Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and artist and local Government politician Oscar Kightley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Originair says it's already had to reduce flights between Westport and Wellington - and the route's now set to be axed by May. Do we think this is the right move? Should we try to fund it? The Government says it's working to find a solution as the Middle East conflict looks to impact fuel supplies and make prices go up. What do we make of this? Why has the Government's tone changed?  Stats NZ data out today has GDP rising 0.2 percent in the December quarter and 0.9 percent in the September quarter, after contracting in the three months to June. This isn't what economists were hoping for - do we think things will get better?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wattie's restructure is likely to have a significant economic impact, where more people could be affected by the shutdown.  Heinz Wattie's has proposed closing manufacturing facilities in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, and a Hastings packing facility - impacting about 350 jobs.  The Country's Jamie Mackay explained how the farmers and growers could be affected by this change.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 19 March, 2026, prepare for the worst on fuel - we talk to Finance Minister Nicola Willis about why the tone of the Government's suddenly got more urgent. An expert on why party drugs are cheaper and more easily available. We ask the boss of a popular way to lose weight whether it's a wonder drug. And on The Huddle, Maurice Williamson and Oscar Kightley with differing views on whether the Government should help a regional airline. 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.

I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a bad day - a day of rather unpleasant economic news, I’m afraid. Let’s start with the GDP number. It came in at 0.2 percent for the final quarter of last year, which is very much at the low end of expectations. We were looking for something in the range of 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent, with 0.5 percent being the Reserve Bank’s forecast. The problem with that is those were the good times. That number was recorded before the Iran war kicked off, so it’s not much of a place to be starting from, is it? Now the good news is that at least we are recovering. Yes, it’s slow - it’s grinding - which we always knew it would be but it is real. We recorded 1.3 percent growth for the year. That’s not a lot, but it is growth and it marks the first time in more than two years that the economy has posted annual growth. Because the GDP result is at the low end, it also gives the Reserve Bank a bit more latitude when it comes to its OCR decision. It can look through the inflation spike that the Iran war will almost certainly cause, which means it doesn’t need to be in such a hurry to raise the Official Cash Rate in response. The second piece of bad news today is that the war has escalated. Israel has struck Iran’s oil fields, pushing the price of oil past US$110 a barrel. It’s noticeable that the Government’s tone has shifted on fuel supply. In an update, officials sounded far less relaxed about fuel availability into the medium term - around eight weeks out - than they did earlier in the week. There is, again, a small piece of good news here. We are largely reliant on South Korea and Singapore for our oil and they are still supplying their customers. Australia, by contrast, is much more reliant on China - and China has banned exports. So, if we’re looking for a bright side: our supply situation looks better than some and at least we are growing. That gives us some reason not to panic on a day of not-so-great economic news. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind famed weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is leading the way in the semaglutide trend.  The drugs help people lose weight, but they've also proven to be helpful in reducing health conditions like heart disease and kidney disease. CEO Mike Doustdar says more people are starting to recognise that Novo Nordisk's output goes beyond an agent that reduces sugar for diabetics.  "It has some very serious health benefits around it, be it cardiovascular protection, liver protection, kidney protection - and more to be tested. So it's a breakthrough innovation."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Originair says it's already had to reduce flights between Westport and Wellington - and the route's now set to be axed by May. The regional carrier stepped in when Sounds Air withdrew from the service in 2024. Now, it says it's struggling with the small market and increasing operating costs. Managing director Robert Inglis says it's cut the service back to three times a week - which went well over summer. "But winter's another thing, and then, of course, the additional doubling of fuel price - we've just unfortunately had to make a hard call." Originair has applied for Government funding to help it continue the service. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says South Korea and Singapore will continue to export fuel, as concern rises over continuity of supply.  The Government says they'll now give twice-weekly stock updates - as the war in Iran pressures global oil prices.  Nicola Willis says South Korea's limiting orders to 2025 levels,  but New Zealand has a strong relationship with Singapore.  "Including an agreement that we will prioritise them in areas of critical shortage, particularly food, and they'll prioritise us in the areas of critical shortage, particularly fuel." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ketamine is becoming much more popular in the Kiwi party scene. The New Zealand Drug Trends Survey shows 73 percent of respondents have no trouble getting their hands on the dissociative anaesthetic. The inflation adjusted price of MDMA has tumbled 47 percent since 2017. Drug testing agency KnowYourStuff general manager, Casey Spearin, says use of ketamine's climbed since 2018. "We hear, anecdotally, of students not drinking as much, people not drinking as much - and ketamine is certainly a way to have similar effects without the price and the hangovers the next day." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell says it's getting harder to know how much the economy's growing or shrinking. Stats NZ estimates GDP rose 0.2 percent in the December quarter, below most forecasts. But Reddell says it's also revised the figures for previous quarters. He says the 0.2 for December could still potentially be revised up as high as 0.5 percent, or as low as minus 0.1. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says help with high fuel prices is coming, for some. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says officials are working hard on support options - as prices skyrocket. She's all but ruled out cutting the fuel excise, as the last Government did in 2022.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon confirmed fuel supplies aren't at risk of drying up, but this could become a problem further down the track. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.