Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

You know that story about the gang numbers cracking the 10,000 mark? That's classic gotcha politics, isn't it? It doesn't count when the number is 9,999, but once it hits 10,000 - or in this case, 10,009 - it's a thing, and it's the Government's fault. Is it the Government's fault though? I mean, should we actually be angry at Mark Mitchell for this one? I don't think so. I think that what we're seeing right now is the result of stuff that has already happened, mainly- with the deportation of criminals from Australia and the recession that we're in. Recessions lead to an increase in crime for obvious reasons, and the deportation of serious criminals will lead to an increase in gang numbers - probably for a while yet actually - until the likes of the Comancheros and any other heavy outfit that's been brought here from Australia has maxed out its recruitment drive in New Zealand. I think it's highly ironic that Ginny Andersen is the one moaning about this. Do you need me to remind you of Ginny Andersen? Ginny Andersen was one of Labour's run of Police Ministers who totally took their foot off the throat of the gangs when they were in power. Ginny Andersen was the Police Minister at the time that the gang was basically allowed to take over Opotiki for the tangi. Remember that? At least under this Government and this particular Police Minister, police have been given the understanding that they are to crack down on gangs.  There have been a huge number of arrests. There are no gang tangi taking over small town roads anymore and there are no gang patches. Laura, the producer, lives out in West Auckland. She reckons she used to see a gang patch every single day, but doesn't see them now. None at all. Now, it doesn't mean that the gang members are gone. You can still see them around the place, they just walk around in their colours, you know, without the patches. Just look for someone wearing an unusual amount of primary colour red. That generally denotes a Mongrel Mob member. Look for somebody with a lot of yellow going on, that's generally somebody from the Comancheros. Lots of primary blue, that'll be your Black Power there. I saw one in his gang colours in Bunnings the other day. But at least they do not have the belief that they can walk around intimidating good people in public places because they don't have their patch on - and them being stripped of that belief actually counts for a lot. Now, I'm not happy the gang numbers have gone up, but they have. And I expect they're gonna keep going up for a while until this economy turns around and the pool of recruits available to the Aussie imports starts drying up. That is not the fault of this Government and it is also not the fault of this Police Minister. And what counts for a lot more is at least these gangs are being cracked down on now. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 30 July 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains why she's given the green light for a partial privatisation of Kiwibank. Air NZ has a new CEO. His name is Nikhil Ravishankar and Forsyth Barr's Andy Bowley tells Heather what we can read into the appointment. Australia will include YouTube in its social media ban for under 16s - is that going too far, or should NZ do the same? TVNZ's Melodie Robinson spills the beans on the new broadcast deal with Netball NZ - and whether money will actually change hands. Plus, the Huddle debates whether the UK made a mistake threatening Israel with recognising Palestine as a state. 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.

The New Zealand Chambers of Commerce have warned that the Government’s proposed ban on retail payment surcharges risks hitting small businesses with higher costs. Simon Bridges, CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, acknowledged that the Government was trying to protect consumers from additional fees - but voiced concerns about what this ban could do for smaller operators. He says the ban isn't a cost-free exercise - and someone will have to pay the merchant fees.  "It's either going to be through price hikes that consumers may not appreciate or understand - or it's going to be the poor old SME in areas like retail, hospo, tourism that are going to be having to find a way to pay for it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wider global recognition of Palestine is within sight - but it's unclear how much weight that will carry. The UK and France plan to join many national already recognising Palestinian statehood in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.  Our Government has joined others supporting a two-state solution and is open to recognising Palestine - in time. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa chair, John Minto, says Israel has made it almost impossible to form a Palestinian state. "All Palestinians have got left is a piece of Swiss cheese, so you've got all of these Israeli settlements on their land connected by roads which Palestinians are not allowed to drive on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is extending its under-16s social media ban to YouTube. Legislation passed last year excluded blocking the video-sharing service, because of its role in education and children’s entertainment. The ban covered Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. The  co-chair of child online safety advocacy group, Before 16, Cecilia Robinson says YouTube is as big a part of social media as other platforms - and should have always been on the list. "YouTube, and specifically YouTube shorts, operate in the same way as TikTok does. So why they had an exemption in the first place is mind-boggling." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's new CEO appointment isn't a shock within the sector, according to one expert. Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar will step up to replace Greg Foran in October. Forsyth Barr Head of Research Andy Bowley says he's unsure whether this appointment suggests a lack of international interest. "There's been a reasonable understanding that he was one of the leading - if not the leading - internal candidates. So in that regard, it's not necessarily a surprise." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister's floating the idea of listing KiwiBank on the stock exchange.  Cabinet has given KiwiBank's parent company the green light to raise an extra $500 million. However, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says this won't occur without an electoral mandate. "That will be for individual parties to take a position at the election - but I've been advised that any potential public offering could take place before 2028." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Foreign Minister's agreeing with an Act MP that recognising Palestine while Hamas holds hostages would be 'rewarding terrorism'. Simon Court raised the question in Parliament, after Winston Peters expressed support for a two-state solution - after a ceasefire and hostage releases. International condemnation's growing over Israel blocking aid and starving civilians in Gaza, including children. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says New Zealand will adopt the UK's stance on Palestine eventually, but concerns have been raised. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are scrambling to higher ground across the Pacific, after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's east. It's recorded four-metre waves, with half-metre waves reaching Japan and tsunami alerts in effect for Alaska, Hawaii and the entire US west coast. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Hawaiian residents are 'scrambling' - and traffic is building up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball New Zealand will dip into its own pocket to keep the ANZ Premiership afloat next year. A one-season broadcast deal with TVNZ was recently confirmed, with the 2026 ANZ Premiership being exclusively free-to-air. Chief executive Jennie Wyllie has not revealed whether players will take a pay cut, but says the governing body must invest. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.