Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The conflict in the Middle East continues to rage on, and there's concerns about what it could mean for the Australian economy. The US and Israel have struck more than 1200 Iranian targets, with plans to ramp up the bombardment in coming hours, and Iran has launched more strikes and choked oil tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says RBA governor Michele Bullock says it's too early to know the impacts, but economists have warned this could see petrol prices rising by 40 cents a litre.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another chief executive of a national sports organisation is leaving their post. New Zealand Rugby League boss Greg Peters is standing down after eight years in the job. The NZRL have launched their search for a replacement and Peters will support the board in a transitional capacity. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows the cost of private school isn't a deterrent to Kiwi parents. A report by the Ministry of Education shows that private, or independent, schools are growing at a much faster rate overall than their public school counterparts. Independent Schools of New Zealand CEO Guy Pascoe says there's a wide range of reasons why parents could be making this choice. "Small class sizes, it could be specific curriculum, pedagogies, high academic results - the schools we represent range in size from about 15 students as our smaller school to about two and a half thousand."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turmoil in the Middle East as countries are drawn into the US and Israel's aggression against Iran, aiming to obliterate its nuclear programme and topple its regime. Tehran has vowed to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials, and has launched region-wide retaliation. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's granted the US permission to use their military bases - as in Britain's best interests. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says criticisms have been made over this move, with many accusing the Government of 'flip-flopping'.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent conflict in the Middle East has sparked concerns about the wide-reaching implications for the global economy. The US and Israel launched strikes at Iran over the weekend, killing Ayatollah Khamenei - and Iran has since launched strikes from Tehran. Harbour Asset Management expert Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns about what the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could do for oil prices and inflation. Iran's sent retaliation strikes across the Middle East after US and Israeli attacks killed their Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamene. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacked the short and long term concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson of Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The US and Israel have launched strikes in Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and kicking off more conflict. What do we make of this? How will this impact our economy? The Government has given councils permission to authorise the killing of protected species under incoming RMA replacement bills, according to new reports. What do we make of this? Is this a good idea? New research out of Australia has raised concerns about the microplastics in chewing gum. Should we be concerned about this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, let's talk about the debate Helen Clark has sparked on whether New Zealand should be condemning the US air strikes on Iran. As you’ll have noticed, New Zealand hasn’t condemned the strikes. In fact, in a radio interview this morning, the Prime Minister said that our position aligns with Australia’s - and Australia has openly supported the strikes. The logical conclusion, then, is that we support the strikes too, even if we’re not saying so explicitly. That lack of condemnation has upset Helen Clark because, as she points out, the air strikes are illegal under international law. And she is right about that. But can anyone seriously argue that the strikes shouldn’t have happened? Consider the counterfactual - the strikes didn’t happen at the weekend. Ayatollah Khamenei is still alive. He continues to kill tens of thousands of Iranians for protesting, continues to fund Hamas to attack Israel, continues to fund and support the Houthis as they cause turmoil in the Middle East, continues backing Hezbollah to create further instability, and continues causing trouble as far away as Australia, where Iran allegedly directed the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne just a few months ago. This is exactly the same dilemma the world faced in Venezuela with the capture of Maduro. It shouldn’t have happened, it broke the rules - but no one is sad that someone broke the rules to do what many believed needed to be done. Now, obviously, this doesn’t guarantee success. Bombing a country to force regime change almost never works. What comes next could be worse. The disruption to the Middle East could be greater than any benefit gained. But all of those are unknowns right now. What is known is this: the Iranian regime was murdering its own people, destabilising the region and attempting to cause disruption even further afield. So yes, what happened at the weekend broke the rules. But tell me - are you upset that it did? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 2 March, 2026, we talk to a New Zealand journalist in the Middle East on whether the US-Iran conflict will really last only four weeks. Why councils can now kill native or protected species like geckos. An Australian researcher tells us why you should discourage your children from chewing gum. And on The Huddle, we ask Trish Sherson and Josie Pagani if it puts them off chewing gum. 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.

The conflict has seen oil prices jump, and could mean higher costs at the pump. But Finance Minister Nicola Willis says it doesn't mean we need to re-think the Marsden Point oil refinery. It ceased refining operations in 2022 and has been converted to an import-only fuel terminal. Willis says it would still have needed to import the oil - but adds there's some resilience in the system. "Last year, the Government made changes to regulations, which mean that fuel suppliers in New Zealand have to keep 28 days worth of fuel on supply." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.