Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

There are discussions around bidders potentially giving Chateau Tongariro a fix-up. A Government response to a petition confirms the Department of Conservation's been urged to speak with investors and iwi to potentially fund restoration for the heritage-listed hotel. Demolition still remains an option. Adrift Tongariro Guiding owner Stewart Barclay told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it's significant for employment - and would pay for itself over time. He says it's essential for tourism, which brings money in to the local area.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is reportedly looking into lifting the governing body's ban on Russia. Russian national teams and clubs were suspended from all competitions by FIFA and Uefa in February 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine. UK correspondent Mike Pearse explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has launched a review into soaring home insurance costs - to take place over a six-month period. This investigation comes as AA Insurance moves to pause new home insurance offers across the South Island. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacked what we can expect from this deep dive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Software stocks have taken a dive, and it's prompted concern among economists. This follows a difficult month for the sector, with many of them seeing their shares drop by 40 percent as a result of AI. Milford Asset Management's Michael Luke explained further. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports from across the ditch that a historic State of Origin rugby league game in New Zealand is all but a done deal. The Daily Telegraph's reporting that the New Zealand Government has paid $5 million to secure game two of the 2027 Origin series at Eden Park. The money will come from the $70 million Major Events Fund, designed to attract big events to New Zealand. Former Kiwis and Warriors coach Tony Kemp says this is a big deal for New Zealand - and the event will likely sell out. "It'll be sold out within minutes - unless you know somebody, you probably won't get a ticket. I don't think people understand just how big State of Origin is down here." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington fusion energy start-up’s getting a major boost, with fresh funding to build a next generation research facility. The Government will lend up to $35 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to OpenStar Technologies to help develop its nuclear fusion machine, known as Tahi. Fusion is the process which powers the sun, and the company's hoping to create a fusion power source that can be scaled up for commercial use. OpenStar CEO Ratu Mataira says Tahi is of a scale that they'll be able to show the world it's as valid as other approaches.  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! Stats NZ data shows unemployment was at 5.4 percent in the December quarter - the highest it's been in over a decade. What does this say about the economy? Will things finally turn around this year? It could be months before Wellingtonians are given the all-clear for swimming at southern coastal areas, following today's big sewage leak. Should people be outraged?  Is Petone's Jackson St really cooler than Cuba St? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 4 February, 2026, unemployment's at a 10-year high but Brad Olsen from Infometrics says it's not all bad news. Why Wellington's sewage problem in the water could go on for months. Former Warriors coach Tony Kemp tells us how big a deal a State of Origin match at Eden Park would be. And on the Huddle, Tim Wilson and Jack Tame on the merits of Petone's Jackson Street being cooler than Wellington's Cuba Street. 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.

On the face of it, the unemployment figure out today is not good. It’s gone up, it's now sitting at 5.4 percent, a high we haven’t seen in almost 11 years. The last time we were anywhere near 5.4 percent was September 2015. But actually, there is a recovery story here if you look under the hood. We’ve added 15,000 jobs to the economy. More people want to work, too. As Infometrics points out, fewer people are sitting on the sidelines. We have fewer young people bumming around, and more of them are in work, training, or education. Most of the people who found work in the last quarter are in part‑time jobs, which suggests employers are taking a cautious chance. They’re not totally convinced the recovery is locked in - not enough to offer full‑time roles - but they’re confident enough to dip their toes back in. Now, I don’t want to be Pollyannaish here, pretending things are fine when they’re not. I don’t want to oversell good news. But I do think it’s worth focusing on the positive signs in these numbers to give this recovery a chance. There is enough data out there now to suggest we are on the right side of things and that the recovery is happening. But there’s still a wobble, isn’t there? You talk to some businesses and they’re still unimpressed by what they’re seeing come through the door. And I just wonder if we’re holding off a little. Maybe we were spooked by the false dawn in 2025 and want to make sure this is actually the recovery we think it is. Maybe we’re still unsure what the Reserve Bank is going to do. Maybe we want to get the feel of Anna Breman in her first go in a couple of weeks before we start investing money. We have good signs: consumer confidence, business confidence, GDP growth, retail spending growth, improved manufacturing numbers - the list goes on. And now add this: the detail under the unemployment number. Put that on the list, step back, and assess what really does look like a recovery, if we just give it the chance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Me’s seeing a rush on gold and silver listings. Searches for both metals have surged on the site - and are now the second and third fastest-rising terms over the past week. Gold and silver hit record highs late last month, before dipping and then rallying again. Trade Me spokesperson Millie Silvester says the spike could be driven by buyers looking to melt the metals down. "Or maybe they're hoping that actually, this is the start of a boom and they're going to sit on it and hold onto it and maybe accumulate it over time as a bit of an investment."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.