Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Government's pushed forward in overhauling NCEA, and it's sparked debate among experts. The Government wants to phase out the school qualification system in five years, replacing level one with a literacy and numeracy test, and level two and three with Education Certificates.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks these changes - and reveals why a change to the system is overdue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Premier of the Australian state of Victoria has announced plans to enshrine working from home into law. Under Jacinta Allan’s plan, workers would be entitled to work from home at least two days per week - if the role allows for it. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says business groups have since hit out at this move - and claimed this would decimate CBD spending. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A glass half-full mindset from All Blacks coach Scott Robertson after naming a group of six players as injury cover for the start of their Rugby Championship campaign. Uncapped trio Kyle Preston, Leroy Carter and Tevita Mafileo - along with Finlay Christie, George Bower and Josh Lord - comprise the back-up unit in the 42-strong wider squad. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's North Shore Hospital has a 20-bed ward full of people, with no medical reason to be there. It was created in May for medically discharged patients who still require lower-level help from places like an aged-care facility, who have nowhere appropriate to go. Some stay for weeks, looked after by nurses and allied staff such as physiotherapists and social workers. Sarah Dalton from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says it's a sign of the nation's inability to properly resource community-based care. "We shouldn't just think about hospitals when we think about access to healthcare." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 1 August. 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.

US President Donald Trump has increased New Zealand's tariff from 10% to 15%. This increase comes as Australia remains on the previous 10%, prompting questions around the New Zealand government's handling of negotiations.  Former trade negotiator Stephen Jacobi told Heather duPlessis-Allan that this increase could have a bigger impact than many people realise. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ on Air has its fingers crossed its financial support of Shortland St won't be forever.  New Zealand's longest-running drama's been granted 2.5 million in funding for its 2026 season, to help the show transition to the audience's preference of online viewing.  NZ on Air CEO Cam Harland told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they also provided funding last year, but hoped it would assist the show moving to a more financially sustainable place.   But he says the economic environment for ad funded media hasn't improved.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New South Wales is celebrating its new programme - poaching cops from other states - and abroad.  21 experienced, poached, officers are graduating in the Australian state today - seven of them from New Zealand.  The New South Wales Police Minister, Yasmin Catley, is attributing it to a historic pay rise last year - making them the best paid officers in Australia.  Catley told Heather du Plessis-Allan she makes no apologies for taking police from elsewhere.   She says the graduates are looking forward to the endless opportunities in New South Wales.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, was our government too relaxed about the tariffs then?   Cause this is a shock today – isn't it? To find out that we’ve just been bumped up to 15% while Australia and dozens of other countries have stayed on 10%.  Now, it seems to be related, most likely, to our balance of trade and that the US has a trade deficit with us. So we get 15%, but then a trade surplus with Australia, so they get 10%. So perhaps it was inevitable and unavoidable, as long as the balance of trade sat like that.  But then, on the other hand, Australia did kind of lock that in as well. They lifted their ban on US beef imports while we did nothing. Should we have done something similar Because if there's one thing that we know about Donald Trump, it's that he's a trader.  South Korea had their tariff dropped from 25% to 15% by promising to buy $100 million worth of LNG. Sir Keir Starmer sucked up to Trump with a letter from King Charles.   Now we don’t actually know what our diplomats were doing, because they were fairly guarded about it. But the vibe that we kept getting from ministers and officials every time we asked about it was, ‘not a lot going on, we’ll see how this goes, we’re on 10%, we’re no worse than anyone else’  That’s the trouble, though. We are now worse than other people. We export beef to the US, Australia exports beef to the US. Their beef now gets 10%, ours gets 15%.  Now, we can argue about whether US consumers are really going to switch up their $11.50 New Zealand steak if the Aussie steak is only 50 cents cheaper. I mean, what's really the difference between $11.50 and $11? But I chose a butter last night because it was $1 cheaper than the other butter, so maybe they will, which brings me to the question that I asked at the start of this.  Were we too relaxed?  Because we definitely and quite deliberately opted for Winston's head below the parapet approach. But maybe what we should have done was opted for the same approach that Albanese and Starmer took, which is to suck up instead. Given where we are and where they are - both their countries are now on 10% and we're sitting on 15%.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trade Minister's hitting the phones, as it's confirmed US tariffs on New Zealand will be higher than when they were first announced. The Trump administration has confirmed base tariffs will now be 15 percent -- up from 10, in a decision that impacts countries including New Zealand. It's believed the new rate applies to those with a trade deficit with the US. Todd McClay told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he's seeking an urgent call with American representatives on this. He says it's disappointing and challenging for exporters, and while there are opportunities, tariffs aren't good for trade. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.