The Government has announced a record 32.9-billion-dollar investment in New Zealand’s transport network over the next three years, through the National Land Transport Programme. The big winner is new roads, and the big loser is walking and cycling improvements. So, what does this mean for congestion and emissions in our biggest cities? And will a new National Infrastructure Pipeline prevent these roads being scuppered by future Governments? Today on The Front Page, Auckland University Senior Lec...
Sep 05, 2024•19 min
Week six of the trial of Philip Polkinghorne continued with the defence’s case. The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021. He maintains she took her own life. Witnesses for the defence revealed a different side of Polkinghorne then what we’ve previously heard, with former colleagues and neighbours describing him as funny, generous and caring. While the case took another dive into the couple’s accounts, electricity usage t...
Sep 05, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Last week, Kīngi Tūheitia the seventh Maori monarch, passed away aged 69, a little over a week after marking 18 years of his reign. His shock death has seen a week of mourning at Turangawaewae Marae, the official residence for the head of the Kingitanga movement, with politicians sharing memories while thousands gather to pay their respects. The next Māori monarch will officially be revealed this morning, just hours before the official funeral procession. Today on The Front Page, to discuss the ...
Sep 04, 2024•19 min
Several weeks ago, the Government dramatically moved to take control of Health New Zealand by appointing Professor Lester Levy as a commissioner. He has the unenviable task of finding 1.4 billion dollars in savings, while also improving services and meeting the Government’s national health targets. In the weeks that have followed, the dire state of our healthcare has become clearer, with patient wait times dragging mid-winter, back office staff facing voluntary redundancy, and new mums strugglin...
Sep 03, 2024•18 min
The year’s biggest land deal has Wellington aflutter with rumours Sir Peter Jackson could be building his long-awaited movie museum. Interests associated with The Lord of the Rings director have spent $105 million buying a large piece of land near the city’s airport in Lyall Bay. So, why the secrecy? And could Jackson’s vision be finally brought to life? Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by BusinessDesk markets reporter Gregor Thompson to discuss the famous filmmaker’s latest property acquis...
Sep 02, 2024•17 min
Winter has come to an end, and it's been a wet last few weeks. A burst of rain in August culminated in flooding in Wellington and saturated days for the rest of us. With us heading now into spring, the hope is that with longer days fast approaching, we might start to see some warmer weather again soon. For an outlook on weather in the months ahead, today on The Front Page we’re joined by NZ Herald science writer, Jamie Morton. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wher...
Sep 01, 2024•13 min
After nearly five weeks of witnesses, The Crown has closed its case in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne. The former Auckland eye surgeon is accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, who was found dead on 5 April, 2021. He maintains she took her own life. The Crown closed its case with more on Polkinghorne’s arrest, Police searches, and a last minute witness on cell phones. The rest of the trial is now in the hands of the Defence – and for their first witness, they called up Pauline Hanna’s o...
Aug 30, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Norman Kirk was elected Prime Minister in 1972, bringing the Labour Party back to power after 12 years of National Party rule. His two years in office were seen as radical at the time in how he sought to reshape New Zealand’s place in the world, and his legacy has endured as one of the country’s most popular Prime Ministers. However, on August 31st 1974, Kirk died after a lengthy but private illness with obesity and heart problems. Today on The Front Page, as we near that 50th anniversary since ...
Aug 29, 2024•20 min
Back in May on The Front Page, in the wake of warnings about overuse of the power grid, we discussed what challenges faced the energy sector for the winter ahead. Over the last few weeks, those challenges have become more and more apparent, with diminishing supply sparking rising power prices across the country. It has prompted the Government to this week announce it is fast tracking a new liquified natural gas import terminal, amongst other measures. So what’s behind this latest energy crisis, ...
Aug 28, 2024•19 min
The US election race is heating up. A month ago, after the Republican National Convention and a failed assassination attempt, it seemed like Donald Trump would be unstoppable. Instead, US President Joe Biden pulled out of the race, anointing his Vice President Kamala Harris as hir successor, and a triumphant Democratic National Convention showed a party prepared to hold onto the White House. So what is the state of the race, and their parties? Today on The Front Page, we’re joined from Detroit b...
