On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 8 November 2024, Auckland public transport users are set to be hit with huge disruptions as KiwiRail is shutting the entire train network for almost 100 days over the course of the next year.Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the work has to be done.

Will Kiwis care if our Government starts cuddling up to Donald Trump to gain trade and defence advantages?

Heather reckons we should immediately copy Australia's social media ban for under 16s.

Plus the Huddle debates whether the All Blacks can beat Ireland tomorrow morning and why Damien Mackenzie is just not convincing just yet.

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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European leaders are meeting in Hungary for the European Political Community Summit – with the US election likely top of the agenda.

Among the impacts of the election include Donald Trump’s lack of keenness to Europe, and talks of tariffs.

But UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Heather du Plessis-Allan the biggest concern is what he’ll do with donating to Ukraine, and whether Europe will need to step up even more.

Meanwhile, UK Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been suspended from the party after video emerged of him appearing to punch a man to the ground with a court date looming.

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Asia is bracing for tariffs from Donald Trump’s election victory.

The President-elect is proposing adding up to 20 percent on import tariffs, but is also vowing to impose 60 percent on Chinese imports.

But Asia business correspondent Peter Lewis told Heather du Plessis-Allan Asia has been preparing for this for a couple of years now.

He says some economists reckon this could knock 2.5 percentage points off of China’s GDP, and Japan and South Korea could also get dragged into the crosshairs.

Lewis says there's also a lot of questions around security - as Trump calls for countries to pay more for Taiwan's defence.

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Questions over how New Zealanders will be feeling when the Government starts getting cosy with US Presidential-elect Donald Trump.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark suggested on the radio this morning that it might want to rethink its moves to get closer to the US.

She believes it wouldn’t be a popular thing to do to be seen to be strategically realigning with an administration which is volatile and unpredictable on foreign policy.

Otago University geopolitical analyst Geoffrey Miller joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Sports journalists Lavina Good and Nikki Styris joined Heather du Plessis-Allan for the Sports Huddle.

The All Blacks are set to take on Ireland in Dublin in a rematch of last year’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal – but will be without Codie Taylor and Beauden Barrett due to injury.

Formula 1 drivers have lambasted the FIA over its clampdown on swearing, telling president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults and mind his own language.

Former rugby league coach Sir Graham Lowe has launched a bid for an NRL license for Christchurch team Southern Orcas – one of three from the South Island trying to form part of an expanded league.

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More details are coming to light around the death of ex-One Direction singer, Liam Payne.

The 31-year-old died last month in a fall from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina.

Three people have been charged in connection with his death – one with abandoning Payne in a vulnerable state before he died – the others with supplying him with drugs.

Buenos Aires Herald editor Valen Iricbar told Heather du Plessis-Allan one of those charged didn't travel with him to Argentina.

“It sounds, from the information that I received from the prosecutor, that it’s someone who accompanied him when he was in Buenos Aires during his stay.”

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The Transport Minister says KiwiRail will be held accountable for any delays in fixing Auckland's rail network.

The rail operator's being given $200 million in government funding to carry out the repairs – needed before the City Rail Link opens.

There'll be 96 days of full network closures and 24 days of partial - from Christmas to January 2026.

Simeon Brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan KiwiRail's committed strongly to that, and there's no room for delays.

“In terms of the timing, there is no more time other than what’s been provided.”

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The Irish have a chance for revenge against the All Blacks for last year’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.

The All Blacks will go to Dublin missing Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor through injury, while Ethan de Groot has been omitted for failing to meet team standards.

Ireland will also be looking to get one over Rieko Ioane, after the midfielder got into a social media spat with Irish legend Johnny Sexton over the fallout from the quarterfinal, which then stretched into his book.

Former All Black Ant Strachan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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