Larry Williams Drive

The Government says it will act on all 19 recommendations from Parliament’s banking inquiry - and it's committed to increasing scrutiny around the banking sector. This comes as Westpac and ANZ report significant increases in profit, prompting concern from experts. Kent Duston from the Banking Reform Coalition says the proposed changes make good steps forward, but it's unclear how much of a difference they will make. "I think the big issue here is that the banks simply don't care. Whatever Parliament says - we're on the back of an inquiry from the Commerce Commission, another inquiry from Parliament from the select committee...whatever it is Parliament's saying, clearly the banks aren't listening." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House is staying firm the President had no involvement in wrongdoing, with the fresh release of emails written by deceased sex offender and child sex procurer Jeffrey Epstein. House Oversight Committee Democrats have released a 2011 email saying Donald Trump spent hours at Epstein's house with a victim.  Another email calls Trump 'the dog that hasn't barked'  - and say he told Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell to 'stop'. Reuters political correspondent Bo Erickson says there's a lack of context within these emails. "It's not clear what they are really talking about, so the White House is saying this is a political stunt. But the Democrats ae moving forward on another procedural process as well." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An attendance expert says David Seymour's disingenuous to blame attendance numbers on striking teachers.  He's claiming their industrial action meant term three attendance dropped year on year. He says it was on track for 52 percent attendance, but ended closer to 50. Manurewa Attendance Service head Cathy Chalmers says attendance on those days isn't recorded - and numbers usually slip at the end of term. "Historically, that last day before the long weekend, we get a lot of students not turning up to school." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Commissioner's instructed specialist investigators to see whether the McSkimming scandal amounts to a perversion of justice. Fallout continues from revelations in an IPCA report that's found senior police staff inadequately managed serious allegations against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Harassment charges against the complainant have been dropped, but she's still being prosecuted for emails sent to the lead investigating officer - and his wife.  Richard Chambers says he's checking the legal situation.  "Because I want to be reassured that there's nothing more to see here. I've asked that, I haven't got that answer yet." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White House says Democrats are pulling a manufactured hoax following the release of emails by late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, mentioning Donald Trump. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released three email exchanges, followed by the release of 20-thousand pages of documents by Republicans. One email from 2011 claims the US President spent hours at Epstein's house with an unnamed victim. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the reactions to this development. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell has walked out of prison - two months after a court heard he was too dangerous to live amongst the community. The 32-year-old was granted bail with a $20,000 guarantee by Supreme Court Justice James Elliott. Australian correspondent Murray Olds explained the situation further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps saved their best performance for last and cruised to a T20 International series victory over the West Indies, courtesy of an eight-wicket victory in Dunedin. For the first time on tour, the result didn’t come down to the final over, as New Zealand completed their win with 26 balls up their sleeve, and kept their perfect record at University Oval in the shortest format intact. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One NZ-based think tank is floating the idea of KiwiSaver schemes for kids, claiming it could set them up with $10,000-$20,000 in savings by the time they reach adulthood. The Institute for Democratic and Economic Analysis has put out a report proposing different models, including a kickstart Government payment and matching parental contributions. Max Rashbrooke, co-founder of the Institute for Democratic and Economic Engagement Analysis, says it could make a significant difference. "Obviously, the Government's moving to make financial literacy a compulsory part of the curriculum, we think that's an excellent idea - but how much more meaningful would that financial literacy education be in high school classes if every child in that class knows they've got a KiwiSaver account that's accumulating?"  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is closing down some of his last remaining known business interests, including Pitch@Palace Global Ltd. Pitch@Palace was a start-up project where aspiring entrepreneurs could present their ideas to potential investors - and was once seen as a possible income source for Andrew after the King stopped supporting him financially. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's a final nail in the coffin of the disgraced former prince. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The long-running US Government shut-down has come with plenty of economic ripple effects, but there's hopes it could come to an end. The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days, but the the Senate passed legislation to attempt to reopen things. Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's overdue tax debt has hit $9.3 billion for the year to June, according to new reports. It's growing faster than the Government's tax take and New Zealand's overall economy, prompting concern from experts. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shares in Transport and logistics company Mainfreight have rallied today, despite the company posting an 18.5 percent drop in first-half profit. The result's better than expected, with performance improving and expected to rise more. Mainfreight CEO Don Braid says they've had a tough start to the year, but he feels things are improving ahead of the new year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 12 November 2025, the Police Minister has accused former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a cover up following an explosive IPCA report. Former police negotiator Lance Burdett doesn't think Coster is a bad guy - but lawyer Matthew Hague says charges could still be possible. Congestion charges are one step closer for cities around the country. Heather asks Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson how soon drivers could be hit with these charges. A second Costco is coming to Auckland, but will it really help to bring supermarket prices down across the board? Sue Chetwin from the Grocery Action Group is not so sure. Plus, the Huddle debates a new poll that sees support for Labour on the rise. Does that mean voters like the idea of a capital gains tax? 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 informatio

