The Front Page
Go beyond the headlines with The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald’s daily news podcast. Each weekday Chelsea Daniels unpacks the stories shaping Aotearoa, from what’s happening in our own backyard to global events shaping our future. Every episode we speak to leaders, experts, reporters, and those living the story, so you get the full picture. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.
Episodes
The Government's pushing ahead with banning social media for under-16s.
It mirrors rules that took effect in Australia last year - requiring the likes of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to bring in stronger age verification.
If they don't, the social media giants could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
But coalition partners Act and NZ First both agree to disagree with it - and Christo...
National is committing to no new taxes if re-elected – but the jury is still out over whether that means no tinkering to existing taxes.
This means the party is scrapping both a bed tax and bank tax – something that's disappointed Mayors in tourism hotspots around the country.
Meanwhile, Labour's banking on its capital gains tax to get us back to surplus by 2029/30.
They released their fiscal strategy at the weekend, ta...
Severe respiratory illness rates are now the highest they've been in the last decade, mostly because of the flu.
It comes as ambulance services struggle to meet demand, and Health NZ urges people to save emergency departments for emergencies.
RNZ reported this week that hospitals have even created dedicated flu wards and some elective surgery is being cancelled as influenza A hits the healt...
The Mount Maunganui landslide has been described as "preventable".
A damning review into the disaster has revealed a litany of failures by authorities who “missed several opportunities” to evacuate campers to safety.
Six people died after the slip crashed into the campground on January 22.
It's now been revealed that over decades, "one consultant after another" warned Tauranga City Council of the risks...
New Zealand’s birth rate stats just keep getting worse...
The latest show ‘natural population growth’ has fallen to 18,700 for the year to June – the lowest it’s been since WWII.
Births are at their lowest since 2003.
So should we throw money at people to have babies, or are there some other options on the cards? And how bad is it really?
Today on The Front Page, Infometri...
A development in the Middle East, with US President Donald Trump turning on a key US ally.
He’s threatened to bomb Oman if it interferes in the Strait of Hormuz.
It’s all while a 60-day ceasefire with Iran expires – and officials say that there’s been very little diplomatic progress to reopen the key waterway.
So, why is Trump lashing out at a key ally? What does this latest stalemate mean ...
Kiwis are constantly wondering why their groceries are so expensive.
The Green Party is the latest to promise a fix in the way of a members bill aimed at banning price gouging by the supermarket duopoly, which has a whopping 82% market share.
New rules would aim to prohibit supermarkets from charging prices that are excessive when compared to the cost of supplying groceries.
Breaches could see a company ...
A drawn-out employment legal dispute, the sale of one of the country’s top media companies, fears AI could take newsroom jobs, and RNZ planning to cut roles.
The Kamahl Santamaria saga continues as the former broadcaster and TVNZ head to court next week.
Meanwhile, do the Aussies have what it takes to shake up our media landscape? And will AI take over our newsrooms?
All this while RNZ prepares to cut up to 30 roles as ...
The Government's working through merger proposals from councils around the country.
City and district councils were given until this week to pitch plans to create larger unitary councils, to replace existing local and regional councils.
Approved plans are due to be signed off next year and take effect after local elections in 2028.
So who’s likely to merge with who? What regions are deeply split? How will it...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is staying in the top job.
He's emerged from another confidence vote with the support of his caucus.
National MPs were summoned to Wellington for an urgent meeting this morning - after speculation about a potential coup.
The meeting ran for three hours.
But, questions remain... What happened behind closed doors? What will happen to the detractors?
Today on The Fro...
Speculation is mounting over Christopher Luxon’s future as National Party leader, with reports of caucus unrest putting his leadership back under the spotlight.
NZ Herald Senior Correspondent Katie Bradford joins Chelsea to examine how serious the threat is, who could be waiting in the wings, and if National can really change leaders this close to an election.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
National has unveiled new fiscal rules promising tighter spending, lower debt and no new taxes on working New Zealanders. But Taxpayers’ Union executive director Jordan Williams argues much of it repackages existing policy and questions whether the Government has delivered on its earlier promises to rein in spending and return to surplus.
Read more
Data centres are not a new phenomenon, but hyperscale AI data centres? Well, that's a whole other conversation.
There are currently no AI hyperscale data centres in New Zealand, but that looks to change with plans already approved to build one in the South Island. Not everyone's happy about it, including the Greens who have called for one-year moratorium on consenting new AI data centres.
Today on The Front Page, University of...
It feels like Auckland is entering its big city era.
New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project ever, the City Rail Link will open to passengers on September 13.
It’s being touted as being truly transformative for the country’s biggest city ... a city that is rapidly growing.
And that’s partly thanks to the Fast-Track scheme – which has meant developers don’t need to jump through as m...
Unemployment has risen again – and it’s worse than everyone expected.
Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate increased to 5.6 percent in the June quarter.
That's up from 5.4 percent in the March quarter and it's slighter higher than most economists were predicting.
So, what does that mean? Should we panic? Or is this just part and parcel ...
The Prime Minister is in damage control mode after telling struggling business owners in Rotorua to “be adult”.
Christopher Luxon made the remarks at a business event, and they’ve sparked a fierce backlash.
He’s since had to apologise after being labelled out of touch and patronising.
So, is this a gaffe that’ll keep haunting...
Act wants to give teachers the legal power to remove disruptive students from the classroom.
Staff would be able to use “reasonable force” to do so – and there’d be a mandatory stand-down or suspension for any students who assaulted another student, teacher, or staff member.
Parents would be required to attend a meeting – if they don’t rock up, ...
It’s a battle of the islands to become New Zealand’s economic engine room.
All eight South Island Chambers of Commerce have launched a joint election manifesto highlighting their $100 billion contribution to the economy.
They’re calling for more investment and productivity with the goal of lifting South Island GDP per capita to $130,000 by 2035.
Representing around 7000 businesses, it’s the first time they&r...
Go onto any parents group in the country and you’ll find comments about arbitrary school uniform rules.
Socks falling down, no scarves in class, skirts instead of shorts, and no t-shirts underneath despite not seeing them – and that’s just what our team has seen.
And that’s all before we talk about the costs that come wi...
New Zealand’s superannuation problem is something that constantly rears its head.
Whether it’s abolishing MPs’ gold-plated super scheme, if we should introduce means testing, or heighten the retirement age – one thing’s always clear... our status quo is untenable.
The annual cost of NZ Super has already risen from less than $20 billion in 2023 to $24....
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