Larry Williams Drive

No matter how many times a parent may claim they don't have a favourite child, research has indicated preferential treatment does take place. A meta‑analysis published in Psychological Bulletin - drawing on data from more than 19,000 people across 30 studies in the US, Canada and Western Europe between 2015 and 2022 found that daughters were preferred.  Therapist Jo Robertson says this research can be interpreted in many ways. "A lot of research shows that what we ask of our girls is different to what we ask of our sons. So I think it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's Prime Minister will address the nation tonight outlining how Australians can help with the fuel crisis.  It's understood Anthony Albanese will urge people to save fuel for industries that most need it.  It's the first time an Australian Prime Minister has delivered a national address since Scott Morrison did during Covid-19 in March 2020.  Australian correspondent Charles Croucher says the timing is strategic.  "This is an attempt to put everyone on the same page, before we go into that Easter long weekend and then school holidays over here. You kind of lose the audience if you're the PM." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MP Kieran McAnulty says his member's bill to loosen liquor regulations on key public holidays will clear up confusion. It would allow hospitality venues to sell alcohol on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning and Christmas Day - without needing to serve a meal. The bill could be in place by this Easter weekend, with its final reading underway in Parliament. McAnulty says venues currently have to operate under different rules than the rest of the year, which doesn't make any sense. "All I'm proposing is that on these days, the businesses that are already operating and the workers that are already working anyway can just do so under normal conditions."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, the fuel supply update shows the amount of jet fuel in the country sat at 22.1 days of supply as of Sunday, down from 25.3 recorded last Wednesday.  Diesel's about the same at 21.6 days - meanwhile petrol was up on Sunday, at 29.3 days of supply.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says we'll find out about the Government's new plans for the crisis tommorow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A US judge has halted construction of Donald Trump's nearly $700 million White House ballroom. The President had the East Wing bowled last year to make way for the project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been granted a request for a preliminary injunction, alleging Trump exceeded his authority by not getting Congress approval before launching into construction. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says this delay will give Trump time to appeal the decision.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Black Ardie Savea appears to have reconciled with New Zealand Rugby after a potential estrangement last year. The Herald reports he came close to international retirement after the defeat to England at Twickenham. Savea was understood to have become disillusioned with the amount of the sport he was playing and time away from home, despite moving from the Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika and opting for a couple of sabbaticals in Japan. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been confirmed Fire and Emergency’s board members are getting pay rises of up to 79 percent amid prolonged industrial action. A departmental briefing recommended Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden approve large increases to board pay packets in December. NZ Firefighters Union national secretary Wattie Watson has voiced outrage with this move, as strike action is set to continue. "It's outrageous when we have our three lowest ranks barely getting paid minimum wage, they're not even getting paid the living wage  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The BBC has reported that Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, won't be at the royal family's traditional Easter service this year. The gathering at St George's Chapel takes place every year, but the pair have reportedly made 'alternative plans' as their parents face scrutiny over their connections to Jefferey Epstein. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's unlikely the four will be invited to future royal events going forward.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Middle East conflict continues on for another week, and it's led to economic forecasters revising their predictions for recovery. Significant cuts to growth, higher inflation, lower investment, household consumption, and higher unemployment appear to be on the cards, according to new reports.  HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says it's unclear how the central banks on both sides of the Tasman will proceed.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Power bills are set to go up from tomorrow, from as high as 5 to 10 percent. Electricity lines charges are set to go up, following an earlier Commerce Commission decision to allow for the charges to go up. Consumer NZ's Paul Fuge explained that these increases will vary across households, with some seeing higher increases and some seeing lower ones.  "Because it is so convoluted and so complex and the maths is so hard, we have to run the service we've been running for 25 years now to try and help people make heads or tails of this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federated Farmers High Country Field Day recently took place at Glenaray station in the Waikaia Valley. Over 280 visitors visited various sites across the farm to discuss the issues impacting New Zealand's rural sector. The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the action, and speculated about the lack of Labour MPs at the event.