Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A trial date has been set for Donald Trump’s multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the BBC. The date comes after a Florida judge rejected the BBC’s application to delay the process of discovery in the case. Trump is suing the BBC for defamation. Plus, the Trump administration has erased the government’s power to fight climate change. And, multiple gloves have been discovered in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson joins Heather to share the updates. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sail GP returns to Auckland’s harbours this weekend. Jason Pine joins Heather to discuss whether the Black Foils will make it onto the water. Plus, should any upsets be expected in Super Rugby Round One? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Global Day of Action for Iran is set for Saturday February 14. Tens of thousands have been killed in anti-regime demonstrations in Iran, and activists say all they want is democracy. Barrister, solicitor, and Iranian New Zealander Samira Taghavi joins Heather to discuss what is being done in New Zealand to mark the day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's talk about superannuation – which I’ve noticed we are doing more and more frequently and which I think will probably become even more frequent as our population gets older over the next few years. It's come up again because the boss of Milford Investments has given a speech warning that this talk of taking the pension age from 65 to 67 is simply not enough. And realistically, we have to lift it from 65 to 72 or maybe 73. Apparently, we aren't taking the unaffordability of superannuation seriously enough, which actually I do agree with, the latter part, that we're not taking it seriously enough. About 60 years ago, we used to have eight workers supporting one pensioner. Today, we've got half of that, four workers supporting every one pensioner. By the time I'm claiming my pension, it's going to be two workers supporting every pensioner. That is completely unaffordable. It will not work. We will not be able to do it. My prediction is that we are not going to take this seriously until we see the government starting to take this seriously because unfortunately, they are the ones who have to lead here. They need to start leading by example. If they want us to save money by giving up years of our pension, which is what the National Party will likely campaign on, then I'd like to start to see them starting to save money as well. No more throwing money at the Sunny Kaushal’s of this world-or to, in my opinion, silence possible criticism. No more giving billions to Shane Jones to blow on businesses that can't stand on their own two feet without government funding. No more giving students a year of free tertiary education to buy votes. When they start taking the so-called silver tsunami seriously, so will the rest of us, I suspect. It's called compromise. Until then, the pension remains the way that hardworking taxpayers who don't get all that other free government money, get back some free government money. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles has stated Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they look into allegations concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing whether there are grounds to investigate Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected misconduct following the latest Epstein files release.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says Charles is getting heckled everywhere he goes - and it's clear the royals are rattled by this. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new survey shows a significant percentage of Kiwi kids no longer hope to be All Blacks when they grow up. Charity Variety released a new survey showing that more kids hope to be footballers - overtaking rugby stars, game developers or police officers. Former All White Harry Ngata says it's 'absolutely fantastic' to see that more kids are seeing this as a pathway. "When we talk about football being a true community game, we're definitely seeing that in some of those stats that New Zealand football released a couple of weeks ago. So the trajectory is very positive."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is calling on the Government to scrap any form of 'water tax' from the proposed RMA replacement bill. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has ruled out this tax, despite it being mentioned in  the proposed Resource Management legislation.  The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the situation further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! There's growing calls to regulate blind cords following a toddler's unfortunate death. The Government has ruled out establishing new rules around this - do we agree? Are more safety regulations needed?  RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed the Government will not be implementing a 'water tax' following outrage from Federated Farmers. Do we think this is the right move?  NZ First's Winston Peters is now campaigning on a referendum on abolishing the Māori seats in Parliament. Do we think this will get votes?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 12 February, 2026, farmers are worried about a water tax - we hear from the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform. Winston Peters explains his push for a referendum on the Māori seats. A survey of children finds their main goal is to be a professional football player - not an All Black. And on the Huddle with Thomas Scrimgeour and Mark Sainsbury we discuss calls for safety regulations on blind cords after a toddler's death. 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.

Right, so in the space of less than a day, a coroner has called for regulations to make corded blinds safe for toddlers, and the family of a little girl who died in one of these blinds has backed that call - and then the Government has said no, there will be no regulation. The whole thing has happened in less than a day. This, by the way - if you don't know what I'm talking about - is a parent's worst nightmare, isn’t it? It’s the idea that something in the house, something seemingly innocuous, kills your child. Corded blinds are the ones with the loopy cord - the one with the little beads on it. Sometimes what happens is the kids get themselves stuck in it, and they can’t get themselves out. The thought of that happening freaks me out. So much so that I’ve already gone around adding cleats to the windows to make the blinds safe, and after hearing the coroner’s report today, I’ve double-checked every blind just to be sure again. I cannot imagine how awful this tragedy is for this family, and I do realise they have the best intentions, they genuinely want to stop this from happening to another family as it has to theirs. But I think the Government has actually come down on the right side of this, because, as we discuss so often on this show, it is just too easy to write a new rule without realising what unintended consequences it may have for years - potentially decades - before some other Government finally repeals it. Like the well-meaning rules around apple trees in early childhood centres that caused all kinds of headaches. Actually, I would argue that safety is something parents shouldn’t be outsourcing to rules. Blinds are not the only things in your house that can hurt your toddler. Heavy furniture that’s at risk of falling over should be bracketed back so it doesn’t fall on the kids. Pools should be fenced off for obvious reasons. Knife drawers should be locked for obvious reasons. Hard edges should have soft covers put on them. You can go online and find a list of the things you should do - there are plenty of these lists out there - and then you can go through every single one and make your house safer, which you should do. You can buy cleats to fix the blind cords to the wall, and you should. So the fix is out there. The knowledge is out there in the information age. Do you still need a rule? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.