Larry Williams Drive

Repeat offenders are the target of the recent Bunnings facial recognition technology rollout. It's turning on scanners in Te Rapa and Hamilton South today, before later rolling them out countrywide. Threats have more than doubled in the hardware retailer's stores in the past four years, 34 percent from repeat offenders. Bunnings New Zealand general manager Melissa Haines says data on regular shoppers won't be kept. "If someone comes into our stores, there's a very quick scan of the face - if there's any match to a person that's previously committed serious harm in our stores, then that's where we're using it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex-All Blacks captain Taine Randell says he's joining New Zealand First for this year's election, after a long dance with the party. An announcement by leader Winston Peters was scheduled at a public meeting in Hastings on Sunday, but cancelled because of Cyclone Vaianu.  Randall's likely to become Hawke’s Bay official candidate in coming weeks.  He says he's fortunate to have had a great rugby career - but his eyes have now turned to the state of the country.  "Right, now the next phase of my life - I'm pretty keen to contribute to New Zealand."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An employment expert's raising his eyebrows over Xero investigating complaints against the newly crowned New Zealander of the Year. The tech company's reviewing a decade-old accusation of inappropriate behaviour from former chief executive Sir Rod Drury - which has come to light, and he denies. Employment relations specialist Max Whitehead says Xero can't do much. "It's a mystery why Xero are taking any action, there's a 90-day limit on taking a personal grievance. The other thing is that maybe the Human Rights commission - but there's a 12-month limit on that."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fears the Government isn't taking the fuel crisis seriously enough. We have 56.3 days of petrol, 45.4 days of diesel, and 47 days of jet fuel, either landed or on the way. Simplicity chief economist, Shamubeel Eaqub says there seems to be a lack of certainty the fuel will actually arrive. He says we should be conserving supplies more.  "Because any time we buy now gives us more resilience."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former All Blacks captain Taine Randell will stand as a New Zealand First candidate at this year's election. He's reportedly set to  contest the Tukituki seat, currently held by National's Catherine Wedd. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explains why this is big news for NZ First. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world could pay a high price for the US launching war on Iran. Global shipping's in turmoil as Donald Trump's naval blockade in creases uncertainty - although he's hinting peace talks could resume. The International Monetary Fund's warning a prolonged conflict could tilt the global economy towards recession.  US correspondent Dan Mitchinson unpacked the concerns further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moana Pasifika's inaugural head coach is saddened by the franchise's uncertain Super Rugby future. The Pasifika Medical Association owners will not fund another campaign - leaving Moana in limbo. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith speculates further about the side's future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

United States President Donald Trump has claimed that diet soft drinks could potentially eliminate cancer cells. This was revealed in a podcast interview with Dr Oz, who heads Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Nutritionist Nikki Hart has disputed this claim - and says it's 'alarming' that the US President is saying this.  "We know that non-nutritive sweeteners in diet drinks - there's no cause or link to cancer, but then you can't just flip it and go, oh well, I can drink lots of this because it kills cancer." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US president Barack Obama has revealed Queen Elizabeth II didn't approve of the Brexit referendum. The new book, The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History, revealed that the late monarch questioned why a major political decision would be left to a public vote. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the Queen also voiced concerns with Donald Trump's presidency. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ongoing Middle East conflict has seen Australia business confidence hit lows not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic. The US has today moved to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and the supply shock is likely to hit households hard, according to experts. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute and Tō Waha Media's Carmen Parahi joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  More people are planning to boycott road user charges as the Middle East conflict continues and fuel prices go up. Do we think this will become a serious movement?  There's warning an OCR hike could come as soon as next month, with the Strait of Hormuz blockade generating concerns. How worried should we be?  After 30 years, the Crusaders will be ditching the matchday horses ahead of the big stadium move. How gutting is this? What could replace the horses? Trump's feud with Pope Leo continues - whose side are we on? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 14 April, 2026, a leading economist warns interest rates could go up as early as next month. We talk to a religious expert about how insulting it is to see Donald Trump depicted as Jesus. Why there's no room for the Crusaders' horses at Christchurch's new stadium. And on The Huddle, Carmen Parahi and Tim Wilson come up with alternatives to the horses. 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 blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has begun and we now have a clearer picture of how it’s going to work. It doesn’t just cover the strait itself. It runs along the entire Iranian coastline, out through the Gulf of Oman, which the strait feeds into, and then further again into the Arabian Sea. At least two ships have already been turned back. One of them, unsurprisingly, was headed for China. Now here’s the key point. If - and it is a very big if - the United States can successfully keep oil tankers away from Iran, the impact could be fast and severe. We’re talking 10 to 20 days. Iran can apparently store only around 13 days’ worth of oil production. Once those tanks are full, they’re forced to start shutting oil wells. And that’s something they really don’t want to do. Shutting down an oil well can permanently damage its production capacity. There’s no guarantee you ever get it back to where it was. Restarting wells is expensive, risky and slow. Beyond that, there’s the wider economic hit. Around 90 percen

