The Front Page

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that meth is a serious problem in New Zealand. Wastewater Testing results show the consumption of the drug in New Zealand more than doubled in the second half of 2024 to the highest levels ever recorded. At the same time, the New Zealand Drug Trends Survey (NZDTS) 2024 showed the average price of a gram of meth declined from $563 in 2017/18 to $360 in 2024...

March Madness is upon us – which means it’s the busiest time of year for anyone trying to get anywhere. It usually marks the end of the summer holiday period – school and university is back in session, and most people are back at work. So whether you’re biking, driving, or taking a train or bus – it's nightmarish. But it does lead back to that age old question –...

The Government’s announced it’s giving businesses more power to make ‘citizen’s arrests’.  Up until now, citizen’s arrests could only happen between 9pm and 6am, for crimes with a maximum punishment of at least three years in prison.    But the changes mean people can intervene and stop any offence at any time of the day, by using restraints and &...

A few years ago, commentators and analysts often raised the idea of a ‘youthquake’ - young, first-time voters coming in and shaking up the political landscape. It was after events like the School Strikes 4 Climate showed the power of youth mobilising around a common goal. Yet those youthquakes never happened – at least, not for left-leaning politicians. Instead, there’s bee...

The appearance of three Chinese warships so close to our borders has surprised and confused Australian and New Zealand officials. The ships issued a live-fire warning off Australia’s east coast – forcing commercial flights to change course. Then, on Saturday afternoon, sailors on a New Zealand Navy frigate saw live rounds being fired from a Chinese vessel's main gun. Beijing’s no...

Warnings of a ‘city killer’ asteroid hurtling towards earth have been filling news feeds over the last month. The space rock, dubbed ‘2024 YR4', had a 3.1 percent chance of hitting earth in the year 2032. That made it one of the riskiest asteroids ever, according to NASA, but they have since lowered their assessment again – to 0.28%. That hasn’t stopped news of this a...

It has been three years since Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, a dramatic escalation in the conflict between the two countries that has been raging for over a decade.  And for three years, Ukraine has fought hard to defend itself. Over 12,000 civilians are believed to have died, a similar number captured or detained, while estimates on the military deaths range from the tens to hundreds of tho...

It’s well known that New Zealand has a huge problem with keeping our children safe, fed, and housed.    Reports over the years show how low New Zealand ranks for child wellbeing outcomes compared to other developed countries.   Government stats show 23.5% of children born in 1998 had been the subject of a report of concern to Oranga Tamariki by the age of 17. That’s more...

If you ever feel like you’re always being asked to donate money to some cause or another, you probably aren’t wrong. In New Zealand, there are more than 28,000 registered charities – with an annual income of more than $21 billion – on top of over 110,000 not for profit organisations. Legislation leaves the definition of a charity pretty broad – if you say you’re...

‘Chaos’, ‘overstretched’, ‘a bloodbath’ -- these are just a few descriptions of New Zealand’s health sector in recent days. It’s as the sector faces its third resignation of its top brass... Director-General of Health Diana Sarfati will finish up Friday – ending her term two years earlier than expected. Her resignation came soon after Health Ne...

Homelessness is one of the most visible signs of poverty in this country. Walk through the CBD of any of our major cities, and you are likely to come across someone living rough. But often what we may see on our streets is the tip of the iceberg for a much larger issue. This week, HomeGround in Auckland, one of the initiatives trying to tackle this crisis, turns three –but that’s just...

A Bill which would give New Zealanders just one avenue to bet on racing and sports online is under the microscope. The amendments to the Racing Industry Act would make TAB New Zealand the sole legal domestic operator of online racing and sports betting. The TAB estimates Kiwis lose $185 million a year to offshore operators, with the changes expected to retain this money. It’s all while the T...

It is Pride Month in New Zealand, with the LGBTQ plus community making the most of the summer sun to celebrate. But, at the same time it’s a celebration that feels increasingly under threat. The return of the Trump administration has seen a rise in laws attacking the trans community and limiting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. It’s even seen one US state look at trying to...

The latest Taxpayers Union-Curia poll and 1News Verian poll show the coalition Government is losing ground. Both show the left bloc of Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori would have enough support to form the next government. It’s all while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s first post-cab of the year was marred by questions about Act’s David Seymour – the man set to beco...

Tensions have emerged in recent weeks between New Zealand and several Pacific Island nations. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has been accused of ‘not properly consulting’ New Zealand on the country’s upcoming China deal – which is expected to be penned in Beijing this week. Meanwhile, NZ aid to Kiribati is under review – and Samoa has sought help from China in...

In the past, overseas investment in New Zealand has been seen as a privilege – rather than a right. But – could that all be about to change with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s latest push for economic growth? He kicked off 2025 by announcing the establishment of a foreign investment agency – similar to those seen in Ireland and Singapore. The Government’s holding...

For better or worse, house prices have been a cornerstone of our economy for decades. But a rise in prices now put home ownership out of reach for many Kiwis. Things could be changing though. Wellington City’s new rateable valuations show that, on average, house values have plummeted 24.4% since 2021. It comes as the city -- which once made headlines for its hotly contested rental market --...

National has kicked off 2025 by diving headfirst into plans for economic growth – and it wasn’t long until Act threw in their two cents. Party leader David Seymour made privatisation a key focus of his State of the Nation speech. And while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he doesn’t want to sell anything off this term – he's suggested it could be campaigned on in next...

The Government wants to see tourism numbers increase as part of its economic growth push. As part of that push, the existing visitor visa scheme will be tweaked to include welcoming ‘digital nomads’. That will allow tourists from visa waiver countries up to nine months to travel around New Zealand while still working for their overseas employer. The scheme has already been greeted with...

Mining has become a key part of the Government’s plans for economic growth. Resources Minister – and self-appointed ‘Matua of Mining’ - Shane Jones has unveiled a plan to double exports to $3 billion by 2035, alongside a list of 37-strong Critical Minerals List and a national minerals strategy. While the plan has been met with criticism from environmentalists and the opposi...

If the theme of 2024 was ‘cutting back’, then 2025 is all about ‘growth’. The word appears 31 times in Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation speech – and for good reason.  Luxon said it’s the “key to brighter days ahead” after experiencing the “biggest recession since the early 1990s.” Finance Minister Nicola W...

Silicon Valley’s been rattled by a low-cost Chinese AI – with the startup claiming their DeepSeek technology can emulate the performance of ChatGPT, at a fraction of the cost. Its launch shook share markets and spawned allegations from OpenAI that their Chinese rivals used its work and models to make their own artificial intelligence. This is all happening while the new US administrati...

Students across the country are starting to head back to school, and there are some big changes coming from our youngest pupils. As well as 2025 marking the return of charter schools, primary school students will start to be taught structured literacy and maths this year, as part of a curriculum refresh instituted by Education Minister Erica Stanford. It comes as test results continue to show decl...

Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – has implemented some changes across its organisation since Donald Trump’s election win. The social media giant is set to remove independent factcheckers from its service, replacing them with community driven ‘notes’ similar to what X implemented after its rebrand from Twitter. The company has also ended various div...

From the ongoing downfall of high-flying developers to promises of Swedish meatballs - this year is set to be one to watch when it comes to property news. Major developments are getting underway after the passing of the Fast Track Approval Act, while some projects that have been under construction for years are close to completion. But after a few years of a tough lending landscape and issues in t...