Sinopsis
With a straight down the middle approach, Larry Williams Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.
Episodios
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D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on the America’s Cup match dates getting confirmed
22/01/2026 Duración: 03minThe 38th America's Cup match will be contested from July 10 next year and extend, if required, to July 18. The news has been revealed at a shindig in Naples, the host city. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Nix Jaques and Michael Morrah: witnesses to Mount Maunganui landslide recount the damage they saw
22/01/2026 Duración: 06minA witness has described a loud cracking sound as a massive landslide slumped across Mount Maunganui’s Beachside Holiday Park this morning, taking out tents, caravans, and a toilet block - and hitting the hot pool. Searches have continued all day - and fewer than 10 people remain unaccounted for, including young people. Evacuees from the park gathered at the local surf club have now been moved, out of concerns the land could move again. Officials say they won't stop looking until everyone is found, after pausing briefly this morning due to unstable ground. Witness Nix Jaques was there. She says a frantic man and woman told her two loved ones were stuck in the shower block. "They were trying to move into that space, so it was trying to fade and then come away." NZ Herald reporter Michael Morrah was also on the scene and he says search and rescue teams are still working to recover the missing people. "It is a huge task, as there is just tonnes and tonnes of dirt and debris that is covering the campsite at
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Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on Europe reportedly looking to suspend approval of US trade deal
21/01/2026 Duración: 05minThe European Parliament is planning to suspend approval of the US trade deal that was agreed to last July, according to new reports. Donald Trump has been ramping up his efforts to acquire Greenland, including threatening new tariffs over the issue. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this could see US-based companies barred from EU contracts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on whether homeowners have missed the perfect time to fix
21/01/2026 Duración: 04minExperts have indicated the Reserve Bank could be done cutting the OCR for the moment, and there's questions about what this could mean for homeowners. The window of time borrowers had to lock in longer term fixed rates after the OCR cut and before they started rising was narrow, and reports indicate they could have missed their chance. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jeremy Hutton: Milford Asset Management expert on Xero's rough start to 2026
21/01/2026 Duración: 03minAccounting software business Xero has started 2026 on a low note, with the share price dropping significantly. This is in line with other challenges in the technology sector, which have seen noticeable drops. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Huddle: What are we predicting ahead of the 2026 election?
21/01/2026 Duración: 06minTonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners 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! We've finally got an election date - it's November 7th. Who do we think will win at this stage? Any other predictions? New data shows 65 percent of Kiwis want to ban under-16s from social media. Will this be a vote winner this election cycle? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Perspective with Ryan Bridge: Is this National's election to lose?
21/01/2026 Duración: 02minSo we've got an election date, and it's the date pundits have been picking since late last year - November 7th. This election is National's to lose. The only question really is how much influence ACT and or New Zealand First will have in any future Government. Don't get me wrong - it'll be a close race. Here's some easy picks - National will get more votes than Labour, New Zealand First will outperform ACT, New Zealand First will steal from Labour and nip at their heels, Te Pati Māori's reputation is already in the bin so the Māori seats are anyone's guess at this point. And Winston Peters, as always, will decide who actually wins the election. He's ruled out working with Chippy but not Labour. Here's the crucial point. Winston Peters cannot, politically, enter a deal propped up by or supported by the Greens or Te Pati Māori. In pretty much every poll this term, Labour has needed both of them to get close to the magic 61 seats. Now, you could argue that National might stumble and Labour could surge.
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Full Show Podcast: 21 January 2026
21/01/2026 Duración: 01h40minOn the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 21 January, 2026, Christopher Luxon's announced the election date - we look at who's in poll position. A witness to a shop worker's stabbing in Auckland tells us how he confronted the attacker. Martin Snedden on the difficulties of the job with our three top sports - rugby, netball and cricket - without leaders. Plus, on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Phil O'Reilly debate the election and the overwhelming support for a social media ban among Kiwis. 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.
