Larry Williams Drive

The government is expected to make a major announcement on the energy sector next week. This announcement comes as more and more Kiwis are calling for reform. Senior political correspondent Azaria Howell told Ryan Bridge that, according to a survey on energy reform, 62% of respondents support the government underwriting the cost of new electricity generation. 49% of respondents also said that they would be in favour of separating electricity generation and retail.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late enrolments aren't the reason for a slow election vote count.  That's according to constitutional lawyer Graeme Edgeler, who agrees with comments from the Electoral Commission that changes to voting rules won't speed up the process.  The government's ending same-day enrolments and requiring people to enrol 13 days before polling day.  But Edgeler told Ryan Bridge that it won't solve the delay.  He says checks for people on the unpublished roll or voting out of their electorates also delay the process.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's rumours in the UK a new competitor could challenging Keir Starmer to become the Prime Minister. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, says Labour MPs are urging him to take over Starmer's role. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Burnham has claimed the Labour Party needs a plan - but it's difficult to roll a leader. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's economy has been shrinking, but our largest company has seen profits surge. Fonterra's announced a 13 percent rise in annual operating profit. Its cash return to shareholders is up 30.6 percent, and its final farmgate milk payout to farmers has reached a new record high of $10.16 per kg of milk solids. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Infrastructure New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Teachers say they're seeing an alarming rise of students with extreme ideologies, including misogynistic views promoted by Andrew Tate. How can we handle this?  The oil and gas ban has been reversed and the applications are rolling in. Can this fix our energy crunch?  Chlöe Swarbrick was spotted flying business class and the rest of the Greens are outraged. What do we make of this? Budget airline Ryanair is banning paper boarding passes - and some travellers think it's disgraceful. Do we use them? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than one-third of farmers say their mobile coverage has gotten worse over the past year - and it's negatively impacting their work environment and overall safety. New reports show only 57 percent of farmland gets coverage, and there's been no improvement since 2022. Federated Farmers telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says the situation is likely to get worse with the 3G network shutting down, and they're trying to get a handle on things. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 25 September 2025, Fonterra has delivered one of its best results ever. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell speaks to Ryan Bridge about the outlook for the next year.   Half of us are buying less fruit and veggies because of the cost, but chef Mike van de Elzen says it doesn't have to be so! Teachers say they're seeing an alarming rise of students with extreme ideologies, including misogynistic views promoted by Andrew Tate. What should be our approach to deal with "Trump boys" who promote "trad wives"? It took less than two hours for the first application for oil and gas exploration to be lodged. John Carnegie from Energy Resources Aotearoa says it's a very promising start. Plus, the Huddle debates kids' political views and whether Ryanair is right to ban paper boarding passes. 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/list

So the teacher's union is warning about a rising tide of extremism in our schools. I've read the story - what's the actual problem? That's what I'm trying to figure out here today. Apparently, some kids say they're 'Trump Boys' - i.e. like a majority of Americans, a few kids here support the Republican party or MAGA movement. The other problem apparently is some school girls saying they want to be trad-wives, or traditional wives - to have children and stay at home to raise them. Now, that's about as much detail as I could get from this particular story. And the moral of this was - the Government needs to take action on this, according to the unions. Here's the problem - children are allowed to have political views and societal views of their own and teachers are not there to police politics. Your job is apolitical, and we need to encourage critical thinking, not legislate against it. There will be people who read that story and think: here we go again with the brainwashing thing. Your job is education, not i

