Larry Williams Drive

Amazon has been scaling up its same-day grocery delivery services across cities all over the US. It's looking to expand to 2,300 US cities by the end of the year, and investors are speculating about what it could mean for the market. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 16 October 2025, senior political correspondent Barry Soper and former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson share their memories of the late Jim Bolger.  Police and Oranga Tamariki have been secretly investigating Gloriavale for serious allegations of mistreatment of children. Gloriavale leaver Virginia Courage tells Heather what she witnessed while living in the community. Broadcaster Sean Plunket speaks to Heather after the Broadcasting Standards Authority defended its decision to go after online content. The Health Minister has accused senior doctors for crossing a moral line with their ongoing strikes. Plus, the Huddle debates whether we should be worried about our new Chinese built Interislander ferries because the shipyard has been linked to the Chinese military. 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

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Thomas Scrimgeour joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!   Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger passed away - what memories do we have of him?  It's been revealed the new Cook Strait ferries will be built by a Chinese company which US analysts have warned have very strong ties to the Chinese military. Should that worry us?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government unveiled new emissions targets this week, and members of New Zealand's farming community have welcomed the move. 2050 methane targets were slashed 14 to 24 percent below 2017 levels - which is 24 to 47 percent lower than the previous.  The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster Sean Plunket isn't going down without a fight, as our broadcasting watchdog claims jurisdiction over his online-only company The Platform. The Broadcasting Standards Authority received a complaint from a member of the public - after the broadcaster described Māori tikanga as 'mumbo jumbo'. Sean Plunket says the BSA has 'messed this up' - and it's likely this complaint will never see the light of day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen, I don't know how much most people will care about the drama that's unfolding with the BSA. Obviously here in radio world, we do, because these people are our watchdog. But if you enjoy watching people try something on and then be forced to retreat, you might enjoy this one. So what's kicked this off is that the BSA apparently decided, in secret, that they would give themselves permission to tidy up not just New Zealand's TV and radio, but now also the entire internet. And the first outfit that they've come after is The Platform. Now my personal dealings with the BSA have led me to believe that the people drawn to sitting on bodies like the BSA are not always the country's deepest thinkers, and this case only reinforces that - because if you thought about this for any more than 10 minutes, you would realize the BSA should just leave the internet alone. The BSA can't police the entire internet, it's too big. What, are they seriously proposing to send Joe Rogan a fine for $3000 NZD if someone i

Concerns have been raised over the Government's new choice for a ferry-builder. Guangzhou Shipyard International will build and deliver two new Cook Strait ferries by 2029. It's a state-owned company that also builds Chinese warships, but Foreign Minister Peters says the military links and espionage concerns aren't a worry. Canterbury University professor and China expert Anne-Marie Brady says this a confusing signal delivered by Peters. "He's very concerned about the strategic infrastructure and also the harmful aspects of our relationship with China. So it's odd that they have chosen a military shipyard, which is what the Guangzhou Shipyard International is." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no guarantee businesses will honour unredeemed vouchers from GrabOne, which has gone into liquidation. The online deals website won’t be issuing refunds for unused purchases - and has told customers to directly contact vendors. Some sellers have indicated they’ll recognise GrabOne deals, but others say they may not be able to. Parakai Springs general manager Dion Tilson says they will honour vouchers, but customers could lose-out at other companies. "I've spoken to a lot of businesses, restaurants and so forth, hotels - they may not be in a position to be able to offer it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Gloriavale leaver is recalling the confronting impact of child discipline practices used in the sect.  Police have issued two formal warnings to the community after investigating allegations parents would cover the noses and mouths of crying children.  A Herald investigation has revealed officers conducted more than 100 interviews. Virginia Courage says in one instance, a little boy was brought to her unconscious. "He wasn't breathing, and his father just threw him at me. I don't even know if he said anything, I just went into get-this-kid-breathing mode." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Bolger's first Finance Minister says the former Prime Minister - who died yesterday aged 90 - sometimes sold himself short.  Bolger served as an MP from 1972 and led the country for seven years.  Ruth Richardson says in recent years, Bolger criticised some neo-liberal policies he oversaw. She says Bolger made tough decisions at a tough time.  "His hand was forced by dreadful economic circumstances that we faced - a real baptism of fire. We did what was right." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A flurry of tributes from current and former politicians for former Prime Minister, Jim Bolger, who died yesterday. The 90-year-old died peacefully, surrounded by family.  He served as Prime Minister between 1990 and 1997. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper looked back on some memories with the former leader. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's unemployment rate jumped to 4.5 percent in September - up from 4.3 percent in August, according to new reports. This is the highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate recorded since November 2021. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this will likely put extra pressure on the Reserve Bank to make another interest rate cut. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

League great Billy Slater reckons the 10 year bans for players who defect to the rebel R360 rugby competition are a bit extreme. ARL Commission chair Peter V'landys has accused R360 officials of pirating the game for financial gain. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains the backlash further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister has accused the senior doctors' union of crossing an 'ethical line' at the expense of patients. Members of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists will join next week's mass strike. Tens of thousands of union members, across health, education, and the public sector, are walking off the job. Sarah Dalton from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says many were shocked at the way Simeon Brown chose to characterise this strike action. "And I guess his refusal to contemplate all of the many things in the health system that get in the way of them being able to see and treat patients, other than a four-hour strike next week." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new book, The Incidental Feminist, has claimed former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly had two affairs. Thatcher, who held the role from 1979 to 1990, is remembered as having a stable marriage to her husband Denis - but the book claims Thatcher got involved with a former MP and had an earlier affair at the start of her career. UK correspondent Gavin Grey weighs up the validity of these claims. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank recently disputed the idea that Covid-era money printing programme caused sky-high inflation, which cost the Government billions. Staff at the bank have published new research that concludes the bank’s $55 billion Large-Scale Asset Purchase (LSAP) programme didn’t 'meaningfully' contribute to above-target inflation following the pandemic. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ongoing US Government shutdown is set to have wide-reaching effects, with economists raising concerns over the impacts. Missed pay cheques and the absence of billions of dollars of Government services will likely reverberate beyond federal workers and sting the broader public. Milford Asset Management's Brendan Larsen explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar 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!  It's been a controversial couple of days for the Māori Party. Do we see the party splitting apart? Do we think Labour will officially rule out working with them before next year's election?  A new poll in the Post has indicated Chris Bishop is the successor in waiting for Luxon - what do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen, go on and tell me that any of the allegations that we've heard about the Māori Party in the last 36 hours surprise you. Does it shock you in any way to find out that one of their MPs allegedly paid her son $120,000 of taxpayer money, that she couldn't apparently balance her own budget? And that her son allegedly abused parliamentary staff so badly that he was trespassed from the grounds? No really, right? Not really a surprise. And this feels exactly like the kind of stuff you would expect to be happening when a political party pulls together a collection of activists who have no respect for the rules - which they demonstrate on a seemingly weekly basis by not showing up to their jobs in Parliament, who can't even do up a pair of leather shoes to go to work, and who think nepotism is just another way of showing love to your family. Their words, not mine. Now, do you really think that that alleged incident where Eru Kapa-Kingi shouted at parliamentary staff and threatened to knock one out happened

Spark's becoming the first New Zealand telco to block all child sexual abuse images made with artificial intelligence. It already stops access to photo-realistic material made by AI, but this move will extend to images which have a cartoon or artistic style. The website list comes from the Internet Watch Foundation which has seen a 400 percent increase in this type of material. Spark Sustainability Director Leela Ashford says it blocks the sites automatically. She says the list can include tens of thousands of websites.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.