Giuda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and This is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by The New Zealand Herald. From geopolitical friction and climate chaos to a cost of living crisis and consequences for a hukker heard around the world.
Twenty twenty five has been a huge year for news.
Trump's return to the White House, sparks, trade wars, artificial intelligence is getting well more intelligent, and we're rounding out the year with no end in sight for wars in Ukraine and Gaza. There's a lot to un pack for our final episode of the year, and who better to join me for a breakdown than two people behind the scenes of every episode you listen to or watch every day. Today on the Front Page, our producers, Richard Martin and Jane.
Yee are here to wrap up the year that what.
So.
Tom Phillips died after a shootout with.
Police in September after one thousand, three hundred and fifty eight days in the bush with his children. It was devastating. It was a devastating end to a massive, near four year long saga, but thankfully all three children were found. There's an inquiry underway at the moment Jane. A whole lot of questions remain about how he was even able to evade police at the time with his three children for so long. What do you make of these whole events.
It was a really interesting experience for me, being relatively new to the newsroom and that breaking in the morning and us sort of going, hey, lets it down to pure and see what's going on.
It was a longer drive than we imagine. We got down there and it was kind of it was just quite a weird vibe. I found. It was a lot quieter than I expected.
I expected a lot of locals, a lot of police present, none of that. It was just like PGG writes, and was shut and there was some tape across the front door, and that was that.
It was very very quiet, and it.
Seemed really in contrast to all the fervor of the coverage that was going on and had been going on, you know, throughout this time. But it's also, you know, a strange story, because they'd be a sighting and then there'd be a story, and then it would go quiet for such a long time, and I guess in the public you just sort of you forget about it until it's in your in your face again and when you read out how many days they were in the bush, it's quite astounding.
Yeah, it's incredible. It was four years nearly.
Being there in the small town, you get the sense that there was just this relief that it was over, and like because we went into stores to talk to people about it, and like no one really wanted to say anything, because it's like the nature of it is that, like, you know, there's not much else going on down there for the last four years, and like I'm sure there were seck of journalists and reporters and everything showing our
basketing quis about this thing. Also for so long, it's like, well, I've got nothing else to say about it because we don't know anything. And now that the story like finally came to a close, I just yet got the sense that there was just relief that they weren't going to be bothered anymore about us.
But also, I mean, the questions remain around if he was helped. We can only we can only speculate until you know, more information comes to light.
Which could be along you know, a really a few time.
If ever, certainly we know there are details that will be likely to be suppressed and we may never know, you know, so it's hard to you know, we're going down there and applying our lens of what we read the situation to be, but really unless those details come to light, we don't actually know.
How was it for you because that was your first time, Chelsea, going down there, and you know, this is a story that you've covered a lot closely than the two of us, and the four years that he's been missing.
Yeah, I think after four years, I kind of, you know, I would always when there would be a sighting or something, I would do crosses with ABC Australia and other Australian outfits and UK outfits about this story because the rest of the world really could not understand how he was
gone with his three kids for so long. And I remember the day actually that it came out that he was allegedly involved in an aggravated robbery and I nearly fell off my chair because it's like, A it was a new sighting of him, and B what do you mean an aggravated robbery and that CCTV footage coming out
as well. I also remember distinctly the moment that they were all seen by Peak Hunters together and that was the first time that the mother had seen all of her three children together, and the relief versus how scared she was for their safety but also relieved that they were still a lyve. That was a huge moment I think as well of that story. So thankfully they all
were found by police as well in the end. Another massive story this year, a huge blow for the New Zealand Police after a damning report into Jevin mcskimming, a former deputy police commissioner. Allegations from a woman were seen to be ignored are The report said ambitions of a senior police.
Officer were put above the interests of a vulnerable woman.
During the course of this investigation, of course, detectives found child exploitation material and beastiality on his work devices.
How do you think police.
Handled this, Jane, and how do you think they handled it in the aftermath as well.
I can only come at it purely from a public perception point of view because I'm not an expert in this area. But distrust that something like this puts in the police I think can't be overstated.
Like it it is a huge As you say, it's.
Difficult to know how you pr something I did notice a lot of the rhetoric was around you know, let this not detract from the fifteen thousand men and women who are hard at work every day. And yes, while that is true, I think you also have to very much face hit on the fact that you know, this was a shocking event, it was a scandal, It wonn't handlebell And I'm kind of curious to see if there's going to be some more threads that come out of this. It feels inevitable there there will be.
Yeah, I mean, because this hasn't happened.
You know, this isn't the first time something like this has happened with the police, Hey Richard.
