The Hamilton to Auckland rail connection is back in the news for all the wrong reasons. The Te Huia service has been banned from entering the Auckland metro area after the driver ran red lights. The service has been forced to terminate at Papakura while KiwiRail fits new safety technology on the train. It comes just weeks after a new report was released encouraging more investment in regional rail in the North Island. But if this one service is still having basic woes two years into its operatio...
Jul 18, 2023•14 min
For the first time in decades, actors in Hollywood have gone on strike. Negotiations between the actor's union and the big studios broke down last week, and now everyone from top A-listers to background actors have joined already striking screenwriters on the picket lines. But this is not about multimillionaires wanting a bigger pay packet. Big questions hang over this conflict about the future of the entertainment industry, from how content is delivered to the masses, to whether or not the peop...
Jul 17, 2023•16 min
Kiwi CEOs are paid 30 to 50 times more than the average wage. Questions have long been asked about whether those levels of remuneration are justified, particularly when the performance of an organisation doesn’t always live up to expectations. This, of course, applies to private companies, but the salaries of some public sector CEOs have also led to sharp criticism. As the country heads into a recessionary period, is there any likelihood of top bosses taking pay cuts? And in the high-flying worl...
Jul 16, 2023•15 min
The way we read, watch and listen to the news is constantly evolving and news companies need to respond – or risk becoming obsolete. Add to this equation misinformation, declining trust, news fatigue, paywalls and clickbait and you have a complicated cocktail of challenges all begging for a solution. So what does the future hold for media? And how do news organisations avoid repeating the strategic errors of the past? On The Front Page, NZME chief content officer Murray Kirkness and NZ Herald he...
Jul 13, 2023•25 min
Businesses have for years been talking about the importance of workplaces being reflective of Aotearoa’s demographics. This is particularly important at a time when our population is both ageing and rapidly changing. Despite numerous studies showing the value of improving diversity, there are still some who question whether doing so still allows the money to come first. So how are businesses tracking? And is it really worth it to improve the diversity of the team at your business? Now on The Fro...
Jul 12, 2023•16 min
At the start of this month, there was good news for parents as new financial benefits kicked in for them. At the same time, several wide-reaching existing policies to offset the cost of living ended, leading to yet another financial shock. With three months to go until the election, the focus for many is now turning to what the parties vying for our votes have to offer – and if there’ll be any financial relief before we cast our ballots. On The Front Page, Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Wall...
Jul 11, 2023•16 min
Several headlines recently have sparked concerns about the state of our teaching pool. Most notably, a man legally known as Taurapa has become the latest teacher found to have had a sexually inappropriate relationship with a student. Another case saw a teacher lose their registration for refusing to call a transgender student by their preferred pronouns. What is the process for disciplining our teachers, and can we be reassured that the right people are educating our children? Today on The Front...
Jul 10, 2023•17 min
If you feel you have less than you did a few years ago, you’re not wrong. The latest data shows that Kiwis are indeed worse off overall than they were before the pandemic ripped through the economy. Dropping house prices and the rising cost of living mean that we own less and we’re spending more on the necessities to get by. And yet, many of us are still splashing out on luxuries and not changing our behaviour. So could this lead to a big financial shock down the road? And what changes should we...
Jul 09, 2023•16 min
Meta, the owner of Facebook, is shaking up social media with an app some are calling the 'Twitter killer'. Threads will offer a very similar service, but it will be powered by the massive machine Mark Zuckerberg has built since starting FaceMash, as Facebook was first known, in his university dorm room. In the battle between the tech titans Twitter owner Elon Musk has been making a few moves of his own – but none of these have been well-received. So who will come out on top? And perhaps, more im...
Jul 06, 2023•14 min
A house, once owned by the Sultan of Brunei, in the affluent Auckland suburb of Herne Bay has become the centre of a dispute with community residents divided over whether the new owners should be allowed to build a boatshed. Some wealthy backers have come out in support of the plan, while others reckon it would be an eyesore. So why do people care so much about what wealthy people are doing in their backyards? Will this boatshed end up being built? And do communities even stand a chance going up...
Jul 05, 2023•18 min
High winds this week once again closed Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, something that has become a regular and frustrating occurrence in recent years. After 64 years, there’s confusion as to why strong winds are now a concern – and what it means for the long-term stability of the vital transport link. But what are the options for a potential replacement or complementary harbour crossing, and is there the political appetite to do this? NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joins Damien on The Front Pag...
Jul 04, 2023•15 min
Justice Minister Kiri Allan is the latest Government Minister to have reportedly had significant issues with a member of their staff. The reports of the strained working relationship between Allan and a Department of Conservation employee, emerged last week, and have added further woes to Chris Hipkins’ tenure as Prime Minister. But Allan is not the first MP in recent years to have reportedly clashed with one of their staffers. So why does this tension seem to be such a common occurrence, and is...
Jul 03, 2023•17 min
After the pandemic forced international flights to grind to a halt, the travel industry is slowly returning to normal. School and university winter holidays are now set to coincide with the European summer, and many Kiwis will undoubtedly be grabbing the opportunity to take flight overseas. But if you are heading to some dream destinations, you’ll find that their new normal looks a little different. Cities like Bali, Amsterdam, Venice and Rome have introduced visitor limits in certain areas to e...
