Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

France's Government says it won't be dictated by breakers, thieves and thugs, as it moves to put a stop to mass protests.

Local police are enforcing overnight curfews in parts of central Paris and other cities, following riots and looting across France.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says the protestors reportedly have more planned for next weekend, and French President Emmanuel Macron has copped some backlash for leaving the country. 

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Over in Australia, unemployment is on the rise and wages haven't kept up with inflation, leaving many to wonder if the trans-Tasman dream is at risk.

The Australian unemployment rate has reached 4.7 percent, and one expert has warned the nation is on track to have the largest increase in unemployment in the developed world over the next year.

 HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says disposable incomes haven't risen - and Australia's in a 'challenging' spot.

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National's shot up while Labour's slipped in the latest 1News-Verian poll, but both sides still need Opportunity to form a coalition.

National's up four points to 32 percent, while Labour's fallen one to sit on 27. 

The Country's Jamie Mackay examined the results and weighed in on which outcomes would benefit rural voters.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Property Investors Federation Advocacy Manager Matt Ball and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

There's shock and horror across Australia, after MP Helen Haines was struck by a vehicle and lost a leg in the incident. What do we think of this, how shocked are we? Do we need to start protecting our MPs more? 

The Opportunity Party is still polling relatively well, and the race between the two main parties is still neck-and-neck. What does this mean for the Opportunity Party - could they actually get in? Are we finally sick of NZ First?

New modelling has indicated a significant percentage of students could fail Erica Stanford's new NCEA replacement. Should we be worried about this, or is this a sign the curriculum needed a shake-up? 

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 20 October, 2026, a political colleague tells us about the shocking attack on an Australian MP.

The drum and bass act that could attract more than 30,000 people to Dunedin's big stadium.

We talk to former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen about prostate cancer.

And on The Huddle, Matt Ball and Phil Goff on whether Opportunity could be the new kingmaker.

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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All right, we need to talk about a news story that has been written in such a way that you're supposed to be alarmed by the fact that nearly half of all Year 12 students might fail Erica Stanford's NCEA replacement.

The story is this - at the moment, 15 percent of Year 12 students fail NCEA Level 2. But modelling suggests that once Erica Stanford replaces NCEA with her new secondary school qualification, that figure could jump to nearly 30 percent of students. And that's in the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, nearly 45 percent of Year 12 students could fail.

Now, the way this story is written, you're supposed to be alarmed because Erica Stanford is forcing a curriculum change on students that will supposedly cause them to fail. But I would argue that you should be far more alarmed that so many of our kids are not learning well enough to meet a more rigorous standard of assessment.

The fact that so many students could fail is, frankly, proof of exactly why we need to get rid of NCEA. Too many of our kids are not learning properly.

And the evidence is almost everywhere you care to look. Yes, look at this modelling, but also look at what's been happening with the PISA rankings for nearly 20 years, during which New Zealand's performance has been in consistent decline.

This year, only 38 percent of Year 12 students passed the reading co-requisite. Only 35 percent passed the writing co-requisite. Only 33 percent passed the numeracy co-requisite.

That is not good enough.

University lecturers have publicly complained that students arriving at tertiary education are unprepared and lack the basic skills needed to succeed at university.

And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out why. Secondary school students are drifting through NCEA, piecing together random credits to gain a qualification that does not necessarily demonstrate mastery of the fundamental skills you would expect them to have learned at school.

The problem with students failing a more demanding assessment is not that the assessment is too hard. The problem is that they are not learning enough.

No one should apologise, least of all Erica Stanford, for raising standards. Especially when it comes to our kids.

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Auckland businessman Jim Jackson is a big supporter of the National Party, but he's raised concerns over a stalled project.

The proposed East West Link has been on hold for over a decade, and Jackson recently put up a billboard condemning Luxon for not getting the project done.

He says he's been involved with the development of the expressway for the past 19 years, and he's not happy with the prospect of having to wait even longer. 

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A security expert says security threats against MPs have risen as anger grows in society.

Australian MP Helen Haines is critically wounded and has lost a leg after a vehicle rammed her outside her office, and an anti-logging campaigner is in custody.

Massey University defence and security expert, John Battersby, says violence is never acceptable, but events here and around the world are 'rarking' people up. 

"There is an election campaign on, and I think that people are feeling the issues more now - the cost of living is making people feel a bit more desperate." 

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Former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen has teamed up with comedy icon Te Radar to help raise awareness for prostate cancer.

The nationwide campaign, run by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand, encourages men to ask for a prostate blood test in order to catch adverse symptoms early.

Hansen says it's a 'wonderful cause' and he's happy to lend his name to the campaign. 

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National's Education Spokesperson is brushing off concerns over previously unseen modelling suggesting the NCEA level two replacement could make pass rates plummet. 

Ministry of Education documents released to the PPTA show Year 12 attainment could fall 27 percent under the New Zealand Certificate of Education.

Erica Stanford says it's an old paper produced at the beginning of the curriculum reform, with changes made since.

"Before we made a whole lot of decisions - and the PPTA know that, they're just conveniently leaving that part out."

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