Larry Williams Drive

A pohutukawa tree on Auckland's North Shore has sparked controversy, with residents of an impacted apartment complex calling for a solution. The tree fell over into the complex's property and has been lying in place for three years - and there's growing demand to move it. Former ZB broadcaster Murray Deaker is one of the impacted residents and he says the tree's a safety hazard for residents and their families. "There's a hearing on the sixth of August... and people can go along and put their submissions in. And I think that'll be an interesting one."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government believes only a negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope in Gaza. Foreign Minister Winston Peters has signed New Zealand on to a long and growing list of nations calling for a permanent end to the conflict. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper speculates about the impact of this statement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland property developer doesn't believe changes to rules on building granny flats will add the 13,000 extra dwellings claimed by the Government. Easing resource and building consents requirements for structures 70 square metres or less - was one of the Government’s first moves in office. David Witburn says the number is more like 3,000. "The reality is, it's a niche accommodation type, a granny flat. It's not everyone's dream to live in a granny flat, it can be very useful for extended whanau living." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A childcare centre director who employed her convicted child sex offender husband as a groundskeeper has been sacked. There is no allegation he offended against children at the centre, and investigations are ongoing. Australian correspondent Sam Emery says this story will prompt questions about child safety as Parliament returns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky TV recently bought TV3 - and it's got experts speculating about what this could mean for the future of New Zealand sport. It's taking over Warner Brother Discovery's New Zealand television arm - including other linear and streaming channels, like ThreeNow. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global condemnation of Israel is growing, over killing Palestinians and restricting aid. New Zealand is demanding a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, along with dozens of other countries.  Foreign Minister Winston Peters told the House the international community's united in revulsion over what's happening Peters says having the European Union on board will build pressure - hopefully with success. He explained it's brought on by frustration countries have long been engaged in helping with the humanitarian crisis - with still no solution.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky TV is promising it won't shake the boat too soon after buying TV3 and ThreeNow - for a dollar.  Warner Brothers Discovery has sold its Kiwi TV arm, including a range of linear and streaming channels.  Sky TV says, for now, Sky Open will continue operations as normal and Three News will be kept at the six o'clock slot.  Chief executive Sophie Moloney says they might even still negotiate with TVNZ on sports.  "I think it's actually really important for the local media ecosystem that you do have two vibrant opportunities for sport partners and beyond." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A steep rise in gym-related ACC claims for injuries could be down to strength training's rising popularity.  Accident Compensation Corporation data shows it accepted about 50,000 gym-injury claims last year - worth about $50 million dollars. It notes training and gym activities now account for the most claims. Body Torque Personal Training founder, Alex Flint, says training with weights can result in shoulder and lower-back injuries. "Sometimes with that increase and uptake in a new type of exercise comes over-enthusiasm." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The water sector for England and Wales is set to undergo a significant overhaul following the release of a new report. The Independent Water Commission sets out 88 recommendations to get the industry back into shape after years of notable controversies.   UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacks the findings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stats NZ  recently reported annual inflation increased to 2.7 percent in the three months to the end of June, and it's sparked concerns among experts. Economists had all been expecting annual inflation would be recorded at 2.8 percent or 2.9 percent - close to the Reserve Bank's 3 percent target band. Harbour Asset Management spokesperson Shane Solly revealed what this could mean for the economy going forward. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Website infrastructure company Cloudflare has announced moves designed to stop AI from scraping digital content for free. Going forward, website owners can choose if they want AI crawlers to access their content - and decide how the content gets used. Cloudflare chief strategy officer Stephanie Cohen says websites want control over who uses their output - and they can charge or block AI platforms if needed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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! There's growing calls to scrap NCEA - and the Government is looking to make some changes to the qualification. What do we make of this? Coldplay's Chris Martin is now warning adulterers to disentangle before the kiss cam comes on. What do we think of this saga? Should the CEO have had to resign?  The Government has confirmed the new Waikato medical school is under way - do we see the costs blowing out? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the costs involved in building a new medical school at Waikato University have been through a thorough business case. Construction will begin this year - with the school providing 120 doctor training places a year, focused on primary care and rural health. The Government's chipping in $83 million dollars, and the university and philanthropic investors will contribute $150 million. When asked what would happen if the others can't come up with the money, Nicola Willis was clear. "I'm going to say - well, you said you would, so you're in trouble now and you're going to have to find the money." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 21 July 2025, Health Minister Simeon Brown on giving the green light for the new Waikato Medical School - and how the Government managed to cut a significant amount of money from the original proposal. Inflation is up again to 2.7 percent but the Finance Minister Nicola Willis reckons the economy will have firmly turned around by the time we get to the election next year. If NCEA is too far gone, what should we replace it with? Plus, on the Huddle a controversial take from Trish on the Coldplay kiss cam incident that leaves both Heather and Josie red faced! 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.

Now, here's a prediction for you - watch those Waikato University medical school costs blowout. I reckon it's gonna blow out and there's all the signs this thing is gonna blow out. Even when the Waikato University was itself putting in less money, which is $100 million, there were questions about whether it could afford it because Waikato University's debt level is maxed out at the moment. So everybody looked at it and went, are you actually gonna be able to afford it? Well now, it not only has to put in the $100 million, it has to put in $150 million between itself and some philanthropists it needs to find. Now, what do you think happens if for whatever reason, it cannot quite find that money? Who do you think is going to be called upon to fund the gap? The long-suffering taxpayer. That's a blowout for us. Now, that's not even mentioning the chances that this thing costs much more than what they say it's gonna cost. I'm very suspicious about how it is that a $380 million project suddenly got cut do

One expert is joining the calls to overhaul NCEA after the Government indicated changes were on the way. A damning report's highlighted major problems with the qualification's credibility, with some schools already withdrawing from Level One. NZ Initiative Senior Fellow Dr Michael Johnston says NCEA's had a 20-year run and it's time to rethink it. "I think a lot of teachers and schools have probably had a gutsful of it, to be honest. It imposes a very heavy workload on teachers... there's a lot that schools have to do." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts have offered reassurance our high inflation isn't a sign of things to come. Stats NZ figures show the Consumers Price Index reached 2.7 percent for the year to June. Inflation fell to just 2.2 percent last year - from 7.3 percent three years ago - but has been rising since. Kiwibank senior economist Mary Jo Vergara says this is likely a spike, so should go back down. "If you look at domestic inflation, that's really trending down - so I don't think this is going to be something that is persistent."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Construction will begin this year on a new medical school at Waikato University. The Government has given it the go ahead - and is providing $83 million dollars towards the project. Health Minister Simeon Brown says the school will offer a post-graduate degree aimed at other fields, such as nurses or paramedics. "This is about attracting people from those rural communities working potentially in healthcare or different roles and giving them the opportunity to upskill or become a doctor." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ says complaints against Noel Leeming go beyond its price-matching policy.  The tech retailer is facing criminal charges brought by the Commerce Commission - accusing it of making misleading promises.  Noel Leeming's strongly rejecting the claim, and says it will vigorously defend its stance.  But Consumer NZ chief executive, Jon Duffy, says the company's also charged with misleading people about their consumer rights.  "If people are taking things back to the store and getting mislead about their rights to a refund or a replacement, that's very concerning". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has confirmed a Waikato medical school's coming, with construction beginning this year. The Government's putting $83 million towards the $230-million-dollar project, with the rest coming from Waikato University and philanthropic investors. It'll offer a graduate-entry programme, focused on primary care and rural health. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the ACT Party quickly released a statement taking credit for driving down the price of the project. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.