Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Following the launch of Australia's ban on social media for under-16s, there's been debate over whether New Zealand should follow this example. Meta's Global Head of Safety, Antigone Davis, has labelled the full ban a 'fool's errand' and claims parental controls are the way to go. Former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand Stephen Scheeler says parental controls are a safety feature that should be considered - but it won't solve the wider problem. "I don't think it's a total solution, but I think it is another tool in the toolkit."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, lawyer and political commentator Brigitte Morton and CTU economist Craig Rennie joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Labour MP Peeni Henare has confirmed he won't be seeking re-election - and that he wants to take a step back from politics and focus on his family, wellbeing and future, and will depart from Parliament in the coming weeks. What's really going on here? Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed there will be no more full drivers' license test from next year. After passing the restricted license test, drivers under the age of 25 will have to wait out a mandatory 12-month period as a restricted driver before they can apply for a full licence. Do we think this is a good idea? Does New Zealand need to become Australia's 7th state? Do we need the extra protection? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 3 February, 2026, we talk to champion driver Greg Murphy about changes to our driver licensing laws. Are parents to blame for children starting school without even being toilet trained? David Farrar tells us why it's time for New Zealand to become a seventh state of Australia. And on the Huddle, Brigitte Morten and Craig Renney discuss Labour's show of unity with the Greens at Waitangi. 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.

You know what that Labour and Green Party unity news conference at Waitangi today looked like to me? It looked like desperation. Parties don’t generally get other parties to stand next to them and hold their hands in an election year just to convince people to vote for them. Now, having said that, it’s obviously not the first time we’ve seen something similar from Labour and the Greens. You’ll remember that before the 2017 election, Grant Robertson and James Shaw did a similar-ish thing. They released their Budget Responsibility Rules to try to convince us they could be trusted with the Government’s finances. That was an act of desperation, because they’d been battered by Steven Joyce’s 'fiscal hole' allegations for so long they had to do something. And just like in 2017, this is an act of desperation, because Chippy knows his biggest problem this time around -trying to get into Government - is convincing voters that his coalition mates are not just a bunch of nut jobs, but can actually be trusted to run the country together. Which is why he left the Māori Party out of that unity press conference - because that party is chaos on stilts. The trouble for Chippy, though, is that the Greens aren’t exactly the picture of internal discipline, are they? What with Golriz the thief, Bussy the awkward parent, Darleen the questionable employer, the spate of staff resignations -and that’s not even mentioning the electorally toxic plans to tax us all into poverty. Chippy is off the mark if he thinks this is going to solve things for him, because the truth is his only realistic path to Government this year is with Winston Peters. Winston has said he’s not going to go with Chippy, but that is still Chippy’s only way back into Government. And that’s where Chippy should be putting his energy - schmoozing Winston until Winston changes his mind, because Winston changing his mind is not unheard of. But doing a news conference with the Greens seems not only like a waste of time, but actually an unfortunate reminder to us all that a Chippy-led Government comes with Green-coloured baggage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior Labour MP Peeni Henare's announced he's leaving politics, after what he calls a 'tough' 2025.  Henare says he's not seeking re-election for Labour this year, and will leave Parliament in the coming weeks.   It comes after he lost the Tamaki Makaurau seat to Te Pati Māori for a second time in last year's by-election, a seat he'd held for six-years from 2014 to 2020.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An upcoming visit by Israel's President is causing tension in Australia.   Isaac Herzog will visit New South Wales for a five day tour at the end of the week to honour victims of the Bondi terror attack.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says protests by pro-Palestinian have been banned in the state for the duration of his visit.  He says it follows other recent issues in the state.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Donald Trump's presidency creating extra challenges for the rest of the world, questions have been raised over what a small country like New Zealand can do for extra protection. Political commentator and former parliamentary staffer for the National Party David Farrar wrote an opinion piece claiming New Zealand should take up the 125-year-old invitation to become part of Australia. Farrar says the world has turned into a 'might-is-right' environment since Trump took office and that New Zealand needs to get bigger. "We're lucky, because we've got a country which we're very, very close to, we're culturally similar to, we're economically integrated to, and we'd be a lot safer if we're a bigger country." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and the Greens joined forces at Waitangi today to make their priorities clear ahead of the upcoming general election. Labour leader Chris Hipkins describes the party as fractured, and says the parties need to work through their internal issues. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says there's a lot of things the parties can work together on and they'll stand side by side to prove that to voters. "New Zealanders are going to be paying attention. That is a really exciting proposition for us as a country, and I don't think politicians or any political party is entitled to absolutely anything and I make that point, particularly, about the legacy parties."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's fears parents aren't teaching their children basic skills like talking, eating, or using the toilet. The Auckland Primary Principals’ Association reports 87 percent of schools say children now need more support than ever before. 92 percent say new entrants don’t know the letters in their own name. Psychologist Sara Chatwin says it raises questions about what's going on at home. "And then I think it speaks to how important good quality early childhood education is - in that it's really helping those kids transition from that state to school." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says it's modernising the drivers licensing system, with the key change being the end to full license practical tests.   After passing the restricted license test, drivers under the age of 25 will have to wait out a mandatory 12-month period as a restricted driver before they can apply for a full licence.  Those aged over 25 will have to wait six months.  Kiwi motorsport driver and road safety advocate Greg Murphy says he supports some of this, but claims that the Government hasn't gone far enough. "It's not actually meaning we're going to have safer drivers on the road, it just means it's going to cost you a little bit less." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.