Podcast
Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive
Hosted by Newstalk ZB · EN
With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.
287episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ben van Berkel: Wellington Rugby Referees Association president on the organisation not appointing officials this weekend amid abuse
Yesterday00:02:49Tap to summarizeThe Wellington Rugby Referees Association has opted not to appoint officials for this weekend’s fixtures amid ongoing abuse. The move follows three instances of verbal abuse of referees during weekend games. Wellington Rugby Referees Association president and chair Ben van Berkel says this follows an accumulation of incidents that took place over the past year. "Referees are a resilient bunch, but we've also said that the behaviour we walk past on is the behaviour we accept - so we want to make sure that we report all the incidents this year." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Stephen England-Hall: Genesis Energy chief revenue officer on the company calling for a ban on incandescent light bulbs
Yesterday00:02:35Tap to summarizeGenesis is calling on the Government to ban incandescent light bulbs as New Zealand lags behind many other countries. It says swapping them out for LED bulbs can save households about $300 a year. Genesis chief revenue officer Stephen England-Hall says he's backing a ban because they're not being taken off the shelves voluntarily yet. He says the difference between the two types is massive. "A dollar of electricity gives you about 250 hours of LED lighting and $1 of electricity gives you 25 hours or less on an incandescent bulb." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Melanie Reid: Newsroom investigative journalist on the calls to investigate Starship hospital
Yesterday00:05:14Tap to summarizeThere's a push to address potential issues with calls made by the child protection unit at Auckland's Starship hospital. A Newsroom investigation's looked into the team responsible for providing a medical perspective on whether parents have abused their children. International experts repeatedly found these doctors didn't consider other explanations, like severe vitamin D deficiencies, or injuries sustained during birth. Newsroom investigative journalist Melanie Reid says these cases escalate quickly - so accountability's needed. "There needs to be a big, wide ranging review of what is going on, because there's so many cases." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Tim Groser: former Trade Minister 'encouraged' by Government outlining future trade plan
Yesterday00:02:04Tap to summarizeA former Trade Minister says he's very encouraged by National's election promise that it'll pursue trade talks with seven economies. It says it would prioritise trade talks with Brazil, Switzerland, Argentina, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Uruguay and the European Free Trade Association. It's also promised to advance negotiations with a further six countries over the next decade. Tim Groser says if you don't aim high, you achieve low. "It's possible - and even if they fall short, it's certainly going to set the direction of travel." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on China warning NZ it's planning a missile test in the South Pacific
Yesterday00:05:22Tap to summarizeChina's understood to have warned our Government it's planning a nuclear-capable missile test within the next 24 hours in the South Pacific. Newstalk ZB understands China's told the Beehive today of the imminent test - the same day Australia and Fiji inked a new defence pact. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's unknown when exactly this test will take place. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Oliver Peterson: Australian correspondent on police investigating potential cannibalism in NSW pre-schooler death
Yesterday00:04:10Tap to summarizeNew South Wales police are investigating whether a preschooler's death involved cannibalism. A mother has been charged with murder after her 4-year-old son's body was found with significant arm injuries at a property in the Central Coast's Wyong. Police say the 32-year-old arrived at a police station on Saturday afternoon of her own accord. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the woman has been arrested and authorities have described the case as 'confronting' as investigations continue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Jason Pine: Sportstalk host on the All Blacks' victory over France
Yesterday00:03:00Tap to summarizeThe Dave Rennie era is off to a strong start, with the All Blacks emerging victorious in their weekend game. The 34-32 win over France in Christchurch saw the All Blacks score five tries to four. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recapped the action - and wondered if the Kiwi side could keep up the momentum for their next game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Marama Davidson: Green Party co-leader on the party's plan to improve water regulations and phase out fertiliser
Yesterday00:07:02Tap to summarizeThe Greens want to beef up water regulations, including clamping down on nitrate levels in fresh water. If elected, the party's promising stronger national standards for fresh water, more robust rules for wastewater discharges and phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Co-leader Marama Davidson says farmers need clean water too, and it's important to phase out synthetic fertiliser. "Who is the political party that wants to protect safe drinking water? It is the Greens sending a clear signal to phase out synthetic fertiliser." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The attention on the Waikato ED case could increase the odds of fixing the problem
2d ago00:02:06Tap to summarizeIf there's any good that comes from this awful case of the man dying while waiting for help in Waikato Hospital's emergency department, it's that at least it's getting a lot of media attention. I don't know if you recall but basically the same thing happened in 2021 at Middlemore Hospital. It was strange to me how little attention it received at the time, especially given everything else that was going wrong. There were people waiting for ambulances and dying in their doorways. That was happening a lot. There were reports of overcrowded EDs, understaffed hospitals and all sorts of other problems. Yet, for some reason, it barely attracted any attention and I could never really explain why. Perhaps, in retrospect, it was simply that it didn't fit the narrative. It was a Labour government at the time, Jacinda Ardern was Prime Minister and the government was pouring large amounts of money into a range of areas, including hospitals. So there was no easy explanation for why these things were happening. Now, of course, it's much easier to explain: National government, austerity, therefore not enough money. There's a logical connection there, whether you agree with it or not. While I'm horrified that this has happened, at least it is getting the attention it deserves because it was predictable — and it was predicted. The problem is simple: we do not have enough nurses and doctors in our hospitals. Go into a hospital and tell me that's not true. Don't worry about the numbers that get trotted out every time we talk about this. We hear, "Oh, we've hired heaps of doctors, we've hired heaps of nurses," and so on. Numbers can be misleading. You can say you've hired two new nurses but are those nurses fulltime or part-time? If they're fulltime, then you've gained two nurses. If they're part-time, you've effectively gained one fulltime equivalent nurse. This is the kind of thing I'm told is happening at the moment. Ignore the numbers and look at what's actually happening. Waikato ED wait times are so long that the waiting room is overcrowded and people are queueing out the door. Does that look like a fully staffed department to you? No, because it isn't. And the reason I want this to get attention is that an ED is one place none of us can avoid. Rich or poor, we're all likely to end up there at some point if we need emergency medical help. It has to work. If it doesn't work, then people's lives are at risk. And the more attention that's focused on the fact that it isn't working, the greater the chance that something is actually done to fix it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →
Full Show Podcast: 03 July 2026
4d ago01:40:38Tap to summarizeOn the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 3 July, 2026, we ask Chief Victims Adviser Ruth Money if former Lotto presenter Russell Harrison should have been on leave on full pay for five years at the Justice Ministry after being arrested for money laundering. Michael Laws tells us why he's in the race for a comeback as a New Zealand First MP. Conservation Department senior science adviser Kate McInnes on the threat of bird flu for our native birds. And Paul Allison and Alex Powell are on the Sports Huddle, one of them says Lionel Messi plays for Argentina, while Portugal plays for Cristiano Ronaldo. 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.
Transcribe →