The Front Page

The Reserve Bank this week lifted the Official Cash Rate to 5.5 per cent, as expected.   But the big surprise came when Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr told Kiwis that his work was done and that the Reserve Bank didn’t see the need to lift rates any higher.  So why has the Reserve Bank suddenly changed its mind on further hikes? Are Kiwis in for a longer run of inflation? And what factors will ha...

There’s a weather forecast battle brewing as two taxpayer-funded agencies go toe to toe for our attention.   MetService and NIWA have dominated headlines in recent months amid numerous extreme weather events, but animosity is simmering between them.  There’s growing concern that their remits are starting to overlap as they vie for the attention of New Zealanders desperate to understand what weathe...

It has just been confirmed that Auckland’s City Rail Link opening has been delayed yet again, pushing out the opening date out to 2026. This comes off the back of numerous earlier delays and cost blow-outs and will only exacerbate the level of frustration in the city. The initial idea for the plan goes back to the 1920s, and delays have spread to the actual project. So how much longer will Aucklan...

After an earthquake near the Loyalty Islands last Friday, a tsunami warning sparked sleepless nights in coastal areas around Aotearoa as residents waited for the potential waves.   While the damage was limited, one Ahipara resident told the NZ Herald the resulting swells were “much, much worse” than those that came in after Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year.  It again raises the question about h...

The annual Government Budget announcement is always a major PR opportunity for the Government, to lay out its vision for the country.    Labour has now presented that vision – and unsurprisingly, Opposition parties aren’t onboard with what they see.   National leader Christopher Luxon said that it showed the Government had run out of ideas – and warned that a Capital Gains Tax is on Labour’s agend...

This week, the Labour Government delivered its sixth Budget. It's their last before October’s election, with key figures in the worlds of childcare, public transport, and public housing.   This Budget arrives at a time when the economy faces a cost-of-living crisis and pressures stemming from the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.   So how has Finance Minister Grant Robertson handled the tig...

Live from inside the Budget 2023 lockup, this special episode of The Front Page's sister podcast On The Tiles has NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor Thomas Coughlan talking to Infometrics' Brad Olsen about some of the major figures from this year's Budget, with immediate reaction on what it could mean for the Government and inflation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The deadly Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington has shocked the country – not simply for the loss of life involved, but due to the building’s safety standards.  While the hostel did not have sprinklers, it was not breaking any laws and was not required to retrofit them.  It’s just one aspect of Aotearoa’s building code that has been put into the spotlight by this fire and has raised concerns around ho...

The word crisis has become synonymous with our health and education sectors in recent years.   Under-resourcing, long work hours and poor pay have culminated in teachers and nurses walking off the job to protest these working conditions.     The 2023 Budget offers an opportunity for the Government to address these concerns, but economic pressure on the country right now means that any steps taken...

The nation woke up to harrowing news this morning as a blaze in Wellington ripped through a hostel.    Fire crews worked through the night to save as many lives as they could, but the full extent of lives and livelihoods lost so far remains unclear.     Katrina Bennett, Wellington head of news for the NZ Herald, joins us to explain what we know so far about this fiery tragedy. Follow The Front Pag...

The emergence of ChatGPT has captured the imagination of the world.     Depending on who you ask, the Artificial Intelligence interface is either set to take over humanity or it’s little more than a quirky digital toy.    As is often the case with these things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.   So what is the potential of AI technology? Are technology companies taking risks by moving too f...

The Government has promised that this year we’ll see a no-frills budget, meaning that we won’t be seeing any flashy spending.   This continues a long trend of politicians keeping our debt levels low rather than investing heavily in infrastructure needed for the future.   So is this the best approach given the myriad challenges the country faces? And as a society do we need to become more willing t...

After the era of lockdowns, the travel sector is hitting another speed bump.  The Minister for Tourism has publicly criticised the high cost of some tourism operators, leading to questions about whether Aotearoa's tourists are being taken for a ride. Not to be deterred, international airlines are trying to lure us back to the skies with more direct routes and new innovations to improve the travel...

Auckland was hit by torrential rain once again this week, stirring up memories of the record-breaking flooding seen in January.  Those memories seemed to spark a fight or flight response in Auckland, with the entire city fleeing home at the same time, causing gridlocked traffic for hours across the city.  Given that scientists are warning these weather events are fast becoming the norm, how can we...

Two major financial reports have given a glimpse at the state of Aotearoa's economy.   The financial stability report and unemployment figures gave us a sense that the economy is still holding up well, but that could change soon. All forecasts point to things becoming a whole lot tougher as the pressure mounts. So how much worse will the situation become? Will the Government step in to help? And h...

Much of the North Island is once again flooding amid an absolutely heaving severe downpour. Schools have been evacuated across Auckland and Northland, and emergency services have again been on high alert. This opens fresh wounds for a region that was only recently in the firing line of severe flooding and cyclone Gabrielle.   So why has this been happening so much in the same region? Is there a be...

Having one MP resign from their party mid-term is rare enough in Aotearoa – but to have two from the same electorate is basically unheard of. Yet days after Meka Whaitiri quit the Labour Party, her two-time Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate rival Elizabeth Kerekere has quit the Green Party. What was behind Kerekere’s decision to leave, and what does this shake-up between Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māo...

King Charles the Third has officially been coronated, in an extravagant state affair that has not been seen in the Commonwealth for 70 years. And the King has been waiting just as long to fulfill his destiny as sovereign. But now that the big event is over – what comes next for his reign, for the future of the British monarchy, and Aotearoa’s role in it? NZ Herald lifestyle and entertainment edito...

Hollywood is on strike. Around eleven thousand screenwriters have put down their pens and picked up a placard instead, after negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over a new contract broke down. As writers take to the streets, the strike is set to impact most film and TV shows over the coming weeks, and potentially months as i...

Now former Minister Meka Whaitiri has blindsided her bosses by announcing that she will resign from the Labour Party and stand for Te Pāti Māori in the upcoming election.    The move was so surprising that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was only made aware of the news in London, where he plans to attend the coronation of King Charles III.   So what motivated Whaitiri to make the move? And what does...

Eden Park is looking to safeguard its place as our national stadium with a multimillion-dollar renovation. This would include improving the stands and building a retractable roof to allow for all-weather play. However, their plans for an upgrade façade come as a consortium looking to build a national stadium on Auckland’s waterfront prepare to introduce a new, cheaper plan.  So who has the better...

The Government has spent millions upon millions of dollars on outside consultants pursuing major policy ideas.   This is despite Prime Minister Chris Hipkins saying there’s a need to lessen the Government’s reliance on the private sector to get things done. In fact, this is one of the few areas where we’ve seen bipartisan consensus, with National Party leader Christopher Luxon also critical of the...

The countdown to the Coronation is on. Eight months after the death of his mother, Charles the Third will go through his formal investiture as King, in a ceremony he’s been waiting for his whole life. It’s the first time the Commonwealth has witnessed a Coronation in seven decades. So what can we expect from the pomp and ceremony, and is the public keen to mark the start of the King’s reign? Jenni...

The political machine is starting to hum as Aotearoa gears towards the general election. The chance to have your say is a mere six months away, and the good and the great are already competing for a ballot box tick by their name.  So, who has the funds to run a massive campaign? What’s more valued, ideas or leadership?  And will any issue matter more than the economy during a planned recession?   ...

The IRD has released a massive investigation into the share of tax that New Zealand’s wealthiest families pay.     The report suggests that the median effective tax rate for this group currently sits at 8.9% of their overall income.    This is less than half the percentage paid by the average New Zealander.    So why is there such large divide? What can be done to address this imbalance? And is it...