Larry Williams Drive

According to Westport residents the AA insurance announcement yesterday is not the start of their troubles at all. They've been having trouble with insurance for ages even before AA decided to stop issuing new cover. Westport resident Glenys Elley told Heather du Plessis-Allan that, "Even if a company has a policy, it doesn't guarantee that they will continue that policy on." She says that some people were fine with the application process for insurance until they entered their postcode, at which point the application was denied. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing today. The two leaders met to repair relations between the nations, as it's been over 8 years since a UK Prime Minister visited China. UK correspondent Enda Brady says concerns were raised before the visit, but the meeting appeared to go smoothly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta and Microsoft are among the big tech companies that just released their quarterly results after the stock market closed, and there's more results to come. Meta shares were up 9 percent, but Microsoft stock was down about 5 percent. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds unpacked the data further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The storm that lashed Canterbury, Otago and Southland with severe winds in October has resulted in the second-most claims for an event in rural insurer FMG’s 120-year history. New Zealand’s largest rural insurer has already paid out $20 million, but expects that figure to rise to about $50 million. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Winston Peters has raised concerns with the Government's new trade agreement with India, and he's claimed the agreement will see more migrants taking jobs off Kiwis. What do we make of this?  AA Insurance has paused new policies in the West Coast town of Westport. Do we think more parts of the country will follow suit? What will people do? The death of the doer-upper - do we feel bad about this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 29 January, 2026, a major insurer's put a halt on new home policies in Westport because of the flood risk - is it temporary or permanent? Why your morning school run is the most dangerous time of the day on the roads. We talk to investor and influencer Simon Squibb about making Kiwis' dreams come true - and learn about the Pink Broccoli. Plus, on the Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour and Ali Jones discuss the death of the doer upper. 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.

Simon Squibb has always been committed to encouraging people to fulfil their dreams, and as a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, he's in a position to make real change.  He's invested in startups, used his professional insight to write a book - What’s Your Dream? Find Your Passion. Love Your Work. Build a Richer Life - and he's committed to inspiring people to take risks. Squibb's in New Zealand and he's already been spotted helping a chef in Remuera to fund her ambitions. "I can't help it, I love hearing people's dreams, and so there's no holiday from helping people that need it. And so I have actually now helped four people in New Zealand with their dreams, which is pretty exciting."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The thing we’d been warned about with climate change has now happened - AA Insurance has stopped offering new insurance policies for Westport because of the risk of flooding. At the very end of last year, AA Insurance wrote to the Buller District mayor advising that the company would be putting a - what they call temporary - stop to new insurance policies for properties in the 7825 postcode, which includes Westport, Carters Beach, and Cape Foulwind. If you listen to the experts, this is just the start. It’s already happening in flood‑risk towns in Australia, it’s now happened here, and it will keep happening until these towns find ways to keep themselves safe through measures like flood defences. You don’t need me to tell you what this is going to do to property prices. They’re only going in one direction - down. Not least because you need insurance to take out a mortgage. And you know what happens next, people start putting pressure on the Government to bail them out from dropping property values. They want

Winston Peters claims our proposed trade agreement with India would let visa holders bring family members with them.  The Trade Minister denies the FTA could allow 20,000 to 25,000 more immigrant arrivals. Peters says Todd McClay admitted the loophole himself to a select committee.   "He had to concede that there were those people who had the right to bring their spouses and their children right away." In the hearing, McClay said the FTA extends standard visa settings.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forty-four titles have been announced for the 2026 Ockham Book Awards longlist, with true crime and politics among the big name nominees. Nine debut authors appear in the list, three in each of the poetry, illustrated non-fiction and general non-fiction categories, including the Jacinda Ardern memoir A Different Kind of Power. Time Out Bookstore manager Jenna Todd says it's unclear if Ardern will emerge victorious, as general non-fiction is a wide-ranging category. "You have history, memoir, creative essays, so who knows? I just have no idea." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister says discussions must be had on roads that keep flooding during extreme weather events. Chris Bishop and the Prime Minister have been surveying damage in Te Tairāwhiti, and visiting still isolated communities. Bishop says the focus now is reopening routes. But he says NZTA and contractors need to discuss how to future-proof these crucial routes.  "They'll be having a really good look at the Waioeka Gorge and thinking about what we need to do to rebuild - and it'll be the same with State Highway 35." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A warning more insurance companies could follow AA Insurance, which has paused signing up new new policies in the West Coast's Westport. Buller District Council says the insurer has confirmed it’s temporarily halting new property policies because of the high flood-risk. Existing policyholders can renew as usual. Victoria University Emeritus Professor Jonathan Boston says he can almost guarantee it won't be a one-off. "We are in a period of climate-intensified risk, those risks are going to grow - sea level rise will intensify flood risk for many communities." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand roads are about to re-enter a dangerous window as schools return for term one. A report from driver safety advocacy group AutoSense claims accidents linked to fatigue happen most between 7 and 8am, the hour children head to school. CEO Charles Dawson says fatigue is driven by our body clock - and it can be dangerous. "Any vehicle that has a human behind the wheel is going to be prone to this, it's all about our natural physiology."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister for Trade's attempting to put to bed concerns about our fair trade agreement with India - repeatedly voiced by the NZ First leader. Winston Peters claims it will let tens of thousands more Indian migrants enter the country.  The Prime Minister has denied the assertion.  The full agreement is still not publicly available, but Trade Minister Todd McClay has detailed visa numbers to Parliament today. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked today's discussions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation about Liberal leader Sussan Ley's future with the party is growing, as more people call for her ousting. Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the two names being discussed as potential replacements in the liberal leadership race. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it's likely Ley will stay in the top job as long as the vote among Australia's right bloc remains divided. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC can live without being in football's Australia Cup. The Black Knights have been dumped because it's an Asian Confederation competition, while Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix are from the Oceania region. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand says it hopes to avoid a three-day strike by international cabin crew in February. E tū Union and the Flight Attendants Association have issued strike notices for wide-body crews on 787 and 777 Boeing flights. The airline's Chief People Officer, Nikki Dines, says they've covered a lot of ground in 10 months of weekly meetings with the unions. "There's a lot of things that we've agreed on, the last remaining item is just on pay. That's the one item that we are continuing to work with our cabin crew unions on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 28 January, 2026, we look at the legacy of Judith Collins in New Zealand politics as she prepares to become president of the Law Commission. Air New Zealand cabin crew are preparing to go on strike - will it affect your travel plans? Another hammer blow for the construction industry - why more than 20 businesses have gone bust in a week. And on the Huddle, Jack Tame and Jordan Williams look at why people aren't liking prime minister Christopher Luxon in opinion polls. 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.

A unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will take on security roles at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, sparking outrage and petitions in protest. Sources at the US embassy in Rome confirmed a statement from ICE that agents would support diplomatic security details during the upcoming Games. UK correspondent Mike Pearse says the high-profile shootings in Minneapolis have made headlines all over the world, and it's raised questions as to why this particular agency would need to be involved.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home owners could be left covering the costs of defective work on their properties once an overhaul of the Building Act is complete. The Government plans to give itself the ability to temporarily suspend the requirement for consumer protections to be put in place in the building sector. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.