The National Party is looking to follow Australia and ban social media for under-16s. It has submitted a members bill that would look to limit how young people engage with the likes of Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Since Australia’s world-leading ban was passed into law last year, multiple countries are looking at bans as a way of addressing concerning social media habits. But is a ban actually feasible, and would it address the real issues with social media? Today on The Front Page, Dr ...
May 08, 2025•19 min
After 22 years, video calling platform Skype is shutting down. After its inception, to ‘skype’ became a verb – and it was the go-to service for many years. That is... until Covid-19 and Zoom took over. So how has something once thought to be so innovative become so obsolete? Who decides what apps and sites we migrate to – and looking to the future, what could be the next big bang – or bust? Today on The Front Page, Victoria University of Wellington professor of info...
May 07, 2025•20 min
This year marks 15 years since the birth of Auckland’s Super City. The controversial idea to merge eight regional and district councils into one SUPER council was kickstarted after a Royal Commission on Auckland Governance back in 2007. The city now stretches from Wellsford down to Bombay, and from Muriwai to Orere Point. More than a decade later, discussions are still being had about whether it was a good move for New Zealand's largest and most populated city. Today on The Front Page, NZ ...
May 06, 2025•23 min
Donald Trump has made it through his 100 days back in office – and people are not thrilled with his performance. His approval ratings at the 100 day mark are the lowest in 70 years, with only a 44 percent approval for a man who won the popular vote only 7 months ago. It comes as his tenure has so far been dominated by tariffs and trade wars, cutting public services, gender, mass deportations, and hitting out at his enemies. And the Trump bump has even taken on a new meaning – with Ca...
May 05, 2025•20 min
This week is Rape Awareness Week in New Zealand. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experience sexual violence at some stage in their lifetime. Repeated surveys show that tens of thousands of New Zealanders are experiencing this type of assault every year. So what’s being done to try and stop the violence – and are those victims who are speaking up, getting the justice they need? Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by Clinical Psychologist and HELP Executive Director Kathryn McPhill...
May 04, 2025•17 min
Wellington City will have a new mayor by the end of this year. After previously committing to run for a second term, mayor Tory Whanau has pulled out of the race. It comes after her term was dominated by personal incidents and infighting between councillors – but she made her decision only a day after work finally started on the Golden Mile project. A number of men are running to take over the mayoral reins – with former Labour Minister Andrew Little just the latest to enter the comp...
May 01, 2025•18 min
This month, the Government will deliver its second budget, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis is starting to tease what exactly we could see from it. And basically — don’t expect much. There will be just $1.3 billion of new discretionary operating spending in this year’s Budget, as the Government focuses once again on reducing spending by “billions” of dollars. So where is all this money going, and what goodies could the Government offer up in such tight conditions?...
Apr 30, 2025•17 min
The Australian federal election is heating up. Anthony Albanese is facing the challenge of becoming the first PM to be re-elected since John Howard. He has been an MP since 1996, when he was the youngest Labor member of the house. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton brings with him a wealth of experience, having been elected to the house of representatives in 2001 aged 30. Both have sat across the aisle from each other for years. And this Saturday, Australians will vote which will lead the...
Apr 29, 2025•19 min
Crime is a constant hot topic of debate in New Zealand – one that is rarely far from the front pages. The recent alleged murder of University of Auckland student Kyle Whorrall in Auckland has served as a reminder of the randomness that comes with violent crime – with a 16 year old now charged with his murder. But the Government is touting that violent crime is on the decline – years before their intended target. So are our streets really any safer – and is vibe more than ...
Apr 28, 2025•18 min
The battle over gender and definitions is building steam in New Zealand. New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that “would ensure the biological definition of a woman and man are defined in law”. It comes after a landmark ruling in the United Kingdom, where Supreme Court judges unanimously ruled a woman is defined “by biological sex under equalities law”. The court sided with a women’s rights campaign group that argued sex-based protections should o...
