Larry Williams Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 14 July 2025, how much money did we waste on the Te Pukenga experiment? Minister for Vocational Training Penny Simmonds tells Ryan Bridge the shocking cost, and why we're going back to 10 independent polytechs from next year. A Tasman community has yet again been hit by mountains of slash. Ngātīmoti resident Steph Jewell reports from the clean-up and what should be done to avoid history repeating again. Former rugby league player Paul Gallen tells Ryan he really does hate Sonny Bill Williams ahead of the pair's much anticipated fight. Plus, the Huddle debrief on THAT letter by Ray Chung and THAT interview he did with Ryan last week. 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.

Put your hand up if you've ever had a bus suddenly pull out in front of your car while you're driving along, minding your own beeswax. I know. It's happened to everyone. They're long things aren't they, buses? So you can be halfway past one when they pull out, and all of a sudden you're slamming on the brakes or you're pushed into the wrong lane. I don't mind admitting that until this very morning, I had assumed that buses must have had the right of way. They seem to take no prisoners. They have no mercy. They're as ruthless on the road as the All Blacks at the Cake Tin on Saturday night. But I was reading an article this morning from the Spinoff about a bunch of changes to road rules that Chris Bishop wants to enact. One of them is giving buses right of way when they're exiting bus stops. So if you're driving a car, you must yield. Give way. Slow down, or more likely, stop completely to let them out. The theory is that buses carry more passengers than cars. If we prioritise the buses, more people will get wh

There's immense pressure for young New Zealanders trying to find work as opportunities decline. Stats NZ data shows 16 percent of Kiwis aged 15-24 are unemployed. NZ Careers Expo director Mark Gillard says the market conditions show it's a tough market for young workers. "It's not anybody's fault, the onus is certainly there on employers, on industry organisations to engage with young people. There's been a propensity to step back and let the internet do all the talking, but we know face-to-face engagement with young people is what really inspires them."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Gallen is speaking out after things got heated between him and Sonny Bill Williams ahead of their high-profile match in Sydney. The pre-fight press conference initially saw both fighters seemingly ready to skip the verbal jabs in exchange for the in-ring shots on Wednesday. However, the latter stages saw Gallen accuse Williams of drug use - and for charging large sums for his community work.  Gallen says he can't see himself breaking bread with Sonny Bill after the fight, but 'that's life'. "There's no acting going on at all - we don't like each other." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's assuring industry groups they'll still have influence as polytechnics change. Next year, 10 polytechs will return to regional governance - but four remain under Te Pūkenga's umbrella. More decisions will be made mid-next year.  Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says these 10 institutions are following a planned pathway designed to boost long-term viability. "This is work that should have happened 5-6 years ago, it's happened now - and they are getting rid of the wasteful spending, they are getting themselves back on track." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Huge landslides in Tasman have caused widespread destruction in the past week's damaging storms.  The area's State of Emergency continues - but recovery efforts are in full swing after flooding, slips and power outages. More than 800 properties are being assessed for damage in Tasman and Nelson. The town of Ngātīmoti was badly hit. Local Steph Jewell says logjams that meant homes flooded - are being cleared. "Further up the little stream that I live up - it's all happening. As soon as I wake, it's the sound of machinery." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moves have been made to restore regional governance to 10 polytechnics.  The Government is undoing Labour's merger of institutes under the Te Pūkenga umbrella.  The 10 selected are deemed to be on a path to financial viability - and will stand alone from next year.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says these changes will hopefully help the regions boost employment in the sectors calling out for workers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese will use high-profile meetings with top business leaders in Shanghai to boost the Chinese-Australian trade relationship. The Prime Minister is also expected to back industry efforts to decarbonise China's huge steel sector.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese will also meet with Xi Jinping tomorrow - to further discuss trade. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson's hinting some more experienced squad members yet to get a run against France could get their opportunity in Saturday's third test in Hamilton. An unassailable 2-nil series lead affords the hosts the chance to mix up their selections for the final match. Robertson says they'll be balancing opportunity with continuity in picking their 23. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows there's been a noticeable surge in high school students passing NCEA numeracy and literacy assessments. Latest results show 57 percent achieved the maths standard across all year levels in May this year, up from 45 percent in the same month last year. 61 percent met the reading standard for all year levels - up from 58 percent. Education Minister Erica Stanford says she's 'proud' to see that achievement rates have gone up. "We've turned the corner, we have a relentless focus on achievement, on literacy and numeracy an hour a day - the clear curriculum, the standard teaching practices and all those resources we're putting in - we're now starting to see these results improving." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 11th July 2025, the mayoral campaign for Wellington councillor Ray Chung appears to be in tatters after a sex gossip email he sent about Tory Whanau was made public. Chung told Ryan Bridge he stands by the email, and makes a jaw-dropping admission.  Deborah Hart, the chair of the Holocaust Centre, is warning that antisemitism has moved from the fringes to the mainstream in New Zealand, and we need a strategy to fight it.  Why is the Victoria University student association telling graduates to go to Australia rather than find a job here?  Ryan talks to the woman in charge of hiring 500 new staff members for New Zealand's first Ikea store.  Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jewish leaders are calling for New Zealand to follow in Australia's footsteps and formulate an antisemitism strategy.  The Australian special envoy's plan includes harsher hate speech laws and stripping funding where possible from broadcasters, universities and arts institutions.   It follows a string of antisemitic attacks in Australia in the past few months.  Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair Deborah Hart told Ryan Bridge Jewish people in New Zealand are feeling scared.  She says people are seriously talking about a plan B and who might hide them if things take a turn for the worse.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wellington Mayoral race was supposed to be winding down into boring town.  Tory went wild, had a tipsy whirlwind on Courtenay Place. A bit of booze, a bit of dine and dashing. It was salacious, it was scandalous.  As stories of late-night escapades and unpaid bills and missed council meetings flooded the newspapers, the streets flooded, literally. Every time a scandal burst onto the front page of The Post, so did a pipe. It was as if Wellington’s infrastructure were protesting the incompetence at City Hall.  Poonamis. An onslaught of cycleways. Crime. And still no second Mount Victoria tunnel.  It all came to a head, of course. Andrew Little entered the chat. Tory pulls out.  And from here it was meant to get boring. You know in an action movie when all the crazy stuff happens, there's half an hour left on the clock, but the world's been saved by superhero XYZ? All the main cast is safe and well and life goes on happily ever after?  That's where I thought we were with Welling