Yeah, yeah, I mean totally.
And it's like, it is interesting to see how they spend it each time, because I think that, like if you watch the press conferences and everything that they've been doing about it, they you know, you could say that they've actually done a pretty good job of being like, yeah, this was messed up, and you know that we've we've dealt with it, we got rid of them, They've done
all this stuff. But then more and more that comes out about the reports about how you know, the complainant was prosecuted for harassment and all these things, and that it's like, yeah, it's seeing the inner workings that it's like, oh, this wasn't handled very well. And it's just there's always a thing about like the fact that this guy felt comfortable enough to access this sort of material on his work.
Computer must have felt like quite invincible.
Heye, totally.
And it just shows and like this happens every time, like so often when like you're a powerful man like this is found to be doing something that like it speaks to a culture of like how did you think this was okay?
How did you get away with this?
What does it say about the wider culture that you weren't worried about this?
What's just truly out the gate for me is the idea that you know, very very shocking, the you know, the kind of stuff that he had on his on his computer was on the cloud wear river that he had been EXI saying through work wild to think that their investigation that really really nearly didn't happen, the internal investigation, if they hadn't happened, none of this, none of that would have come out either. So you know, there's various layers and levels here, and it's kind of not good for anyone.
It's just not well. Another massive scandal this year.
Green Party MP and New Zealand's first non binary MP, Benjamin Doyle, came into controversy this year when their private Instagram account at Bible Belt Bossy Bussy Bussy was exposed featuring the phrase bussy galore, captioning a slideshow that included a photo of their child. Now this blew up online. Winston Peters called them out online a triggered hate, including death threats towards their family, their child, and they resigned in September.
First off, I mean, what do you make of this?
And did you know the term bussy before any of this came out?
Because I did not.
I had heard the term, But yeah, it is. There's one side of this that it's just there's a very strange world that we live in that you're hearing, like Winston Peter's demanding explanations for what bussy is and things like that, and so Benjamin Doyle having to come out and do these press conferences explaining that bussy Galore is a play on the pussy glore, the bond girl, and that that's sort of an alter ego that they had and all these things that it's like, it does sound ridiculous,
and I don't.
Sounds ridiculous in retrospect, and.
It felt ridiculous at the time.
I don't think that Benjamin Doyle as any kind of pervert or anything like that.
There's certainly no evidence to that effect. Truthfully, it shows to me just a generation to divide. Peter's trying to figure out the Internet and like getting it wrong. But they're being quite full on cons aequaenceance for an individual totally.
But then at the same time, there is the thing of like when you're a politician, when you're entering the public eye, you do have to like go through your social media. Like it's just a fact of the day and age we live in that you have to go through a social media the prefind to promit.
There's also you know, I think about like my kids in the way that they talk, perhaps some of the young people in the office here, I think none of us, none of us could be politicians if this is the standard pint which we have to live because of the amount of just stuff you say that is just in the modern day vernacular, they're you know, out of context.
I'm I'm not defending anything that is legitimately offensive. But you know, there's also this argument around Benjamin Doyle being part of a certain community where the language is used in a different way, and it's an internal kind of understanding between people that like those outside of that community. Particularly someone like Winston Peter's is just not going.
To get a big one in New Zealand politics this year. Let's talk about the Treaty principle spill. Obviously the huk I heard around the world late last year, and then this year several MPs that Awdiytt, Debbie Nadowapaka and were suspended for twenty one days each MP Clark seven days. Previously, the longest suspension for an MP had been three days, and that was given to former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon for criticizing the speaker. That was back in the eighties.
Do you think that twenty one days was far too harsh?
Yes, yeah, I think we're all in a creementer.
I just don't see how you can objectively say something seven times.
You know, there's a lot of history.
Seven times the previous record, it seems.
A lot, and that the previous record was so long ago as well, like it's really no one done anything bad in parliament that is kind of you know, deserving of a suspension for sitting.
You know, do you reckon the do you reckon?
The worldwide press of the Harker heard around the world prompted such a severe warning or severe suspension.
Yeah, I mean it did.
But like it's interesting though, because like so much of the response to I mean, I guess, you know, my social media algorithms are different from other people's, but like the things I was saying were all like, oh my god, this is so cool. You know, Native New Zealanders are like willing to stand up for this. But you know, I'm sure there were people ar go on the other side, but I think yet that there were a lot of eyes on that. And what was the response to it
going to be? I think twenty one days? And so the fact that it's seven times the previous record is insane.
