Parliament has officially wound up today.

New Zealand Herald Extraordinary Phillip O'Shea headed procedures earlier today, despite Parliament officially closing last week.

A new Taxpayers Union-Curia poll has spelled turmoil for the Labour Party.

It's put the party at 27 percent - no change from last month - but well behind National at 35 percent.

But Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says his election campaign is "only just ramping up".

Meanwhile, National leader Chris Luxon has been rounding up the business conference, pledging to bring back 90-day trials and concentrate on low productivity.

Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

LISTEN ABOVE

Parliament has officially wound up today.
New Zealand Herald Extraordinary Phillip O'Shea headed procedures earlier today, despite Parliament officially closing last week.
A new Taxpayers Union-Curia poll has spelled turmoil for the Labour Party.
It's put the party at 27 percent - no change from last month - but well behind National at 35 percent.
But Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says his election campaign is "only just ramping up".
Meanwhile, National leader Chris Luxon has been rounding up the business conference, pledging to bring back 90-day trials and concentrate on low productivity.
Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent on another poll putting Labour below 30 percent

I'm astonished, can I say, that Marty Grenfell, the boss of Tauranga City Council, thinks no one has to quit over the landslide and the damning report. And frankly, that there are not outright calls for him to quit from the mayor and the local MP.

That report, I don't know if it could have been more damning, because it told us Tauranga City Council was warned multiple times that a landslide might happen in exactly the spot where a landslide happened, as early as 1999 and as most recently as only six or seven months before the landslide.

The most recent warning said that because this might happen, the council should put in place a warning system where if somebody saw something untoward, they could then call in and a series of things would kick into motion that would lead to the evacuation of people to save their lives.

On the day of the landslide, someone saw something untoward and they called it in and nothing happened because there was no system. There was no clear direction on who to call and what to do and whether to evacuate people.

Now, Marty Grenfell's strategy is to blame the person who received the report and the manager who saw it for not passing it on to someone who could then create that system, that warning system. And look, that's fair. We've all worked in organisations where that kind of thing happens, right?

But we also know those organisations only exist like that because the boss thinks it's okay that the organisation is a shambles like that. Because the boss thinks it's okay to spend money on consultants to prepare reports that then just get filed away and not acted on. 

Marty Grenfell has been the boss of that organisation in that state of shambles for about eight years. That is more than enough time to tidy it up and he hasn't. So it is ultimately his fault as the boss that the system was that untidy and that people died because of a system failure.

Now, he needs to quit. Either he needs to say that the person who got the report and didn't pass it on needs to quit because they didn't know who to pass it on to, or he needs to quit because he oversaw a system where they didn't know who to pass it on to.

LISTEN ABOVE

I'm astonished, can I say, that Marty Grenfell, the boss of Tauranga City Council, thinks no one has to quit over the landslide and the damning report. And frankly, that there are not outright calls for him to quit from the mayor and the local MP.
That report, I don't know if it could have been more damning, because it told us Tauranga City Council was warned multiple times that a landslide might happen in exactly the spot where a landslide happened, as early as 1999 and as most recently as only six or seven months before the landslide.
The most recent warning said that because this might happen, the council should put in place a warning system where if somebody saw something untoward, they could then call in and a series of things would kick into motion that would lead to the evacuation of people to save their lives.
On the day of the landslide, someone saw something untoward and they called it in and nothing happened because there was no system. There was no clear direction on who to call and what to do and whether to evacuate people.
Now, Marty Grenfell's strategy is to blame the person who received the report and the manager who saw it for not passing it on to someone who could then create that system, that warning system. And look, that's fair. We've all worked in organisations where that kind of thing happens, right?
But we also know those organisations only exist like that because the boss thinks it's okay that the organisation is a shambles like that. Because the boss thinks it's okay to spend money on consultants to prepare reports that then just get filed away and not acted on.&nbsp;
Marty Grenfell has been the boss of that organisation in that state of shambles for about eight years. That is more than enough time to tidy it up and he hasn't. So it is ultimately his fault as the boss that the system was that untidy and that people died because of a system failure.
Now, he needs to quit. Either he needs to say that the person who got the report and didn't pass it on needs to quit because they didn't know who to pass it on to, or he needs to quit because he oversaw a system where they didn't know who to pass it on to.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Mount Maunganui landslide report couldn't be more damning

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/608b8de2-e592-443d-9b7d-b4ae01727ffb/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 21 August.

Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 21 August. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 21 August 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6585e908-d88f-4c9b-9ae9-b4ad0076bcb5/transcript

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is counting down to the real action kicking off on Sunday morning, with the Springboks and All Blacks coaches engaging in some pre-match mental games.

South African coach Rassie Erasmus says he can't say who'll win, but it's a four-match series so game three will be the most important.

New Zealand Herald's Rugby Analyst Gregor Paul joins Heather du Plessis-Allan from South Africa, and tells her why he thinks Dave Rennie will be heading into this match with confidence.

LISTEN ABOVE

Rugby's Greatest Rivalry is counting down to the real action kicking off on Sunday morning, with the Springboks and All Blacks coaches engaging in some pre-match mental games.
South African coach Rassie Erasmus says he can't say who'll win, but it's a four-match series so game three will be the most important.
New Zealand Herald's Rugby Analyst Gregor Paul joins Heather du Plessis-Allan from South Africa, and tells her why he thinks Dave Rennie will be heading into this match with confidence.
LISTEN ABOVE

Gregor Paul: New Zealand Herald's Rugby Analyst in South Africa ahead of Sunday's All Blacks test match

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c044642b-73f8-43d7-89ed-b4ad005f8210/transcript

Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent on another poll putting Labour below 30 percent

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