The Front Page

The Front Page

Keeping up to date with the news just became a little easier. Available every weekday at 5am, tune in as Chelsea Daniels chats with the journalists and newsmakers, going behind the headlines to break down what you need to know on the biggest stories of the day.

Episodes

September 23, 2025 18 mins

Thousands of senior doctors are on strike until midnight, after walking off the job yesterday.

Their long-running pay dispute with Heath New Zealand continues, with doctors saying the latest offer represents a ‘real pay cut’ when recruitment and retention is critical.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Simeon Brown claims they’re putting pay and politics ahead of patients, after thousands of elective procedures and appoin...

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The clock is ticking for New Zealand to join a throng of other countries recognising the state of Palestine.

Britain, Canada, and Australia have all formally recognised it, with the likes of Portugal, France and several others to follow at the United Nations General Assembly this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned their moves, saying a Palestinian state would be a "huge reward to terrorism" and "will not ...

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Over the past decade, New Zealand has seen dozens of community newspapers shut down, newsroom roles cut, and programmes taken off air.

 A new discussion paper by former NZ Herald editor-in-chief Gavin Ellis warns that these changes are creating “news deserts” — areas where communities have little to no access to local reporting. The report highlights the Far North, Taupō, South Taranaki and Central Hawke&rsqu...

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A coroner has issued a damning report after the death of 16-year-old Canterbury teenager Lizzy Marvin — saying she likely died because the government failed to act on the dangers of foam-filled furniture.

 Lizzy died after toxic fumes filled her Burnham home when embers from a fireplace set her family's sofa bed alight. The coroner says the blaze spread with terrifying speed because of the foam inside — a risk Fire...

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Auckland is under pressure to make space for two million homes, and councillors have little choice in the matter. 

On September 24, the city’s policy and planning committee will decide whether to press ahead with the existing Plan Change 78, which allows three-storey housing across most of the city, or back a new plan that concentrates apartment blocks up to fifteen storeys around key transport hubs. 

Both options h...

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The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has shone a spotlight on political violence in the US, and around the world.

The 31-year-old was shot at a Utah university last week in front of thousands of people the alleged killer is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who’s set to appear in court this week.

While his motive remains unclear, the killing has sparked conversations about the widening gap between left and right ...

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The All Blacks have taken a giant step backwards in a 43-10 crushing at the hands of South Africa in Wellington.

It’s their worst ever defeat – shipping six tries to one after leading 10-7 at halftime.

The performance has prompted questions about the team’s ability to recover and deliver consistent high-quality showings.

So, what does this record-breaking display mean for the future of the All Blacks?

Today on The...

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International campaigns, a Russian vote-tampering scandal, and an imposter taking the win, there’s one election that New Zealanders have taken very seriously.

No, it doesn’t involve politicians— or even human beings.

For two decades the public has pored over more than 80 native birds — and one controversial bat — to crown one Bird of the Year.  

The fun is meant to highlight our native fauna, and ...

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There’s a new plan to re-open the Christ Church Cathedral in stages.

It’s after the reinstatement of the iconic building came to a standstill last year when the project was unable to secure an extra $85 to 95 million.

The new plan still comes with a funding shortfall of between $40 and 45 million.

This news is just the latest in a saga that’s haunted Cantabrians since the cathedral was severely damaged in the Cant...

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In Australia, the massive manhunt continues for suspected cop killer Dezi Freeman in rural Victoria.

Officers had gone to his remote property in Porepunkah with a search warrant – but were met with gunfire. Two officers died at the scene.

Hundreds of officers are looking for the so-called ‘sovereign citizen’ with a hatred of authority.

Police have also announced a $1 million reward for information leading to his a...

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The Government’s being urged to create a new ministerial portfolio to focus on organised crime.

It’s the “number one” threat to our national security, and as such, there should be a Government Minister put in charge of tackling it – That's according to a report from experts advising the coalition. 

In recent years, there have been record busts at the border, as global crime syndicates – incl...

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In the early hours of Monday morning, a man police were hunting for nearly four years was shot and killed in a stand-off on a rural Waikato road.

That man was Tom Phillips, who in December 2021 vanished into the Marokopa bush with his three children, Jayda, Maverick, and Ember.

There have been numerous sightings over the years of the fugitive father - the last was in August when he and another person believed to be one of his child...

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China recently rolled out the red carpet to some of the world’s most controversial leaders – in a massive display of military might.

It was all laughs, hugs and hand holding amongst the likes of Russia’s Vladamir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The carefully choreographed summit was designed to showcase Xi’s vision of a new world o...

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New Zealanders will finally get to experience the labyrinth that is an IKEA store from December 4.

The new Sylvia Park site in Auckland is one of the company’s largest in the Southern Hemisphere – about the size of three rugby fields.

There’ll be thousands of products available online and in store, and yes, they will be serving up their famous Swedish meatballs in a 426-seat cafeteria.

So, why do we get so excited...

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Police interviewing techniques have been a controversial topic here and around the globe.

There have been countless, high-profile cases where someone has been convicted but later exonerated – and their interrogations questioned.

In New Zealand, Teina Pora was wrongfully convicted of murder and rape largely based on a confession given during a lengthy police interview.

And more recently, Harry Matchitt had his manslaughter con...

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More than 36-thousand Nurses' Organisation members nationwide went on strike yesterday, and they will walk off the job again tomorrow.

Health New Zealand says the action could disrupt treatment, services and care over the entire week - especially for patients with non-urgent needs.

It’s while the Health Minister, Simeon Brown, has criticised the strikes – saying they’ll disrupt more than 13,000 surgeries and appoi...

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As many as one in five Kiwi youth, aged between 15 and 24, have experienced anxiety or depression at some point in their lives.

The 2022/23 New Zealand Health Survey found that of those young people experiencing high mental health needs, 77% can’t access support when they need it.

So, with services experiencing this kind of unprecedented demand, what if there was another solution?

What if, teens turned to AI for mental health...

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Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is known for unapologetically fighting for the rights of Māori.

The co-leader of Te Pati Māori never shies away from speaking her mind -- especially when it comes to social and climate justice.

Since becoming co-leader in 2020, and MP for Te Tai Hauauru at the last election, she’s been suspended from Parliament and criticised the coalition’s “intent to dismantle indigenous rights”.

At t...

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20 years on, and the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina is still being felt.

The category three hurricane made landfall on August 29, 2005 devastating parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama – with New Orleans suffering catastrophic flooding due to levee failures.

About 80% of the city was inundated with water, and while a mandatory evacuation order was made just one day before landfall, many people – up ...

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US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his ‘close relationship’ with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

In a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, he said he hopes to meet with Kim later this year, saying “I look forward to seeing him... we got along great.”

Meanwhile, in an unusual move, Kim has recently released a highly emotive video of a ceremony for fallen soldiers in Pyongyang who died fig...

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