The Front Page

New Zealand’s been making some big trade moves on the world trade stage recently.

One of them is a possible minerals deal with the United States.

The US is pushing to loosen China’s grip on critical mineral processing by building alternate supply chains.

But with talks well underway, what will the preliminary decline of a major seabed mining contract do to them?

Today on The Front Page, Business Desk's Dileepa Fonseka i...

Consumer NZ expects power prices to increase by about 5% this year. 

It’s after households were already hit with a 12% increase to power bills last year. 

But what does that all mean? Will it make winter that much colder? Will we have to cut back on groceries? Will people be able to afford the increase? 

Today on The Front Page, Consumer NZ’s Powerswitch Manager Paul Fuge is with us&nb...

Wellington’s Moa Point wastewater plant has flooded and shut down, dumping raw sewage into the south coast – this untreated discharge is set to continue for weeks.  

Heavy rain overwhelmed the facility, built in the 90s, triggering beach rāhuis, health warnings, and exposing how climate-driven storms are already stressing coastal infrastructure. 

Billions of dollars is&n...

Insurers have begun their retreat as climate change bites.

Back-to-back disasters in recent years have pushed insured loss into the billions and forced tough questions about what can still be covered.

Homeowners in flood and coast-exposed areas are starting to see higher premiums, exclusions and even the risk of losing cover altogether.

AA Insurance has gone the extra mile and stopped issuing new home insurance policies in several ...

It’s no surprise the upcoming election is a hot topic at Waitangi. But, the axing of the Treaty Principles Bill has eased tensions this year.

Although, that hasn’t stopped Chris Hipkins taking aim at the government, calling it ‘anti-treaty’ so ‘therefore anti-Māori'.

It’s all while a decision on Mariameno Kapa-Kingi's future with Te Pati Maori plays out in a Wellington court this week.

So, what i...

New jobs data out today spells worry for New Zealand’s economy. 

The unemployment rate was 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter – the highest since September 2015. 

Most banks had expected unemployment to hold steady at 5.3%, ASB was a bit more bullish picking 5.2%. 

It means 165,000 people were unemployed last quarter – a quarterly increase of 5,000 people...  

But, what does ...

It’s about to become cheaper, and easier, to get your driver’s license in New Zealand.

Changes include scrapping the second practical test, a longer 12-month learner period for under 25s, new restricted periods, and an expanded zero-alcohol rule for all learner and restricted drivers – regardless of age.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop has said the aim is to make licensing more efficient and affordable.

The new sy...

Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's files have exploded back into the headlines with millions of newly released documents exposing elite networks and power dynamics.

More than three million pages of material have been released – including documents, images and video.

So, what does this mean for trust in traditional power structures? And is it only a matter of time before a New Zealand politician is caught up in the saga?

Today on ...

NZ Post is removing services from 142 partner stores this year.

It follows a long line of postal groups around the world scaling back as we enter a new era dominated by tech.

Czech Post closed 300 post office branches, the Greek postal service shut more than 200 last year, UK networks have gone through rolling waves of reductions, and Denmark has ended traditional letter delivery entirely – an end to a 400-year-old service.

B...

As children across New Zealand head back to school, many will be arriving without the basics.

58 schools are starting 2026 on the waitlist for KidsCan.

The charity provides the essentials for Kiwi kids living in poverty.

A survey of waitlisted schools shows more than half provide breakfast for their students, often diverting funds from their operational budget.

So why, in 2026, are kids going to school hungry?

Today on The Front Pa...

After 24 years, former National Party leader Judith Collins has called time on her career in politics for a new role as head of the law commission.

Collins is the longest-continuously serving female MP in New Zealand, winning her electorate seats in Clevedon and then Papakura at every general election she has contested since 2002.

The prime minister’s office has confirmed Collins will remain the MP for Papakura, retaining her...

The recovery operation at the Mt Maunganui landslide continues with police warning it could take days or even weeks.

Tauranga City Council has launched an investigation into what happened in the run-up to the deadly landslide.

Already questions are being asked about who knew what, and when. We'll talk to University of Canterbury senior lecturer in disaster risk and resilience, Dr Tom Robinson about the danger of landslides after se...

From celery-juice cleanses to infomercial ab-busting gadgets, society has always been on a diet.

It’s a global, multi-billion-dollar powerhouse industry.

The latest trend that you would have heard about are GLP1s, or weight-loss injections.

Pharmac is seeking advice on whether they should be funded for certain people.

Australia’s committed to it for certain patients, taking the cost down to about $29 per script.

A drug ...

The Reserve Bank has revealed that the annual inflation rate for 2025 was 3.1%.

It puts the inflation rate outside the bank’s target band of 1 to 3%.

While it’s slowed sinificantly since the most recent peak of 7.3% in the June 2022 quarter, it has risen every quarter since December 2024.

And while economist expect it to sit around 3 or 3.1% -- the Reserve Bank’s November prediction had it at 2.7%.

But, what does ...

A Christchurch woman told friends she was dying of cancer.

They grieved and gave thousands to help her. But then, the unthinkable happened.

It was all a farce.

Nicola Flint is accused of forging medical letters and defrauding a rugby club of more than $100,000.

Today on The Front Page, senior crime reporter and host of A Moment in Crime, Anna Leask, has been diving into this case with a special two part series on Flint’s diag...

Australia’s Parliament has been called back two weeks early to push through new gun and hate speech legislation in the wake of the Bondi Attack.

The recommendations are reminiscent of those made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15 terror attack in Christchurch.

Since 2021, successive governments have begun, paused, then stopped all policy and legislative work on hate speech.

So, where do our hate speech laws ...

It’s all rain and no shine this week across the country.

Warm, tropical air sitting north of New Zealand has brought with it thunderstorms and rain warnings for Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula.

Crews have already been working on clearing slips along State Highway 2, between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne.

So, what is the outlook for this week? And when will Mother Nature give us all a break?

Today...

European leaders are baffled, as Trump digs his heels in over Greenland.

The US President has threatened to impose tariffs on eight allies who remain opposed to his potential takeover of the Danish territory.

A10% levy will kick in on February 1, possibly rising to 25% on June 1 – affecting Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.

Trump has said the import taxes will remain in place until...

Last year ended with a promise of the largest economic reform in a generation.

It's when the Government unveiled its radical overhaul of resource management laws, which aims to cut the number of consents currently required by 40 to 50%.

Led by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, the move will see the decades-old RMA replaced with two laws – one focused on planning, and the other on environment protection.

They’re due to b...