Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

In three days Spark is set to switch off their 3G network for good.  Spark Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer, Leela Ashford, told Heather du Plessis-Allan only about 0.2% of Spark's total data traffic still uses 3G.  "There's still people on there, and that's why we are encouraging them, to move off to use this weekend, get into a store and get onto a 4G capable device," Ashford said. LISTEN HERESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Keir Starmer is in Finland for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force alliance. The focus of the talks will be Russian aggression in Ukraine, but Starmer says that there's 'a war on two fronts'. UK correspondent Enda Brady unpacked the defence solutions being discussed.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The private credit sector has given investors cause for concern. Questions have been raised about the sector's future amid a flood of redemption requests among some high-profile private credit funds. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year’s Federated Farmers High Country Field Day is set to take place on 27 March at Glenaray Station. The event will give  Ministers, MPs, officials and sector leaders insight into the work carried out by high-country farmers. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Green MP Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The police have recently revealed the the Tom Phillips documentary will be a Netflix project. Are we surprised they allowed this to happen? Do we think this is a good idea? Are we worried about privacy? Labour has indicated they won't rule out the Government's proposed surcharge ban after ACT confirmed they wouldn't back it. Do we see this moving forward after all?  A South African family living in New Zealand - including their son with Down syndrome - is set to be deported. Do we think this is unfair? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 26 March, 2026, we look at Labour's plan for who should pay the surcharge on credit cards. A big win for self-employed midwives in their court battle against the Health Ministry. We ask a psychologist if you should share your location with your partner. And on The Huddle, David Farrar and Gareth Hughes debate the danger of the Tom Phillips story going on Netflix. 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.

My overriding reaction to news that a Tom Phillips documentary is being made for Netflix is surprise. I’m surprised that the police are still allowing this to happen - especially now that it’s confirmed the documentary will appear on a platform as globally dominant as Netflix. Just think about how many people around the world will watch this. Imagine if the series takes off and becomes popular in the same way some true crime stories on Netflix do - think The Tinder Swindler. What happened after you watched that? Or after The Menendez Brothers documentary, or docudramas like Apple Cider Vinegar? You started Googling, didn’t you? I know I did. What do we think people around the world are going to find when they start googling the Marokopa kids? There is a real chance they could come across suppressed information. And given how difficult it is to enforce suppression laws overseas, what do we think some of those global websites are going to do? There has to be a risk that some publishers abroad will release that suppressed material. To me, this feels like rolling the dice - big time - on information surfacing in a way New Zealand law simply can’t control. If that happens, it could permanently limit these children’s ability to live lives that aren’t haunted by stories about what happened in the bush. That’s why I’m so surprised the police aren’t just going along with this documentary but are reportedly actively supporting it. Let’s be clear - without police cooperation, this documentary would almost certainly struggle to be produced at the standard Netflix requires. That makes this a very big risk for the police - and I don’t understand why they’re taking it. Why are the police so keen to help make a documentary about one of the saddest events in New Zealand’s history? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Los Angeles ​jury recently found Meta and Google guilty of designing harmful social media platforms that encourage addictive behaviour in users. The jury found Meta liable for $4.2 million in damages and Google for $1.8 million, and it's expected this case will inspire similar legal cases.  Senior public health researcher at UOA, Dr Samantha Marsh, says this is a historic moment for social media.  "This is the first time that they've actually been taken to court, they've been found liable for their product. Up until now, it's just been about what people post on their platforms and they can't be held responsible for that. But this kind of changes everything."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been revealed the documentary on the disappearance of Tom Phillips will screen on Netflix. He and his children were missing for four years when the saga ended with a shootout in September - killing the fugitive.  Dame Julie Christie is creating a documentary on the case with the help of the police, and has been granted exclusive access.   NZME editor-at-large Shayne Currie says the final product could just be a piece of police PR.  "There are these clauses within there that do allow police (A) to have viewing and vetting rights and (B) by the sounds of it, to have the ultimate call on whether it even screens certain contact." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between phones, smartwatches and new apps, it's fairly easy for people to stay in contact and keep an eye on where they are. Some couples and families use location sharing to enforce trust and keep each other safe, but concerns have been raised as to when it crosses the line. Psychologist Sara Chatwin says it's important to discuss parameters and boundaries when it comes to location sharing.  "There are many reasons why location sharing can be a really good thing...I just think at the extreme end of the continuum, you have people that perhaps, by location sharing, feel like they're being coerced by their partner."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.