A new survey has revealed a significant number of Kiwis want the Government to prepare for catastrophic events that could bring about the end of the world. New University of Otago research shows two-thirds of respondents believe the Government should draft action plans for threats such as a nuclear war, bioweapons or mass famine and supply chain collapse. Professor Nick Wilson, senior researcher at the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Public Health, says New Zealand's well-placed to weather out a nuclear winter - but there's plenty the nation's not prepared for. "Although we're a great producer of food, all that food production relies on diesel, which is imported. So we haven't got a single biofuel refinery that could keep our agricultural machinery going, for example."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing push-back on the idea that children should be censored at school, as extremism spreads. PPTA members are seeing misogyny spread through the classroom, and they're putting it down to a 'toxic online culture of masculinity'. The union wants to make addressing online extremism an official policy, and is calling for Government action. Free Speech Union CEO Jillaine Heather says it's hard to stop children picking up new ideas different to their parents' views. "What you want to do, if you disagree with those ideas, is engage with them. Engage in counter-speech, dismantle the ideas, test them, get them to bring their receipts. You can't censor those ideas, surely." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are hoping to turn their luck around following their worst-ever defeat to South Africa. Ahead of their Eden Park clash against the Wallabies this Saturday, there are 11 survivors in the run-on side to meet the Aussies. All Blacks assistant coach Tamati Ellison says the team's morale is running well ahead of the big game. "I don't think worry's the right word...you prepare every week with all due respect to your opposition." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil and gas exploration applications have reopened for the first time since the 2018 ban. Companies can now apply for new prospecting and exploration permits anywhere in the country - not just onshore Taranaki. An open market application pathway's also being introduced to allocate new permits, in addition to the current competitive tender process. Energy Resources Aotearoa chief executive John Carnegie says there's concerns among investors about the ongoing certainty of this, given the backlash from the opposition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra's CEO says cheaper butter prices could be on the horizon.  The dairy co-op's announced a 13 percent rise in annual operating profit and a record-high final milk payout of $10.16 per kg. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell says it's a great result for farmers.  He says the price of wholesale butter globally has fallen 15 percent in the past two months. "At some point, that'll flow through to the supermarkets - I suspect that they'll set their own prices, but that should flow through and give it an element of relief." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An inquiry's being held into whether the MP for Whanganui has complied with his obligations to declare interests. National's Carl Bates didn't disclose 25 properties, linked to his family trust, many of which are rentals in the area. They weren't declared on Parliament's list of MP's property and financial interests. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell unpacked the investigation further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump came face-to-face in New York - and locked in plans for a formal meeting in Washington for October. Albanese posted a photo of the pair to his Instagram and claimed it was good to chat with the US President as part of a welcome event for world leaders.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says it's 'crucial' for the leaders to have a meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ardie Savea will stand in as All Blacks captain this weekend, with Scott Barrett ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Barrett's replaced by Fabian Holland in the run-on side, which features 11 survivors from the worst ever defeat a fortnight ago to South Africa. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Half of New Zealanders are cutting back on fruit and vegetables as the cost of living rises.  A Ministry of Social Development report reveals nearly two in five Kiwis report an inadequate income, with 48 percent cutting back on produce to save money in 2023 - more than double since 2018. Chef and host of Eat Well for Less, Mike van de Elzen, says produce isn't expensive if you buy efficiently. "We need to kind of just step back and go - what are we buying? Are we buying stuff out of season? Because you just need to use your nut a little bit. You need to think about what you're buying and the time that you're buying it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump recently made the claim that London wanted to 'go to sharia law' under its 'terrible mayor', Sadiq Khan - a claim the mayor's office has quickly dismissed. The US President made this claim in an address to the UN general assembly earlier today. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Sadiq Khan's team claimed they refused to dignify Trump's comments with a response.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Telco provider 2degrees made a net loss attributable to shareholders of $18.2 million for the 2025 financial year. Despite this, operating earnings and overall revenue, plus revenue in key product categories such as mobile, broadband and energy, were up. CEO Mark Callander says it's a tough economic environment - but the company's hoping things will pick up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners 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!   The New Zealand Herald released its latest Mood of the Boardroom survey and Chris Luxon and Nicola Willis are out  of Cabinet's top 10 performers. Can they turn things around?  What do we think of our new Reserve Bank Governor? She seems very committed to transparency - do we think that's what our central bank needs?  Tory Whanau has revealed she wants to run for Parliament. Do we think this is a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.