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Martin Snedden: former NZ Cricket CEO on the risks that come with leading a sporting body
21/01/2026 Duración: 06minThree of New Zealand's biggest sporting bodies have seen their leaders depart, and it's prompted concerns about what this could mean for the sector. NZ Rugby head Mark Robinson is set to depart the role, Netball NZ CEO Jennie Wyllie resigned at the end of last year and NZ Cricket CEO Scott Weenink recently resigned following a scandal. Former NZ Cricket CEO Martin Snedden says the leadership role's always come with challenges, but social media backlash makes scandals more noticeable. "These are very difficult jobs. Sport is volatile, stakeholders' expectations, sometimes broad expectations, are disproportionate to what the resources are of an organisation - and burnout is a huge issue." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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David Seymour: ACT Party leader says later election date will allow voters to see coalition results
21/01/2026 Duración: 07minACT leader David Seymour says voters need to see the result of coalition policies before heading to voting booths. The Prime Minister's announced the election will be held on November 7 - a later date than the past two, which were held in October. Seymour says the Government's done a lot of work on the economy, and a later election will give voters time to see that. "And I think it's only fair that people get to judge the Government on the benefits of its policies delivered before they choose." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Steve Watt: Police Association President on police doubling their recruitment spending
21/01/2026 Duración: 02minThere's doubts police are getting bang for their buck on recruitment spending. The Post reports police spent just over $1 million to market recruitment - between December 2023 and the following November. That surged to $2.76 million in the year after Richard Chambers took over as Police Commissioner. Police Association President Steve Watt says all organisations have to spend to make themselves attractive. "But when we're still struggling to get the 500 officers target, you'd have to wonder if that was money well spent." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Ed McKnight: Opes Partners economist on the Bay of Plenty overtaking Auckland for most expensive properties
21/01/2026 Duración: 03minA new challenger's taking on Auckland in the race for the most expensive properties. Trade Me data shows the Bay of Plenty's average asking price has dethroned Auckland's for the first time in 10 years. It's sitting on $963,000 - $11,000 above Auckland. But Opes Partners economist Ed McKnight says that doesn't translate to higher sale values. "The median sale price of a house in Auckland is still about $150,000 more than over in the Bay of Plenty." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Peter Revell: Thames-Coromandel mayor on the flooding impacting the region
21/01/2026 Duración: 02minCivil Defence in Tolaga Bay East Coast says low-lying households near Hikuwai River should evacuate now. Surface flooding has stranded several East Coast communities - with no easing yet of the tropical storm battering the North Island. Tairawhiti has now joined Whangārei, Hauraki, Thames-Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty in declaring States of Emergency. Red rain warnings for Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and parts of Gisborne will start expiring between 11pm and 11am tomorrow. Hauraki District Council says some homes in Whiritoa have been evacuated, and the Surf Club has been set up as a Civil Defence site. In Thames Coromandel, Mayor Peter Revell says Whitianga, Cooks Beach and Pauanui are cut off, with near record rain already last night. "There's going to be significant volumes of rain in the next four or five hours, so that will certainly load up the rivers and threaten slips on roads and what have you." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Azaria Howell: Newstalk ZB reporter on Prime Minister Chris Luxon confirming the election date
21/01/2026 Duración: 04minNational's not announcing any changes to the team, as parties tee-up political campaigns. The Prime Minister's confirmed a November 7 date for this year's general election - speaking from National's annual caucus retreat in Christchurch. Chris Luxon says any members retiring will announce it themself, and he doesn't feel compelled to reshuffle for the sake of it. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says Luxon will be hoping for the economic recovery to be more noticeable by the time the voting booths open up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Dan Mitchinson: US correspondent on Donald Trump celebrating the first anniversary of his second term
21/01/2026 Duración: 04minDonald Trump celebrated the first anniversary of his second term with a near two-hour press conference, boasting about economic achievements and holding up photos of detained immigrants. The US President said he was confident God was on his side - and that he thinks God would be proud of the work he's done so far. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump is looking forward to arriving in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, where he's expected to defend his ambition to seize Greenland. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on the Black Caps beginning their five-match T20 series against India
21/01/2026 Duración: 03minBlack Caps coach Rob Walter has revealed he's relatively set on playing XI options for next month's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The team begin their build-up five-match T20 series against India in Nagpur overnight. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what fans can expect ahead of the series. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Thomas James: private investigator on intervening in Newmarket robbery
21/01/2026 Duración: 04minA private eye says he was running on pure instinct when he helped apprehend a teen accused of stabbing a shop worker over Pokémon cards in a hobby store in Auckland's Newmarket. A Hamilton 16-year-old will appear in Youth Court. Thomas James says such incidents and lower level crimes are fairly common in the area. He says it was a dangerous situation. "He made a decision when he left the house that morning, or wherever he left, to carry a knife on him. You only carry a knife if you're prepared to use it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Enda Brady: UK correspondent on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's response to Donald Trump's Greenland threats
20/01/2026 Duración: 04minDonald Trump says European leaders should focus on Ukraine, as he promises to follow through with Greenland tariff threats. The US President's warning he'll hit eight European countries with increasing tariffs from next month if he can't buy the arctic island. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says tariffs are completely wrong. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Starmer has a clear interest in maintaining a good relationship with Trump and this development will complicate things. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Paul Bloxham: HSBC chief economist on the predicted GDP growth for 2026
20/01/2026 Duración: 08minThe new year is well and truly under way, and there's growing hopeful predictions about the state of the economy. GDP is projected to grow by 2.5 percent, according to new reports from HSBC. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jamie Mackay: The Country host ahead of the second GDT auction of 2026
20/01/2026 Duración: 05minThe next GDT auction is due to take place tonight, and farmers are speculating about the tone this could set for the new year. The last GDT auction, held on January 7th, saw a 6.3 percent bounce back in the Index, but farmers are unsure of what this could mean. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.