The Front Page

Security software used widely by retail staff is in the spotlight after an incident involving a former Green MP. Golriz Ghahraman quit politics last year after being caught shoplifting from boutique fashion stores, and news emerged earlier this month suggesting she had done it again at a PakNSave supermarket. But the former MP did not steal anything, and the store never reported the case to Police...

New Zealand's economic outlook for 2025 is expected to be a recovery from the previous two years of weakness. With inflation stagnant and the number of Kiwis leaving the country appearing to have peaked, economists are predicting we will see an uptick. Yet it could be a long road to get to the light at the end of the tunnel – with the Government’s books at the end of December painting...

The political year is ready to kick off. While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon may have got an early start with his Cabinet reshuffle, over the next coming days we’ll see a flurry of party caucus retreats, state of the nation speeches, and the annual visit to Ratana as politicians return from their summer holidays. And while central government has plenty to tend to this year – local p...

After 15 months and the deaths of around 47,000 Palestinians, the war between Israel and Hamas has ended – for now. A six-week ceasefire has begun in Gaza, after agreements were reached for the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners and aid. The start of the agreement coincides with Donald Trump returning to the White House, with the US President taking credit for th...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has kicked off the political year with the first major reshuffle of his Cabinet. Dr Shane Reti has lost Health to Simeon Brown and has been bumped down Cabinet rankings, while Melissa Lee has been stripped of all portfolios, in favour of first-term MP James Meager. Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by NZ Herald political editor Claire Trevett to discuss t...

Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. After four years out of office after losing in 2020, Trump is set to return to the White House with a vengeance – with his ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda front and centre. His administration has already raised eyebrows for some of his unusual Cabinet appointments, and Trump’s usual bluster...

Do you ever get the feeling New Zealand just doesn’t know how to build houses properly? We had the leaky homes crisis – where timber-framed homes built from 1988 to 2004 were not fully weather-tight. And now, construction experts are warning that tens of thousands of Auckland families will suffer in overheating terraced houses unless designs change. Terraced houses are being built at p...

Earlier this month, Justin Trudeau resigned as Canada’s Prime Minister, marking the end of his nine years in office. Trudeau was also one of the last leaders standing from an era of younger, left-leaning or liberal politicians, alongside the likes of Finland’s Sanna Marin and our own Jacinda Ardern, who garnered global attention for bringing a fresher approach to politics. That era see...

Growing concern about public safety has reignited the idea of arming our frontline police officers. The police union says 68% of officers support routine arming – and, our new police commissioner, Richard Chambers, is apparently ‘open’ to discussions around it – although he’s also said we’re ‘proud of having unarmed police’ and he’d like to kee...

Destructive. Devastating. Apocalyptic. That’s how the wildfires burning across Los Angeles over the last week have been described. The blazes have largely brought the US’ second largest city to a standstill, destroying thousands of buildings have been destroyed, and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. It comes as officials declare 2024 the hottest year on record, with temp...

Billionaire Elon Musk is not content with just having the ear of US President elect Donald Trump. Over the past few weeks, the world’s richest man has weighed in on European politics, first writing an op-ed backing Germany’s far-right AFD party. But the UK has become a particular obsession, with Musk frequently commenting on his social media platform, X, about child grooming and rape g...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    The 2023 general election was a battle between the two Chrises – Labour's Chris Hipkins, and National’s Christopher Luxon.  It was a battle that Luxon ended up winning, thanks to the support of two coalition partn...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    People respond to election losses in various ways, from protesting to legal action to considering moving country.   But, what about adopting a vow of celibacy through something called the “4B movement”?   Tha...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    Once it came into power, the coalition Government signalled “everything’s on the table” when it comes to a major shake-up of New Zealand’s gun laws.  The world praised us when we took swift action foll...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    For over 50 years, the secretive Christian community of Gloriavale has fascinated New Zealanders.   While the community has long been discussed by former members who have left Gloriavale behind, in the last few years, multipl...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    It’s safe to say that in recent years, Boeing has gone through a patch of turbulence.   In 2024 alone, we saw a door plug blow off mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in January – while closer to hom...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    Major earthquakes may not be a regular occurrence in New Zealand, but the threat of them is often in the back of our minds.   With a major faultline running through the middle of the country, you only have to look to the even...

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we will be shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts from the New Zealand Herald network over the last year.   In 2011, then Herald on Sunday journalist David Fisher reported on what the paper dubbed ‘the Facebook Predator’, an adult woman who had been caught catfishing dozens of teenage boys in the South Island.   Sh...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    The disappearances of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope on New Year’s Day 1998 remain one of New Zealand’s infamous cases.   Scott Watson has spent the last 25 years behind bars after being convicted of murdering them, de...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    Kiwis have departed New Zealand in record numbers this year.  News reports covering monthly migration data have repeatedly announced new records of net migration loss, with the latest stats from the year to September showing...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    On July 26th 1984, David Lange was sworn in as the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand.   His ascension into the country’s top job came after Robert Muldoon’s infamous 'Schnapps Election' ended his nine years in po...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    June 20 this year marked 30 years since five members of the Bain family in Dunedin were found dead in their family home.   The one survivor, David, would be convicted of murdering his parents and three siblings.  He serv...

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we will be shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts from the New Zealand Herald network over the last year.   In 2022, BusinessDesk journalist Murray Jones investigated the finances of the New Zealand branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – better known as the Mormons.   That investigation sparked a lot...

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.    Travelling is often a stressful experience, particularly over the Christmas break and summer holidays when it seems we’re all rushing to get away.   Those trips aren’t made easy when violent turbulence or technica...

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page is taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast this year.   Losing a loved one is one of the worst things a family can go through.   But it can get a lot worse if people start fighting over the will before the body’s even cold.   In June, we spoke to NZ Herald senior j...