Kiwi rower Robbie Manson has found a unique way of promoting himself in the lead up to next year’s summer Olympics. The world record holder has signed up for fan subscription service OnlyFans, a site most associated with pornography. This is not a sudden career change for Manson though – and in fact, it highlights the financial difficulty many athletes in New Zealand face, even if they’ve represented us on a world stage. Damien speaks to Robbie Manson about this career move, and is later joined ...
Jun 14, 2023•20 min
As political parties look to shape the debate ahead of October’s election, the Green Party have made a bold statement when it comes to tax. Their policy would see the wealthiest 0.7 per cent of households targeted by a new tax, plus higher trust and corporate taxes, while cutting taxes for lowest earners tax cuts for New Zealand’s lowest earners. The Greena say it’s to lift those struggling the most out of poverty, but critics see it as more rich bashing by one of our most left of centre parties...
Jun 13, 2023•19 min
Last week, 34-year-old Xavier Valent was sentenced to life in prison for importing drugs into New Zealand. It is only the third time someone has received a life sentence in this country for meth-related charges – but Valent was not your ordinary drug dealer. His six-week-long trial revealed details of the major global drug syndicate he sat at the head of, with dozens of ‘minions’ working for him as he travelled the world living a life of luxury. NZ Herald crime reporter George Block was the only...
Jun 12, 2023•16 min
Everyone in Auckland has an opinion on what should happen to the city's port. Businesspeople want its ownership structure to change, the mayor wants it to move and citygoers complain that it’s an eyesore. To make matters worse, the workers have faced years of safety issues and even deaths onsite. This has led to often tense relations between the union and management. The man at the centre of all this is CEO Roger Gray, who joins Damien today to give a sense of what it takes to run Ports of Auckl...
Jun 11, 2023•19 min
David Seymour isn’t one to mince his words. That much was clear at the ACT Party annual conference, where Seymour used the opportunity to rally the party faithful ahead of this year’s election. As well as taking aim at other parties for their lack of action, Seymour announced a new policy if they make it into government in October – a Ministry of Regulation to reign in government spending. With polls showing a dead heat between both sides of the political aisle, there’s every chance that Seymour...
Jun 08, 2023•21 min
Michael Wood is the latest minister to lose a portfolio under Chris Hipkins. He has been stood down from the Transport portfolio after revelations he owns shares in Auckland Airport – and has failed to sell them despite several reminders. It’s the latest problem to engulf the government at a ministerial level, heaping more pressure on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to right his ship ahead of this year’s election. NZ Herald deputy political editor and host of On the Tiles , Thomas Coughlan broke th...
Jun 07, 2023•15 min
Aotearoa’s population is getting older, which means more people are entering aged care every year. The problem is that our care facilities are already overburdened and understaffed, heaping pressure on the nurses taking care of New Zealand’s elderly. NZ Herald investigative journalist Nicholas Jones recently won a Voyager award for best individual investigation in recognition of his work looking into the industry. He joins Damien to explain if anything has changed since he first started asking s...
Jun 06, 2023•15 min
We’re being watched every single day. Our every online move is recorded, jotted down and then sold on to bidders who want our eyeballs. This is how tech giants like Google, Meta and TikTok make billions of dollars in ad revenue every year. It’s an incredibly effective system but also comes with some serious consequences. So what price are we actually paying for “free” access to these services? How worrying is it that tech giants are essentially keeping track of our every move? And what can we do...
Jun 05, 2023•19 min
The country woke up this morning to news that former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had been declared a Dame. She is just one of 182 people from across a range of industries being recognised in today's Kings Birthday Honours, on a list that includes rugby coaches, armed service personnel, medical pioneers, and Queen Camilla. But how does the honours system work and who gets to make the call about who gets knighted? To help us make sense of all the honours and understand how they’re awarded, Damie...
Jun 04, 2023•10 min
Parliament’s major parties are both leaning heavily towards the political centre, in order to attract the coveted middle New Zealand vote. But in doing so, they’re leaving an opportunity for the minor parties to pick up voters on the fringes. The thing is that as society becomes more polarised, those fringes are becoming larger and larger. This leaves some uncomfortable choices for both National and Labour as they head into the next election. So how do you appeal to the middle while not alienati...
