Erica Stanford believes mandated structured literacy is turning reading and writing skills around.

The Education Minister's revealed new data showing 58 percent of students are at or above phonics expectations after 20 weeks at school - up from 36 percent in Term One.

The number exceeding expectations is more than double Term One's figure.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this data shows the Government's education plan is working.

LISTEN ABOVE

Erica Stanford believes mandated structured literacy is turning reading and writing skills around.
The Education Minister's revealed new data showing 58 percent of students are at or above phonics expectations after 20 weeks at school - up from 36 percent in Term One.
The number exceeding expectations is more than double Term One's figure.
Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this data shows the Government's education plan is working.
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 the latest education numbers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/fbf7eddb-08f2-4eaf-b27d-b375004c1802/transcript

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Friday, 11 September, 2026, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford takes a swipe at Winston Peters as campaigning heats up.

We hear about what it'll take to save Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch.

A powerful voice in the "front row club", Sean Fitzpatrick, gives us his view on Codie Taylor's reinstatement as All Blacks hooker and captain.

And on The Sports Huddle, Andrew Gourdie and Nathan Limm on whether the Wahs are on the up and up.

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

LISTEN ABOVE

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive with Andrew Dickens Full Show Podcast for Friday, 11 September, 2026, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford takes a swipe at Winston Peters as campaigning heats up.
We hear about what it'll take to save Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch.
A powerful voice in the "front row club", Sean Fitzpatrick, gives us his view on Codie Taylor's reinstatement as All Blacks hooker and captain.
And on The Sports Huddle, Andrew Gourdie and Nathan Limm on whether the Wahs are on the up and up.
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LISTEN ABOVE

Full Show Podcast: 11 September 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/7f0a209e-f72a-44ea-8631-b4c20076b595/transcript

The All Blacks will face off against the Springboks in their fourth test on Sunday, September 13, at 9am with the hopes of bringing the score to 2-2. 

"It'd be nice to be able to draw the series, which will be a lot better feeling," Former All Blacks hooker and captain Sean Fitzpatrick told Andrew Dickens.

LISTEN ABOVE 

The All Blacks will face off against the Springboks in their fourth test on Sunday, September 13, at 9am with the hopes of bringing the score to 2-2.&nbsp;
"It'd be nice to be able to draw the series, which will be a lot better feeling," Former All Blacks hooker and captain Sean Fitzpatrick told Andrew Dickens.
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Sean Fitzpatrick: Former All Blacks captain on 4th test against Springboks

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/4ae5ca41-7c0f-47a5-9cab-b4c2007584d7/transcript

It's a massive weekend for Auckland as the much-awaited CRL, the City Rail Link, finally opens to the public. And there is excitement. Five and a half billion dollars and 10 years of chaos have come to this. The question will be asked: was it all worth it?

Firstly, I have to say it never needed to be so expensive because it never needed to be this late. The idea of a rail link between Auckland and Morningside was first mooted in 1912 and again in 1918. There was even a plan drawn up in 1923. Robbie, Dove-Myer Robinson, talked about it in the 1970s. But it wasn't until 2003 that we finally pulled our finger out and started doing something about it.

Imagine if we'd built it in the 1920s. Imagine if we'd built it in the 1930s, when Australia was building underground rail and the Harbour Bridge. But no, we were afraid of it. We hesitated. If only we'd had the courage of our convictions back then, when it was cheaper and easier.

And it's not like we've always been this timid and overly cautious. Construction of the Central Motorway Junction, affectionately known as Spaghetti Junction, began in the 1960s. If you think the disruption caused by the CRL was significant, consider what happened then. To build Spaghetti Junction for the car, they effectively eradicated an entire inner-city suburb. Yet these days we lose our heads over a couple of inner-city streets, a few barber shops and some traffic cones.

My own memories of the debate are full of toxic misinformation and, can I say, that came from all the radio stations and plenty of politicians. People were calling it a loop. It's never been a loop. It's a link. It's a through-link.

People would say, "Well, it's a loop. What about the Simpsons monorail? What about the Sydney monorail?" But it was never anything like that. It was a link. It joined two previously disconnected parts of a railway network we'd already invested in.

Those myths made much of the conversation unnecessarily fraught. But there we go. It's happened. It's done. Thank God for that.

Now that it's finished, people will be demanding a revolution. It won't be a revolution. It will be an evolution. But it is the single biggest step we had to take to allow our biggest city to grow even bigger. It's what we needed to do to show we're not afraid of growth. That we're not the timid New Zealanders Christopher Luxon has so often accused us of being, and that our businesses are not afraid of growth either.

LISTEN ABOVE 

It's a massive weekend for Auckland as the much-awaited CRL, the City Rail Link, finally opens to the public. And there is excitement. Five and a half billion dollars and 10 years of chaos have come to this. The question will be asked: was it all worth it?
Firstly, I have to say it never needed to be so expensive because it never needed to be this late. The idea of a rail link between Auckland and Morningside was first mooted in 1912 and again in 1918. There was even a plan drawn up in 1923. Robbie, Dove-Myer Robinson, talked about it in the 1970s. But it wasn't until 2003 that we finally pulled our finger out and started doing something about it.
Imagine if we'd built it in the 1920s. Imagine if we'd built it in the 1930s, when Australia was building underground rail and the Harbour Bridge. But no, we were afraid of it. We hesitated. If only we'd had the courage of our convictions back then, when it was cheaper and easier.
And it's not like we've always been this timid and overly cautious. Construction of the Central Motorway Junction, affectionately known as Spaghetti Junction, began in the 1960s. If you think the disruption caused by the CRL was significant, consider what happened then. To build Spaghetti Junction for the car, they effectively eradicated an entire inner-city suburb. Yet these days we lose our heads over a couple of inner-city streets, a few barber shops and some traffic cones.
My own memories of the debate are full of toxic misinformation and, can I say, that came from all the radio stations and plenty of politicians. People were calling it a loop. It's never been a loop. It's a link. It's a through-link.
People would say, "Well, it's a loop. What about the Simpsons monorail? What about the Sydney monorail?" But it was never anything like that. It was a link. It joined two previously disconnected parts of a railway network we'd already invested in.
Those myths made much of the conversation unnecessarily fraught. But there we go. It's happened. It's done. Thank God for that.
Now that it's finished, people will be demanding a revolution. It won't be a revolution. It will be an evolution. But it is the single biggest step we had to take to allow our biggest city to grow even bigger. It's what we needed to do to show we're not afraid of growth. That we're not the timid New Zealanders Christopher Luxon has so often accused us of being, and that our businesses are not afraid of growth either.
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Perspective with Andrew Dickens: Will the CRL be worth the wait?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/64532b29-6ec0-43da-9cbd-b4c20072ad8e/transcript

Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on the latest education numbers

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