Larry Williams Drive

The Police Minister says he'd never second-guess an officer's actions during a police incident.  Multiple investigations are taking place after an officer shot two people after a domestic dispute. An officer shot a man carrying a hunting knife, with fears he'd seriously injure a woman. The officer then shot the woman dead, when she threatened officers.   Mark Mitchell says he feels for the officer.  "My thoughts go out to those police officers and their families, they have my full support. It is a police officer's worst nightmare to be placed into a situation like that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A constitutional lawyer says the Royal Commission of Inquiry has the power to summons ex-ministers to front for its Covid enquiry.  It's called off its second week of hearings after Chris Hipkins, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall declined to appear.  It says it shouldn't diminish the inquiry - as all have privately given evidence. Lawyer Graeme Edgeler says the Commission just needs to consider if it'll miss out on key information without a summons. "If the answer to that was yes, then they should exercise it. They seem to think at the moment that they don't need need to have the summons, but it's something they have in their back pocket." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon is defending saying Israel's leader has 'lost the plot' in the face of pushback. The Prime Minister criticised Benjamin Netanyahu over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where people are starving. Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister responded that Luxon can't comprehend the challenges of facing Hamas. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says Luxon's put his own views out there - in a change of pace from factoring in Winston Peters and David Seymour.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese has hit back against Hamas propaganda' after the Islamist group put out statements overnight welcoming his pledge to recognise Palestinian statehood. Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef claimed he welcomed the 'political courage' of the Australian Labor Government in an earlier statement. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this situation has prompted additional concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Silver Fern Maddy Gordon has revealed the ANZ Premiership's uncertain future played a major role in her decision to leave the Central Pulse after seven years and three titles. The 29-test midcourter's joining the Queensland Firebirds in next year's Super Netball in Australia, following teammate Kelly Jackson. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s descended from a Treaty signatory, an All Black and the ‘Voice of New Zealand’, but John Bryers Ruddock can't get his kids New Zealand citizenship - so he's taking legal action. John himself was born overseas and was dismayed to discover there was no easy way to secure Kiwi citizenship for his US-born children, in part because he was born offshore. He says it would have been easier to get approved if he was coming in as a migrant - and it feels 'unconstitutional'. "Because I'm not on a visa or applying for a visa myself, they all get charged individually. So normally, say, if I had 20 kids and I was here on a visa or applying for my residence visa, it would cost me $3200 for being all my dependent children. But because I'm a citizen and not on a visa, they charge them individually." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of migrants to cross the English Channel in small boats since the Labour party came to power 13 months ago is expected to have reached 50,000.  The Government says it’s an 'unacceptable number of people' but pointed to the 'one in, one out' returns deal with France as a deterrent. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says opposition MPs have been quick to accuse the Government of 'surrendering the borders'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is moving to cut 20 percent of its staff in a bid to unwind the hiring spree by former Governor Adrian Orr. The restructure will see the net reduction on 142 roles, including 35 vacant positions. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson 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!  Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson have all declined to be interviewed publicly by the Covid inquiry. Should they have fronted? Did Chlöe Swarbrick deserve to get booted out of Parliament today? Should she have apologised? What did we make of Debbie Ngarewa-Packer dropping the C-word in Parliament?  The Education Minister is cutting Māori words from five-year-olds' school phonics books. Is this a bad look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US inflation held steady in July, with consumer prices rising 2.7 percent - depite the ongoing concerns around import tariffs. Figures are better than economists feared, but underlying pressures make the Federal Reserve's next move unclear. Milford Asset Management's Michael Luke explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unionised secondary teachers who say kids' needs aren't being met in school will strike next week, nationwide. They'll step away from the job next Wednesday after rejecting a three percent pay increase over three years. The PPTA says experienced teachers will be crucial to successfully rolling out proposed Government NCEA reforms. President Chris Abercrombie says the teachers introduced a counter-offer, but it's up to the Government to do their part. