Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

I don't want to bring you down but do you realise we have almost four full weeks of this crap ahead of us? Unbelievable.
Four weeks of small-beer politics about the price of airline tickets and school uniform logos. Honestly, is that what the contest for control of our central government has come down to? How many logos you're allowed to have on your school uniform?
Now, that's not to say it's not a decent policy. It's a perfectly fine idea to roll out. But it's not going to change the direction of this country, is it?
And this country needs a change of direction. Voters know it.
Based on what I'm hearing from the political parties, voters know, accept and have already made peace with the fact that we are broke as a country. They know something massive has to happen to fix our situation. But that's not what's being discussed four weeks out from an election.
We're discussing school uniforms and we're discussing the Greens' plan to regulate AI, when there is very little chance that a nation of five million people will have any discernible impact on a technology being compared to the Industrial Revolution.
I can count on one hand the number of policy announcements that have been genuinely interesting, viable and capable of changing this country's fortunes: National's plan to make KiwiSaver compulsory, ACT's plan to make KiwiSaver tax-free and, if you want to include the more bonkers ideas, TOP's land tax and the Greens' wealth tax.
At least they're bold. At least they address national wealth, however mad some of them might be.
Everything else is tiny stuff. Everything else is not going to help us build the wealth we need to retain talent and pay for the healthcare that every one of us will need one day.
Are we really going to spend four weeks ignoring the country's debt, ignoring the fiscal deficit and discussing hidden transaction fees on your ticket purchase to see Lily Allen?
Is that what we're going to do?
Surely the parties don't have four weeks' worth of these tiny policy announcements to carry us all the way through to election day.
Please, dear God.
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Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, Sherson Willis' Trish Sherson and Childfund CEO Josie Pagani have the insight and analysis as the campaign rolls on.
This week on The Front Bench, Heather asks the panel whether they think the campaign so far has been dull and if anyone has a vision for New Zealand.
Our experts give their take on the fiscal plan debate and whether it shifts the needle for any party.
Plus they debate whether National is making enough of the difference between its and Labour's education policies.
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Whether it’s cost of living, education, curbing the rise of crime or how to get the teens off vaping, The Front Bench will examine the issues that Kiwis are talking about ahead of voting day.
Listen live every Monday at 4pm on Newstalk ZB and follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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Farmers say mobile phone coverage has got worse - since the 3G network closed down in March.
A Federated Farmers survey of nearly 650, found 50 percent now only get coverage over half their land.
Nearly two-thirds say they can't reliably call 111.
South Canterbury dairy farmer, Jimmy Emmett, told Heather du Plessis-Allan our economy relies on farmers - and technology is critical for day to day farming.
He says it's not just about wearable tech - it's about compliance and keeping New Zealand at the forefront of the world's dairy farming industry.
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The National Party has confirmed it doesn't have a firm policy on the Super age this election.
It's campaigned in the past on gradually raising entitlement to 67 - which is still the position.
But it isn't part of the Party's fiscal plan, out today.
Finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis says there needs to be consensus.
She told Heather du Plessis-Allan she can't dance alone - and when she invited other parties to the dance floor, they chose to play politics.
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Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday 12 October.
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.