that Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'. Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Heather speak about the future of armed police officers after police shot two people overnight, one of them died. The overseas-born Kiwi dad on the bureaucratic nightmare getting his kids citizenship - and why he thinks those with Maori ancestry should be fast-tracked. Plus, the Huddle reacts to the Israeli foreign Minister - and are teachers losing the room with their strike next week? 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.

There's no shortage of stories where customers go crazy for free giveaways at the supermarket - and one expert has revealed why this is the case. Between coffee shops offering a free drink after you've bought 10 or beauty retailers handing out samples if you spend enough, research has explained this is all another marketing trick to hook people in. University of Canterbury marketing professor Ekant Veer says people like to feel like they've won things, especially if they're free. "We feel like we're getting rewarded for our loyalty or rewarded for our good behaviour, and then it's going to work for us. We're going to get that little dopamine hit."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister's steadfast in condemning Prime Minister Luxon for saying her leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has lost the plot over Gaza.  Chris Luxon made the comment yesterday and says he's voicing a global sentiment. Sharren Haskel posted saying New Zealand's worst enemies are cats and possums, so it can't understand the threat from Hamas. Today, she says she stands with Netanyahu on Gaza - and it's the UN that's failed.  "And no matter how much we've been trying to work together, the Secretary General of the UN will turn it into a political issue." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.