The Front Page

Three debates. Two major party leaders. And a whole lot of political point-scoring.  National’s Christopher Luxon and Labour’s Chris Hipkins have gone head-to-head, trading blows over the economy, the cost of living and who deserves the keys to the Beehive’s ninth floor offices over three debates.  Last night’s Stuff leaders debate marks the end of their final fac...

Today's the day New Zealand's landmark free trade agreement with India enters into force.  The deal creates new opportunities for our exporters with one of world's fastest growing markets - by giving us preferential access.  Almost 57% of our existing trade can now enter India duty-free and over time, tariffs will be reduced or removed for 95% of our exports.  Tariffs are...

Governments around the globe are grappling with how to gain back control over social media giants.  Labour is the latest to campaign on it – promising to progress the social media ban and giving people more of a say on what they see online.  The party says it will get current legislation restricting social media for under 16s through to select committee within its first 100 days.&n...

Getting a GP appointment, paying for treatment and waiting for hospital care are major concerns heading into the election. So what are the parties promising to change? Chelsea Daniels hears from National, Labour, ACT, the Greens, NZ First and the Opportunity Party about their health priorities, and outlines Te Pāti Māori’s proposals — from free GP visits and more medicines to workforce...

It’ll come as no surprise that new data’s revealed more Kiwis are struggling with cost of living.  The latest New Zealand Consumer Lifestyles survey from the University of Otago shows just over half of respondents went without something to buy essentials.  More alarming though, 48% believe they need to leave the country to get ahead, up from 28% in 2020.  Today on The Fr...

New Zealand keeps announcing infrastructure projects, putting them on hold and paying more when they finally move ahead. A new industry survey shows overwhelming support for cross-party agreement, with 44 percent of responding organisations cutting staff in the past year. Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett joins Katie Bradford to explain the cost of political stop-starts, why...

Both National and Labour are banking on economic growth to help repair the Government’s finances. But could their spending plans undermine the recovery they’re counting on? With households reluctant to spend, property values under pressure and an ageing population putting more demand on public services, journalist and economic commentator Bernard Hickey says the numbers deserve a harde...

National’s fiscal plan promises no new taxes and leaves the door open to future tax cuts — but only once the books are back in surplus and economic conditions allow. So how much money is actually available, how does Labour’s plan compare, and what could coalition negotiations do to either party’s numbers? NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan joins Richard Martin to un...

Tougher sentences, more police or greater investment in prevention — how would New Zealand’s political parties make the country safer? In this election policy special, Chelsea Daniels speaks to representatives from National, Labour, ACT, the Greens, NZ First and the Opportunity Party, and outlines Te Pāti Māori’s proposals. From gangs and youth offending to drug reform, burglary...

Could solar panels and electric vehicles help New Zealand households save thousands on energy? Rewiring Aotearoa’s Mike Casey joins The Front Page to explain the potential savings from electrification, the upfront costs stopping people from making the switch, and how cheaper finance could help. Plus, would breaking up the big power companies lower bills, does New Zealand need an LNG terminal...

When the price of moving goods around New Zealand rises, who picks up the bill?  Increasing fuel prices are putting pressure on the trucking industry, with fuel now accounting for up to 30% of operating costs.  And that cost can travel far beyond the petrol pump, into the price of groceries and other everyday essentials.  So how much can freight companies absorb, and how much gets p...

Cocaine use appears to be surging in New Zealand.  The latest NZ Drug Trends Survey reveals the proportion of people reporting cocaine use has almost tripled since 2017, while the price of the drug has fallen by nearly a third.  Researchers say we could be in the "honeymoon phase", where cocaine looks increasingly normal, affordable, and consequence-free – before the serious harms...

KiwiSaver might be about to get a makeover.  The parties are pitching very different ideas for what should happen to your retirement savings... from changing contribution rates to tweaking who gets government support.  But what would these proposals actually mean for your KiwiSaver balance and who stands to gain or lose?  Today on The Front Page, Financial Services Council...

Violent crime is on the rise again.  New figures show the number of victims has climbed to around 148,000 a year – up 9000 on the previous quarter.  But dig into the numbers, and the picture gets a bit more complicated.  So what is really happening with violent crime in New Zealand – and how much can we actually say about the Government’s record?  Today o...

New Zealand’s housing market has taken another step backwards.  Property values have now fallen for six months in a row, with the national median value dropping below the previous cycle low.  And while buyers have more choice and bargaining power, there’s still little sign of a sharp rebound - with high mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and plenty of houses on the market k...

New Zealanders are working. The economy is growing. So why aren’t we getting much more out of it?  For more than a decade, New Zealand’s productivity growth has been painfully weak – and that could be one of the biggest economic problems facing the next Government.  But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from the election campaign.  The parties are promising ta...

The Government’s opened its books and it’s showing a return to surplus is well on track.  The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update shows a stronger and slightly faster surplus than predicted... with the books expected to get out of the red by 2028/29.  Treasury also predicts unemployment has already peaked - and will track down.  But, it’s not all sunshine and r...

It was a weekend of big political theatre, as both National and Labour officially launched their election campaigns.  Christopher Luxon and his National crew pushed the message of “no new taxes” ... meanwhile, Labour and Chris Hipkins unveiled a new policy to wipe 10% of student loan debt.  But in the lead up to Election 2026, it’s not just the big parties fighting for...

With the election just weeks away, a new poll gives us a glimpse into how voters feel about one of the major topics this campaign season – tax.  No new taxes for working people. No new taxes full stop. Taxes for capital gains. Tax the rich. Tax inheritance. Tax landowners.  The campaign season’s only just officially begun but it feels like we’ve already been h...

Parliament is officially over and now the gloves are coming off.   New Zealanders go to the polls on November 7, and between now and then we’re going to see the parties make their pitches, ramp up their attacks, and fight for every last vote.  The next 44 days will be filled with policy announcements, political debates, carefully choreographed photo ops, an endless stream...

Nicky Hager is back with a new book taking aim at one of the country’s most prominent lobby groups, the Taxpayers’ Union.  He alleges the organisation has played a key role in shifting New Zealand politics to the right, claiming they worked with the tobacco industry and focused on race-based campaigns.  The NZTU’s director Jordan Williams flatly denies the allegations a...

A damning report into the Reserve Bank’s actions during Covid, a backdown from Labour on landlord tax breaks, and a last look at the Government’s books before the election. That’s all ahead of the much-hyped release of a new book from Nicky Hager tonight. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenée Tibshraeny joins us to break it all down. Follow The Front Page on the iHear...

Supermarket owners are fighting back as they find themselves firmly in the sights of almost all political parties. To recap, National and NZ First want to break up the Foodstuffs co-operative, while the Greens want to kickstart a government-owned supermarket. Labour has announced plans to split Foodstuffs’ and Woolworths’ retail and wholesale arms, alongside measures to ban price gougi...

It’s do or die for the Warriors as they head into this weekend’s sudden death match against the Newcastle Knights with a spot in the preliminary final against the Penrith Panthers on the line.   Last weekend the Warriors seemed in control against the Dolphins before three late tries saw the visitors take the win, denying the Wahs a direct path through to the next round. &nbsp...

Should we put the brakes on AI?  Well, the bosses of some of the world's largest AI companies say we should.  Sam Altman and Elon Musk have both backed head of Anthropic Dario Amodei after he came out and said we need to slow the pace of AI development. He's warned that AI could become capable of "taking over the entire internet" within a year.  So if the people developing this tech...