Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

Chris Luxon's political future is hanging in the balance ahead of tomorrow's big meeting. Will he survive, or will he be rolled? Will Erica Stanford or Chris Bishop replace him? 

What do we make of Chris Hipkins' plan to help small businesses join the AI revolution? 

LISTEN ABOVE

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&amp;A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!&nbsp;
Chris Luxon's political future is hanging in the balance ahead of tomorrow's big meeting. Will he survive, or will he be rolled? Will Erica Stanford or Chris Bishop replace him?&nbsp;
What do we make of Chris Hipkins' plan to help small businesses join the AI revolution?&nbsp;
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

The Huddle: Is Luxon a dead man walking?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/3ead0e0c-1ae1-4e9e-aaf9-b4a3007473f3/transcript

Unbelievably, the Mongrel Mob drama is still rolling on. It's been six days.

A video has emerged from the hui at the gang pad in which Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara tells the Mongrel Mob that Te Pāti Māori's policies would reinstate what should have existed all along.

Depending on how you interpret that statement and the context of what she had been discussing beforehand, she was either suggesting that Te Pāti Māori's policies would reinstate housing support for gang members or restore the mana of gang members. Either way, neither is likely to be a priority for most voters.

But it gets worse. The video appears to show that the hui was a campaign event, with parties effectively seeking votes. That directly contradicts what the Green Party claimed. They said it was a health and wellbeing promotion day. It certainly does not look that way.

It gets worse again because Oriini Kaipara has now given an interview defending her actions, in which she says she is more concerned about MPs in suits pushing policy changes relating to the Waitangi Tribunal than she is about gang members.

And it gets worse yet, if you can believe it. Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, the daughter of John Tamihere and wife of Rawiri Waititi, has posted an Instagram video criticising Labour for condemning meetings with gang members who are whānau.

You do not need me to tell you that this is bad. Just when Chris Hipkins finally got on the phone to Marama Davidson and, by all appearances, told the Greens to stop talking about it, which they largely did by the end of last week, Te Pāti Māori decided to weigh in.

This is damaging for the left because swing voters generally dislike gangs, which can push them towards the right. At the moment, both sides are competing for roughly 15 percent of voters who remain undecided or persuadable.

It also drowns out everything the Labour Party and the Green Party are trying to say. While this story remains in the headlines, any policy announcement they make will be overshadowed by questions about gangs. Every day the controversy continues is another day spent answering questions about gangs.

It is remarkable that the Greens and Te Pāti Māori appear to be taking turns digging this hole even deeper for themselves.

LISTEN ABOVE

Unbelievably, the Mongrel Mob drama is still rolling on. It's been six days.
A video has emerged from the hui at the gang pad in which Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara tells the Mongrel Mob that Te Pāti Māori's policies would reinstate what should have existed all along.
Depending on how you interpret that statement and the context of what she had been discussing beforehand, she was either suggesting that Te Pāti Māori's policies would reinstate housing support for gang members or restore the mana of gang members. Either way, neither is likely to be a priority for most voters.
But it gets worse. The video appears to show that the hui was a campaign event, with parties effectively seeking votes. That directly contradicts what the Green Party claimed. They said it was a health and wellbeing promotion day. It certainly does not look that way.
It gets worse again because Oriini Kaipara has now given an interview defending her actions, in which she says she is more concerned about MPs in suits pushing policy changes relating to the Waitangi Tribunal than she is about gang members.
And it gets worse yet, if you can believe it. Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, the daughter of John Tamihere and wife of Rawiri Waititi, has posted an Instagram video criticising Labour for condemning meetings with gang members who are whānau.
You do not need me to tell you that this is bad. Just when Chris Hipkins finally got on the phone to Marama Davidson and, by all appearances, told the Greens to stop talking about it, which they largely did by the end of last week, Te Pāti Māori decided to weigh in.
This is damaging for the left because swing voters generally dislike gangs, which can push them towards the right. At the moment, both sides are competing for roughly 15 percent of voters who remain undecided or persuadable.
It also drowns out everything the Labour Party and the Green Party are trying to say. While this story remains in the headlines, any policy announcement they make will be overshadowed by questions about gangs. Every day the controversy continues is another day spent answering questions about gangs.
It is remarkable that the Greens and Te Pāti Māori appear to be taking turns digging this hole even deeper for themselves.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Greens and Te Pāti Māori are committed to digging this hole deeper

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2ae9349a-b3f5-4f4a-87c3-b4e800673fd0/transcript

National is open to expanding its proposed ban on the right to silence for child killers, depending on legal advice. 

The party's proposing a law change that would send witnesses of child killings to prison for up to 10 years, if they don't reveal who was responsible. 

National's Nicola Willis has voiced support for this policy and says it's 'unlikely' this will result in false testimonies. 

"It is always the case that the justice system has to sift through the testimony of witnesses and perpetrators and judge the voracity of people's statements. That's what the justice system deals with - day in, day out." 

LISTEN ABOVE

National is open to expanding its proposed ban on the right to silence for child killers, depending on legal advice.&nbsp;
The party's proposing a law change that would send witnesses of child killings to prison for up to 10 years, if they don't reveal who was responsible.&nbsp;
National's Nicola Willis has voiced support for this policy and says it's 'unlikely' this will result in false testimonies.&nbsp;
"It is always the case that the justice system has to sift through the testimony of witnesses and perpetrators and judge the voracity of people's statements. That's what the justice system deals with - day in, day out."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Nicola Willis: National Finance Spokesperson on the party's new right to silence policy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/5d265be3-53d5-4095-a70a-b4e8006aa372/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday 19 October.

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 Monday 19 October. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 19 October 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/a2f3ee42-8192-475b-8cad-b4e80066b313/transcript

The Huddle: Is Luxon a dead man walking?

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