The Front Page

The race is on for the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election – sparked by the death of Te Pati Maori MP, Takutai Tarsh Kemp.

The Māori electorate covers central and southern Auckland areas, from the Waitakere Ranges to Bucklands Beach and Waiheke Island.

Voting begins today for overseas voters, advance voting opens on August 25, and election day is set for September 6.

Today on The Front Page, Victoria University of Wellington associat...

New Zealanders are well on their way to a collective $1 trillion in debt.

At the current rate of growth, we’ll hit that landmark inside the next three years. Current gross debt sits at more than 870 billion for the year to May.

At the same time, five years after Covid hit and the Government is still paying the price.

Core Crown borrowings rose 11% in a year, hitting $239 billion—that's 156% higher than in May 2019.

Toda...

Since entering Parliament 10 years ago, Mārama Davidson has become a co-leader, been appointed a Minister, and has helped the Greens reach its largest-ever caucus.

She’s always been a staunch advocate for children, so it comes as no surprise that last week, the Green Party launched an open letter calling on the Minister of Children to adopt seven promises to children in state care, so “no more tamariki fall into harm&rd...

The countdown to the Putin-Trump summit is on.

The two leaders are due to meet in Alaska to discuss what peace could look like in Ukraine, more than three and a half years after Russia’s invasion.

While Trump has spoken to Ukraine’s Volodymir Zelenskyy ahead of the meeting, European capitals remain apprehensive that a resolution will come from it, and are rallying behind Kyiv.

So, is this latest development in fact, a d...

A New Zealand citizen and her son have been detained by ICE in the US.

Sarah Shaw and her six-year-old son were detained at the Canadian border after she drove her two eldest children to a Vancouver airport for a flight to New Zealand to visit their grandparents.

The pair are currently sitting in a detention facility in Texas.

They are two of tens of thousands of people who are currently being detained by the agency – most do...

The Government’s decision on whether it’ll recognise the state of Palestine has been put on hold until next month.

It’s despite our closest neighbour Australia following a sweep of countries moving to support Palestine.

78 years since the United Nations resolution to create the State of Israel and a Palestinian state, Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese said the world “can no longer wait for the implementa...

Video-sharing website, YouTube, began 20 years ago with a 19 second video of one of its founders at the San Diego Zoo.

Now, hundreds of hours of content are uploaded to the platform every single minute.

There has been a huge shift globally to reign in the social media giants -the UK has introduced age verifications requirements, with Australia to follow suit by the end of the year. Other countries like India, Germany, Spain, Italy ...

A self-described “Prince of the Provinces” - there are few politicians like Shane Jones.

He’s Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Regional Development, and Resources -- and has been in the spotlight recently for spearheading a restart and expansion of oil and gas in New Zealand.

Over the years he’s face criticism for his close relationships with industry leaders OVER the environment. Comments like “Goodb...

Cost of living and the economy remains top of the agenda for National.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s already touting his leadership as one that’s a “clear choice” for New Zealanders at next year’s election, saying the government “inherited a mess and sorting it out”.

However, commentators have been quick to out the issues facing National ahead of the campaign – writing that Luxon...

From tomorrow, there’ll be a 15% tariff on New Zealand imports for US businesses.

The announcement of the arbitrary amount saw us frantically send our chief trade negotiator over to Washington in a last-ditch effort to plead our case. Trade Minister Todd McClay was also dispatched.

But, will that actually do any good – when larger economies have already signed on the dotted line and accepted their fates?

And how should ...

The days of simply ticking a box to confirm your age online are over.  

The UK has become one of the first countries to make it harder for internet users to consume pornography by requiring age verification measures, in an effort to prevent under-18s from viewing explicit content.

The move has sparked concern about users giving even more data and personal information to tech companies... and has raised questions about whether ...

Is New Zealand’s largest city dying?

Auckland is home to roughly a third of the entire country’s population and is predicted to grow even bigger in the coming years.

The City of Sails is, by far, the largest contributor to New Zealand’s economic output, generating about 40% of GDP.

But, walk down many of the inner-city streets, and you’ll see vacant lots – with a lot of potential.

Today on The Front Pa...

The Government is likely to pass a law banning farm-to-forest conversions to protect productive farmland for food production. 

It’ll mean a restriction on planting forests on high-quality land – and it’s a response to the previous government’s Emissions Reduction Plan.  

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has emphasised the need to protect productive farmland, maintain food security, and ensure that ...

There are more than 9,000 gang members in New Zealand, and thousands more associates.

The coalition government from the get-go promised a crackdown on gangs – they've banned gang insignia in public, handed police greater powers, and created laws to disrupt get-togethers. But, is that all enough?

Jared Savage has been a journalist at the NZ Herald for about 20 years, with a focus on organised crime.

His latest book, Underworld...

You might look on Facebook marketplace for a new couch, a lamp, a rug.

But, what about class A drugs? Or how about a ghost gun?

A Herald investigation has revealed at least 56 listings were circulating on the site offering magic mushrooms, cannabis, and in one case LSD across the North Island and top of the south.

And that could just be the tip of the iceberg of illicit sales on social media.

So how do we get on top of this?

NZ Her...

We’ve all been caught out when using PayWave or contactless payment in stores, where we think we know how much we’re paying and then a surcharge adds a tiny bit more on that final price.

Well, that’s about to change.

The Government is planning to ban retailers from being able to add surcharges to most in-store card payments.

It follows a decision by the Commerce Commission last week to reduce interchange fees paid...

New Zealand’s energy sector is broken.

That’s according to an open letter calling for the Government to do more to keep our power prices down.

Soaring power costs is always a concern – but, we now live in a country where for some it’s a privilege to have power.

We've heard too many stories about businesses closing due to the rising cost of just keeping the lights on, and everyday Kiwis are struggling as well...

From entering Parliament in 2008 – to leading the country in 2023 – Chris Hipkins is no stranger to the spotlight.

During Covid’s beginnings, he was known as a safe set of hands, tackling Education, Health, and becoming the Minister in charge of the Covid Response for a time.

Now, he’s firmly setting his sights on election 2026 – but, is he confident he’ll still be in Labour’s driving seat ...

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement – or NCEA – has been New Zealand’s main secondary school qualification for more than 20 years now.

But, its future could be on the line, as more top schools plan to offer alternatives – and a Government briefing raised concerns about its credibility.

So is NCEA really as bad as it’s been out made out to be, and what would be the benefit of switching y...