The Front Page

There are calls for urgent changes to modernise our laws to better protect victims of sexual violence. A new Helen Clarke Foundation report identifies several gaps in our laws that need closing and changes to our justice system to reduce underreporting. Ministry of Justice data estimates about 209,000 incidents of sexual assault occur every year, affecting around 82,000 victims. Nearly one in four...

It’s the moment anyone looking for a conveniently packaged, Swedish designed kitchen cabinet is waiting for. Ikea opens in Auckland this week at Sylvia Park – and it’ll be the company’s largest store in the Southern Hemisphere, about the size of three rugby fields. You’d be pressed to find someone who hasn’t encountered news of the iconic brand in Aotearoa. But...

It has been a tumultuous time since the collapse of the Du Val property development group. It was August last year we saw police raid a Remuera property – leaving with a number of assets owned by Charlotte and Kenyon Clarke. Since then it’s been a tsunami of court hearings, social media posts, and “he said she saids”. On Monday, a new podcast called *The Fall of the House o...

The mistlestoe's hung, the bells are a'ringing  And all through the malls Mariah Carey is singing  It's the same old story, told year after year  Of Santa and reindeer and widespread good cheer  But look a bit closer, and you might see a crack  In the stronghold St Nick has had since way back  Where once stood a hero, red coat and beard white  A sack on his sleig...

The Government’s released its plan to get our Defence infrastructure up to scratch – some of which hasn’t been touched in decades. The Defence Estate Portfolio sets out how $2.5 billion will be spent over the next 15 years. At the same time, the Future Naval Base Programme is pinned at $4b over 35 years. It’s being called a ‘generational investment in defence infrastr...

The Cook Islands’ flag has flown from more than a hundred oil tankers implicated in illicitly trading Russian and Iranian oil. A special Herald investigation has revealed that it’s sparked alarm from foreign governments – with New Zealand diplomats fielding concerns from Helsinki and London. Our Foreign Minister Winston Peters has labelled the issue “alarming and infuriatin...

Our MPs have stakes in a combined $379 million of property in New Zealand. A Herald investigation has found that’s an average of $3.16 million across each of our 120 Members of Parliament. And despite the rumours, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon doesn’t top the list as the most lavish. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald data journalist Chris Knox is with us to dive into the numbers, a...

Former cabinet minister, Michael Wood, will be running for the Labour Party in next year’s general election. He’ll be running for the Mt Roskill seat. The former MP’s career came crashing down in 2023, after he was forced to resign as Minister for Transport after it was revealed he failed to disclose his airport shares. He resigned from his remaining ministerial portfolios after...

From the streets of New York to around the world, the "Mamdani effect" is taking shape. Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the city’s mayoralty earlier this month, sparking a new era with an election turnout higher than any race in 50 years. But this isn’t just an American story. The energy around this movement, its bold ideas on justice, economics, and climate, is resonating with...

The United Kingdom is vowing to ‘restore order and control’ - through controversial, sweeping reform on the country’s asylum system. The new interpretations of human rights laws will make the UK less attractive for asylum seekers and make it easier to deport them. The tougher rules on refugee statuses mean people would need to reapply, and it would take 20 years for permanent set...

15 years ago, 29 men went to work and never returned home. The Pike River mine explosion shocked New Zealand and the world, prompting three inquiries, a new regulator and new laws. But new research shows New Zealand workers are still more likely to die than those in Australia or Britain. The Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa report said this country kills twice as many workers as Austral...

While the world ponders whether being a billionaire is ethical in these challenging times, another potential dilemma has arisen... trillionaires. Elon Musk is on track to become the world’s first trillion-dollar man after Tesla shareholders approved a pay package for the founder in the form of additional company shares over the next decade. CNN reported that the addition of 423.7 million sha...

It’s been revealed that Kiwis lost a record $3 billion to scams this year.   That’s a 30% increase from $2.3 billion last year.  Netsafe and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance ‘State of Scams in New Zealand’ report shows that scammers are getting more sophisticated – and victims are facing persistent barriers to r...

For weeks now headlines have been peppered with Te Pāti Māori’s infighting. The crescendo came when the party’s National Council opted to expel MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris from Parliament. Both have called the move ‘unconstitutional’ - they’ll sit as independents in the Beehive for now. But, what’s lead to this very public spat and what’s ne...

It’s been revealed that Police ignored sex allegations against a former top cop, and instead prosecuted a woman for ‘revenge emails’. The woman had emailed police, politicians, and newsrooms accusing former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming of being a sexual predator. The police watchdog has released a scathing 135-page report into how the allegations were treated, and...

There have been no official talks yet about compensation for the complainant against Jevon McSkimming. The former Deputy Police Commissioner is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to having child sexual exploitation and bestiality material on his work devices. A scathing watchdog report has found some of the nation's highest-ranking officers ignored a young woman's anonymous complaints again...

Remember when we were meant to be smoke free by 2025? New Zealand’s goal to have fewer than 5% of people smoking by the end of the year looks unlikely to be met. The target was introduced in 2010 – and while smoking has dropped significantly since then (from 16.4% in 2011 to 6.9% in 2023-24) there are still hundreds of thousands of people smoking daily. In December 2022, New Zealand en...

Mark Mitchell has heralded the government’s promise to be tough on crime. He’s been incredibly clear from the get-go that his primary goal is to make New Zealand an uncomfortable place for gangs to operate. He holds five portfolios: Police, Corrections, Emergency Management and Recovery, Ethnic Communities, and Sports and Recreation. So, how does an MP with so many hats feel about how...

The 30th UN climate conference will begin this week. Nations will gather in Belem, Brazil for COP30 – and while the Trump administration isn’t intending to send anyone, the US could still become the thorn in any deals side.  So, as the world’s brightest climate minds converge on the city that sits on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest – experts are asking whether a...

Bees are tiny but mighty players in New Zealand’s environment and economy. They pollinate our gardens, native plants, and crucial crops, supporting biodiversity and food production across the country. But, an invasive threat is looming – the queen yellow-legged hornet. Since June, Biosecurity New Zealand has confirmed several detections of these pests across Auckland. Today on The Fron...

Just over seventy years after Sir Edmund Hillary first ascended Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak is grappling with new ethical dilemmas. From crowded summit attempts and ecological strain, to debates about climber preparedness and the treatment of Sherpas, Everest’s story today is as complex as ever. The Himalayan Trust, founded by Sir Ed, continues to support local communities...

A chance for New Zealand to lead change the world in ‘ethical investing’. As of last year, more than half a billion dollars of New Zealanders’ KiwiSaver and other retail investments were lent to countries on ‘high alert’ for human rights violations. The new paper from Motu Research urges fund managers and industry bodies to lift standards. But what does ‘ethical...

It’s that time of year again, where we debate whether New Zealanders should be allowed to let off fireworks. Fire and Emergency New Zealand is among those opposed, saying they know first-hand how dangerous fireworks can be. Last year was the worst year for fireworks-related fires since 2017, with 166 unwanted fires.  Firework sales are restricted to a four-day period from November 2 to...

New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner has issued new rules around the automated use of biometrics. Biometric processing is the use of tech, like facial recognition, to collect and process people’s biometric information. The Code comes into force on 3 November 2025, but agencies already using biometrics have until 3 August 2026, to align themselves with the new rules. Today on The Front Pa...

Our Prime Minister has met and dined with one of the most powerful people in the world - Donald Trump. Christopher Luxon and Trump spoke at an APEC dinner last night. It's expected to be one of the most significant meetings Luxon will have at the economic conference, despite the two not having a formal bilateral. The summit is straight off the back of one with the Association of South East Asian N...