Larry Williams Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Morris Williamson, Auckland councillor and former National Party minister, and Jack Tame, host of Saturday mornings and Q&A, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Nicola Willis announced a surprise inquiry into the Reserve Bank's actions during Covid with questions arising over the timing.  And, Winston Peters visits Saudi Arabia and sits ringside at Joseph Parker's fight.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tell you what—I'm not feeling terribly hopeful about the situation for vulnerable kids in this country after reading the coroner’s recommendations following the death of Malachi Subecz. You’ll remember the case of Malachi. I’m not going to go through the details again; sufficient to say it happened about four and a half, nearly five years ago, and it fired up public anger because of the number of times his wider family tried to warn authorities that something was going to happen—and yet he was not protected. One of the recommendations the coroner has made today in her report is that Oranga Tamariki—OT, formerly CYFS—run a public awareness campaign to help people identify possible signs of abuse and understand how to take action. To be fair to her, that idea isn’t new. It came from an earlier review. She’s simply pointing out that it still hasn’t happened, and is reiterating that the campaign should go ahead. But really? Is that what we need in this country—a public campaign to tell us what child abuse looks l

A memoir has been written by shamed business titan Ron Brierley who was imprisoned and lost his knighthood after his conviction for possession of child sex abuse material in 2021.  The book, titled The History of Brierley Investments Ltd - Not As Boring As You Think, is being published by Henry Newrick. Newrick defended his decision to publish the book saying, "he's perfectly entitled, anybody's entitled to, write about whatever they want to write about." He told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "I did it on a matter of principle, and also because I found the subject interesting." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 11 February, 2026, Nicola Willis tells us why the Government's now decided to do an inquiry into Reserve Bank actions during Covid-19. We ask the Safeguarding Children chief executive if an abuse awareness campaign is likely to be effective in the wake of the murder of five-year-old Malachi Subecz. The publisher of a new book on Ron Brierley explains why he thinks people need to hear the disgraced businessman's story. And on the Huddle, Jack Tame and Maurice Williamson on whether they'd sample a michelada - beer with tomato juice. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An independent external review of the Teaching Council was carried out by consultant Debbie Francis late last year. It has found that the agency has lost focus on its core function of safeguarding children and needs transformative change. CEO Lesley Hoskin is on agreed leave pending the outcome of an independent investigation into her conduct. The report identified multiple issues in the operations of the council. Education minister Erica Stanford told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "those two things together are a recipe for disaster: we think that we're a friend to the profession, and we're not hiring people who are actually have any experience." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malachi Rain Subecz was 5 years old when he was murdered by his caregiver, Michaela Barriball, who is now serving a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. Coroner Janet Anderson has now made several recommendations including the development and implementation of an awareness campaign to encourage the identification and reporting of suspected child abuse.  Safeguarding Children CEO Willow Duffy told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "I think a very well designed public health campaign would be excellent, but it cannot just be done on its own. "It needs to be supported by many other factors that we know work to make a public health campaign successful." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat about today's biggest news in the USA.  Congress is seeing a mass exodus with 51 House members and nine senators choosing to not stand for re-election this year.  Mitchinson said the departures have been partially attributed to a 'toxic partisan atmosphere'. They also spoke about the news that one person has been detained over kidnapping of TV anchor, Savannah Guthrie's, mother Nancy Guthrie.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced a surprise inquiry into the actions of the Reserve Bank during the Covid-19 pandemic with a stated purpose to identify any lessons that could be learned to improve the monetary policy response to future major events. Adrian Orr was the Reserve Bank governor from 2018 until his resignation last year.  Former Reserve Bank governor Michael Reddell welcomes the inquiry but believes the actions of the Reserve Bank were not malicious. "It wasn't political, it wasn't intentioned to generate high inflation. It was just badly misreading the economy," he told Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister of the UK is fighting for political survival - after fallout over his appointing a controversial Ambassador to the US.  Peter Mandelson's been sacked after his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light, but it's thrown Keir Starmer's leadership into uncertainty.  UK correspondent Enda Brady revealed what this news could mean for Starmer's political future, or what this could mean for Labour ahead of the next UK election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi shearer Rowland Smith has advanced to one of the nation's biggest competitions. He just made the Shearing Sports New Zealand team for the 2026 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Anti-Corruption Taskforce's first report suggests public sector fraud is almost certainly under-reported. It analysed six agencies - including Corrections, Inland Revenue and Sport New Zealand. The Serious Fraud Office-led taskforce found 446 suspected cases of internal fraud or corruption, over 15 months.  Transparency International NZ executive director Julie Haggie says this is a 'significant' report highlighting many internal issues.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The Government is imposing a levy to help pay for an import liquefied natural gas facility, which it says will save households $50 a year on power bills. Do we think the 'extra tax' accusations are fair? What will Labour do with this?  Trade Minister Todd McClay confirmed Winston Peters was right about the India FTA not letting us  specifically cap Indian student visas. How concerning is this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, I hate to say it, but it’s starting to sound like Winston Peters was right about that India Free Trade Agreement, and that the Government is not being straight up with us about what’s in the document. It appears the agreement does stop us from being able to cap the number of Indian students who come here. Now, that’s not the end of the world, given there actually isn’t a cap on them at the moment - or, frankly, on students of any nationality. The Government also always retains the ability to cap all students by tweaking visa settings. What this trade agreement prevents them from doing, by the looks of things, is specifically targeting Indian students and putting a cap on them alone. But the issue is that Indian students have historically been a particularly tricky area, given previous problems with dodgy schemes sending students here without the required level of funds - or with other issues - and they end up becoming our problem to deal with. Depending on where you sit on this, that might really upset