Jul 02, 2023•15 min
For years, NZ Herald readers have pondered the identity of the ‘prominent businessman’ and his five-year journey through the courts for charges relating to sexual assault and perverting the course of justice. While co-conspirators such as entertainer Mika X and PR man Jevan Goulter were named, the businessman’s case dragged on. Finally, this week the ‘prominent businessman’ has been unmasked as Sir James Wallace, a former rich lister well known for his financial contributions to major arts organ...
Jun 29, 2023•17 min
Abuse from the sidelines. Media blackouts. Legal battles to keep players on the bench. This is the level of drama you’d expect from sports on an international level, but these are all headlines that have involved rugby at the high school level in New Zealand over the last year. So how is it that schoolboy rugby has become so controversial? NZ Herald editor at large Shayne Currie joins Damien on The Front Page to try and explain what is happening. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podca...
Jun 28, 2023•17 min
The Government has stepped in to announce a $128 million funding package to assist our struggling universities. This comes after a proposal to cut more than 200 jobs at Victoria University of Wellington, which would have seen entire courses removed from the syllabus and others folded into neighbouring departments - just one of many universities that have had to take this measure amid growing budget holes. While the Government has responded to the furious calls from staff to plug the funding gap,...
Jun 27, 2023•16 min
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine took a stunning turn over the weekend, when the leader of the Wagner mercenary force threatened a coup against President Vladmir Putin. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s long-brewing pushback against Russia’s military establishment was short-lived. Within 24 hours, Belarus had negotiated a deal that saw the man once dubbed Putin’s chef allowed to leave the country without any blood being shed. The saga has baffled international onlookers, with many believing that even though this ...
Jun 26, 2023•17 min
Winter is well and truly upon us now, and with it has come a steady stream of news articles offering advice on how to keep your house warm during the cold months while saving on energy bills. Cost cutting is an extra priority this year with the inflation crunch. In a two-week period, Trade Me saw three hundred and forty thousand searches for heaters. However, a recent report from the UK has suggested fixing draughty homes could add 40 billion pounds to their economy by 2030. The Government ackno...
Jun 25, 2023•16 min
Over the last week, the world has been captivated by the story of a group of five wealthy people trapped in submarine on a voyage to visit the wreck of the Titantic. This story has now ended in catastrophe with the submarine imploding and killing everyone on board. The US Coast Guard confirmed that it had detected a debris field at the bottom of the ocean and that no one had survived? So, how did things go so wrong? And why was the whole world’s attention fixed on this story of five people when ...
Jun 23, 2023•16 min
Our economy has slipped into a technical recession, and Kiwis around the country are feeling the pinch of high inflation and rising mortgage rates. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that everything feels more expensive at the moment. It’s become easier than ever to question whether we’re even getting a fair deal anymore. After conducting a study of the supermarket industry, the Government has now announced that banks will also be reviewed. This comes amid a wider international discussion about gr...
Jun 22, 2023•18 min
It’s only a few weeks until the opening ceremony officially announces the start of the Fifa World Cup in both Australia and Aotearoa. While preparations are well underway, there have been a few hiccups along the way. There was a major dispute over television rights in Europe, ticket sales in New Zealand haven’t moved quite as fast as expected and there are concerns about how inconvenient our time zone is for the northern hemisphere. So have these issues been addressed? Will our stadiums be fille...
Jun 21, 2023•19 min
News that Auckland surgeons are now being required to consider a patient’s ethnicity when deciding who should get an operation first sparked sharp debate around the country. Politicians and medical professionals quickly weighed in, with some saying that Health New Zealand’s new Equity Adjuster Score was indefensible. Supporters have, however, pointed out that ethnicity is just one of a number of factors being considered alongside clinical priority, time spent on the waitlist, geographic location...
Jun 20, 2023•19 min
Kāinga Ora is getting bad press once again, following the publication of the harrowing story of a Hamilton woman who for years lived next door to disruptive and disrespectful tenants. This is just the latest in a string of stories, stretching back years, that tell of neighbours enduring abuse, aggression and anti-social behaviour. So how widespread is this issue across social housing in New Zealand, and what are Kāinga Ora management doing to keep people safe from unruly neighbours? Damien is jo...
Jun 19, 2023•20 min
As the world’s eyes have been fixed on Ukraine, another conflict on a different continent has seen more than a million people displaced from their homes. Fighting in Sudan has ripped families apart amid a mass migration among those looking to escape the bloodshed. New Zealander Phil Johnstone recently visited South Sudan as part of his work with World Vision. What he saw there has left an indelible mark. As World Refugee Day’s efforts to remind us of the stories of those who have been displaced ...
Jun 18, 2023•16 min
Rising interest rates and dropping house prices have seen most of our attention focused on New Zealand mortgage holders. But we are also a nation of renters, with many Kiwis not able to get onto the property ladder. Now, with the latest data confirming this week that Aotearoa was in a technical recession earlier this year, what effect has the current economic strain had on renters around the country? Are prices still steadily going up? And do these high prices even guarantee families a warm, dry...
Jun 15, 2023•18 min
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
