The Front Page

Officially dubbed the “Growth Budget” - unofficially, the “no BS Budget” - Finance Minister Nicola Willis has unveiled where New Zealand's dollars are being spent. 

From the outset, she promised no frills or excess – saying for months there’s very little left in the kitty. 

Big changes include cuts to Government KiwiSaver contributions, means testing on the financial support parents can...

Society is always under pressure to keep up – given the world around us is in a constant state of change.

Our education sector is no different.

Education officials are attempting to crack down on the use of artificial intelligence in NCEA exams, after a rise in substantiated breaches last year.

It’s an extra challenge for schools on top of other issues that have emerged since Covid – like a decline in students&rsq...

Only a few weeks after he had reportedly been in contention for the country’s top police job, deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming was suspended and put on leave.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority and New Zealand Police were investigating, but the nature of the allegations could not be reported.  

Months went by without any developments.

That was – until last week, when McSkimming resigned after alleg...

Adolf Hitler. Joseph Stalin. Benito Mussolini. Pol Pot. Saddam Hussein.

Apart from being some of the most famous dictators in human history, they all have one thing in common.

They all had dramatic, violent, and disgraced downfalls. But, in almost every case, foreign powers played a major role in shaping the post-dictatorship future.

How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive by political scientist Marcel Dirsus delves into the vuln...

New Zealand’s Parliament is a ‘house of chaos’.

At least that’s how our own deputy Prime Minister has described the debating chamber.

The C-Bomb was dropped in Parliament last week by Brooke van Velden, quoting a Stuff column by Andrea Vance that was criticising the Government’s changes to pay equity.

It has muddied an already dirty debate over women’s pay that is set to overshadow the Budget thi...

The ‘war on wokeness’ may feel like a new phenomenon, but in fact, it’s been around for centuries.

People have been ‘cancelled’, in one way or another, since the beginning of time – it's human nature to form tribes, create an ‘us’ and ‘them’, and serve as judge, jury, and sometimes literally, executioner.

But in recent years, the ‘culture wars’ have erupted bet...

If you’ve looked at headlines around the world lately, you’d be forgiven for thinking that immigration is the root of all our problems.

Perhaps the most vocal anti-immigration critic at the moment is the United States, with mass deportations happening against undocumented migrants.

Now the UK Government is vowing to fix a ‘broken’ immigration system with new policies, which are estimated to lead to a 100,000...

New Zealand’s on high alert – after an Auckland ferry worker tested positive for measles.

They were infectious while on board a number of Fullers360 sailings on May 5, at a Kelston supermarket, and Downtown car park.

Two days later, they were at Unichem New Lynn and Pak 'n Save Mt Albert.

The marine crew member had recently travelled to Asia, but they weren’t infectious on their flight home.

So, how concerning is ...

After a week of tensions, India and Pakistan have reached a ceasefire deal.

Tensions over the disputed territory of Kashmir were reignited after a massacre of Hindu tourists last month, leading to a series of bombings between the two countries that sparked fears they would return to full out war.

While the ceasefire deal is holding for now, many in the Kashmir region are hoping a permanent solution can be found.

Today on The Front ...

The Government is set to cut billions of dollars from spending at the upcoming budget as a cost-saving measure in these tight financial conditions.

But what if there was a way to raise more revenue from existing industries?

Analysis from the Herald has looked at the ‘black market’ or the informal economy – the industries dominated by cash in hand methods of payment that pass by the tax system.

NZ Herald Head of Ne...

The National Party is looking to follow Australia and ban social media for under-16s.

It has submitted a members bill that would look to limit how young people engage with the likes of Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Since Australia’s world-leading ban was passed into law last year, multiple countries are looking at bans as a way of addressing concerning social media habits.

But is a ban actually feasible, and would it addres...

After 22 years, video calling platform Skype is shutting down.

After its inception, to ‘skype’ became a verb – and it was the go-to service for many years.

That is... until Covid-19 and Zoom took over.

So how has something once thought to be so innovative become so obsolete?

Who decides what apps and sites we migrate to – and looking to the future, what could be the next big bang – or bust?

Today on Th...

This year marks 15 years since the birth of Auckland’s Super City.

The controversial idea to merge eight regional and district councils into one SUPER council was kickstarted after a Royal Commission on Auckland Governance back in 2007.

The city now stretches from Wellsford down to Bombay, and from Muriwai to Orere Point.

More than a decade later, discussions are still being had about whether it was a good move for New Zealan...

Donald Trump has made it through his 100 days back in office – and people are not thrilled with his performance.

His approval ratings at the 100 day mark are the lowest in 70 years, with only a 44 percent approval for a man who won the popular vote only 7 months ago.

It comes as his tenure has so far been dominated by tariffs and trade wars, cutting public services, gender, mass deportations, and hitting out at his enemies.

A...

This week is Rape Awareness Week in New Zealand.

1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experience sexual violence at some stage in their lifetime.

Repeated surveys show that tens of thousands of New Zealanders are experiencing this type of assault every year.

So what’s being done to try and stop the violence – and are those victims who are speaking up, getting the justice they need?

Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by ...

Wellington City will have a new mayor by the end of this year.

After previously committing to run for a second term, mayor Tory Whanau has pulled out of the race.

It comes after her term was dominated by personal incidents and infighting between councillors – but she made her decision only a day after work finally started on the Golden Mile project.

A number of men are running to take over the mayoral reins – with forme...

This month, the Government will deliver its second budget, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is starting to tease what exactly we could see from it.

And basically — don’t expect much.

There will be just $1.3 billion of new discretionary operating spending in this year’s Budget, as the Government focuses once again on reducing spending by “billions” of dollars.

So where is all this money going, and wha...

The Australian federal election is heating up.

Anthony Albanese is facing the challenge of becoming the first PM to be re-elected since John Howard. He has been an MP since 1996, when he was the youngest Labor member of the house.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton brings with him a wealth of experience, having been elected to the house of representatives in 2001 aged 30.

Both have sat across the aisle from each other for ye...

Crime is a constant hot topic of debate in New Zealand – one that is rarely far from the front pages.

The recent alleged murder of University of Auckland student Kyle Whorrall in Auckland has served as a reminder of the randomness that comes with violent crime – with a 16 year old now charged with his murder.

But the Government is touting that violent crime is on the decline – years before their intended target.

S...