Larry Williams Drive

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 20 September. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed has been accused of raping and sexually assaulting a string of women employed by the department store. Five women have accused him of rape and an additional 20 have claimed he sexually assaulted them. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says al-Fayed would identify and target young, female assistants before isolating and assaulting them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Federal Reserve surprised economists with its first interest rate cut in four years. Rates have gone down by 0.5 percent to about 4.8 percent - a significant shift after two years of high rates designed to tame inflation. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie says the markets responded well to this move after pricing in potential cuts.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two key players looking to help Kiwi farmers reduce their emissions have given a new company some additional funding to craft a methane vaccine. AgriZeroNZ and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre are providing $13.5 million ($8.5M and $5M respectively) to Lucidome Bio to fund their research. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains what this move could mean for farmers. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts say today's GDP figures paint a dire picture of our economy - and it's unlikely things will recover right away. New data shows GDP dropped 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2024. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains why the economy is unlikely to recover in the coming months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Early Edition host Ryan Bridge joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  A group of Wellington taxi drivers have been suspended from the airport ranks after they used the parents' room to heat up food on their late night shifts. Is this unfair? The GDP dropped 0.2 percent in Q2 and things aren't looking too hopeful for the next quarter. When do we see the economy turning around? The Government wants to reduce the number of jury trials to reduce the backlog of cases in the courts, with Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith unveiling some new ideas for the public to consider. Do we need changes?  More deadly explosions took place in Lebanon - how scary is this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 19 September 2024, how can we cure our sick economy? Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr spoke to Heather after our economy contracted 0.2 percent in Q2. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith wants to reduce the number of jury trials to deal with the backlog of cases waiting to get to court. Plus, The Huddle debates whether Wellington taxi drivers should be allowed to use the microwave in the airport parents room. 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.

Wellington Airport has suspended five taxi drivers from using its taxi rank after they used the parents’ room to heat their dinners. The airport contacted the taxi companies two months ago to warn against drivers using the parents’ room for privacy and hygiene reasons - but this was not passed on to all taxi staff. One anonymous driver who avoided suspension has labelled this move 'unreasonable'  "I did it after asking two of the food officials in airport uniform if we could heat the food in the microwave in the parents' room and they happily said they didn't mind as long as we cleaned up after." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has made some line-up changes ahead of this weekend's Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney. Beauden Barrett returns to fullback, Will Jordan moves to the right wing, and Ethan de Groot and Caleb Clarke make their return after recovering from injuries.  All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax hopes the team can turn their luck around after the two recent defeats in Cape Town. He expressed his disappointment with how the last couple of games went for the team - especially towards the end. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert says today's GDP figures paint a bleak picture of the economy - but there's light at the end of the tunnel. Stats NZ revealed this morning a 0.2 percent contraction for the three months to June, following 0.1 percent growth in the March quarter. Kiwibank economist Jarrod Kerr says it's likely the economy won't start growing again until late 2025. "The Reserve Bank's put a stake in the ground - they started cutting in August - and I think that'll mark the turning point." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philip Polkinghorne must wait at least three more days before a jury rules him innocent or guilty of killing Pauline Hanna. The jury has gone home after telling the judge they couldn't reach a decision today - having deliberated since 11am. They won't sit tomorrow because of a juror's prior commitment and will recommence 11am on Monday. The Herald's Michael Morrah has been in court. He says Polkinghorne reacted emotionally this morning as the 111 call after Hanna died was replayed for the jury. "He was so upset that the judge has to call for the proceedings to be put on hold, essentially." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's new bill banning gang patches in public and giving police more power to disperse gangs and bring in non-consorting court orders has passed. Last-minute changes extended the insignia ban to being visible in cars - and inside homes of repeat ban offenders. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says critics of the bill have labelled it a violation of free speech. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 percent in August. The number of employed people grew by 47,500, and the number of unemployed people declined by 10,500, according to reports. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this will encourage the Reserve Bank to hold off on cutting interest rates when they next meet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks want to show New Zealand they can bounce back from adversity in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney. Coach Scott Robertson has made four changes to his 23 from the side that lost in Cape Town, in the second of two defeats to the Springboks. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave sums up the selection - and weighs up New Zealand's chances of winning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is proposing lifting the threshold for allowing defendants to elect a jury trial in an effort to reduce the number going through the courts. Currently, defendants can choose between a jury or judge-only trial in cases where their maximum sentence is two or more years in jail. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is proposing options of three, five, or seven years - and is seeking feedback on all three. He says the current process has been too slow for too long - and he's aiming to speed it up. "My main concern is too many people having their lives put on hold for years waiting for an outcome of a court case - or if it's a civil case, waiting for a resolution to their problems." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Norway, one of the world's largest exporters of oil, now has more electric cars on its roads than petrol-powered models. Out of the 2.8 million private cars registered there, 754,303 are now all-electric - according to new reports from the Norwegian Road Federation. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the country aims to be the first to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2025. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New reports confirm at least 68 percent of small and medium Kiwi businesses currently have no plans to use AI. Data from NZIER's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion says many of these businesses cited a lack of understanding and perceived absence of value as the barriers to AI adoption. Spark Head of Data Matt Bain says the required training to properly use AI has put plenty of companies off.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synlait's two biggest shareholders have brought it back from the brink. Shareholders today approved a $218 million capital injection from Bright Dairy and A2 Milk. NZ Shareholders Association CEO Oliver Mander says some shareholders were reluctant ahead of this vote - but plenty were on board. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Are the Commonwealth Games done for good? Glasgow has offered to step in and host a scaled-down version of the games after Victoria pulled out of hosting. Is this a sign of the end?  Oji Fibre Solutions is set to close its doors the week before Christmas - cutting 75 jobs. Is this a sign the economy's changing? Amazon is the latest corporate giant to call its staff back to the office for full five-day work weeks again. Is it time we made this a rule for public servants as well? Why doesn't Prime Minister Chris Luxon want to come on Q&A? ACT has also refused to front up on Morning Report and Te Pati Māori won't talk to NZME - is this the right move? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer confidence has picked up in recent months - but there's still concerns about the future from some. The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence survey for the September quarter rose 9 points to 90.8 points. Westpac senior economist says households will be in a better mood as interest rates come down for 2025 - but it'll take a while before Kiwis see the increase in their back pockets. "I think they're going to start to feel a bit more optimistic going into 2025 - some of those headwinds have been pretty tough for the last few years and there's a big relief coming through." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.