Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned motorists not to panic-buy fuel, claiming that surging demand puts unnecessary pressure on supplies. Albanese said that the Government was considering longer term measures including extending the life of two oil refineries beyond 2027. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says concerns are mounting, especially for the trucking industry, where fuel is essential - and rural communities are at risk of missing out on needed fuel supply altogether.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More rugby clubs around the country are ditching junior fees in a bid to ease financial pressure on families and revive grassroots participation. What began as a small initiative in 2024 has gathered momentum, with more clubs opting to waive registration costs in 2026. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police officers dished out one speeding fine for every minute of last year as they cracked down on dangerous driving.  More than 500,000 fines were issued over 2025, double the number issued six years ago.  The figures are only fines from officers - not speeding cameras.  AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen says it's unclear exactly what drove this data, but it's likely there was extra pressure on the police. "Road policing officers were sometimes covering other duties and having to do those kinds of things, spread themselves around. But in the last couple of years, that has changed, there's been a big focus, once again, on being back out on the roads."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, experts are warning people to take precautions as an outbreak of meningitis is spreading.  15 cases have officially been reported, and a university student and a sixth former have died as a result of the outbreak.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey says cases are projected to go up and investigations are taking place. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials are calling out the Government for loosening KiwiSaver withdrawal rules in response to lobbying by Federated Farmers, rather than evidence-based advice. A newly-released Regulatory Impact Statement shows the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) opposed the Government’s proposal to allow KiwiSaver withdrawals for farmland.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conflict in the Middle East is continuing on for another week, and it's got experts concerned about the economic impacts. Iran's blocking shipping in retaliation for the US and Israel bombardment - sending oil prices spiking. Milford Asset Management expert Michael Luke explained how markets have continued to drop. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute 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!  An Auckland IVF clinic has reassured patients their processes are robust after some frozen embryos in their care went missing. What do we think happened here?  The Government is looking to crack down on asylum seekers with criminal records. What do we make of this?  There's renewed debate about whether schools should reward students with lollies after concerns were raised. Do we need to have this discussion? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are questioning Treasury's 'worst case' economic forecast from the Iran war. It predicts a worst case scenario of inflation hitting 3.7 percent this year - if the conflict persists. Independent economist Cameron Bagrie says he doesn't think Treasury has properly taken into account businesses feeling the second-hand impact of rising fuel prices. "If they've got a reason to push up prices under the guise of what's going on in Hormuz around the globe, firms are going to use that excuse and try to jam in some price rises. We've seen it before." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, once again - not for the first time on this show and probably not the last - thank goodness for Erica Stanford. Normally, she’s righting wrongs in education but today it’s her other portfolio: immigration. She has just introduced legislation to Parliament that would make it possible for New Zealand to say no to asylum seekers if they have committed a serious offence in this country. It might blow your mind to learn that this isn’t currently the case. Right now, if someone comes to New Zealand and says, “I need to be a refugee” and then goes on to commit a serious offence before their refugee status has been decided - so no decision has been taken at the time - the officials making that decision are not allowed to take into account the fact that the person has committed a crime in New Zealand. That is bonkers, isn’t it? And it’s not theoretical. It has happened and it is happening. There are 14 asylum seekers in New Zealand awaiting a decision who have been convicted of serious offences: murder, serious sexual offences, serious drug offences and arson. Under this change, those crimes will now be considered - and I hope to God in every one of those cases it’s a big, fat no. We do not need murderers in this country. Apparently, though, we are a soft touch globally. What’s happening here is actually not unusual. Around the world, it’s standard practice to take into account crimes committed in country before granting refugee status. The EU has rules that allow refugee status to be stripped for criminal offending. Australia goes even further — it has passed laws allowing refugee status to be revoked altogether, even after someone has already been declared a refugee. So prepare yourselves for the usual hand-wringing from the usual suspects. But this is yet another example of Erica Stanford doing something that’s just plain common sense. Yes, absolutely, we have a duty to protect people from persecution if they would come to harm by returning to their home country. But our first duty is to protect our own people. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 18 March, 2026, we hear from Fertility Associates' chief medical officer about losing a family's frozen embryos. We get the latest on how much fuel's left as a result of the Iran war. A crackdown on asylum-seekers who commit serious crimes after arriving in New Zealand. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Tim Wilson on whether teachers should reward students with sweet treats. 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.