But there's a lot of that sort of parliamentary stuff, like because occasionally, you know, in the newsroom, we will just have Parliament TV on in the background sometimesing and you watch it and you actually sit down and watch it, and there's a lot of like very sort of old fashion and like the way that the amount of power that the speaker holds, and like things like just insulting the speaker can get you kicked out for three days in the eighties. Is like, there's a lot of these
stuff that. Again, you know, you've said that we couldn't be politicians, but I don't think i'd want to be, to be.
Honest, No, it sounds pretty it sounds pretty full on the I think, you know, when we went to.
The Privileges Committee and came you know, there's an argument should the Privileges Committee be independent rather than parliamentary driven. It feels to me back to your question about you know, the global attention that was on this, again hard to say is a fact, but the sense to me is that like it was highly embarrassing, you know, it was highly embarrassing for the speaker, you know, making a mockery of the parliamentary process and so on, and therefore this
was the appropriate punishment. I tend to disagree. But the other interesting thing was there was also a lot of chat around. You know, they could have had a shorter suspension had they apologized, and apparently it was just near They were never asked to apologize. It was never suggested in the Privileges Committee.
Report that they should apologize.
So again you've got to kind of weed away at all the details and just see exactly what it is that's going on.
And this year, obviously, we saw US President Donald Trump push aggressive tariffs, sparking trade wars and an America first mindset. All the while he ordered slashes to federal spending through DOGE, which is something that I just wanted to say, it's so weird to think. He also exited the Paris Agreement, wanted to take over Greenland, and backed his health secretary when he linked paracetamol use pregnancy to autism.
That's all they want the ball on the ballroom of course as well.
So first off, these tariffs obviously sent the world into a tail spin. You know, leaders of every nation in the world wanting to speak to Donald Trump about this. What do you think that says about how the US's influence is still quite big?
Yeah, it's it is this annoying thing, Like you hear the way that other countries talk about Donald Trump, and it is like there's fear in it, you know, like there's the thing just just sweet gone that the FIFA
at the drawer. They like made up a new prize to be like and you get this that it's like everyone just wants to keep them happy because the US at the moment just feels so volatile and they're the thing of the tariffs that like it was affected by like personal grudges between Donald Trump and the world leader of sending country that they would say, oh, well we're going to do reciprocal tariffs or something like that, and he's like, well, then I'm going to increase yours kids.
Playing a board game, you know what I mean, And they're making up the rules as they go along.
It is.
It's a wild world that we live in at the moment. But I think you're being on. People don't necessarily necessarily respect him, but they fear him because he does. He does have power. And I think Donald Trump is far more clever than people give him credit for. I think he knows what he's doing in a lot of ways. He comes across as you know.
That he doesn't always know what he's doing, and you know, and I think there is an argument there are people talking about perhaps he's in cognitive decline.
I think both things could be true. I think he can.
Be very powerful and kind of know how to work people, know how to divert the conversation and all of those things for a specific purpose, not just because he's ant, but because he knows what he's doing.
But I think he can also can be a bit of.
An idea well, Like the thing about him is and that he knows how to work a crowd. If you've ever actually sat down and watched one of his rallies, like because the thing is that you you see all these clips out of context and it's like, oh, he said the craziest thing, and you know, a lot of it is insane, but he has this ability to tap into like exactly what a crowd wants to hear that like, and you know, for editing purposes and things like that.
I've sat down and watched like a forty minute hour long rally of his and the way that he plays off a grad more, I would say, more so in twenty sixteen twenty twenty, I think he has lost a bit of his speed, which you know, whether or not it's cognitive declined, it comes with aging and also the stress of being president, I'm sure.
And also not having to go on an election trail again.
Really yeah, yeah, right, like you do as much as you can be out there.
As you like, because this is your last year.
This is yeah, because we started off with the inauguration this year, which seems so like so long ago. But all of the tech bros in the front row, those images of all of them, I mean.
Do you reckon that they've all stuck around?
Like obviously the famous one is.
It's crazy to think that in twenty twenty five, there was a period of about six months where I heard the name Elon Musk every day and.
It was like, oh, yeah, he's doing some other thing.
You have to email Elon Musk five things you've done that week? That like, it's crazy that all the stuff was this year.
But then email and five things you've done this.
Because he was in charge of the shopping that you had to you had to send through what what were five things you you did in last week to prove your productive because nothing, you know, promotes productivity by like adding a useless bit of admin wik.
Yeah. But yeah, there was like all these things.
And then like the Doge contract because of things about let because he was an elected official, there was like all these different things about that. The contract was only going to be for a certain amount of time, and then when it finished, it seemed like they didn't end on the best of terms, because you know, it ended with Elon Musk just tweeting Trump is and the Epstein files that's why they won't be released.
