Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

We need to talk about what Chris Hipkins has said about immigration.
First of all, Labour can frankly shut up accusing the Nats of anti-migrant rhetoric because this is a party that hasn’t got a leg to stand on when it comes to migration.
This is the party - and some of the very same people are still there - that campaigned on reducing immigration by up to 30,000 people in 2017, produced a list of Chinese-sounding names two years earlier and then shut down immigration completely, only to do the opposite by opening it up too much during and after COVID. So, on immigration - glass houses etc.
But having said that, what National is proposing to do on immigration should worry businesses up and down this country that rely on migrants. And I’m looking at you - the aged-care sector wanting to bring in Filipino workers to look after our elderly; and I’m looking at you, Health New Zealand, needing to employ Indian nurses; and I’m looking at you, the construction sector, needing to bring in general labourers.
Because Chris Luxon has made it clear in his speech he’s shutting his door to businesses wanting to lobby him for migrant workers. He said: “My message to the business community is that when it comes to immigration, when I’m faced with a choice between social stability and your bottom line, I will choose the former every single time.”
Now that begs the question to the Prime Minister: what does “social stability” mean? Is that basically you saying we’ve got too many Indian migrants?
Which then begs the question: is National trying to match New Zealand First’s anti-Indian rhetoric to avoid losing voters to them? Which then logically begs the next question: is Luxon putting his vote share at the election ahead of New Zealand’s need to bring in the workers that we know we need?
Because we’ve been through COVID, and we know that we do not do these low-skilled jobs - you need migrants to do them. So I think we should all be worried about this.
I think businesses in New Zealand, in particular, should be very worried about this. And it begs a final question: if this is the position that National has taken, is there now even a single party in Parliament that is looking after New Zealand businesses?
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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 15 May, 2026, we talk to a constitutional lawyer about the Waitangi Tribunal finding the Government breached treaty principles with education changes.
B416 co-chair Cecilia Robinson tells us why she's still confident there'll be a social media ban on under-16s before the election.
We hear from the controversial Dunedin City Councillor who's become known as "tapeface".
And on the Sports Huddle, Lavina Good and Elliott Smith discuss whether Luke Metcalf's made a good move in going to the Dragons.
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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The Wellington Phoenix Women's team might be the sports story of the year.
They've gone from a wooden spoon team to making the grand final tomorrow, making them the first kiwi team to ever make the A League final.
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Maori Queen Te Arikini Kuini Nga Wai Hono I Te Po is in London visiting Buckingham Palace, where she met with King Charles and Prince William.
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A social media ban on children under the age of 16 is on hold.
Education Minister Erica Stanford says the Government is undertaking a wider programme of work on it.
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