Fonterra has named Richard Allen as its new chief executive, succeeding Miles Hurrell. Allen - who joined Fonterra as a graduate in 2008 and has worked in various roles across the dairy co-operative - will take over next month. Hurrell will remain in a transition advisory role until September. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's growing a reputation among the global tourism industry for its difficult inter-island travel.  Industry workers who attended the world's leading travel trade show in Berlin have made claims that ferry disruptions are leaving tourists and travel companies wary about the possibility of getting stuck while here.   Destination Marlborough general manager Tracey Green says it's now a common concern.  "It's something that we try to ignore, but unfortunately the drum is getting a little bit louder as time goes on - and as more events occur with the Cook Strait crossing."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Road Carriers Association says a boycott to road user charges over high diesel prices isn't the right answer. Fuel tracking app Gaspy reports diesel is selling for an average 3.89 a litre, while 91 is 3.48. A number of online groups have raised the prospect of a RUC boycott. Chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers says Cyclone Vaianu was a good example of why it's needed.  "All of the damage that did with slips, yet again, to the roading network - it's actually the road user charges that pays for fixing all of that. So reducing RUC just creates a bigger problem further down the track."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Design constraints have ruled out letting the Crusaders’ matchday horses have a run - in Christchurch’s new stadium. The six horses have featured at home games since 1996, but the space limits at One NZ Stadium leave just seven metres between the sideline and LED signage. Venues Otautahi chief executive, Caroline Harvie-Teare, says it's not an unusual layout for a modern stadium, but means the horses would've had to run across artificial turf and natural grass. "It's not the only reason though, obviously with a roof and with the proximity of the crowd to the playing surface, what that does for the horses is - it creates an environment where they actually need to move faster." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US President has defended posting an AI-generated image making him appear like Jesus Christ. It shows Donald Trump in a white robe holding a glowing light, and appearing to heal a sick man. It was posted just hours after a post criticising Pope Leo and has sparked fierce backlash from both sides of the US political spectrum.  Massey University's Peter Lineham says the post was clearly 'blasphemous' and even the hardest Christian nationalists in the US will see this as a step too far. "Trump has no sense of appropriateness around him and he expects his acolytes to sing his praises...when he starts throwing derogatory remarks about the Pope and the like, he forgets at least some sort of boundary."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another bank is predicting an upcoming OCR raise.  ANZ has already picked three consecutive Official Cash Rate hikes in July, September, and October. Now Westpac says it's becoming more of a possibility next month - but is more likely in September.  Chief economist Kelly Eckhold says the Reserve Bank will work from specific indicators.  "They're looking for indications that the peak in inflation will be even higher than they currently expect." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pope Leo says he'll keep speaking out against war, following criticism from Donald Trump. The US President attacked Leo yesterday, after the pontiff's previous criticism of the war on Iran and Trump's immigration policies. Trump's accused him of being terrible for foreign policy and weak on crime. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained the ongoing controversy further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.