Jun 01, 2023•18 min
Few issues have attracted as much media attention in the last year as crime. Ram raids, street violence and burglaries have grabbed headlines time again, creating a sense that New Zealand is no longer a safe place to live – and a narrative that crime has got worse under the Labour government. Now, new insights from the NZ Herald data team reveal whether this perception is actually reflected in the crime statistics. Head of newsroom data Chris Knox tells Damien what the numbers actually show, and...
May 31, 2023•18 min
Name suppression is one of the most contentious parts of the New Zealand legal system. Many high-profile criminals in recent years have received name suppression for months or years on end – with the five year suppression for the Mama Hooch rapists being one of the recent examples of how long suppression can last. That can cause tension with the general public, as it often seems as though it's only high profile offenders who get to keep their identities hidden. So how does name suppression work,...
May 30, 2023•16 min
The Labour Party's key focuses for Chris Hipkins' first party congress as leader were keeping the age of superannuation static and continuing an apprenticeship scheme. But the National Party also made a grab for the spotlight by pulling its support for bipartisan joint housing accords. Who came out looking stronger? And do the would-be governing parties have their eye on the minor parties who may decide 2023's election? Today, NZ Herald political editor Claire Trevett cuts through the party PR a...
May 29, 2023•17 min
Trusts have hit the headlines in recent weeks. First, a major IRD report revealed that extremely wealthy people were earning most of their money through trusts. Then, shortly afterwards, the Government announced an increase in the tax rate on trusts. So what exactly is a trust? How do you earn money from it? How many New Zealanders will be impacted by this tax hike? And is there a risk that average Kiwis take the biggest hit? Today, Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker and partner at TGT Legal Aime...
May 28, 2023•18 min
The Reserve Bank this week lifted the Official Cash Rate to 5.5 per cent, as expected. But the big surprise came when Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr told Kiwis that his work was done and that the Reserve Bank didn’t see the need to lift rates any higher. So why has the Reserve Bank suddenly changed its mind on further hikes? Are Kiwis in for a longer run of inflation? And what factors will have the biggest impact on the economy over the next 12 months? Today, on the Front Page, NZ Herald Welli...
May 25, 2023•15 min
There’s a weather forecast battle brewing as two taxpayer-funded agencies go toe to toe for our attention. MetService and NIWA have dominated headlines in recent months amid numerous extreme weather events, but animosity is simmering between them. There’s growing concern that their remits are starting to overlap as they vie for the attention of New Zealanders desperate to understand what weather is heading our way. So why are two agencies, both accountable to the Government, becoming so competit...
May 24, 2023•15 min
It has just been confirmed that Auckland’s City Rail Link opening has been delayed yet again, pushing out the opening date out to 2026. This comes off the back of numerous earlier delays and cost blow-outs and will only exacerbate the level of frustration in the city. The initial idea for the plan goes back to the 1920s, and delays have spread to the actual project. So how much longer will Auckland’s inner city remain a construction site? What has gone wrong with this project? And could it have ...
May 23, 2023•14 min
After an earthquake near the Loyalty Islands last Friday, a tsunami warning sparked sleepless nights in coastal areas around Aotearoa as residents waited for the potential waves. While the damage was limited, one Ahipara resident told the NZ Herald the resulting swells were “much, much worse” than those that came in after Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year. It again raises the question about how prepared our coastal country is for a potential tsunami. To explain the science of tsunamis and what...
May 22, 2023•14 min
The annual Government Budget announcement is always a major PR opportunity for the Government, to lay out its vision for the country. Labour has now presented that vision – and unsurprisingly, Opposition parties aren’t onboard with what they see. National leader Christopher Luxon said that it showed the Government had run out of ideas – and warned that a Capital Gains Tax is on Labour’s agenda for the election. So what would he have done differently if his party had been shaping this Budget, and...
May 21, 2023•19 min
This week, the Labour Government delivered its sixth Budget. It's their last before October’s election, with key figures in the worlds of childcare, public transport, and public housing. This Budget arrives at a time when the economy faces a cost-of-living crisis and pressures stemming from the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. So how has Finance Minister Grant Robertson handled the tightrope of balancing the books versus election sweeteners? Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald Business ed...
