The Front Page

To tax sugar, or not to tax sugar – that's the debate that’s raged on for years.

More than 100 countries worldwide have taxed sugary drinks, but New Zealand hasn’t made the plunge yet.

As the number of countries making the move to tax sugar increases, so has the data into how well it's worked, or not.

So how do we delve through this information to make an informed decision on what would be best for New Zealand?

Today on The Fro...

Last week, former Green Party co-leader James Shaw delivered his valedictory speech, marking the end of his decade in politics. 

But, rather than a smooth transition to a new era, just a few hours later, Green MP Julie-Anne Genter sparked outcry across the aisle after she stood over and shouted at Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey during a Parlimentary debate. 

It’s the fourth scandal to hit the Greens in under a year, prompting...

The rate of women killed by an intimate partner in Australia has increased by nearly 30% in the year 2022-23, compared to the previous year.

And the deaths of dozens of women across the country this year alone has prompted mass protests – with thousands taking to the streets rallying against gender-based violence.

But the issue isn't one that isn’t limited to our trans-Tasman neighbours. In New Zealand, between 2009 and 2020, 178...

The Government has put improving education as one of its top priorities.

Yesterday, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced plans to refocus education around ‘structured literacy’, with that teaching style winning the so-called ‘reading wars’ against ‘balanced literacy’.

It marks the end of a big week for the Minister, with the nationwide cellphone ban at schools coming into effect on Monday, the same day she announced the ne...

In the weeks since Warner Bros Discovery and TVNZ announced cutbacks in their newsrooms, much of the focus has been on what this means for journalism in this country.

The moves come amid wider belt-tightening across the television sector, as falling terrestrial TV ratings means companies are now competing against global giants more than ever to hold our attention.

And that means it's not only newsrooms that could soon be fighting...

Youth crime has been a hot topic over the last two years, particularly when our youngest offenders are involved in brazen robberies and violent ram raids across the country.

NZ Herald senior crime reporter Anna Leask has been travelling across Australia, witnessing first-hand what groups there have been doing to try and help their troubled youth.

She joins us today on The Front Page to discuss her research and what New Zealand ca...

It’s time to put away your shorts and sunhats and start getting out your winter coats.

Temperatures are dropping across the country as winter makes its mark on Aotearoa.

And the big news here is that El Nino is starting to fade, and La Nina is set to take its place. But does that actually mean for weather in the coming months, and just how cold and wet will it be?

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald reporter Jamie Morton joins us...

The concept of 15-minute cities is the idea that all daily necessities – like work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure – can all be reached with a 5-minute walk, bike ride, or by public transit.  

While the idea has been embraced by many countries, some conspiracy theorists have described the notion as an instrument of government repression. 

Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland school of architecture and pla...

The Australian government has found themselves in a battle with billionaire Elon Musk and his legions of supporters.  

Australia’s eSafety commissioner last week ordered Musk’s social media platform X – formerly known as Twitter – to remove images of the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, which was captured on a live stream earlier this month. 

X only blocked the images to Australian users, prompting a further legal ch...

Pressure continues to pile up on the systems intended to support our military veterans.

The government agency charged with meeting veterans’ needs is cutting services and has a year-long waiting list.

The VIP scheme, until now, had been seen as a way of acknowledging service and offering support to those otherwise excluded from our veterans’ welfare system.

So, as we come together to remember the fallen – is it about time we sta...

The Coalition Government has seen its first cabinet reshuffle. 

Melissa Lee has lost her Broadcasting Minister portfolio and has been demoted out of Cabinet. 

Meanwhile, Penny Simmonds has lost her Disability Commission portfolio.  

To discuss this, Chelsea Daniels is joined by the host of the On the Tiles podcast, and NZ Herald deputy political editor, Thomas Coughlan. 

Follow The Front Page and On The Tiles on iHeartRadio,...

For eight months, New Zealand Rugby’s biggest test has been happening behind the scenes.

NZR has been at loggerheads with the provincial unions about how to reform governance for the country’s most popular sport.

The battle could be nearing an end, with a meeting to take place in the coming weeks that could resolve it, but will the two sides reach an agreement, and will it be enough to help rugby bounce back from its recent woes?

Rarely a week goes by without some sort of headline proclaiming the woes of New Zealand’s ‘low productivity’.

It’s a phrase that has been discussed by economists and politicians for years, and was a particular bug-bear of Sir John Key.

The Herald’s very own Liam Dann is the latest columnist to highlight it as a potential cause for some of our economic problems.

But what exactly does low productivity mean, how does it impact your...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has spent the last week in South East Asia.

His first overseas trip beyond the Tasman Sea saw Luxon visit Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, joined by several MPs and a delegation of business leaders for a trip largely focused on “reinvigorating” New Zealand’s relationships across Southeast Asia.

So did he make much of a splash there, and does he have any wins to bring back home?

NZME Manag...

Our Minister for Space has been working overseas promoting New Zealand’s space industry over in the US.

Judith Collins has returned from the US where she spoke at the Space Symposium -- putting us on the global stage – and she met with senior US government space officials.

According to Deloitte, in 2018 and 2019 New Zealand's space industry contributed $1.7 billion to the economy – but, our Space Minister thinks by now it should ...

"Unproductive and unwilling to change" - a scathing report from outgoing Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has slammed our country’s prison system.

He told the government’s Justice Committee he’ll “leave the job with disappointment” that he hasn’t made “any impact in having the Department of Corrections as an organisation we can be proud of.”

A report from the Office of the Inspectorate released just yesterday shows that prisoners in...

There are growing fears the Middle East could be on the brink of war.

Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles towards Israel, in retaliation for what is believed to have been an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria last week.

It comes after six months of fighting in Gaza, which has drawn the ire of Muslim-majority countries in the region.

With no end in sight for the Gaza conflict, there are now ...

Today, US time, marks the beginning of Donald Trump’s slew of criminal trials.  

In what’s been coined the ‘hush money’ case, the former President is being accused of falsifying his company’s business records in connection to a payment to an adult film star in the run-up to the 2016 election.

After a judge just last week dismissed Trump’s motion to toss out the indictment altogether, or delay the trial further, the 45th President...

At least six people are dead and many more injured after a lone attacker stabbed shoppers at a Westfield shopping mall in Sydney’s Bondi Junction on Saturday. 

40-year-old Joel Cauchi was killed at the scene by Police but not until he had upended countless lives in his brutal attack.  

In this bonus episode of The Front Page, Sydney-based ABC News reporter Penny Timms joins to give an update on this horrific attack.  

Follow The...