The Energy Minister is clearing up some misconceptions after yesterday's newly announced LNG import facility sparked backlash. The Government yesterday announced plans for the storage site in order to maintain energy supply, and a levy will be used to fund infrastructure costs. Simon Watts says the Huntly Power Station isn't cutting it anymore and New Zealand needs more gas. "We need gas and we need those molecules, and that's the problem we're facing. And importation will allow us to get that gas."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 10 February, 2026, Todd McClay on the student controversy surrounding the India free trade agreement. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith on why a retail crime advisory group's been disbanded months earlier than intended. We hear about plans for a gold mining operation in the West Coast town of Reefton. And on The Huddle, Jordan Williams and Ali Jones try to make sense of a levy for an LNG import facility - or is it a 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 information.

A potential insurance policy for those who can't move away from gas for energy, as the Government charges ahead with its plans for an importing facility.  The terminal will be housed in Taranaki - with the Government aiming to have a build contract locked down mid-year. It's imposing a levy to help pay for an import liquefied natural gas facility, which it says will save households $50 a year on power bills. Mercury Chief Executive Stew Hamilton says New Zealand is running out of gas, faster than expected. "We need to encourage consumers and households to get off gas, but not all forms of businesses, for example, can get off gas. So we need to come up with other forms of energy for them."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of Wellington’s major foodie events are among those receiving fresh support from the Government’s Major Events and Tourism Package. The funding round covers events across sports, food, culture and innovation. Wellington On a Plate and Beervana are set for a boost - alongside Tauranga’s AIMS Games, Nelson’s arts festival and New Plymouth’s Winter Fest. Wellington Culinary Events Trust general manager Penny de Borst says the funding will be used for talent attraction and marketing. "We're bringing in some international chefs and that's an opportunity for our local hospitality community to learn from these chefs - and also for them to get New Zealand products into their hands." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A small West Coast town might be about to strike gold again. Canadian mining company Rua Gold has discovered a 2.5 kilometre stretch of gold and other minerals at Auld Creek near Reefton - with plans announced to fast-track an underground mine. The company aims to produce 60,000 ounces of gold annually by 2028. Vice-president Simon Delander says they're also going after the antimony. He explained that's a strategic mineral - and there's lots of interest in Japan and the US. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trade Minister's hitting back at suggestions the India Free Trade Agreement will lead to a flood of immigration. Foreign Minster Winston Peters has said the agreement won't let us specifically cap Indian student visas, among other commentary on the deal. Todd McClay's confirmed that's the case but says they can cap student visas from all countries - as long as India isn't specifically discriminated against. "Others are saying is that hundreds of thousands of people, or tens of thousands of people are going to come over to New Zealand as a result of this agreement - I just want to take it back a step, this is a trade agreement, it actually isn't an immigration agreement."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister says his retail crime advisory group has been successful and productive. It'll been cut short, ending in May - not the planned September - after three members resigned last month. It leaves just two members, chair and dairy owner Sunny Kaushal and liquor retailer, Ash Parmar.  Paul Goldsmith says he could have appointed more people for the next six months or wrapped it up early.  "The simpler thing to do was say - look, you've got a couple of things you need to finish, you've got three months to do that and then we'll go off on our merry way. The Government's got lots of ideas to work with."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.