New Zealand Rugby Players' Association boss Rob Nichol has lambasted the provincial unions' proposal for governance reform, which will be voted on at next week's special general meeting.

The body have threatened to divorce New Zealand Rugby if that option is selected.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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New Zealand Rugby Players' Association boss Rob Nichol has lambasted the provincial unions' proposal for governance reform, which will be voted on at next week's special general meeting.
The body have threatened to divorce New Zealand Rugby if that option is selected.
Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.
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

D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on the Players' Association threatening to split from NZR over governance structure reform

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and senior NZ Herald correspondent Katie Bradford joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

Apple has unveiled their new foldable iPhone - retailing for over $4,000 on the low end? Is this worth the price?

Speaking of pricy things - would we pay $250 for a Te Pati Māori jacket? What do we make of all the political merch, anyway? 

The Ministry of Social Development has been made to issue an apology after over 30,000 benefit payments were incorrectly suspended. Who's at fault for this? Should the Government have to share in some of the blame?

ACT has pledged to, if elected, scrap the Waitangi Tribunal for good. Do we think this is a good idea? 

LISTEN ABOVE

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and senior NZ Herald correspondent Katie Bradford joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!&nbsp;
Apple has unveiled their new foldable iPhone - retailing for over $4,000 on the low end? Is this worth the price?
Speaking of pricy things - would we pay $250 for a Te Pati Māori jacket? What do we make of all the political merch, anyway?&nbsp;
The Ministry of Social Development has been made to issue an apology after over 30,000 benefit payments were incorrectly suspended. Who's at fault for this? Should the Government have to share in some of the blame?
ACT has pledged to, if elected, scrap the Waitangi Tribunal for good. Do we think this is a good idea?&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

The Huddle: Does the Government have to share in the blame for the MSD situation?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e255f4dd-9f78-46b0-8956-b4c1007d76e6/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday 10 September.

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 Thursday 10 September. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 10 September 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e1f762c6-c4d9-4912-8f89-b4c10076ba63/transcript

You know what ACT's Waitangi Tribunal policy is? In my opinion, it's the kind of policy you release when you don't actually want to do the thing the policy gives the impression you're going to do.

ACT's headline policy is that it will scrap the Waitangi Tribunal, which many people, including me, may see as a good idea because the tribunal has gone completely off piste. It has started to resemble a branch of the Māori Party, finding in real time that one Government policy after another breaches the Treaty of Waitangi.

In some cases, it has made these findings about policies that have not even become law yet, which means there cannot be an actual breach because nothing has happened.

When the point of the Waitangi Tribunal was to investigate contemporary breaches, not the possibility of contemporary breaches, the distinction is important. That distinction turns the tribunal into a political player.

Because it has become exactly that, a political player, which was not the original intention, it's not unreasonable to applaud a plan to scrap it.

However, that is not what ACT's plan actually does. ACT is proposing to scrap the tribunal only once all historical Treaty claims have been settled. And when do you think that's going to be? When do you think that's going to happen?

It will only happen when Ngāpuhi finally settles and Ngāpuhi is not going to settle anytime soon because its various groups are still fighting among themselves about it. I reckon they'll be arguing over it for decades.

So, in my view, this is so far in the future that David Seymour will likely be retired and spending time with his grandkids before it actually happens.

Beware of these kinds of policies this election. You'll come across plenty of them. They're designed to make it look as though a party is going to do the thing you really want it to do, without having to go through the political drama of actually doing it.

In my opinion, this policy is a case in point.

LISTEN ABOVE

You know what ACT's Waitangi Tribunal policy is? In my opinion, it's the kind of policy you release when you don't actually want to do the thing the policy gives the impression you're going to do.
ACT's headline policy is that it will scrap the Waitangi Tribunal, which many people, including me, may see as a good idea because the tribunal has gone completely off piste. It has started to resemble a branch of the Māori Party, finding in real time that one Government policy after another breaches the Treaty of Waitangi.
In some cases, it has made these findings about policies that have not even become law yet, which means there cannot be an actual breach because nothing has happened.
When the point of the Waitangi Tribunal was to investigate contemporary breaches, not the possibility of contemporary breaches, the distinction is important. That distinction turns the tribunal into a political player.
Because it has become exactly that, a political player, which was not the original intention, it's not unreasonable to applaud a plan to scrap it.
However, that is not what ACT's plan actually does. ACT is proposing to scrap the tribunal only once all historical Treaty claims have been settled. And when do you think that's going to be? When do you think that's going to happen?
It will only happen when Ngāpuhi finally settles and Ngāpuhi is not going to settle anytime soon because its various groups are still fighting among themselves about it. I reckon they'll be arguing over it for decades.
So, in my view, this is so far in the future that David Seymour will likely be retired and spending time with his grandkids before it actually happens.
Beware of these kinds of policies this election. You'll come across plenty of them. They're designed to make it look as though a party is going to do the thing you really want it to do, without having to go through the political drama of actually doing it.
In my opinion, this policy is a case in point.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Will ACT's big plan actually scrap the Waitangi Tribunal?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/3853095b-a620-48b9-a8df-b4c10079a932/transcript

D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on the Players' Association threatening to split from NZR over governance structure reform

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