Embattled Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung is refusing to pull out of the race, despite being ditched by a major financial backer.   It comes after the Herald revealed Chung sent emails detailing an unsavoury sexual rumour about Mayor Tory Whanau – rumours she's categorically denied.   The scandal has led to high-profile Wellington philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik withdrawing his support for Chung’s campaign.  Despite this, Chung told Ryan Bridge empathically he's not backing out of the race, saying that's absolutely not his plan.  He’s also accusing one of the three colleagues he sent the email to of leaking it to Whanau.  He says he can't say for sure who it was... but says he could have a guess.   Chung would not, however say which of the three he was accusing of the leak.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week saw the All Blacks defeat France by a narrow four points.  Despite facing a greener Les Bleus side, the All Blacks struggled a bit in getting that victory over the line.  Weekend Sport Host Jason Pine told Ryan Bridge that last week’s result could influence France in one of two ways.  He says their close score could either be motivational, or they could think that Dunedin was their best shot at defeating the boys in black.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Victoria University of Wellington Students Association is turning heads with its new campaign.   “No work. Sh*t pay. Why stay?” is the slogan for their “Where’s the Work?” campaign.  The group is aiming to draw attention to the record number of students ditching the country for prospects overseas.  Engagement Vice President Aidan Donoghue told Ryan Bridge they’ve seen within the public sector to lower the roles offered, and they want to encourage the private sector to pick up the slack instead.  He says we either let these people go and likely never see them again, or we keep them inhouse and try expand industries within New Zealand.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been 40 years since the French sunk the Rainbow Warrior. They wanted to stop the protests against nuclear testing at Mururoa. The terrorist attack by an allied country on on our soil was outrageous. Two years after the event, we cemented our nuclear free stance. We're officially against nuclear weapons. Testing is bad for the environment, no doubt. But let me ask you a question. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have we had another world war? The answer is no. We've had decades of cold war between Russia and the West.We've had plenty of conflict - Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East.But nothing's escalated quite in the way it did in World Wars I and II. I think you've got to ask yourself why? Did we collectively realise the bloody cost of far away battles and drawing our friends into conflict?Did we wake up after the second round and think, oh, world wars aren't that great. Or we witness the power of atomic weapons in Japan and scare ourselves silly? The theory of nuclear deterrence basically says t

Illegal immigrants from France are still arriving in the UK. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are set to announce a deal that addresses this. Junior Doctors are also going on strike despite pay-rises from union-negotiations. UK correspondent Enda Brady says they're lacking public sympathy as everyone's already struggling financially. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fisher Funds' Sam Dickie explains how Tesla shares have dropped significantly. He says the company is suffering from Elon Musk's alignment to Trump, and from Chinese brands making better products. He says they need a CEO who's focused on the company, and not distracted with other ventures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Listener, Woman’s Weekly and Woman’s Day are up for sale as owners Are Media go on the market. The sale raises the inevitable question of the future direction of the magazines under any new ownership – and whether they will remain under one umbrella. Founder and Managing Editor for The Spinoff Duncan Greive says magazines are just a tough market to be in, everywhere in the world. He says despite loyal readership, the numbers aren't as high as they once were. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.