Look, maybe I'm being naïve, but I'm not that stressed at the news that 3 people were allowed to start police college without passing the fitness test. Were you?

I mean, it seems to be more important to just have police officers and more police officers walking the beat and providing a reassuring presence than it is to be absolutely sure that they can do a vertical jump and run 2.5 km in 12 odd minutes.

I don't know - when was the last time you saw Bobby sprinting 2ks down the road and jumping over a wall to catch somebody, right?

Doesn't seem like it's all that frequently happening in modern policing - certainly in cities.

But it doesn't mean we haven't got a problem. We've got a problem here.

The problem is that the Government is still pretending that it can pump out 500 new police officers by November 27. That's not gonna happen.

I mean, they are trying absolutely everything to be able to meet their target. They've bumped up the number of training spots they've got at the police college from 80 to 100, they're opening a new college in Auckland sometime this year. They're now suspected of having waved in three unfit coppers just to make up the numbers.

But we know that 500 coppers by November 27 is not going to happen because we've had a whole bunch of evidence. The numbers are not keeping pace in order to be able to get to 500.

The officials have warned the Government in the briefing papers that it's not going to be able to do it until midway through next year. And Mark Mitchell admitted last year that they weren't going to be able to do it, and then he got told off by Winston.

So now he's gone back, he's gone back to pretending that he can do it - but he's using some weasel words. He just says the number is aspirational.

Well, aspirational is a politician's word. That's a clue in and of itself.

Look, I think, to be honest, that the Government itself just needs to be honest here. If it's not gonna make the number, surely it's better to be honest now and say you're not going to make the number than it is to keep on pretending and then miss the target in November, which is inevitably gonna happen.

And surely it's worse for the police to be busted doing this, waving 3 unfit people through, even if it's fine that they do it.

Being busted doing it is not a good look, and if that is what we now suspect they're doing in order to meet the 500, that's a very bad look - isn't it?

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New reports reveal the identities of serving members of Britain's special forces had been published online for more than a decade.

This security breach saw the names and ranks of at least 20 elite soldiers listed in documents that were publicly accessible online.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacked the mass reactions to this development.

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The first 100 days of the new Donald Trump administration have seen capital markets undergo a turbulent few months - but things appear to be stabilising.

The tariffs have seen the markets take a noticeable dip, but things have turned the corner this week.

Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains the factors behind this.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 28 April 2025, reputable builders will be able to sign off on their own work without council inspections. Heather asks the Building Minister how any leaky homes-like disasters will be prevented.

Dunedin councillor Jim O'Malley explains why his council won't be reducing speed limits around schools like the Government asked councils to.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals she won't be announcing a tax on charities at the Budget - and throws her colleague Scott Simpson under the bus.

Plus, the Huddle debates whether councils should be able to take unpaid rates from your mortgage, and whether cops should still have to pass fitness tests.

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

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Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson and Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

How do we feel about councils taking unpaid rates out of people's mortgages? Is this a fair move - or an over-reach?

Police are investigating after three recruits were admitted for training despite failing their physical test. Do we think police should still pass a physical test - or is this irrelevant?

How do we feel about tradies being able to self-certify their work?

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New Zealand's Airports Association has voiced disapproval with the latest review of their regulatory arrangements - and suggested the scrutiny needs to be on Air New Zealand.

MBIE has launched another review of airport regulations, just three weeks after the Commerce Commission gave Auckland Airport the tick of approval for an upgrade.

NZ Airports Association CEO Billie Moore says it's clear there's plenty of strain on the domestic market - and Air New Zealand has a 'monopoly' over that market.

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The Finance Minister is calling on Auckland Council to be transparent about its Waitākere Ranges management plan.

The proposed plan would see Iwi, the Department of Conservation, the Council and local boards on a committee.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she's heard a range of views about whether or not it equates to co-governance.

She says they should come clean about it to reduce confusion.

"And I think they should be very clear with their ratepayers about what they're doing - and why they're doing it."

Auckland Councillor Richard Hills says the board doesn't have final say and is only for consultation and suggestions.

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Councils are taking millions of dollars of unpaid rates through people's mortgages.

A little-known clause of the Local Government Act gives councils the power to force banks or finance companies to cover unpaid rates.

It's used as a last resort after exhausting all other avenues to getting rates paid.

Taxpayers' Union Local Government Spokesperson, Sam Warren, says it wouldn't be needed as much if there was more sensible spending.

"I want to see a lot more done by councils to rein in that spending and get rates down as low as possible so this doesn't happen."

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