Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Green MP Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

As the New Zealand greyhound racing ban looms, there's talk of sending at least 70 greyhounds to Australia. What do we make of this? 

Labour's Barbara Edmonds is under fire after she called Finance Minister Nicola Willis a 'duck-faced horse'. Were these comments out of line? And why is Labour spending more time on media training than policies?

Ahead of Budget 2026, the Government has introduced bank loans to help businesses reduce or eliminate their dependency on gas. Is this a good move?

What did we think of Auckland FC securing the A-League title? How good is this?

LISTEN ABOVE

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Green MP Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!&nbsp;
As the New Zealand greyhound racing ban looms, there's talk of sending at least 70 greyhounds to Australia. What do we make of this?&nbsp;
Labour's Barbara Edmonds is under fire after she called Finance Minister Nicola Willis a 'duck-faced horse'. Were these comments out of line? And why is Labour spending more time on media training than policies?
Ahead of Budget 2026, the Government has introduced bank loans to help businesses reduce or eliminate their dependency on gas. Is this a good move?
What did we think of Auckland FC securing the A-League title? How good is this?
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: Why is Labour spending more time on media training than policies?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b9f37755-7402-4316-81e0-b4550076b337/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday 25 May.

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 25 May. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 25 May 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/bd86d976-3f7d-4778-aca0-b4550076beaf/transcript

Cruises are being scaled back further next summer season, with ports already feeling the pinch.

Preliminary data released to Newstalk ZB shows the North Island will lose 41 port calls, but they'll rise in the South - up 23. 

Last season, the number dropped by more than 250.

Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd says there's growth in other parts of the world, but there's plans in place to make New Zealand more attractive to the right clients.

LISTEN ABOVE

Cruises are being scaled back further next summer season, with ports already feeling the pinch.
Preliminary data released to Newstalk ZB shows the North Island will lose 41 port calls, but they'll rise in the South - up 23.&nbsp;
Last season, the number dropped by more than 250.
Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd says there's growth in other parts of the world, but there's plans in place to make New Zealand more attractive to the right clients.
LISTEN ABOVE

Jacqui Lloyd: New Zealand Cruise Association CEO on the decline in cruise ship visits

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/879b1efd-aa4b-4703-946a-b455007943ea/transcript

We've got to start this week talking about that Auckland FC win on Saturday night.

Did we not discuss on Friday's show the need for us in this country to be more ambitious for success? To have more confidence to back ourselves more and then a day later, just one day later, we have an example of exactly that.

Now to be fair, obviously, this wasn't exactly us backing ourselves. It was an American billionaire Bill Foley backing us. But his attitude is the kind of attitude worth adopting.

When he put his money into a football team in Auckland, he set them a goal of winning the A-League within three seasons. They did it in two. He did the same thing in Las Vegas with the team that he has there, he set them a goal of winning their competition in six seasons. They did it in six.

Now of course, having heaps and heaps of money helps. If you're a football team, it helps to have the best of everything that money can buy. The best data, the best physio, the best premium accommodation, whatever it is.

And we're going to find out just how much difference money really makes next year when the high salary cap that new teams get for the first two years disappears and they are on par with all the other clubs.

But while I think money helps, I have a suspicion it's not the secret sauce that leads to Bill Foley constantly being successful. Because we've got myriad examples of money being thrown at things and them still failing. LIV Golf. The rugby league, the Rebel Rugby League, and that's just in the past year. I'd love to know what his secret sauce is.

Is it getting the best coach? Is a coach more important than a team? Is there a formula to setting up a winning team? Is it the attitude of expecting success?

Either way, when I stood there in that crowd on Saturday night in the minutes after the team won, actually just shocked, kind of speechless for a bit to think that they actually managed to pull it off.

The thought occurred to me that this was good for Auckland. This is a city with high unemployment, grumpy about the past few years. Now a football team winning doesn't change that, right?

But it is not a bad thing for a place like Auckland to score a win, to feel like it can be the best at something in Australasia.

It's not bad to have all the free publicity in the Australian media market for our biggest city. It's not bad to get the kids really excited about a game and it is not bad to illustrate what can be done if you simply believe it can be done.

LISTEN ABOVE

We've got to start this week talking about that Auckland FC win on Saturday night.
Did we not discuss on Friday's show the need for us in this country to be more ambitious for success? To have more confidence to back ourselves more and then a day later, just one day later, we have an example of exactly that.
Now to be fair, obviously, this wasn't exactly us backing ourselves. It was an American billionaire Bill Foley backing us. But his attitude is the kind of attitude worth adopting.
When he put his money into a football team in Auckland, he set them a goal of winning the A-League within three seasons. They did it in two. He did the same thing in Las Vegas with the team that he has there, he set them a goal of winning their competition in six seasons. They did it in six.
Now of course, having heaps and heaps of money helps. If you're a football team, it helps to have the best of everything that money can buy. The best data, the best physio, the best premium accommodation, whatever it is.
And we're going to find out just how much difference money really makes next year when the high salary cap that new teams get for the first two years disappears and they are on par with all the other clubs.
But while I think money helps, I have a suspicion it's not the secret sauce that leads to Bill Foley constantly being successful. Because we've got myriad examples of money being thrown at things and them still failing. LIV Golf. The rugby league, the Rebel Rugby League, and that's just in the past year. I'd love to know what his secret sauce is.
Is it getting the best coach? Is a coach more important than a team? Is there a formula to setting up a winning team? Is it the attitude of expecting success?
Either way, when I stood there in that crowd on Saturday night in the minutes after the team won, actually just shocked, kind of speechless for a bit to think that they actually managed to pull it off.
The thought occurred to me that this was good for Auckland. This is a city with high unemployment, grumpy about the past few years. Now a football team winning doesn't change that, right?
But it is not a bad thing for a place like Auckland to score a win, to feel like it can be the best at something in Australasia.
It's not bad to have all the free publicity in the Australian media market for our biggest city. It's not bad to get the kids really excited about a game and it is not bad to illustrate what can be done if you simply believe it can be done.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What does Auckland FC's victory say about ambition?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/42468e43-0bf7-4f40-9fe9-b455006fd3e1/transcript

The Huddle: Why is Labour spending more time on media training than policies?

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