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Kiwiblog's David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! It's day two of the Jevon McSkimming IPCA report. Is another investigation needed to get the public's trust back? What questions need to be answered? New polling shows Labour has gotten a boost since introducing the capital gains tax. Is this strictly a win for Labour - or do the Greens deserve some credit here too?  Would you rather the council reseal your road with chip seal than asphalt if it saves lots of money? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, I think we can all see how this is going to end for Andrew Coster, and we could see that last night - he's gonna lose his job running a Government agency. No one in charge can say that yet because of employment law, but it is absolutely going to happen - because there is no way that a man can do what he has done at the highest levels of police and then possibly continue to earn an income from the taxpayer. Him losing his job is the right outcome here. But here's the question that I think is up for debate - is Andrew Coster a bad man? Or was he just bad at his job, showing poor judgment, incompetence, naivety, whatever? And I'm going to suggest that it was actually the latter. He's not a bad man, he was just bad at his job. It doesn't seem like he did what he did because he wanted to hide what Jevon McSkimming had done, it sounded more like he tried to make it go away because he didn't believe that it was true. It sounds like he believed McSkimming was just the victim of a really

Bemusement at the actions of past senior police executives and their handling of serious complaints against the former Deputy Commissioner.  A damming Independent Police Conduct Authority report's found a the allegations against Jevon McSkimming - who was gunning for the top job - were not immediately investigated. The complainant was then charged with harassment. Lawyer and former police officer Matthew Hague says it's possible those at the top thought they were doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. "I can't understand how these senior, experienced, trusted leaders thought this would withstand scrutiny."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Costco's interest in New Zealand could be a good sign for our grocery sector.  The big-box US retail chain's bought a large plot in the new Drury Town Centre for its second Auckland store.  A Westgate branch opened three years ago.  Grocery Action Group chair Sue Chetwin says Costco clearly sees profit potential in New Zealand.  "It would be really good if a third or a fourth operator thought like that, but was willing to have a few more supermarkets so more people could benefit." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former police negotiator has suggested systemic failures led to a scandal revealed yesterday, around former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. An IPCA report's revealed past serious allegations about McSkimming weren't immediately investigated by senior staff. The woman who made them was charged with harassment, despite the lack of scrutiny of her claims.  Former negotiator Lance Burdett says not having experienced staff could have played a part in the failures. "There's only two options, isn't there? Well, there's three - ignorance, incompetence or something nefarious. I don't know." A new police Inspector-General is being created. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Auckland councillor says a long road's ahead before the city's close to congestion charging. A new bill has passed in Parliament that'll let councils charge drivers on specific roads at peak travel periods - beginning with the City of Sails. A report commissioned by the mayor estimates stalled traffic costs the city $2.6 billion dollars each year. Howick Ward councillor Maurice Williamson says a long process of consultation, and setting up a board will now begin. "I'll make the wild prediction now - you will not see an operational congestion charging regime for a minimum of at least three years from now."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says like many Kiwis, he's disappointed - by a scathing IPCA report highlighting past failures in senior Police management of complaints about one of their own. The police watchdog report has detailed how staff, including then-Commissioner Andrew Coster, didn't investigate allegations when they were made against Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the discussions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.