The Front Page

We all like to think that, as democratic voters, we have an equal say in influencing politicians and policy – but some of our wealthiest New Zealanders potentially have a bigger say than most. A new series by BusinessDesk, Cash for Candidates, has revealed that since 1996, $52m has been donated to our political parties by major donors above the threshold for public declaration. Those major donatio...

If you believe the headlines at the moment, New Zealand is facing a mass exodus to Australia.   Not only does the data show a huge migration movement across the ditch, but we’re also seeing stories of rich listers and fashion moguls selling up and making the move.   But going past these anecdotes, what does the data show about the types of people moving to Australia – and why – and what does this...

You’re being watched online every day. Almost every click you make, every item you purchase and every clip you watch is being recorded by businesses. The collection and selling of this information has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a reminder that getting incredible online services for free online, most often means we’re paying for them in other wa...

The last few years of news have been dominated by crime. From fears of attacks on diaries and jewellery stores and ram raids, to shocking acts of violence and murder, crime and death is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.   Stories like this often drive eyeballs to news companies, and these narratives are feeding into our fears.   It’s a fear that has been capitalised on by political parties...

The Netball World Cup kicks off this week in South Africa, with the reigning champs the Silver Ferns looking to repeat their success from 2019.   But as they head to their biggest competition since the Commonwealth Games, our netball greats will need to perform better than their bronze performance in that tournament if they hope to secure another world title.  What are the challenges facing them t...

The two victims of the Auckland construction site shooting have been named.   Solomona To’oto’o  and Tupuga Sipiliano were killed when Matu Reid showed up to 1 Queen Street armed with a shotgun and took aim.   As the police continue their investigation and other victims recover, questions are being asked about how Reid, who also died from a self-inflicted wound, was able to own a gun and able to l...

Justice Minister Kiri Allan has resigned from Cabinet after being charged with careless use of a motor vehicle and failure to accompany a police officer.     This comes off the back of a tough period for Allan, who until a week ago had been on mental health leave. She was also embroiled in a scandal about the treatment of staff. This is a major blow for the Labour Party only three months out of th...

Kiwis often don’t like to talk about money, but as our debt burden balloons, it’s an uncomfortable conversation we need to have.     Both national and private debt have increased at a time when the nation is coming face to face with the spectre of extreme weather events caused by climate change – which will invariably necessitate further investment down the line.  On top of this, the average famil...

Ask anyone what’s hurting their wallet the most at the moment, and the majority will probably say the cost of food.  Figures out this week show it remains the biggest contributor to inflation, and those climbing costs are leading to rising profits for our supermarket duopoloy. - with some figures suggesting profits of $1 million a day.  As Countdown focuses on a costly reversal rebrand back into W...

The country was shocked to wake to news that during the morning rush a man had entered an Auckland CBD construction site and opened fire.  After several hours of worry that spread around the globe, Police confirmed that at least three people have died and multiple others injured. One of the deceased has been identified as the man believed to be the gunman, Matu Tangi Matua Reid, who was on home de...

We are less than three months away from the election, but both sides of the political spectrum remain incredibly close.  National and Act have a slight edge over Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori, but with the election currently looking like it could come down to only one or two seats, our politicians seem to be striking a firm push for the middle ground.   Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has said a L...

The Hamilton to Auckland rail connection is back in the news for all the wrong reasons.  The Te Huia service has been banned from entering the Auckland metro area after the driver ran red lights.  The service has been forced to terminate at Papakura while KiwiRail fits new safety technology on the train.  It comes just weeks after a new report was released encouraging more investment in regional r...

For the first time in decades, actors in Hollywood have gone on strike. Negotiations between the actor's union and the big studios broke down last week, and now everyone from top A-listers to background actors have joined already striking screenwriters on the picket lines. But this is not about multimillionaires wanting a bigger pay packet. Big questions hang over this conflict about the future of...

Kiwi CEOs are paid 30 to 50 times more than the average wage.     Questions have long been asked about whether those levels of remuneration are justified, particularly when the performance of an organisation doesn’t always live up to expectations.   This, of course, applies to private companies, but the salaries of some public sector CEOs have also led to sharp criticism.     As the country heads...

The way we read, watch and listen to the news is constantly evolving and news companies need to respond – or risk becoming obsolete.  Add to this equation misinformation, declining trust, news fatigue, paywalls and clickbait and you have a complicated cocktail of challenges all begging for a solution.  So what does the future hold for media? And how do news organisations avoid repeating the strate...

Businesses have for years been talking about the importance of workplaces being reflective of Aotearoa’s demographics.    This is particularly important at a time when our population is both ageing and rapidly changing. Despite numerous studies showing the value of improving diversity, there are still some who question whether doing so still allows the money to come first.    So how are businesses...

At the start of this month, there was good news for parents as new financial benefits kicked in for them. At the same time, several wide-reaching existing policies to offset the cost of living ended, leading to yet another financial shock.   With three months to go until the election, the focus for many is now turning to what the parties vying for our votes have to offer – and if there’ll be any f...

Several headlines recently have sparked concerns about the state of our teaching pool.  Most notably, a man legally known as Taurapa has become the latest teacher found to have had a sexually inappropriate relationship with a student. Another case saw a teacher lose their registration for refusing to call a transgender student by their preferred pronouns.   What is the process for disciplining our...

If you feel you have less than you did a few years ago, you’re not wrong.     The latest data shows that Kiwis are indeed worse off overall than they were before the pandemic ripped through the economy.   Dropping house prices and the rising cost of living mean that we own less and we’re spending more on the necessities to get by. And yet, many of us are still splashing out on luxuries and not cha...

Meta, the owner of Facebook, is shaking up social media with an app some are calling the 'Twitter killer'.    Threads will offer a very similar service, but it will be powered by the massive machine Mark Zuckerberg has built since starting FaceMash, as Facebook was first known, in his university dorm room.   In the battle between the tech titans Twitter owner Elon Musk has been making a few moves...

A house, once owned by the Sultan of Brunei, in the affluent Auckland suburb of Herne Bay has become the centre of a dispute with community residents divided over whether the new owners should be allowed to build a boatshed. Some wealthy backers have come out in support of the plan, while others reckon it would be an eyesore.   So why do people care so much about what wealthy people are doing in t...

High winds this week once again closed Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, something that has become a regular and frustrating occurrence in recent years.   After 64 years, there’s confusion as to why strong winds are now a concern – and what it means for the long-term stability of the vital transport link.  But what are the options for a potential replacement or complementary harbour crossing, and is ther...

Justice Minister Kiri Allan is the latest Government Minister to have reportedly had significant issues with a member of their staff.  The reports of the strained working relationship between Allan and a Department of Conservation employee, emerged last week, and have added further woes to Chris Hipkins’ tenure as Prime Minister. But Allan is not the first MP in recent years to have reportedly cla...

After the pandemic forced international flights to grind to a halt, the travel industry is slowly returning to normal.  School and university winter holidays are now set to coincide with the European summer, and many Kiwis will undoubtedly be grabbing the opportunity to take flight overseas.  But if you are heading to some dream destinations, you’ll find that their new normal looks a little differ...

For years, NZ Herald readers have pondered the identity of the ‘prominent businessman’ and his five-year journey through the courts for charges relating to sexual assault and perverting the course of justice.   While co-conspirators such as entertainer Mika X and PR man Jevan Goulter were named, the businessman’s case dragged on. Finally, this week the ‘prominent businessman’ has been unmasked as...