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Struck by the disconnect between Wellington bureaucrats and frustrated Aucklanders stuck in Covid lockdown, Heather du-Plessis Allan held the country’s leaders to account in tenacious style.

When Heather du-Plessis Allan visited the capital in 2021, she was taken aback by how indifferent Wellington bureaucrats seemed about the frustration building among Aucklanders trapped in a months-long Covid lockdown.

Fueled by a frustration with the lack of scrutiny on the lockdown’s effectiveness, and strong backing from her Newstalk ZB audience, du-Plessis Allan’s persistent questioning of New Zealand’s top officials helped keep them accountable.

In this conversation with broadcaster and media chaplain Rev Frank Ritchie, Heather reflects on her adaptation to talkback host on Newstalk ZB, her redundancy from Mediaworks, and how a shouting match with Jacinda Ardern helped form her into a tough interviewer.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Heather du Plessis-Allan | Locked Down, Left Behind