Apr 27, 2025•20 min
The Front Page podcast is taking the day off as the country marks Anzac Day. Instead, we're presenting an episode of The Prosperity Project, the Herald's personal finance podcast. Listen as host Nadine Higgins talks with personal finance columnist Mary Holm about what you need to know about KiwiSaver - including what the most important thing to consider is when picking a provider. If you enjoy the episode, follow The Prosperity Project wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll catch you back on ...
Apr 24, 2025•29 min
On April 25th, 110 years ago, soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli. About 8,700 Australians and 2,700 Kiwis would die over the eight-month campaign that followed. Since then, the term Anzac has symbolised decades of mateship – and the day is observed now by a number of Pacific nations as well. The date serves as a time to remember those who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations – but until very recently, how we defi...
Apr 23, 2025•19 min
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Vatican announced he died of a stroke at his Santa Maria residence – almost a month after a five-week stay in hospital battling pneumonia. Elected on March 13 2013, for 12 years he served as the leader of the world’s 1 point 4 billion Catholics, and was notable for his more liberal and open minded views on Christianity. Today on The Front Page, Bishop Michael Dooley, the Bishop of Dunedin, joins us to talk about Pope Francis’ le...
Apr 22, 2025•16 min
New Zealand Police are assisting the FBI in an investigation into a secretive religious group, which has operations worldwide. It’s a fringe, Christian sect that has no official name – but is commonly known as the “Two by Twos”, “The Truth”, “The Way” and “The Church With No Name”. The inquiries follow a BBC investigation last year into allegations of child sexual abuse spanning decades within the church, which is believed to have...
Apr 21, 2025•14 min
There are a number of employment dispute avenues in New Zealand, dependent on what industry you’re in. If you’re one of the 114,000 registered teachers in this country – you have to appear before something called the “Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal”. Last year, there were 524 complaints, mandatory reports, and self-reports received by the Teaching Council - which is 0.5% of the total number of teachers who held a practising certificate. It’s more than 2023, wh...
Apr 20, 2025•13 min
For much of the 1970s, Marty Johnstone operated as one of New Zealand’s most notorious drug dealers. Dubbed ‘Mr Asia’ by journalists, Johnstone rose from North Shore menswear salesman to head of a global heroin empire. But his life at the top was short lived. In November 1979, his mutilated body was found in a quarry in Lancashire, England. He was just 27 when he was murdered, killed by his best friend, Andy Maher. The epic rise and rapid fall of the country’s most infamo...
Apr 17, 2025•19 min
The Government is keen on making it easier to get more drivers on the road. If proposed changes announced this week go through, the second practical driving test required for a full licence will be scrapped, and the number of eyesight tests needed will be reduced, with new safety measures being introduced as well. It comes as the Government continues with its pledge to reverse Labour’s “blanket speed limit reductions” - something National campaigned on. But will a more affordab...
Apr 16, 2025•20 min
The severe storm barrelling towards the upper North Island has been upgraded to a tropical cyclone. The Fiji Meteorological Service has named the storm “Tropical Cyclone Tam”, and while its centre is expected to remain west of Cape Reinga, forecasters are still warning of severe wind and rain over the next 24 hours. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald,...
Apr 16, 2025•5 min
New Zealand fashion has had a shake-up in recent years – with both well-known and home-grown brands shutting up shop. Kate Sylvester will shut their doors this year after 31 years of trade – and newer labels, Mina, Hej hej, and Nisa have all ended production. The struggles are perhaps best epitomised by New Zealand fashion week, which cancelled its 2024 season after cancellations in 2020, 2021 and 2022. And the issues show no sign of stopping, with global trade wars highlighting how ...
Apr 15, 2025•19 min
Pauline Hanna on a boat, sea breeze, big smiles. It’s the image filmmakers of a new three-part documentary into her death, and subsequent murder trial of her husband, decide to open on. Philip Polkinghorne was found not guilty of strangling his wife and making it look like she’d taken her own life. The Front Page covered the mammoth nine-week trial in the series: Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial. Today on The Front Page, executive producer Mark McNeill is with us to talk about the tri...
Apr 14, 2025•14 min
Artificial intelligence has been the hot topic of debate in the business world for the last few years. But increasingly, it’s an area that is encroaching in on the creative industries. The latest OpenAI update is so advanced, fans online have used it to eerily replicate the hand drawn art style of Japanese anime favourites, Studio Ghibli. It’s just the latest sign of AI coming for the arts, with recent headlines also highlighting concerns over entirely artificial models in ad campaig...
