Articles by Heather du Plessis-Allan

Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Olympics decision is an 'enormous U-turn'
Friday, 27 March 2026, 6:43pm
Now look it may not altogether surprise you today to hear that the International Olympic Committee has banned transgender...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is there a bright side to all the bad economic news?
Thursday, 19 March 2026, 7:15pm
I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a bad day - a day of rather unpleasant economic news, I’m afraid. Let’s start with the GDP...
Opinion

Should we have more empathy for people panic buying fuel?
Friday, 13 March 2026, 7:07pm
Okay, here’s a prediction for you, because there have been headlines today about petrol stations running out of fuel because...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The pressure's on for the primary teachers' union
Wednesday, 11 March 2026, 7:01pm
I think we can quite accurately use the word 'brilliant' to describe the latest move from the Government’s man in the primary...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: If not Luxon, then who?
Friday, 6 March 2026, 6:41pm
National and its problems, right? Twenty-eight point four percent in the polling is a significant problem for National. It...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Should we really be condemning the strikes on Iran?
Monday, 2 March 2026, 7:36pm
Okay, let's talk about the debate Helen Clark has sparked on whether New Zealand should be condemning the US air strikes...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: When will the Christchurch Cathedral get repaired?
Friday, 27 February 2026, 6:54pm
Tell me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that every single year the Anglican Church in this country delays repairing the...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: 'Fix that fundamental problem at Oranga Tamariki'
Wednesday, 11 February 2026, 8:16pm
Tell you what—I'm not feeling terribly hopeful about the situation for vulnerable kids in this country after reading the...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Will the Super Bowl weather the MAGA outrage cycle?
Monday, 9 February 2026, 7:03pm
Is it possible that some sporting events are just so big that they can more or less do whatever they want politically without...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Wellingtonians should be angry about this
Thursday, 5 February 2026, 7:18pm
Here’s a question for you: Was your first reaction to the news of sewage pumping into Wellington’s water something along...
Opinion

Best of 2025: Heather du Plessis-Allan - Don't touch my pension
Wednesday, 17 December 2025, 2:07pm
Let's talk about this business with the pension age. Chris Luxon has said twice today that he wants the pension age to go...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: My politician of the year
Friday, 19 December 2025, 9:47am
It’s that time of the year where we pick our politician of the year. For me, it's the same person as last year. Political...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: This is why postal voting needs to go
Thursday, 18 December 2025, 10:18am
Surely that judge throwing out the election result in Auckland has started the clock ticking on postal voting. This case...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Bondi attack was a race relations problem
Tuesday, 16 December 2025, 9:58am
This business of Australia tightening up its gun laws feels like it runs the risk of distracting from the bigger problems...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: I'm confident for the economy in 2026
Monday, 15 December 2025, 9:15am
If you weren’t already feeling confident about 2026, I've got two reasons you should. At least two major retail banks see...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Nicola v Ruth - bring it on
Thursday, 11 December 2025, 9:46am
So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate. Here’s a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week. I’m...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: The RMA change is good, but prepare for issues
Wednesday, 10 December 2025, 10:04am
Cast your mind back a couple of weeks to what the boss of Auckland Port Roger Gray said. He told us New Zealand is a country...
Opinion

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Will Australia's social media ban actually work?
Tuesday, 9 December 2025, 10:09am
So tomorrow's the big day, isn't it? And it is, I think, not an overstatement to say that the eyes of the world, well, at...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is taking long summer breaks a cause for concern?
Thursday, 4 December 2025, 8:14pm
Here's a question for you... is our summer holiday too long? Are we going to the beach and staying away from the office for...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Government should not fund Ozempic
Tuesday, 2 December 2025, 7:34pm
The big health news today is that the WHO is essentially calling for the funding of weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Are local councils competent enough to meet rate caps?
Monday, 1 December 2025, 7:48pm
The Government has announced the details on its plan for rates caps - councils will be capped at 4%.They will not be able...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The talk of rolling Luxon is very real
Friday, 21 November 2025, 5:06pm
Either Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is telling porkies, or he’s the most out-of-the-loop person in Wellington. His claim...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Breakers proved why sport needs to stay out of politics
Wednesday, 19 November 2025, 7:25pm
There would not be a drama today about the Breakers basketball team not wanting to wear the rainbow flag on their jerseys...
Opinion

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Expect this asset sales debate to get heated
Tuesday, 11 November 2025, 7:26pm
Well, entirely predictably, the debate about selling state assets has already kicked off ahead of election year - with Winston...