Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Finance Minister says these increasing fuel prices will be tough on Kiwis as the Middle East conflict continues on. Fuel supplies remain stable with the Strait of Hormuz still blocked, but petrol and diesel prices have continued to surge. US President Donald Trump's threatening to obliterate all Iran's bridges and power infrastructure - if Iran doesn't do what he wants by tomorrow. Nicola Willis says New Zealand is experiencing a price shock in line with the rest of the world - and it's tough. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 7 April. 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.

Midday tomorrow - our time. That is the deadline Donald Trump has given Iran. Now, if your reaction is something along the lines of not really caring because Donald Trump has set plenty of deadlines before and then walked away from them, that’s fair enough. All of that is true. But this one does feel ever so slightly different. This time he has set a very specific deadline - an exact hour on an exact day. He doubled down on it this morning in a lengthy news conference. It isn’t weeks away. And the threat itself is very specific: he says he will target bridges and power plants. It also appears the administration has, to some degree, thought through how such an attack would unfold. Trump has even claimed it would take a precise amount of time - four hours. Now, even if he sounds more serious and more prepared, that doesn’t mean he’ll actually go through with it. The obvious off-ramp is the same one he’s used before: announcing that Iran has come to the table, that progress has been made in peace talks - progress no one else can verify - but insisting we simply trust that it’s happening behind closed doors. What’s clear, though, is that Trump is deeply frustrated. At the weekend, that frustration has centred on the Strait of Hormuz. And this should be dawning on everyone: Donald Trump can’t force it open. That reality seems to be hitting him now, hence the expletive-laden messages on social media in the past few days. He has two options. One is to escalate - to hit Iran so hard that it concedes and opens the strait. That’s a long shot. The other is to declare victory, claim he’s achieved everything he set out to do and walk away - leaving Iran effectively in control of the strait. Iran would then be able to levy a charge of around US$2 million a ship, split with Oman, which sits across the water. We know this because Iran has now put forward a 10-point peace plan that explicitly lays out this intention. Those appear to be the only two paths left. Trump has made a very big deal out of choosing the first - out of threatening massive escalation. So at midday tomorrow, it’s either all on…or it’s the most spectacular walk-back yet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A potential new law could restrict Crown funds reaching gang-linked organisations. Takanini National MP Rima Nakhle's proposed amendment to the Public Finance Bill has been pulled from the biscuit tin.  It would prohibit agencies from providing money to organisations run, administered or associated with gangs.  Nakhle says the last Government gave $2.75 million to gangs via Kainga Ora.   "There's no doubt that there's people that choose to change their lives, but we're not going to accept that public money goes to gangs, basically, when they're the ones selling the drugs. So how do they become the saviours?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're in search of a budgie or a pheasant or even a sulphur-crested cockatoo, Waitaki District Council may bring good news. The council is looking to re-home over 48 birds as it plans to demolish two aviaries that are no longer fit for purpose. Waitaki mayor Mel Tavendale says these birds are all free to good homes - and they've seen over 50 applications from interested prospective owners. She explained the council's trying to find a better life for the birds, as the aviaries can no longer offer that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An intelligence expert's looking at Donald Trump's reputation of walking back on threats.  An expletive laden social media post from the President over the the weekend warned Iran the US would destroy power infrastructure if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz by tomorrow.  Former CIA intelligence officer, Glenn Carle, says Trump often turns up the heat with ultimatums - before turning it down again. "I wouldn't dismiss it - obviously, he lost the attack, but I find it hard to imagine that even he would obliterate the infrastructure of the country." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no surprise regional flights are some of the first on the chopping block for Air New Zealand. The airline says rising jet fuel prices are making it cut about four percent of flights, including many for Tauranga and Nelson. Affected customers will be told this week - and most put on same-day alternative flights. It axed more than a thousand flights in March. Airports Association chief executive, Billie Moore, says it's not just about reducing fuel costs. "One return flight to New York, for instance, would use the same amount of fuel as 170 return flights to New Plymouth. So this is about broad commercial optimisation."   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran has less than 24 hours to make a deal, before Donald Trump's threats of total obliteration could take effect.  Trump's rhetoric is growing increasingly violent - threatening to decimate Iran's bridges and power beyond repair, after tomorrow's deadline passes.  But Tehran's rejected a temporary ceasefire proposal, saying it wants a definitive end to the war.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's another Trump deadline that's set to pass, and it's unclear what Trump's terms are.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's most decorated soldier has been arrested over alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The ABC reports Ben Roberts-Smith has been arrested at Sydney Airport, and is expected to be charged with five counts of murder. In 2023, a Federal Court found on the balance of probabilities, Roberts-Smith was involved in the murder of four unarmed men, rejecting his defamation suit against several newspapers. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Roberts-Smith is currently in custody - with more set to be unveiled this evening.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shannon Frizell has set his sights on a third trip to a Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks, returning to New Zealand Rugby later this year. The 33-test All Blacks flanker will return from Japanese club Toshiba mid-year to join Tasman for the NPC before linking up with the Highlanders for Super Rugby in 2027. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.