Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

I don't want to bring you down but do you realise we have almost four full weeks of this crap ahead of us? Unbelievable. Four weeks of small-beer politics about the price of airline tickets and school uniform logos. Honestly, is that what the contest for control of our central government has come down to? How many logos you're allowed to have on your school uniform? Now, that's not to say it's not a decent policy. It's a perfectly fine idea to roll out. But it's not going to change the direction of this country, is it? And this country needs a change of direction. Voters know it. Based on what I'm hearing from the political parties, voters know, accept and have already made peace with the fact that we are broke as a country. They know something massive has to happen to fix our situation. But that's not what's being discussed four weeks out from an election. We're discussing school uniforms and we're discussing the Greens' plan to regulate AI, when there is very little chance that a nation of five million people will have any discernible impact on a technology being compared to the Industrial Revolution. I can count on one hand the number of policy announcements that have been genuinely interesting, viable and capable of changing this country's fortunes: National's plan to make KiwiSaver compulsory, ACT's plan to make KiwiSaver tax-free and, if you want to include the more bonkers ideas, TOP's land tax and the Greens' wealth tax. At least they're bold. At least they address national wealth, however mad some of them might be. Everything else is tiny stuff. Everything else is not going to help us build the wealth we need to retain talent and pay for the healthcare that every one of us will need one day. Are we really going to spend four weeks ignoring the country's debt, ignoring the fiscal deficit and discussing hidden transaction fees on your ticket purchase to see Lily Allen? Is that what we're going to do? Surely the parties don't have four weeks' worth of these tiny policy announcements to carry us all the way through to election day. Please, dear God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, Sherson Willis' Trish Sherson and Childfund CEO Josie Pagani have the insight and analysis as the campaign rolls on.  This week on The Front Bench, Heather asks the panel whether they think the campaign so far has been dull and if anyone has a vision for New Zealand.  Our experts give their take on the fiscal plan debate and whether it shifts the needle for any party.  Plus they debate whether National is making enough of the difference between its and Labour's education policies.  LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW Whether it’s cost of living, education, curbing the rise of crime or how to get the teens off vaping, The Front Bench will examine the issues that Kiwis are talking about ahead of voting day.   Listen live every Monday at 4pm on Newstalk ZB and follow the podcast on iHeartRadio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers say mobile phone coverage has got worse - since the 3G network closed down in March. A Federated Farmers survey of nearly 650, found 50 percent now only get coverage over half their land. Nearly two-thirds say they can't reliably call 111.  South Canterbury dairy farmer, Jimmy Emmett, told Heather du Plessis-Allan our economy relies on farmers  - and technology is critical for day to day farming.  He says it's not just about wearable tech - it's about compliance and keeping New Zealand at the forefront of the world's dairy farming industry.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party has confirmed it doesn't have a firm policy on the Super age this election. It's campaigned in the past on gradually raising entitlement to 67 - which is still the position.  But it isn't part of the Party's fiscal plan, out today.  Finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis says there needs to be consensus.  She told Heather du Plessis-Allan she can't dance alone - and when she invited other parties to the dance floor, they chose to play politics.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday 12 October. 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.

An advocacy charity would love Continuous Glucose Monitors to be funded for the thousands of Kiwis with type 2 diabetes.  A Waikato University Māori-led international study shows wider and earlier use of monitors, could help people live longer - and reduce risks of serious complications including blindness and kidney failure.  Diabetes NZ Chief Executive Heather Verry told Heather du Plessis-Allan the findings are a game changer, but treatment is expensive.  She says the monitors cost 50-dollars a week, which many can't afford - raising the issue of equity.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The principal of the first state school to become charter isn't worried about Labour's pledge to scrap the model.  Northland's Pakaraka School has a roll of about 70 - and will now be governed by a charitable trust, set up by parents.  Party Leader Chris Hipkins has argued the autonomous schools don't add anything - and if elected, it'd transition them back into the public education system.  Principal Patricia Simeon told Heather du Plessis-Allan that's not her focus right now.  She says she isn't thinking that far ahead - and would deal with it if it happens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An economist wonders if some political parties are too relaxed about the growing pension bill.  National's confirmed it's not campaigning on raising the Super age -- an issue it's campaigned on for the past three elections. ACT is the only other party with the same goal. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's concerned some politicians are blind to the issue.  Olsen says he's not looking forward to all his taxes going on paying for Super, until the baby boomer retiree bubble has passed.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qiulae Wong fired a truth torpedo at the National Party didn't she? She says she doesn't believe Christopher Luxon when he tries to pretend he's not going to be calling her after the election. And she's right because of course he's going to call her after the election. He knows it as well, which is why he wouldn't say no when Jack Tame kept questioning him about whether he would call her on November 8 if he had to. He will call her because he wants to be back in government and he knows his voters will forgive him if he breaks his promise to rule them out. His voters would rather have Opportunity in a government with National than no National-led government at all, right? Now, having said that, the Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll did show that Opportunity being in Parliament is not a foregone conclusion by any stretch. They were on 4.8%, which is shy of the 5% they need to get into Parliament. And them crashing out like that is actually the best-case scenario for Luxon because, in that poll, the coalition government wins with a comfortable majority of 65 seats to 55 for the Labour-led bloc. That's largely because of the wasted vote that Opportunity takes with it. A 4.8% vote is enormous, gone from the left bloc. My take is that for Opportunity to actually make it into Parliament on election day, they need to go into that final week with a solid 6% in the polls. That way, their voters will be confident they're not wasting their vote and they're not going to panic and shift to the Greens at the last moment. For the record, I still think Luxon will be Prime Minister after election day. Opportunity will either crash out spectacularly, in which case the right will win because Opportunity has fallen short, or Opportunity will get in, Luxon will call them, and they'll work out a deal. Because Wong is right: if he has to, he's calling them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opportunity leader Qiulae Wong thinks Christopher Luxon is bluffing when he says he has ruled out working with her party. National's leader has been consistently saying he wouldn't form a coalition that included Opportunity after the vote in November.  That's despite many polls that have the party in the kingmaker position.  Barry Soper broke down the story with Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.