Episodes
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Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet his American counterpart in Washington as talks about Ukraine's future continue.
The Prime Minister has already locked horns with Donald Trump - and accused him of repeating Russian disinformation after he called Zelenskyy a 'dictator'.
UK correspondent Enda Brady offers speculation about the upcoming meeting.
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'Special Economic Zones' or energy precincts could be established to strengthen New Zealand's fuel and energy security, according to the Government.
Cabinet will consider a range of options in the first half of this year.
Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says special economic zones - areas with less regulations - are already used widely overseas.
Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacks whether or not this is the way forward.
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It's a good start to the year for wool farmers, as prices leap up to a historic high.
Following a Covid-induced downturn, growth has returned to the sector - allowing farmers to do more than scrape by.
The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.
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Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Infrastrucuture New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the week - and more!
British streaming platform DAZN are being courted by New Zealand Rugby to make an 11th hour bid for the rugby rights deal after the body got into a stalemate with Sky. What do we make of this?
The Police Minister is crediting officers for a significant drop in violent crime - the first dip in five years. Do we feel safter when we go out?
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If you've ever lent money to a friend or family member and never seen that cash again - a new app could turn that situation around.
A former banker turned Hawke’s Bay farmer has created a peer-to-peer lending app designed to simplify and formalise loan agreements between peers or friends, and it's believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Amico creator Tom Aitken says this service is legally enforceable - and is designed to clear up ambiguities around small-scale lending.
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Campervan company Tourism Holdings is being hit hard by a tough economic climate, according to new reports.
The company's net profit for the six months ended December was $25.3 million compared to $39.7 million in the previous period - a 36 percent decline.
CEO Grant Webster says there's an upside - as New Zealand rentals and sales have gone from 'strength to strength'.
"New Zealand's been our standout performer, and a really big increase, a 20+ percent increase in revenue - and fleet's gone up accordingly and we've had a good summer."
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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 25 February 2025, Police Minister Mark Mitchell talks to Ryan Bridge about crime figures being down for the first time since 2018.
Minister for Resources Shane Jones talks about the Government's plans for a new special economic zone for Marsden point.
The President of the Auckland Primary Principals Association explains why fast tracking teacher residency is a good thing for the education sector.
Plus, Gregor Paul joins Ryan to discusses the entry of streaming giants DAZN into the NZ rugby rights battle - are we likely to see a game changer?
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Saudi-backed service DAZN has reportedly entered the battle for New Zealand Rugby's broadcasting rights.
The national body are yet to come to a new agreement with incumbent rightsholders Sky - who are understood to have submitted a smaller bid than their current deal.
NZ Herald rugby writer Gregor Paul initially broke the story, and he says NZR felt the need to reach out to a potential bidder who could offer more.
He suspects DAZN could be looking to acquire Sky as well - as it's currently in the process of buying Australia's Foxtel.
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There's relief in the education sector as Erica Stanford moves on teacher shortages.
The Immigration and Education Minister is changing immigration rules to fast-track primary teacher residency.
Annual forecasts predict schools will be short 1250 teachers this year, upturning an original projection of a surplus approaching the same figure - about 1061.
Auckland Primary Principals Association President, Kyle Brewerton, says the Ministry believed there was a surplus for too long.
"It took the current Minister to actually lean on the Ministry and say - hang on, this doesn't make sense, because I'm hearing this and you're telling me this, so what's really going on? And now we have the full answer."
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The Police Minister is crediting officers and Corrections staff for success from a crackdown on violent crime.
The Government's celebrating a two percent decline in victimisations in 2024, compared to 2023.
It's alongside a 40 percent increase in foot patrols.
Ram raids more than halved - but retail crime rose 12 percent.Mark Mitchell says New Zealand should be the safest country in the world.
"We're definitely not crowing about it yet - it's early days, we know we've still got an enormous amount of work to do. But it's certainly a step in the right direction."
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The Associate Energy Minister wants climate advocates to embrace the potential for fewer regulations around Marsden Point.
Cabinet is planning to look into options to increase energy security this year.
They could include creating special economic zones, which have reduced regulations and increased support around customs and trade.
Shane Jones says it could be a significant point for energy transition, and innovation.
"What are we actually going to do in New Zealand, other than try and tax cows? What are we actually going to do to enable industry, to enable investors to accelerate the pace of change?"
