Larry Williams Drive

The All Whites World Cup squad's been named - with New Zealand clubs providing eight of the 26 players. Auckland FC has five representatives in Michael Woud, Callan Elliot, Jesse Randall, Francis de Vries and Nando Pijnaker, while the Wellington Phoenix supply three in Alex Rufer, Tim Payne and Sarpreet Singh. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour welcomes Pharmac’s proposal to change funding criteria for more type 2 diabetes medicines based on clinical need. Under the proposal, 25,000 more diabetic Kiwis will gain access to the treatments over the next few years. David Seymour says there's a lot of potential in investing in more GLP-1 medications to prevent other health problems impacting people down the line. "We've made a lot of progress on this kind of whole of society approach to funding medicines that will save us money in the long term, but that's some of the challenges we've run into so far."  Pharmac has since confirmed the ethnicity criteria reference refers to the diabetes medicine consultation and they have separate recommendations for semaglutide funding applications. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The carnival of chaos continues in Downing Street, as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets with one of the main contenders for his job - Health Minister Wes Streeting. Despite four ministerial resignations and 86 MPs calling for him to go, Starmer insists he is staying on as Prime Minister. UK correspondent Kay Oliver speculates ahead of the meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is set to travel to China this week to meet with President Xi Jinping. The US president will arrive with tech leaders, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, in order to discuss trade, technology, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explains what this could mean for the market. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could this be the year that the Opportunity Party meets the threshold to get into Parliament? Phillip Mills, the founder of gym franchise Les Mills International, has always supported Labour and the Greens, but he's topped up donations to TOP. Political commentator Bryce Edwards says this upcoming election is TOP's best chance, as Labour, National and NZ First continue to lose favour.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Chris Luxon made a speech to a Business NZ audience in Auckland ahead of the 2026 Budget. He's indicated that this year's Budget won't splash the cash despite the ongoing global conflicts impacting New Zealand. Are we surprised by this?  The idea of the All Blacks being downgraded to premium economy has been floated in order to help bring down NZ Rugby's costs. What do we make of this idea? Do they need to stay in business class? How can Waitaki District Council justify a 45 percent rates increase? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 13 May, 2026, a warning from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon that there'll be no treats in this month's Budget - we ask senior correspondent Katie Bradford how much is going on the credit card. Sociologist Paul Spoonley on why there's not really a brain drain. We talk to Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young on why Kiwi shoppers are loyal to local when they could get cheaper foreign goods. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Phil O'Reilly on whether the All Blacks should travel business class - but premium economy if they lose. 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.

New Zealand's international credit rating has hit a tipping point, and economists have raised concerns. Back in March, Fitch Ratings placed New Zealand’s AA+ long-term credit rating on a 'negative outlook', downgraded from 'stable'.  Moody's later followed suit, claiming the global economic and political uncertainty presented downside risks to growth. Fitch's Head of Asia-Pacific Sovereigns, Thomas Rookmaaker, says this was driven by a number of factors, including the Middle East conflict and Government debt.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, I’m fascinated by this article in the New Zealand Herald, which argues the All Blacks should be forced to give up business class and travel premium economy instead. The reasoning is the cost of international travel has become so expensive that moving our teams in black around the planet is now costing nearly $87 million a year. Dropping them back a class on the plane would bring that cost down to $80 million a year and nearly wipe out the $7 million loss that New Zealand Rugby just reported for the financial year, which is great maths. But the idea is ridiculous, isn’t it? I mean, you can’t ask a two-metre-tall man like Fabian Holland to move down from business class. But even the shorter guys - you can’t ask them to travel to South Africa in a few weeks, which is literally on the other side of the world. It’s close to a full day’s travel, even on the most direct route through Perth, and then expect them to get over their jet lag and start playing top-level rugby against the best team in the world. You’re

Kiwis appear to be shopping close to home, according to new reports.  Data from retail management platform Lightspeed shows about 77 percent of Kiwis surveyed prefer shopping in store above online.  40 percent shop at local businesses, and 34 percent buy online from New Zealand retailers. Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young says they want more of this, and for people to be proud of local stores. She says people should think about stores in their neighbourhoods that they really love. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing calls to drop the All Blacks down from business class to premium economy, as travel costs set to get worse during the fuel crisis. Dropping all of New Zealand's premium rugby teams down a flight class would reportedly save $6 million per year - as NZ Rugby looks to cut down losses. NZ Rugby CEO Steve Lancaster says the All Blacks need to travel multiple times a year, and this downgrade would be a stretch.  "The All Blacks carry a huge load for us...so we're not just sending them halfway across the world and putting them there, we're flying them multiple times over long distances. So this is not a consideration." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has warned less cash would be thrown around in this year's upcoming Budget amid ongoing economic turmoil. Luxon told the audience at the pre-Budget BusinessNZ event that it's important for the Government to stay on track with their fiscal strategy as the election looms. NZ Herald senior correspondent Katie Bradford says Luxon's speech is meant to signal to voters that his Government values stability and social cohesion. "This is a very clear message he's trying to get out there - about how National is the party of sensible, stable planned approach going in here."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Australia, housing supply is emerging as a key issue, for yesterday's new Labor Government Budget. It's raising taxes on investment properties and some trust funds - to give working Australians a $250 tax break. 35,000 fewer homes are expected to be built, despite net migration of 300,000 people a year. New South Wales University Emeritus Professor, Peter Swan, says they're destroying the rental industry. "All citizens are going to have to put up with much higher inflation - not due to the war, but due to excessive Government expenditure."   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promise of more public sector cost-savings, as Budget Day nears. The Prime Minister told business leaders today that the Government's cutting another $300 million dollars from the Budget operating allowance - to $2.1 billion dollars. Chris Luxon says responsible economic management and fiscal discipline are more important than ever. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this development was largely expected.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Chinese Presidents are gearing up for face-to-face talks on all things Middle East, trades and tariffs.  Donald Trump's en route to China for the first visit by a US President in almost a decade. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the ongoing Middle East conflict is likely to be top of the agenda, but Trump has confirmed he won't need help in Iran. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the NRL's most decorated coaches has announced he is standing down at the end of the 2027 season. Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has confirmed he is calling it quits. Cleary led his side to four straight premierships between 2021 and 2024 and they are top of the table this season. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sociologist warns we should refrain from comparing our immigration with overseas. Prime Minister Chris Luxon's pointed the finger at immigration - for driving lower social cohesion and trust in institutions worldwide. He's indicated National will say more on the topic ahead of the election. But Massey University's Paul Spoonley says it's worth having a debate about our settings - but we need skilled migrants. "We should not compare our immigration system to what's happening in Europe, it's completely different. They have a large number of refugees and asylum seekers, we do not." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A senior UK Cabinet minister is the latest to call for Sir Keir Starmer to step aside after poor local election results last week. Four Labour MPs have quit as ministerial aides and more than 70 MPs, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have publicly urged the Prime Minister to resign or set out a timetable for leaving.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's unknown who could take over Starmer's role, but the pressure is mounting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to deliver the next Australian federal budget, and reports indicate it's going to be focused on housing. It's likely new property tax reforms will be unveiled, with an expected crackdown on capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing. HSBC Chief Economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rabobank has just released their latest agribusiness monthly report for May, and it's good news for Kiwi farmers. The report has positive prospects for beef and dairy, thanks to ongoing international demand. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.