National could have a waiting game, as a new political poll predicts a hung Parliament.

The latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll gives the left and right blocs 61 seats each.

It also has Labour overtaking National.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon has refused to weigh in on this matter - and aims to focus on the economy.

LISTEN ABOVE

National could have a waiting game, as a new political poll predicts a hung Parliament.
The latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll gives the left and right blocs 61 seats each.
It also has Labour overtaking National.
Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon has refused to weigh in on this matter - and aims to focus on the economy.
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 new political poll predicting a hung Parliament ahead of 2026 election

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c0720bd9-7cd3-4a32-a294-b33600555416/transcript

We need to talk about inflation, because inflation is making me pretty sure now that the National Party needs to rethink its plan for this election.

We’ve just had the food inflation data out today. No surprise - food has gone up in price again in the year to February, up 4.5 percent.

The biggest increase in a single item was mince. It went up 23.2 percent. That is the highest recorded jump in mince in two decades.

Mince is a reasonably big deal in this data, I reckon, because mince - and sausages, obviously - is one of those bits of meat we go to when we’re feeling the pinch, right? If you can’t afford the sirloin steak, you go for the mince instead.

So if the so-called cheaper option is becoming that much more expensive, well, that tells you how hard it’s going to be for families to make ends meet.

And it’s, of course, not just the mince. Everything - everything - has gone up in price. There are a few items that have come back down but for the most part, the things you really need - not the snacks, the essentials - have gone up.

And this is going to get worse.

What’s been happening in and around the country for the past 17 days will, without a shadow of a doubt, push food prices up even further.

It’ll start with vegetables because they were already in the ground. Then it’ll move on to things that take longer to produce - wheat-based products, things like bread that take time to grow. Meat will go up. Everything will go up.

Because of the lack of access to urea, fertiliser prices are rising, so on-farm costs go up. Then there’s the fuel cost of getting produce from the farm to - I don’t know - let’s say the bakery, and from the bakery to the supermarket.

And that increased cost is going to land on us.

There’s a lag effect here. What’s going on now will hit us every single month for months to come. They’re talking about six months - but if they’re saying six months, you can assume it’ll be longer than that.

Now, the Nats’ whole strategy for this election was that they’d be fine because the economy would improve, we’d all feel richer, we’d thank them for making the cost-of-living issue go away, their polling would go up and they’d come through at the election on November 7.

That is not going to happen.

The cost-of-living crisis will not be over in November. It will keep hitting us through the things we can’t avoid - petrol for many, but food for everyone.

So the Nats need a new plan - one that requires them to actually do something, rather than just waiting for voters to feel richer. Because we’re not going to.

LISTEN ABOVE

We need to talk about inflation, because inflation is making me pretty sure now that the National Party needs to rethink its plan for this election.
We’ve just had the food inflation data out today. No surprise - food has gone up in price again in the year to February, up 4.5 percent.
The biggest increase in a single item was mince. It went up 23.2 percent. That is the highest recorded jump in mince in two decades.
Mince is a reasonably big deal in this data, I reckon, because mince - and sausages, obviously - is one of those bits of meat we go to when we’re feeling the pinch, right? If you can’t afford the sirloin steak, you go for the mince instead.
So if the so-called cheaper option is becoming that much more expensive, well, that tells you how hard it’s going to be for families to make ends meet.
And it’s, of course, not just the mince. Everything - everything - has gone up in price. There are a few items that have come back down but for the most part, the things you really need - not the snacks, the essentials - have gone up.
And this is going to get worse.
What’s been happening in and around the country for the past 17 days will, without a shadow of a doubt, push food prices up even further.
It’ll start with vegetables because they were already in the ground. Then it’ll move on to things that take longer to produce - wheat-based products, things like bread that take time to grow. Meat will go up. Everything will go up.
Because of the lack of access to urea, fertiliser prices are rising, so on-farm costs go up. Then there’s the fuel cost of getting produce from the farm to - I don’t know - let’s say the bakery, and from the bakery to the supermarket.
And that increased cost is going to land on us.
There’s a lag effect here. What’s going on now will hit us every single month for months to come. They’re talking about six months - but if they’re saying six months, you can assume it’ll be longer than that.
Now, the Nats’ whole strategy for this election was that they’d be fine because the economy would improve, we’d all feel richer, we’d thank them for making the cost-of-living issue go away, their polling would go up and they’d come through at the election on November 7.
That is not going to happen.
The cost-of-living crisis will not be over in November. It will keep hitting us through the things we can’t avoid - petrol for many, but food for everyone.
So the Nats need a new plan - one that requires them to actually do something, rather than just waiting for voters to feel richer. Because we’re not going to.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The National Party needs to rethink its plan for this election

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/ba83d217-3098-4bff-8d8c-b410006b8287/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 17 March.

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 Tuesday 17 March. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 17 March 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/c435cdac-87df-4a23-8c38-b4100066325e/transcript

The Resources Minister is insistent Crown funds should help heat the geothermal sector.

A Government strategy has been released on its plan to double the use of geothermal energy by 2040.

It's also ring fenced $50 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund for the development of geothermal energy projects. 

Resources Minister Shane Jones says it's a worthy investment.

"The Crown stepped up to the plate in the 1950s, did an enormous amount of drilling - not always successful, but a number of those drill holes have turned into major electricity suppliers." 

LISTEN ABOVE

The Resources Minister is insistent Crown funds should help heat the geothermal sector.
A Government strategy has been released on its plan to double the use of geothermal energy by 2040.
It's also ring fenced $50 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund for the development of geothermal energy projects.&nbsp;
Resources Minister Shane Jones says it's a worthy investment.
"The Crown stepped up to the plate in the 1950s, did an enormous amount of drilling - not always successful, but a number of those drill holes have turned into major electricity suppliers."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Shane Jones: Resources Minister explains why Crown funds should be directed towards geothermal sector

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b736ff6d-9435-482e-9d96-b41000694fa5/transcript

Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on the new political poll predicting a hung Parliament ahead of 2026 election

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