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France's President claims today's discussions with Donald Trump are a turning point for settling the war in Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron and the US President have held talks at the White House, while virtually attending the Kyiv G7 meeting.
In translation, Macron says both parties want peace as soon as possible, and neither want a weak agreement.
ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Trump still appeared oblivious over several key aspects during the discussions.
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Network Ten has been ordered to pay journalist Lisa Wilkinson $1.15 million to cover the court costs incurred during the Bruce Lehrmann case.
Lehrmann had taken Ten and Wilkinson to court - claiming he was defamed by an interview with Brittany Higgins.
Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Wilkinson and Ten stepped up to defend themselves.
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British streaming platform DAZN are being courted by New Zealand Rugby to make an 11th hour bid for the rugby rights deal up after this year.
Talks between Sky and New Zealand Rugby continue, but the pair have failed to reach an agreement on a scaled down offer from the current agreement.
The New Zealand Herald reports NZR is talking to DAZN - who are currently in the process of buying Australia's Foxtel.
Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.
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A Government plan to extend repeat prescription terms to 12 months could follow international trends.
The current supply limit is generally three months - possibly longer for contraceptives and overseas travel.
The Ministry of Health opened consultation last year.
General Practice New Zealand chair, Doctor Bryan Betty, says Australia, the US and the UK have already made similar moves.
"There were similar sorts of restrictions on prescribing there, but all of those countries have started to loosen this up in terms of flexibility."
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So it looks like, on paper at least, that this is a big win for the Government's crackdown on crime.
Violent crime is down for the first time in five years - sure, it's only by two percent, but at least it's not going up.
2019 - up. 2020 - up. 2021, 2022, 2023 - up, up up. 2024 - down.
And over those five years of increase, violence went up 51 percent. You basically had to just walk down the street and you'd get punched in the eye.
Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith have fired off press releases quicker than a Chinese warship in the Tasman about this, they're crowing and beating their chests, they're very happy. And you can see why - serious assaults have come down, injuries have reduced, ram raids are down massively, total victimisations are down as well.
And here's the kicker - guess what else has changed at the same time?
The prison population has just hit its highest level since 2018. Police foot patrols are up 40 percent.
So it's almost like - if more bad people are in prison, they're not punching us in the streets. I know, completely unbelievable.
And who would have thought police patrolling the streets might actually prevent crime?
This is, of course, not radical stuff. It's basic stuff.
And on these numbers, the Government finally has something tangible to be proud of.
But - and there's always a but with these stats - retail theft is up 12 percent. People are still walking into shops with their tote bags and taking stuff.
And then there's the stats themselves - this survey that they're using here covers a 24 month window, so it's not a crystal-clear picture that we're getting. Plus, the violence numbers that they're looking at come from a mish-mash of police data via Twitter, of all places. This is from the Government release.
So we can expect some blowback from Labour on that.
But you don't need the stats to tell you - what you feel and what I feel and what we feel and see in our neighbourhoods, and that's more cops on the beat and less violence on our streets.
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Police in Spain have arrested 48 people in connection with a suspected human trafficking ring - believed to have lured over 1000 women to the country for sex work.
Authorities found evidence these women, who were mainly from Venezuela and Colombia, were made to believe they were taking beauty or cleaning jobs.
UK correspondent Gavin Grey says these women were kept under constant video surveillance and only allowed out for two hours per day.
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Retailers are hoping a sales rebound means an industry uptick has begun.
Stats NZ data shows total retail sales increased 0.9 percent in the three months ending December - against the quarter before.
Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly says this is a good sign for the economy - but warns companies not to get ahead of themselves.
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Conservatives have won Germany's election, with the far-right securing record votes.
Exit polls have the centre-right CDU topping votes at about 29 percent.
AFD has had the best showing for a German far-right political party since World War Two, surging to 20 percent.
New Zealand Initiative executive director Oliver Hartwich unpacks the economic factors at play.
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Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
The Police Commissioner believes the gang patch ban is working - and claimed the ban is helping make the public feel safer. What do we make of this?
Do we need to sink more money into defence spending? The Government is hinting at boosting defence spending ahead of the 2025 budget - do we agree with this?
Andrew Bayly has resigned as a Minister after putting his hands on a staffer - what do we think of this? How weird is this story?
Should bars be allowed to advertise to students? Victoria University of Wellington's Students Association doesn't think so. Do we think this whole saga is an over-reach?
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