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 about international brands setting up on our shores? And, is there enough appetite...
Sep 04, 2025•18 min
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 conviction quashed after a so-called “false confession”. He spent three ye...
Sep 03, 2025•17 min
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 appointments. All this, after a year of deadlocked negotiations between the union and He...
Sep 02, 2025•15 min
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 support? It’s a growing trend among youth in the US, 72% of teens ther...
Sep 01, 2025•18 min
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 the last election, the party won six electorate seats – its best result yet. So, Today on ...
Aug 31, 2025•18 min
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 to 150,000 – did not or simply could not leave. The official death toll is be...
Aug 28, 2025•24 min
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 fighting for Russia. So, what is Kim’s game plan here? And should New Zealand proceed if talks tur...
Aug 27, 2025•18 min
A group of concussion researchers have likened Run It Straight events to “dwarf tossing”, where organisers turn “real human risk and harm into a spectacle”. There are growing calls to ban these events – where two people tun head-to-head at each other before making body-jarring contact. These ‘sporting spectacles’ have gained popularity in recent times – with competitors promised thousands of dollars for winning. The social media driven craze made international headlines earlier this year when 19...
Aug 26, 2025•17 min
There’s been a leadership shakeup at the Royal NZ Police college, after a recruit debacle. It’s while a newly released survey of training officers has found two thirds were concerned about probationary cops’ understanding of police responsibilities when holding suspects in custody. It also found 55% feel new cops were ‘barely or not at all’ well equipped with knowledge of arrest and charge procedures. All of this while the government is slowly backing away from its hardline promise of 500 new co...
Aug 25, 2025•17 min
The illegal tobacco trade has become a very lucrative business worldwide. In Australia for example, illegal, excise-evading cigarettes now comprise of half of the products sold to the country’s 2.7 million smokers, according to the ABC. It’s thought the $10 billion a year in revenue there is going straight into the pockets of organised crime. But, has this trend made it to New Zealand shores? And how much of a headache is it causing those protecting our borders? Today on The Front Page, head of ...
Aug 24, 2025•14 min
Marsden Point operated as New Zealand’s only oil refinery for nearly 60 years. At its peak in the 80s, it employed around 1700 people – when it was closed in 2022, nearly 240 lost their jobs. Run by Channel Infrastructure, the site now operates as NZ’s largest fuels import terminal storing and distributing 40% of the country’s fuel. In recent weeks, a slew of Ministers have visited the site, with NZ First in particular floating the idea of introducing our first Special Economic Zone to help pump...
Aug 21, 2025•29 min
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 associate professor Lara Greaves is with us to give us a rundown of what you ne...
Aug 19, 2025•19 min
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. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann joins us to...
Aug 18, 2025•20 min
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”. One of those promises is to make it a requirement that Oranga Tamariki give r...
Aug 17, 2025•30 min
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 development at all? Or just posturing by two men desperate to be seen to be do...
Aug 14, 2025•21 min
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 not have criminal convictions and are classified as being no threat to...
Aug 13, 2025•16 min
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 implementation of that resolution to be negotiated between the two parties”. So, how should New Zealand p...
Aug 12, 2025•22 min
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 and Norway are also investigating exactly how to better protect k...
Aug 11, 2025•18 min
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 “Goodbye Freddy” when talking about if an endangered frog stood in the way of mining construction pro...
Aug 10, 2025•23 min
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 is “getting worried” and that National is in a “mess”. So, as the battle lines start getting drawn in the Beehiv...
Aug 07, 2025•19 min
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 New Zealand be diversifying our trade portfolio, to rely less on the big play...
Aug 06, 2025•22 min
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 the process actually works. So, with these laws gaining popularity overs...
Aug 05, 2025•19 min
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 Page, NZ Herald property editor, Anne Gibson is with us to discuss what can be done to get develo...
Aug 04, 2025•18 min
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 forestry expansion doesn’t come at the expense of agriculture and rural livelihoods. But, have we plac...
Aug 03, 2025•18 min
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, is the third in a series of he’s released since 2020 – and the latest...
Jul 31, 2025•24 min
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 Herald senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah has been looking...
Jul 30, 2025•16 min
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 by businesses for accepting credit card payments. So what does this all mean for c...
Jul 29, 2025•21 min
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... tens of thousands of households are cut off from basic, essential services, just beca...
Jul 28, 2025•19 min
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 when it rolls around? Today on The Front Page, Hipkins joins us to discuss the cost of living, vibes in par...
Jul 27, 2025•27 min
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 your kid over to one of the other options out there? Today on The Front Page, Dr Nina Hood from ...
Jul 24, 2025•20 min