Have fun with that, that's right. And then I think that was later deleted, but was done. The damage was done. And you know, obviously that's been another lot of the big stories of the year.
Now, a standout TV show this year was a four part series.
It was on Netflix. It was a drama. It was called Adolescents.
Not only for its performances and how each episode was actually filmed in a single take, which is extraordinary if you've watched it, I just couldn't believe that that was a thing, but also for the conversations around you know, its release social media role in youth radicalization, for example, the manner sphere, parental blind spots. Also when it comes to kids online, what do you guys make of those conversations?
And Jane, this one's for you.
Because you do have children of an age who are online.
Yeah, yeah, and it's though they honestly could be anywhere from two these days in Australia, they.
Can still be online.
No.
Yeah, I've got a fifteen and a half year old boy, so right in that space, and I haven't watched it, and I've deliberately not watched it because I know it will really disturb and upset me, and that, I guess maybe makes me one of those people who has blinkers on. But I don't feel like like I've seen the conversation, and I don't feel like I need to watch the kind of very harrowing thing to know what it's about and to engage in the conversations around it.
It's a little bit.
Self protection really, you know, as a parent, you know, I personally try to be very engaged in what my kids are doing online.
I'm not naive.
And if I think there's a naivety in thinking that you know everything, you don't and and you know, not that we're a parenting podcast, but it is just that classic like having the conversations with their children, making a safe space to talk about just keeping an eye on them and connecting with them is the best thing that you can do. I think it was a very excellent
I understand it was technically excellent. Again, I am saying that, but a very you know, a very timely release of something that was that would have made a lot of parents.
Oh yeah, sit up and take notice. It made me very uncomfortable. And I'm not a parent at all.
What about you, Richard, I'm also not a parent's.
Yeah, it is interesting, like the whole manisphere thing, because I do get exposed to some of that content.
My children don't like, they definitely do and me.
You know, like Charlie Kirk was, you know, obviously one of the big news stories this year, and he was a figure that I was very familiar with as someone.
And you see, I didn't know who Charlie Kirk were was before that day. And I was having a similar conversation with my brother as well, and he knew because his videos had come up on me.
Yeah, isn't that scary in that.
Like, depending on what social media I'm on, I would get feared like Charlie Kirk owns liberals or liberals own Charlie Kirk. That Like, if I'm on my TikTok algorithm tends to be I guess more left wing, and so it will be stuff where you know, you're Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson Charlie Kirk are caught out in something, whereas if I go on Twitter, it's like entirely look at you know, facts don't care about your feelings, and all the times that they're won an argument.
And sometimes the same clip exactly just.
Depending on who's posting it. Yeah, like yes, I know, as you see. I've seen clips out of context from you know, one of these Jubilee debate debate videos or something like that, and then I'm like, who do they think looks stupid?
Yeah, to be like, oh okay, yeah.
If there's one thing that is likely to end up on a lot of twenty twenty five lists this year, I think it's going to be this cute ugly monster plushy la boo boo.
You've heard of them.
They were everywhere, and I think it brings up a few good insights into like society, celebrity endorsements, consumerism, and that kind of psychology like I need this because I can't get it kind of thing.
What do you think of them?
I think I think they're quite cute ugly cute ugly, but I feel like you ugly has been a thing for ever, you know, in pop culture. But I personally don't have a libo. The dairy near my house sounds like La Booboo esque type candy type, you know, I don't actually know what it is, but they're right by the counter. You know, these these dolls, what do you
call them? They don't they they were around slashy. They're plushy, so like they would have been sitting in pop stop or whatever, selling just for a regular price until who was it?
Was it Rihanna someone?
It was Rihanna, but it was also Jenny from Black Pink I think as well, and a couple of other celebrities also had them on their backs or something.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then it just yeah, it just started a whole thing, didn't it.
I mean, there's no.
It feels like if you're a manufacturer of something, it's just as like gambling.
Yeah, like he's hoping.
Well, and also everyone's struggling with the cost of living and having a really rough twenty twenty five, and you know, if you can get some enjoyment out of.
This little furry monster that cost you.
I can't remember what they they cost about forty bucks or something, and you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
Then why not.
But there was a lot of people criticizing people for liking Laboo Boos as well, Yeah it.
Comes out, it's funny.
Like basically, everything I know about Laboober's I've learned from Huge House.
Will.
But yeah, like, I mean, anytime.
Some dumb little thing like this comes a fair essentially fair comes along, there's going to be people that are like against her. But it's like, yeah, that makes you were happy for Like, it's.