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 31 March, 2026, New Zealand Herald senior reporter David Fisher says he's amazed it took so long to quash David Tamihere's double-murder convictions. We talk to Iran's ambassador to New Zealand about Donald Trump's threat to "obliterate" his country's energy sites. A public health physician has issues with a study linking vaping to lung and oral cancer. And on The Huddle, Trish Sherson and Phil Goff debate the Greens refusing to run a sex worker as a candidate. 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.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! David Tamihere's murder conviction got quashed by the Supreme Court today. What do we think this says about New Zealand's justice system? Should we be concerned? The Greens have recently declined a former sex worker’s candidacy, prompting speculation and debate. What do we make of this?  Trump has been ramping up his threats against Iran if a ceasefire deal isn't reached shortly. This has prompted some backlash - what do we think?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So David Tamihere has finally got what he’s been fighting for for decades. The Supreme Court has quashed his convictions for murdering the two Swedish backpackers all those years ago. Now this doesn’t mean a retrial will necessarily happen. That’s up to the Crown, which must decide whether it wants to pursue the charges again. In a nutshell, this all comes down to the jailhouse snitch - Conchie Harris - who claimed Tamihere confessed the murders to him. Two years ago, the Court of Appeal ruled Harris’ evidence could not be relied upon and that it was therefore a miscarriage of justice to find Tamihere guilty. However, the Court of Appeal still found Tamihere was guilty, based on what it described as new evidence. The Supreme Court has now ruled that this was not the Court of Appeal’s role. Determining guilt is a matter for a jury, which is why today’s decision has been made. So we will see what happens next. But there is more at stake here than just Tamihere’s guilt or innocence. Serious questions now have to

The Supreme Court today confirmed it would quash David Tamihere's double murder convictions after his trial was ruled 'unfair'. He was found guilty in 1990 of killing Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen, but the verdict was since overturned. Private investigator Tim McKinnel says there's a 'clump of cases' from the mid-1980s to 2010 that are being evaluated through the system - and it points to a bigger problem. "I think there are some structural issues we have in the justice system, like many similar countries where they have an adversarial system where two sides go to war and hope that the truth wins - and that's not always what happens."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns an on-the-fence smoker may not switch to vaping, after an Australian study suggested it causes cancer.  The new research from New South Wales University finds nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause it in the lung and mouth.  Former World Health Organisation director, Robert Beaglehole, labels that misleading - saying it's proven to be less harmful.  He says the likes of apple and orange juice are linked to cancer, because of the other factors, not the juice itself.  He says it grabs headlines.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supreme Court says it is up to the Crown if it wants a retrial of David Tamihere, whose murder convictions were quashed today. Tamihere was found guilty in 1990 of killing Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen. The Supreme Court's now ruled his trial unfair. Herald Reporter David Fisher says the case has taken serious knocks over the years.  "It sounds like, from Tamihere's point of view, that he has been gathering information, which would make his defence even stronger."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Housing Minister says Cabinet's agreement to reduce Auckland's minimum housing capacity for a second time puts the issue to bed.    The Government announced a revised density plan of 1.6 million homes just last month, and today reduced that to 1.4 million.  Wayne Brown says he suspects as it's an election year, this is simply politics at play. Chris Bishop says this is about agreement between Government, Aucklanders and Council.  "We achieved consensus as a Cabinet and as a Government, which is what we are always aiming to do."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supreme Court's quashed David Tamihere's double murder convictions, 37 years after two Swedish tourists disappeared.  Open Justice reports Tamihere was found guilty in 1990 of killing Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen. He was released on parole in 2010, and granted the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in 2020, after a trial witness was found guilty of lying.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the implications of this Supreme Court verdict.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, the Australian Government has moved to decrease their fuel excise tax. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the halving of excise for three months - equivalent to a 26 cent reduction per litre of fuel.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this cut will benefit Australian households who are already being stretched thin - but it's sparked concerns about inflation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.