Aug 27, 2024•15 min
Week five in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne has kicked off with more on what was found on the couple’s tech, a hint that Pauline Hanna found a P pipe months before her death, and what exactly is a ‘girlfriend experience’? And two messages, drafted, on the morning of Pauline Hanna’s death, have also been revealed by the defence. You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front Page podcast feed, or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. This ser...
Aug 27, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Artificial intelligence. Once something you’d only find in sci-fi novels, it’s now an everyday necessity for some. A new Accentrue report for Microsoft forecasts Kiwi workers are set to save an average of 275 hours a year through generative AI adoption. Today on The Front Page, Otago University’s Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Public Policy director, James Maclaurin is with us to discuss the tech that’s on everyone’s lips. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or w...
Aug 26, 2024•20 min
There was an outbreak of the virus – formerly known as Monkeypox – back in 2022, but a new variant that originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo has proved fatal, with dozens of deaths from thousands of cases. The new variant has also been found beyond the borders of Africa, sparking warnings by the World Health Organisation, and calls for international support to stem this outbreak. Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland associate professor and co-director of the Global Vaccine D...
Aug 25, 2024•15 min
The end of the shortened fourth week in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne traverses a range of topics He’s accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, in April 2021 – but maintains, she took her own life. More on the couple’s finances, the dark sides of meth use, a sex tape, Google searches about infidelity, and a series of intimate letters between a husband and a wife were all revealed and discussed by witnesses. You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front P...
Aug 23, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The Government's stepped in on Auckland apartment developer the Du Val Group, placing it in statutory management. This follows Du Val Capital Partners and related companies being placed into interim receivership by the High Court earlier this month, with a police raid on the home of company founders Kenyon and Charlotte Clarke. About 120 investors have put money into the entities. So what do these moves mean for those investors, and how unprecedented is this level of response? Today on The Front...
Aug 22, 2024•16 min
The first stage of the 37th America’s Cup is about to begin. The world’s longest continuous sporting competition, Team New Zealand will be looking to defend their title in October – their challenger is due to be decided over the coming weeks, as the Louis Vuitton Cup gets underway in Barcelona. But in amongst all the intrigue about which team will come out on top, there’s a lot of background as to why this is all happening on the other side of the world, rather than in our backyard. NZ Herald sp...
Aug 21, 2024•14 min
The trial of Philip Polkinghorne has, in theory, hit the halfway mark – with Justice Graham Lang telling the jury it’s “broadly on schedule”. Polkinghorne’s accused of strangling his wife, Pauline Hanna, at the couple’s Remuera home in April 2021 – before allegedly staging the scene to look like she’d taken her own life. His defence maintains she committed suicide. Day 16 focused on Auckland Eye, Polkinghorne's workplace, and how his colleagues found a meth pipe and lighter in one of the consult...
Aug 21, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Ukrainian troops have strengthened positions and expanded territory in Russia's Kursk region, nearly two weeks into their incursion. Ukraine says it has seized more than 80 settlements since August 6 in the biggest invasion of Russia since World War II. Coming two and a half years into Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, why has Ukraine decided to return the favour, and what does this incursion mean on a wider scale? Today on The Front Page, University of Waikato international law professor Alexander...
Aug 20, 2024•14 min
It’s tough out there for New Zealand’s hospitality industry. The rising cost of living in the past few years has seen everyone tightening their belts, and the skyrocketing cost of food in particular has been cutting into people’s disposable income. With overheads increasing at the same time as patrons cutting back on their spending, it’s no wonder we’ve seen a series of beloved bars and restaurants closing their doors for good. So what’s next for the industry, and how can these businesses adapt ...
Aug 19, 2024•19 min
Whistleblowers at the Civil Aviation Authority have issued a dire warning about aviation safety in New Zealand. Staff describe a toxic culture, with the CAA’s director “asleep at the wheel”. Data obtained by the Herald has revealed over six hundred thousand dollars has been spent on legal fees related to employment issues, complaints and investigations. And it has prompted warnings that the agency’s investigative approach could mean ‘more people will die’. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald seni...
