NZ Customs has announced the introduction of robots that can be used to search underwater for drugs to help prevent illegal substances from entering New Zealand. 

"We know that we've had, sea chests and we've had things attached to ships, and that's an overseas trend as well," Customs Minister Casey Costello told Heather du Plessis-Allan.

"So, that means that we can search more vessels and we can reduce the need for dive teams to go down."

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NZ Customs has announced the introduction of robots that can be used to search underwater for drugs to help prevent illegal substances from entering New Zealand.&nbsp;
"We know that we've had, sea chests and we've had things attached to ships, and that's an overseas trend as well," Customs Minister Casey Costello told Heather du Plessis-Allan.
"So, that means that we can search more vessels and we can reduce the need for dive teams to go down."
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

Casey Costello: Customs Minister on the underwater crime-fighting robots set to protect our borders

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/0ae002c3-3cbc-413d-a823-b45200619742/transcript

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 22 May, 2026, $35 million from the Government and more donations coming in. St John's chief executive tells us about a boost for the ambulance service.

Customs has a new tool in its war on drugs. Minister Casey Costello on the remotely controlled underwater vehicle.

We hear how excited The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive is about his new music app, Lume.

And on the Sports Huddle, D'Arcy Waldegrave and Alex Powell on the chances of another penalty shootout for Auckland FC in the A-League grand final.

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 Full Show Podcast for Friday, 22 May, 2026, $35 million from the Government and more donations coming in. St John's chief executive tells us about a boost for the ambulance service.
Customs has a new tool in its war on drugs. Minister Casey Costello on the remotely controlled underwater vehicle.
We hear how excited The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive is about his new music app, Lume.
And on the Sports Huddle, D'Arcy Waldegrave and Alex Powell on the chances of another penalty shootout for Auckland FC in the A-League grand final.
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Full Show Podcast: 22 May 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/876e72a1-ca82-4a06-ac3d-b4520076b5c6/transcript

A vote in the House of Representatives was heading towards a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to come to Congress for formal approval for his war in the Middle East.

But, the Speaker of the House pulled the vote as it became clear the Republicans were going to lose it.

Although it was unlikely that if the vote had gone through that anything would have resulted, yet US and Middle East correspondent Gordon Robison says this shows falling support for the war. 

"The fact that the vote was going to pass in the House indicates that support for the war is slipping and slipping very dramatically," he told Heather du Plessis-Allan.

"So it doesn't change anything in the short run, but as we approach elections in November, it indicates that the politics around the war are changing very quickly."

LISTEN ABOVE 

A vote in the House of Representatives was heading towards a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to come to Congress for formal approval for his war in the Middle East.
But, the Speaker of the House pulled the vote as it became clear the Republicans were going to lose it.
Although it was unlikely that if the vote had gone through that anything would have resulted, yet US and Middle East correspondent Gordon Robison says this shows falling support for the war.&nbsp;
"The fact that the vote was going to pass in the House indicates that support for the war is slipping and slipping very dramatically," he told Heather du Plessis-Allan.
"So it doesn't change anything in the short run, but as we approach elections in November, it indicates that the politics around the war are changing very quickly."
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Gordon Robison: US and Middle East correspondent says US support of war is 'slipping very dramatically'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/a9e307a4-562d-4ce8-8fa2-b4520070c122/transcript

New Zealand saw a 6% spending increase in retail last quarter with the South Island overtaking the North, likely due to farming and tourism. 

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Heather du Plessis-Allan that a jump in pharmaceutical spending can be attributed to the increasing popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy. 

"There's certainly high volume of those drugs now being sold, and they're really expensive on a monthly basis. So that just keeps going up and up and up," she said. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

New Zealand saw a 6% spending increase in retail last quarter with the South Island overtaking the North, likely due to farming and tourism.&nbsp;
Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Heather du Plessis-Allan that a jump in pharmaceutical spending can be attributed to the increasing popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy.&nbsp;
"There's certainly high volume of those drugs now being sold, and they're really expensive on a monthly basis.&nbsp;So that just keeps going up and up and up," she said.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Carolyn Young: Retail NZ CEO on 6% spending increase last quarter

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/35123024-277e-4efc-ad78-b452006b1f17/transcript

Casey Costello: Customs Minister on the underwater crime-fighting robots set to protect our borders

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