Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Government's car-clamping system - targeting people owing fines and victim reparations - appears to be paying off.  A law change since July allows cars to be clamped until people not paying court fines cough up.  More than $700,000 has been paid since. Independent Victims Advocate, Claire Buckley, says about 600 people paid on the spot.  "I think it's always been known that most of the time, these offenders have been able to pay and were electing not to, because for quite a long time, it was not enforced."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The head of France’s Louvre museum has resigned after a months-long string of scandals, including the brazen daylight theft of priceless jewels. Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation letter to President Emmanuel Macron, after facing months of pressure since the October robbery of US$100 million ($167.5m) of French crown jewels.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey says some believe this resignation was a long time coming, as confidence in the Louvre has plummeted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 25 February, 2026, we talk to Transport Minister Chris Bishop about plans to let E-scooters use cycle lanes and allow children under-12 to ride their bikes on the footpath. Why the Reserve Bank wants banks to set up more ATMs and branches. Real Estate agent Rawdon Christie tells us why so many newly built townhouses aren't selling. And on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour and Jack Tame assess Donald Trump's record one hour 47-minute State of the Union speech. 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.

New Zealand won't be going cashless anytime soon under the Reserve Bank's new proposal.  It wants to set up 1300 multi-bank hubs to provide full services free of charge. The plan ensures those in urban areas can walk to get cash - and the drive for those living rurally is reasonable.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI firm Anthropic has made upgrades to their Claude model and it's sparked concerns about what this could mean for markets and jobs. Claude specialises in coding and technology, and IBM's stock recently took a hit - with experts citing the model as a reason. Milford Asset Management expert Andrew Curtayne explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour 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! Australia's Labor Government is pushing to add 40 members to Parliament before the 2028 election. This move has prompted plenty of debate about the pros and cons. What do we think of this?  The Government announced proposals to let under-13s bike on footpaths and allow e-scooters in cycle lanes. Transport Minister Chris Bishop says a 'common sense' approach is needed on this issue. Do we think this is fair? US President Donald Trump delivered a record-breaking State of the Union speech discussing crime, immigration and the economy. What did we make of the address? Why aren't people buying townhouses? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government announced today it wants to shake up the road rules a little - allowing kids under the age of 12 to ride their bikes on the footpath, and letting e-scooters use cycleways. Now, it might surprise you to learn that both of those things are against the rules. Kids aren’t allowed on footpaths on their bikes unless the wheel diameter is roughly the length of a ruler or smaller, and e-scooters are not allowed in cycle lanes. And it probably does surprise you, because we do these things all the time, don’t we? We’ve got a cycleway near our house and scooters are on that thing constantly - because frankly, it’s the safest place for a scooter to be. I took my boy and his six and nine-year-old cousins for a bike ride to the skate park at the beach during summer. They rode on the footpath. Two of those bikes were definitely against the rules - far too big. So you could probably characterise Chris Bishop’s proposed changes as simply updating the law to reflect what people are already doing. But I have a question for you - Why have an age limit for kids at all? We’re hardly going to stick to this rule, are we? We’re hardly going to tell a 12-year-old that the day they turn 13, they suddenly have to get off the footpath and cycle down Ponsonby Road. In fact, we regularly see older adults riding their bikes along Ponsonby Road, past the cafés. We just step out of the way. It’s an adult on an adult-sized bike - they’re courteous, they’re surrounded by pedestrians and they go slowly. So here’s my proposal - when we change the rules, why don’t we take the age limit out altogether? Don’t have an age limit.  Simply say - we’d prefer you to cycle on the road but if you can’t do that safely, you’re welcome to use the footpath. If you do, please go slowly and give pedestrians the right of way. Our goal is that no one dies on the road and no one gets hurt on the footpath. Maybe we could just pass a rule that reflects what we’re already doing - and what also reflects a bit of common sense. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A positive financial result has gentailer Meridian thinking about infrastructure upgrades.  It recorded a half year profit after tax of $227 million. Chief executive Mike Roan says they're considering increasing capacity at the Pukaki dam in the Mackenzie basin.  He says it's still early days though.  "The question that I've asked the team is - is it economic to do it? Does it actually make financial sense to expand the amount of hydro storage that we've got?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions have been raised over whether adding politicians in Australia would improve law-making or just add bureaucracy. Australia's Labor Government is pushing to add 40 members to Parliament before the 2028 election.  Nine News chief political editor Charles Croucher says electorates are so large that it's becoming harder for single MPs to represent them.  But he says Australia also has layers of Government to consider.  "We're already pretty over-governed over here, it's not just the federal Parliament you've got to think about, it's state Parliament." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A real estate agent says there isn't enough demand to meet the supply of townhouses. Newly constructed townhouses are sitting on the market so long that they no longer qualify as 'new builds'.  It means first-home buyers can't get low-deposit loans on the property.  Real Estate Agent Rawdon Christie says developers are shifting close to what the market wants.  "So rather than putting 15 in there, let's put 8 standalone two-story houses, which are still three-bedrooms."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.