Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Australia's Government says it is entering new legal territory as it pledges to combat hate speech after Sunday's Bondi Beach terror attack.  Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured when two shooters opened fire at Jewish Hanukkah celebrations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced new powers will be given to target and crack down on people spreading hate speech and violence. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it feels like the Government is playing catch-up with this legislation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball New Zealand is on the hunt for a new chief executive. Embattled Jennie Wyllie has resigned with immediate effect after nine years in the role, acknowledging 'challenges along the way'. Wyllie has been in the spotlight over the drawn-out Dame Noeline Taurua saga - where the Silver Ferns coach was temporarily suspended for high performance environment issues. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions have been raised over who deploys helicopters to transport rescue teams as police apologise over a miscommunication.  A 13-year-old girl was left clinging to a cliff in Coromandel Peninsula's Hahei for hours last year - when police mistakenly thought she was dead. They refused to foot the bill for a chopper and a rescue crew made a nearly two-hour car journey. The Professional Firefighters Union's Martin Campbell says there needs to be clarity.  "In some cases, police are saying it's their call. And Fire and Emergency in the past have made that call. So there is a bit of confusion and misunderstanding." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resident doctors in England have begun their strike action after rejecting the Government's latest pay offer. The British Medical Association (BMA), and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, met in a final bid to reach an agreement, but none was reached. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reserve Bank Governor Dr Anna Breman is pushing traders in financial markets to focus on the bank’s November 26 Monetary Policy Statement. This has prompted investors to speculate that interest rates will remain low throughout 2026. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Jevon McSkimming was today sentenced to 9 months home detention. Did we expect more? The Government has scrapped the road cone hotline with six moths left to go. Do we think this is a total waste of money? Trump's chief of staff did a Vanity Fair interview, but now says her quotes were taken completely out of context. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the most followed AI stocks have taken a hit over the last few days, prompting concerns about the sector's future. Both Oracle and Broadcom were down 10 percent, prompting concern from investors. Milford Asset Management expert Remy Morgan explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 17 December 2025, disgraced former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming has been sentenced to home detention for possession of objectionable material including child sex abuse and bestiality images. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka won't say how much more users of the Abel Tasman Great Walk might have to pay as a result of a historic settlement with Maori. Was the road cone tipline a total waste of money? It's being shut down after just six months. Plus, the Huddle debates whether Jevon McSkimming's sentence is too light and whether we should believe Vanity Fair or Donald Trump's chief of staff who says she was misquoted. 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.

I know you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, but can we just take a minute to look at the good economic news coming out? Government books aside, tomorrow's GDP read will show we bounced back with a spring in Q3 - close to 1 percent growth, they reckon. What's more, that shocking read for Q2 should be revised down because it wasn't actually as bad as the topline number we were given to begin with. Today, consumer confidence is on the rebound. This is according to the Westpac McDermott Miller survey. It's up 5.6 points - to its highest level this year. Still slightly below 100 - which means more are still glass-half empty than full, but it's going in the right direction. As are Seek job ads and as are most of the numbers that move first when a recovery is underway.  Now, I say all of this completely aware that we've been here before and fired a blank. We've had many a false dawn and false start. But barring any major cock-ups, this recovery feels like its real and happening. The missing ingredient of course is house prices, which are either sideways or backwards for most regions. That's the liquor in your Irish coffee that really gets things moving on the economic front. But this recovery will happen without it. It won't be soaring property prices that give birth this recovery, it won't start in an auction room with the hammer going down on a $44 million two-beddy in Sandringham.  What's going to drive this recovery, and make it a very gradual one, is confidence in our agricultural exporters, our lower mortgage rates, and, I think - more than anything - a feeling that we're just sick of being in this position. The ironic truth of it is that in order to get us out of the malaise, we must spend money, rather than save it. We must go out and buy stuff. So this Christmas, take that confidence to your nearest shopping mall. Tonight, I'm doing exactly that. Westfield is open till 10pm. I've found a tent, I've been eyeing it up today, and I'm ready to push play on summer and on spending and an economic Christmas miracle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's hopes a new move by the Reserve Bank will bring about positive changes for New Zealand's banking sector. It is changing the mix of capital banks are required to hold, aiming to reduce funding costs.  It is also targeting closing the gap between bigger and smaller banks - making the market more competitive. The Co-Operative Bank chief executive Mark Wilkshire says this will encourage competition and remove certain constraints impacting the banking sector. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.