Aug 18, 2024•19 min
Questions around a certain dinner at a Havelock North restaurant, more on what prescription drugs Pauline Hanna was taking – and unravelling the issues at Auckland Eye. Friends and colleagues have weighed in at the end of the third week of Philip Polkinghorne’s trial. You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front Page podcast feed, or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. This series is presented and produced by, Chelsea Daniels, with produce...
Aug 16, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This week the Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate, now it's down to 5.25 percent. This is the first time it has been cut in four years – since March 2020, when the country first went into lockdown to combat the Covid pandemic. Politicians have celebrated the news, and banks have started cutting interest rates already. But in amongst all that joy – there's also a grim warning for the state of the country’s economy. Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by NZ Herald business editor at large Li...
Aug 15, 2024•17 min
The Government has announced new restrictions for beneficiaries. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week announced a new traffic light system, that comes with harsher penalties for those who don’t meet their obligations to attend meetings and look for work. But what exactly do those sanctions mean, and why is National making this a priority now? Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald political journalist Julia Gabel joins us to explain this new traffi...
Aug 14, 2024•13 min
Warning: This episode contains disturbing material and some explicit language. How did Pauline Hanna die? That’s the question for the jury, who, for weeks will consider evidence and ultimately decide – was it murder, or suicide? It’s also a question put to two different pathologists, tasked with exploring how the 63-year-old died in her Remuera home in April 2021. Philip Polkinghorne is accused of murdering his wife – but maintains she took her own life. We also hear from a long-time friend of P...
Aug 14, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Concerns have been raised on opposite ends of the planet this week on foreign interference from Iran. Donald Trump’s election campaign has claimed that Iran has hacked its internal messages, leaking election campaign documents to US media. At the same time, Austrlaia’s spy boss has claimed that Iran is one of ‘at least three of four’ countries involved in foreign interference. This may seem like an issue happening beyond our shores, but academics and officials have been warning for years that fo...
Aug 13, 2024•19 min
The 2024 Paris Olympics have come to an end – and what a fortnight it has been for the New Zealand Team. With ten golds, seven silver and three bronze, our athletes are bringing home the most Gold medals ever won in a single Olympics, and have equalled our record set in Tokyo. With the likes of Dame Lisa Carrington and Lydia Ko ensuring their place in the history books, to rising stars like Hamish Kerr, Ellesse Andrews and Finn Butcher, there were plenty of Kiwi sporting stars in action. With th...
Aug 12, 2024•21 min
Day 10 saw the jury visit to the home of Pauline Hanna and Phllip Polkinghorne to see where Pauline had died. That was before a parade of ex-colleagues took to the stand to shed light on their relationship with Pauline, and what she told them about her concern for her marriage and her finances. Plus, an explanation as to why Pauline Hanna’s niece recorded a family conversation. You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front Page podcast feed, or find it on iHeart...
Aug 12, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
A new report has suggested that the country’s biggest city is going backwards. The second annual State of the City report, which compares Auckland’s progress against nine major cities around the globe, has shown that things are on the backwards trend. While outside factors like the Anniversary weekend floods, inflation and post-Covid recovery contributed to the worse than expected outcomes, the report highlights a number of longer-term problem areas that the city needs to address. Today on The F...
Aug 11, 2024•18 min
Pauline Hanna’s voice echoed throughout the courtroom on Day 9 of the trial of her husband, Philip Polkinghorne, who is accused of murdering her. It came in the form of a covert recording of a family dinner – providing Hanna a chance to explain their relationship in her own words to the jury, who’ll decide whether she died of foul play, or, whether she took her own life. That was before a bombshell was dropped by the defence, as they revealed new information about the state of her mental health ...
Aug 08, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The 2024 Olympics has seen plenty of sporting highs as well as heartbreak for competitors around the world. But no competition has sparked more debate and controversy than the woman’s boxing. The inclusion of Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting has sparked a firestorm, after they were both banned from International Boxing Association competitions last year, citing negative gender tests. The issue has blown up during the Olympics after Italy’s Angela Carini called off her match agains...
Aug 07, 2024•19 min
