Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Chris Greenacre will take charge of the Wellington Phoenix for at least their next A-League fixture against Sydney FC. The club legend moves back into the interim coaching role for a remarkable fourth time, stepping up from his role at the club's academy. He is in ongoing discussions with the club about the head coaching position for the rest of the A-League season - and beyond. Wellington Phoenix Director of Football Shaun Gill says the plan is to get through this week first, and then finalise some details. "There's not a contract in place for him for the role at the moment, but he's prepared to jump in and we'll finish those discussions in due course." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has introduced new measures to tackle the issues with rough sleepers, but it's prompted concerns from some critics. Under these changes, police would be able to order beggars and rough sleepers to leave for up to 24 hours, with refusal being punished with fines and jail time. Wellington City Councillor Karl Tiefenbacher says it's another cog in the wheel for police to help improve cities. "It's really more a substance abuse problem and a mental health issue. Once we accept that, then the approach we need to take is that we need to work on those solutions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis Energy says fresh Crown investment into the power generator will go towards building infrastructure.  The Government's confirmed it will put up to $200 million dollars - letting it retain its 51 percent shareholding, as Genesis launches a capital raise. Chief executive Malcolm Johns says the money will speed up its ability to build. "We're gonna build some solar farms, some grid-scale batteries and some wind, and extend the life of Huntly Rankines." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's promising to be realistic as it shapes up election year ideas. Leader Chris Hipkins has delivered his State of the Nation address in Auckland at a Business Chamber event. The speech lacked new policy - but addressed concern around people leaving the country and the state of our tax system.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper voiced disapproval with the speech, and questioned whether Labour would be able to deliver on anything for Kiwi voters. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A row's deepening about so-called 'ISIS brides' returning to Australia - with the Opposition pushing for a hardline approach. More than 30 Australian women and children have secured passports and are trying to return from a Syrian camp. Opposition parties argue helping Australians with Islamic State links return home should be a criminal offence. Correspondent Oliver Peterson says the Government's being neutral - and the Opposition will be looking to exploit that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Greenacre will have every opportunity to secure the Wellington Phoenix head coaching gig full-time. The former 'Nix player will sidestep from his role at the club's academy into the seat vacated by Giancarlo Italiano - the fourth time he's become the club's interim coach. Sportstalk host Jason Pine speculated about whether Greenacre will take over the role full-time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins says he doesn't want to make promises he'll have to change - announcing no new policy in Labour's State of the Nation address today.  He says policies can wait until after the Budget, and he explained that he's made Labour's political priorities clear to the voters. Hipkins explained they party's not going to be making big sweeping promises ahead of the election this time round. "We're going to be promising things that we know we can deliver on, that are actually going to make a difference - but are actually going to solve the problems we've got as a country."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 20 February, 2026, a royal expert tells us why Andrew's arrest is the biggest scandal in the history of the British monarchy. Why more than half of our police officers are thinking of quitting the job. We hear from a linguistics expert on why English doesn't need to be an official language. And on the sports huddle, Nathan Limm and Adam Cooper debate if it's ok to ask an Olympic athlete if snaring a silver medal is a disappointment. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let’s not beat around the bush: the biggest news in the world is the arrest of Andrew, the King’s brother. It’s huge, not least because the last time a royal was arrested was around 350 years ago, when Charles I was taken prisoner and ultimately executed. What also makes this so significant is that Andrew wasn’t, as is usually the case with celebrities, politely asked to come into a police station to assist with inquiries. He was arrested at his home, which was then searched by police for further evidence. That distinction is massive. That said, anyone predicting either the collapse or the survival of the royal family today is being premature — and there’s plenty of that going on. The charge Andrew faces, misconduct in public office, is apparently very difficult to prove in the UK because of the way the law is written. So this may end up going nowhere. So far, I’d say Charles has handled both today’s developments and the wider scandal leading up to them far more decisively than even the late Queen handled Andrew’s previous indiscretions, and that does help the monarchy. Most importantly, the key figures in the royal family — William, Kate and their children — seem far enough removed from anything Andrew may have done to remain safe from fallout. On the other hand, what’s happened today is only the beginning. Next may come formal charges, then potentially a prosecution, then possibly a judge and jury. If it gets that far, the risk to the royal family increases dramatically, because it could reveal who knew what about Andrew’s behaviour, and for how long. If you’re looking for a silver lining, it’s this: the system is working. No one is above the law — not even the brother of the King. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new poll suggests the public's on board with the Government's proposed ban on card surcharges, just as the proposed law has been put on hold.  The Government announced plans to ban all credit card and contactless surcharges last year, but faced criticism from businesses who'd be forced to stump the cost.  Consumer NZ Campaign Manager Jessica Walker told Heather du Plessis-Allan that there is a middle-ground for both parties to settle on.  "Too many surcharges are excessive or just not disclosed or unavoidable. So there would need to be some really firm caps in place to stop consumers being ripped off." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.