Pretty harnest, right, I think that I think the problem really lies and when the value is so inflated that like the poor little kid who has actually been collecting them when they were just like nineteen ninety five at pop stop and really wanted a particular one, but now that one is worth you know, sixty thousand dollars, it becomes a bit of a problem. It doesn't help with the cost of living crisis.
My next one just two words cold play kiss cam, which is.
Technically I think it's kiss cam one.
Word or that's the big debate that everyone was talking about.
Everyone was one.
Ding where the kiss you know discuss.
I mean, I you know what a great viral moment.
Incredible, incredible moment, and then all of the videos of people re enacting it as well.
But I do like I'm maybe I'm just a bleeding her. I feel it sorry for them.
Do you have Do you have the right to anonymity when you're at a concert with your lover?
Well, I mean, you know that kiss allegedly, you know, kiss cams exists, you know, phone social media exists, So I mean, do you have the right to Sure, we all have the right to it, but you've also got to realize, like.
We exercise that right, you know.
But the I just think that in a these things are never.
As black and white as they seem, right, you know, you don't know actually what's going on in someone's personal life and the repercussions on family members, other parties. You know, it's it's quite out of step with just someone having you know, and a fear that can be yahretty pretty detrimental to a family, to a relationship on the best of days, litt alone having it become the biggest viral
moment in the world. Possibly ever, like, that's a lot for people to deal with and possibly you know, yeah, I mean I wouldn't want.
My family finding out like Coldplow.
Yeah exactly, That's what we're talking about Yeah, that was.
It, but also the dosing online as well.
I mean, immediately after that video came out, people knew where the man worked. I think his wife was actually asleep and woke up to messages because people.
Had found them overnight. So it's like where do you where does it end?
Well, it's also like, I mean, the really interesting thing about it as well is that like if they had done nothing, no one would know about it, right, And then it's like the straisone effect of like trying to hide something only draws attention to it. And it was like, just in the last couple of months, he's like announced he's sewing coldplay or something along those lines, because.
Chris Martin pointed.
It out, and because there was also the thing about like, oh is it defamation what Chris Martin said that, He's like, oh, they're either you know, having an affair.
Well, it's not defamation because it's true true.
We did a whole episode on it.
Remember, yeah, but yeah, and because there was all these things about like what legal repercussions are there, but then also there was like these things about like oh, there and he had separated from his wife or like but then obviously you know, anyone can just go online and make this up. So I've seen a bunch of different things that's actually they weren't together, or actually they had been together.
There's points, you know, like it gives way to the point that we.
Really don't know what's going on in people's personal lives, and why do we feel like we have the right to, you know, to cast moral judgment when so many of the details are missing.
Yeah, I mean that's a great viron my man, you.
Know, hilarious.
And last one, what is your major standout of the year?
Yeah, top moments for me. I was trying to think of, like if there are actually are only like like fun news stories this year. I mean the Copley has came was one that was.
Like, Yeah, I mean we went in pretty hard on Ike and that it was very recent, like literally last weekish.
But I think I found it chronically hilarious.
That there was no traffic, and I think it might have been part of the media hype.
Thing that we contributed to.
We scared people away, We did too good of a job for us, But you know, I think it's you know, I'm I'm kind of a fan of AKA.
I'm glad it's here.
It was exciting to go and check out the story ahead of time, to try and meet all you know, that sort of thing. And to me, that's kind of a little bit of a feel good story to.
End what is otherwise been a pretty rubbish Yeah, all things considered, I think, you know, I here is my my big blue.
Savior because because for me, like I'm a big sort of like pop culture guy that like my like my highlights of each year are like things like you know, Oscar season and like I mean, I was a big fan of Kendrick Lamher at the super Bowl that was back in February, and yeah, you know there's been there's been some good movies this year as well, one Bay of Lafter another Listeners, and so it's like, those are my highlights of the year personally, Well.
Thanks so much for joining us.
No, no, you don't get to do that.
It was your highlight of the Chelsea obviously working with you guys, and I know that you just wanted that on tape. No. I think coming to work every day and working on this podcast, I think I love what I do and I love creating this for the audience. And a big shout out to the audience and whoever's listening, watching reading the article.
We really really do appreciate it.
Here, we do.
We ended for all your heart Maneyah, thanks so much for joining us.
Chelsea, thanks so.
Much for joining us.
That's it for the Front Page for twenty twenty five. We'll be back with new episodes in mid January. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at ends at Herald dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Jane Ye and Richard Martin, who's also our editor.
I'm Chelsea Daniels.
Subscribe to the Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in over the summer, where we'll be revisiting episodes from the past year.