May 18, 2023•19 min
Live from inside the Budget 2023 lockup, this special episode of The Front Page's sister podcast On The Tiles has NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor Thomas Coughlan talking to Infometrics' Brad Olsen about some of the major figures from this year's Budget, with immediate reaction on what it could mean for the Government and inflation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 18, 2023•8 min
The deadly Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington has shocked the country – not simply for the loss of life involved, but due to the building’s safety standards. While the hostel did not have sprinklers, it was not breaking any laws and was not required to retrofit them. It’s just one aspect of Aotearoa’s building code that has been put into the spotlight by this fire and has raised concerns around how many other buildings could be at risk. Today on The Front Page, John Gray from the Home Owners and B...
May 17, 2023•17 min
The word crisis has become synonymous with our health and education sectors in recent years. Under-resourcing, long work hours and poor pay have culminated in teachers and nurses walking off the job to protest these working conditions. The 2023 Budget offers an opportunity for the Government to address these concerns, but economic pressure on the country right now means that any steps taken likely won’t go as far as many hope. So what would our nurses and teachers like to see? Is there any hope ...
May 16, 2023•19 min
The nation woke up to harrowing news this morning as a blaze in Wellington ripped through a hostel. Fire crews worked through the night to save as many lives as they could, but the full extent of lives and livelihoods lost so far remains unclear. Katrina Bennett, Wellington head of news for the NZ Herald, joins us to explain what we know so far about this fiery tragedy. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this a...
May 16, 2023•8 min
The emergence of ChatGPT has captured the imagination of the world. Depending on who you ask, the Artificial Intelligence interface is either set to take over humanity or it’s little more than a quirky digital toy. As is often the case with these things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. So what is the potential of AI technology? Are technology companies taking risks by moving too fast? And are our jobs really at risk? Today, Dr Chris Galloway, a communications specialist at Massey Univers...
May 15, 2023•18 min
The Government has promised that this year we’ll see a no-frills budget, meaning that we won’t be seeing any flashy spending. This continues a long trend of politicians keeping our debt levels low rather than investing heavily in infrastructure needed for the future. So is this the best approach given the myriad challenges the country faces? And as a society do we need to become more willing to take on debt to make sure our cities are fit for the future? Today, on The Front Page, Sense Partners ...
May 14, 2023•18 min
After the era of lockdowns, the travel sector is hitting another speed bump. The Minister for Tourism has publicly criticised the high cost of some tourism operators, leading to questions about whether Aotearoa's tourists are being taken for a ride. Not to be deterred, international airlines are trying to lure us back to the skies with more direct routes and new innovations to improve the travel experience. But with economic concerns looming, can the average Kiwi still afford the luxury of domes...
May 11, 2023•13 min
Auckland was hit by torrential rain once again this week, stirring up memories of the record-breaking flooding seen in January. Those memories seemed to spark a fight or flight response in Auckland, with the entire city fleeing home at the same time, causing gridlocked traffic for hours across the city. Given that scientists are warning these weather events are fast becoming the norm, how can we learn to better cope with weather panic? Today, clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire joins Damien to ...
May 10, 2023•15 min
Two major financial reports have given a glimpse at the state of Aotearoa's economy. The financial stability report and unemployment figures gave us a sense that the economy is still holding up well, but that could change soon. All forecasts point to things becoming a whole lot tougher as the pressure mounts. So how much worse will the situation become? Will the Government step in to help? And how bad could the coming year get for Kiwi families? Today, on The Front Page, BusinessDesk senior repo...
May 09, 2023•15 min
Much of the North Island is once again flooding amid an absolutely heaving severe downpour. Schools have been evacuated across Auckland and Northland, and emergency services have again been on high alert. This opens fresh wounds for a region that was only recently in the firing line of severe flooding and cyclone Gabrielle. So why has this been happening so much in the same region? Is there a better way to forecast the likelihood of extreme weather? And what does the latest research show about t...
May 09, 2023•10 min
