The Front Page

If you’ve spent any time on Auckland’s motorways, you’ll know the city’s traffic problem is no joke – and one of the big fixes being talked about is charging people to sit in it.

The AA has surveyed its Auckland members on time-of-use charging, and while the results show plenty of scepticism, a lot of people back the principle.

But only if the scheme is designed fairly and the details are smart enough to actually work. 

Today on The Front Page, AA policy director Martin Glynn is with us to take us through what congestion charging might look like in future and whether it could finally get Auckland moving. 

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First will campaign on buying back the BNZ bank and making KiwiSaver enrolment compulsory at birth. 

Winston Peters’ appearance at Trusts Arena in West Auckland at the weekend comes at a time when his party is surging in the polls...  

He’s also closing in on National leader Christopher Luxon in the preferred Prime Minister ranking, months out from the election. 

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald chief political reporter, Jamie Ensor, is with us.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence is being sold to us as the future.  

Faster, smarter, more efficient, maybe even world changing. 

But as a handful of tech companies race to build ever more powerful AI, there are growing questions about secrecy, exploitation, and the extraordinary concentration of power behind the scenes. 

Journalist Karen Hao has spent years reporting on OpenAI and the global AI industry, and in her book Empire of AI, she argues this isn’t just a story about technology, it’s a story about ideology, labour, resources, and control. 

Today on The Front Page, Karen Hao joins us to unpack the rise of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and the real cost of the AI arms race.

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, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland’s long-running second harbour crossing debate is back in the spotlight.

It’s a project that politicians love to talk about but have long struggled to deliver - given the complex work, the very high price tag, and the wide range of very heated opinion on what would be best for the City of Sails.

NZTA is in the final stages of refining both a tunnel and a bridge option and will seek a decision on which to progress with “in mid-2026".

It’s after reports show the existing bridge’s ongoing maintenance burden – and the possibility of repair work forcing closures.

Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland senior lecturer in urban planning, Dr Timothy Welch is with us to unpack the politics, the planning, and the choices ahead.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On paper, New Zealand Super is one of the simplest parts of our welfare system. 

Most people become eligible at 65, it’s not means tested, and for decades it’s been treated as a kind of social contract: work hard, reach retirement, and the state will be there.

But that contract is under growing pressure.

As our population ages and governments look for ways to contain long-term costs, the debate keeps returning. Should we raise the age of eligibility, and if we do, who pays the price?

Today on The Front Page, Auckland University Business School associate professor Susan St John is with us to talk about the future of superannuation, the arguments for and against raising the retirement age, and why this debate never stays settled for long.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard there’s a new virus making headlines. 

Three people have died and several others have fallen ill after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship.  

Governments and health agencies around the world are coordinating a mass evacuation of passengers – working together to get people home while at the same time trying to prevent any further spread. 

So, should we be worried here in New Zealand? What are the real-world risks for most people? What are the warning signs? And, what does this response tell us about how authorities handle a serious disease threat? Have we gotten any better at it?  

Today on The Front Page, Massey University infectious diseases expert Professor David Hayman is with us to unpack the outbreak, the evacuation, and whether this really is an unprecedented public health operation.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If an election were held today, the coalition Government would likely be returned to power and not by a narrow margin. A new NZ Herald–Motu Research Poll of Polls model suggests the Government has an 88.3% chance of winning a second term, with support across National, Act and New Zealand First holding steady.

 

NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan joins The Front Page to talk through the latest results, and how Winston Peters could once again be kingmaker come November 7.

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Barbara Demick has spent her career telling the stories of people living under some of the world’s most repressive and dangerous regimes.

From North Korea to Tibet and Bosnia, her reporting and books have helped readers understand what life looks like far beyond the headlines.

Her latest book, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove, chronicles the true story of Chinese twin girls, born in rural Hunan, separated by China’s one-child policy.

Demick joins The Front Page to explain how the book acts as more than one family’s tragedy. It’s also an account of how state policy reshaped private life, family structure and identity in China.

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A new Youthline ASB report is shining a light on the mounting pressures facing young Kiwis. The 2026 State of the Generation report includes Gen Alpha for the first time and is based on a nationwide survey of more than 1000 people aged 12 to 24.

The report reveals a lot is worrying our younger generations, and the consequences of these pressures are dire. In the past three months, Youthline recorded an all-time high, connecting an average of four young people a day with emergency services. That’s compared with one a week five years ago.

Youthline CEO Shae Ronald joins the show with more on the things that are keeping our young people up at night.

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A new Salvation Army report is putting a spotlight on why an alarming number of ex-prisoners go on to reoffend.

In New Zealand, more than 43% of people released from prison end up back there within two years. Almost two-thirds reoffend.

The Salvos reckon more focus is needed on ‘reintegration’ services, to make sure people return to the community with stability, support, and resources.

Today on The Front Page, The Salvation Army’s social policy mission officer, Ian Hutson, is with us to discuss why our current system is failing to build the "home base" that so many people need - to break the cycle of re-imprisonment for good.

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, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.