Apr 13, 2025•17 min
Politics is rarely quiet in New Zealand, but we’ve seen plenty of upheaval in the last few weeks. Notably, after over a year of protests and thousands of submissions against it, the Treaty Principles Bill has finally been killed off, after being voted down in its second reading in the House yesterday. But things are looking up for the Coalition, with two recent polls firming up support for National, Act and NZ First – even if it remains a tight race between the right and left blocs.&...
Apr 10, 2025•20 min
A week after announcing his Liberation Day tariffs and causing global market chaos, US President Donald Trump has done a 180. He has announced on social media that he has paused tariffs against 75 countries for 90 days – but has doubled down on a trade war with China, announcing a 125% tariffs on goods from the country. US stocks rocketed higher after the declaration – the S&P 500 posted its best day since 2008, and the Nasdaq its best since 2001. So what's behind the sudden back...
Apr 10, 2025•15 min
Cost of living has hit many families around the country hard – but what about the singles out there? From booking holidays to having a roof over your head, there’s often an additional cost of doing life alone. Research shows that, for people aged 25 to 49, those who are single spend 14% more than their coupled counterparts. It has been dubbed the ‘singles tax’, and while it is gaining more traction in the mainstream, lowering costs for the partnerless is not an easy task....
Apr 09, 2025•18 min
There’s no doubt about it, being a parliamentarian is a public facing, high-stress, demanding job. You’re exposed, scrutinised, and your decisions affect the entire country – for better, or worse. But, do the high-stakes constitute the abuse they face, some on a daily basis? Recently, we’ve seen Minister Shane Jones and his wife Dot accosted at an airport, increased security for Mayors Wayne Brown and Tania Tapsell, and death threats aimed at Green MP Benjamin Doyle &ndas...
Apr 08, 2025•15 min
Donald Trump’s Liberation Day has felt more like a bloodbath for the world economy. The US President last week announced what he called reciprocal tariffs on almost every country on Earth – as well as some islands uninhabited by human life. New Zealand was not as impacted as most – with just a10 percent tariff on our goods imported into the US – but the European Union has had a 20% bump on tariffs, while China has received an additional 34% tariff. More than 50 countries ...
Apr 07, 2025•20 min
The world can feel like a dark and gloomy place at times, particularly at the moment. With wars, economic uncertainty and certain politicians always generating headlines, its hard to avoid feeling down. But in amongst all this doom and gloom, there are plenty of stories worth celebrating in New Zealand – from stars on the rise to businesses making it work in a tough environment. The New Zealand Herald is spotlighting some of these stories in a new editorial campaign, On the Up. Today on Th...
Apr 06, 2025•16 min
You meet anyone overseas and say New Zealand, the first thing they bring up is hobbits. Lord of the Rings was a crowning achievement for film production in Aotearoa, and opened the door for more movies to be filmed here. A Minecraft Movie is just the latest overseas blockbuster to be produced on our shores, and that’s hitting cinemas around the world this weekend – while local film Tee-nah has been a box office sensation. But as the cost of film production soars around the world, wha...
Apr 03, 2025•19 min
Our primary healthcare system stands at a critical juncture - at least, that’s the latest from the New Zealand Initiative. The think tank has released a review this morning, into the country’s primary care system. It argues that the “current system faces mounting pressures that threaten its sustainability and effectiveness”. So with the vital role GPs play in our every day healthcare, what are the challenges facing our family doctors? Today on The Front Page, NZI research...
Apr 02, 2025•17 min
A war of words has erupted between the Green Party and NZ First this week. It comes after photos circulated on social from a private Instagram account belonging to Green MP Benjamin Doyle. The account, named ‘biblebeltbussy’, also featured photos of their child, including one with ‘bussy’ in the caption. The term originated as a euphuism for a man’s anus, and can be used colloquially by some in the gay community, but Doyle’s usage of it has sparked accusations...
Apr 01, 2025•21 min