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can't blame you if your assessment of Parliament today is that it's become a circus, because what happened today is kind of hard to defend or even explain. Chlöe was kicked out, Brownlee suspended her for a week and all of the Government parties voted for that punishment - and that includes New Zealand First, before Winston Peters then got up to tell Jerry Brownlee that the punishment wasn't fair, even though he just voted for the punishment. And then Debbie got up and said the C-word again. Now, Chlöe did actually break the rules. I mean, this is another one of those seemingly arbitrary or hard to explain rules in Parliament - that MPs can't accuse each other of being cowards. Nick Smith did it in 2003, he accused MPs across the house of not having the spine to debate a vote. He withdrew and apologized. Steve Chadwick did it in 2007, she accused the opposition of being absolutely gutless and spineless. She withdrew and apologized. John Key did it in 2015, quite famously when he yelled at Lab

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 13 August 2025, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins and other former Labour Ministers have declined to give evidence at a public Covid inquiry. National's Chris Bishop says it's "disgraceful". Drama in Parliament, with Greens co-leader Chloe Swarbrick kicked out of the House for the second day in a row. Former Speaker Sir David Carter says Gerry Brownlee is right to crack down on MPs misbehaving. Bad news if you have kids at secondary school. Teachers are going on strike next Wednesday and PPTA president Chris Abercrombie tells Heather just how big a payrise they're after. Kiwi woman Sarah Shaw is still in a US detention centre with her 6-year old. Her lawyer speaks to Heather. Plus, the Huddle debates whether Chloe Swarbrick deserved her suspensions - and whether the ex-ministers should front up to the Covid inquiry. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Education Minister Erica Stanford has received some backlash by excluding most Māori words from five-year-olds' school phonics books. A Ministry of Education report shows Stanford decided to exclude all Māori kupu - except characters' names - last year, out of concern it would confuse children. Canterbury University's professor Gail Gillon helped develop the phonics readers. She says confusion doesn't appear to be an issue.  "The evidence that we have would suggest that our five-year-old children are coping very well with the inclusion of just a few kupu Māori in these early readers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Embassy staff have made contact with Sarah Shaw - the Kiwi woman being detained along with her son at a US immigration facility. The pair were detained on the Canadian border three weeks ago. Shaw's lawyer Minda Thorward says she's using every legal process she can to get the pair out - but it's ultimately up to DHS. "We're hoping that they're just going to release her and her son later this week - although they may still remain in proceedings. But we're still just waiting to find out what's going to happen." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Current and former Labour leaders and ministers deciding not to appear at the Royal Commission's Covid inquiry is being described as 'disgraceful'.  Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Ayesha Verrall, who were all involved in Covid decisions - have declined invitations to appear.  They say it would have been performative - not informative - and there's a risk livestream recordings could be manipulated and misused.  National MP Chris Bishop says they should front up because New Zealanders deserve answers over the scale of Covid spending, which is still having impacts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was drama and controversy in the House today, after Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick doubled down and refused to apologise for saying MPs with spines would act on Gaza. Swarbrick has since been booted from Parliament for not apologising. Former Speaker Sir David Carter says he should have asked Prime Minister John Key to withdraw - when he told the Opposition to 'get some guts' in 2015. "In hindsight, when you get a chance to review the tape and hear it again - yes, I would have asked him to withdraw and apologise. I would have settled the House down if I'd done that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was drama in Parliament today after Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick doubled down and refused to apologise for comments made yesterday. She was kicked out of the House for again not apologising for saying Government MPs with a spine should support sanctioning Israel more over Gaza. She was 'named', which means her pay will be docked. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says everyone's talking about Chlöe Swarbrick's conduct, which is what she wanted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's uncertainty over how Donald Trump's dialling up of law enforcement in Washington DC will play out.  The President has placed the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, and has deployed roughly 800 National Guards. US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley says local authorities have claimed Trump's measures to crack down on crime in DC aren't necessary - and that violent crime is at a 30-year low. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have re-signed Te Maire Martin for the 2026 season, ending speculation on his future at the NRL club. Martin had been shaping for a move away from the Warriors earlier in the year, but has proven invaluable in recent times as a 'Fix-it man' in the side ravaged by injuries. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.