The Front Page

Security software used widely by retail staff is in the spotlight after an incident involving a former Green MP.

Golriz Ghahraman quit politics last year after being caught shoplifting from boutique fashion stores, and news emerged earlier this month suggesting she had done it again at a PakNSave supermarket.

But the former MP did not steal anything, and the store never reported the case to Police – yet as the incident was logged in the Auror security system, Police were able to access it, and attempted to use it in the court case against Ghahraman.

NZ Herald senior writer David Fisher has been looking into the case, and the scope of Auror, and joins us now on The Front Page.

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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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's economic outlook for 2025 is expected to be a recovery from the previous two years of weakness.

With inflation stagnant and the number of Kiwis leaving the country appearing to have peaked, economists are predicting we will see an uptick.

Yet it could be a long road to get to the light at the end of the tunnel – with the Government’s books at the end of December painting a grim picture for the years ahead, and the impacts of job cuts likely to still be felt this year.

But, the Government has the economy on its hit list – with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon focusing on it in his State of the Nation speech – saying that ‘economic growth is the key to better days ahead’.

So how long do we have to wait for some good news, and what are the Government’s plans to get on top of things?

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann is with us to dig into the economic outlook for 2025.

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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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The political year is ready to kick off.

While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon may have got an early start with his Cabinet reshuffle, over the next coming days we’ll see a flurry of party caucus retreats, state of the nation speeches, and the annual visit to Ratana as politicians return from their summer holidays.

And while central government has plenty to tend to this year – local politicians are preparing for the country to return to the polls in October to vote for our councils and mayors.

Today on The Front Page we're joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls for a preview of the year ahead in politics, and Newstalk ZB news director Michael Sergel lets us know what to expect when it comes to this year's local elections.

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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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 15 months and the deaths of around 47,000 Palestinians, the war between Israel and Hamas has ended – for now.

A six-week ceasefire has begun in Gaza, after agreements were reached for the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners and aid.

The start of the agreement coincides with Donald Trump returning to the White House, with the US President taking credit for the deal – though so did his predecessor, Joe Biden.

So, what will happen next in Gaza, and what does Trump’s comeback mean for other world issues?

Today on The Front Page, University of Waikato Professor of Law, Alexander Gillespie, joins us to discuss the long-awaited ceasefire and what’s next in world politics.

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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: Georgina Campbell
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has kicked off the political year with the first major reshuffle of his Cabinet.

Dr Shane Reti has lost Health to Simeon Brown and has been bumped down Cabinet rankings, while Melissa Lee has been stripped of all portfolios, in favour of first-term MP James Meager.

Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by NZ Herald political editor Claire Trevett to discuss the big winners and losers.

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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.

Sound Engineer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.

After four years out of office after losing in 2020, Trump is set to return to the White House with a vengeance – with his ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda front and centre.

His administration has already raised eyebrows for some of his unusual Cabinet appointments, and Trump’s usual bluster has seen him make bold promises about what he’ll get done on day one – including being a “dictator” just for the day.

So what are Trump’s plans for his second term in office – and why are so many tech giants falling to his side this time around?

Today on The Front Page, Washington-based New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel is with us to discuss what to expect from the next four years of Trump?

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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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever get the feeling New Zealand just doesn’t know how to build houses properly?

We had the leaky homes crisis – where timber-framed homes built from 1988 to 2004 were not fully weather-tight.

And now, construction experts are warning that tens of thousands of Auckland families will suffer in overheating terraced houses unless designs change.

Terraced houses are being built at pace in Auckland, with even more expected after the Government mooted 55,000 new ones to be fast-tracked through the consent process.

Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by New Zealand Green Building Council business development manager Matthew Cutler-Welsh to dig into what’s gone wrong with these new houses.

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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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this month, Justin Trudeau resigned as Canada’s Prime Minister, marking the end of his nine years in office.

Trudeau was also one of the last leaders standing from an era of younger, left-leaning or liberal politicians, alongside the likes of Finland’s Sanna Marin and our own Jacinda Ardern, who garnered global attention for bringing a fresher approach to politics.

That era seems well and truly over. Last year, more than 60 countries went to the polls, and many countries saw voters swing to the right, or voting against incumbent governments rather than necessarily voting in favour of their opposition.

Peter Frankopan is an author and professor of global history at Oxford University, and joined us on The Front Page last year to preview ‘the year of elections’. He joins us today on The Front Page to discuss the shifting sands of global politics.

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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing concern about public safety has reignited the idea of arming our frontline police officers.

The police union says 68% of officers support routine arming – and, our new police commissioner, Richard Chambers, is apparently ‘open’ to discussions around it – although he’s also said we’re ‘proud of having unarmed police’ and he’d like to keep it that way.

This is all while, in the first hours of 2025, a car rammed into a police vehicle at a Nelson gathering – Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming later died in hospital, another officer was critically injured. This was followed by another attempted ramming a week later.

So do we need to look at better protect those whose jobs are to protect us – or are there risks to giving more power to the police?

Today on The Front Page, Auckland University criminology lecturer Dr. Emmy Rākete joins us to discuss.

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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Destructive. Devastating. Apocalyptic.

That’s how the wildfires burning across Los Angeles over the last week have been described.

The blazes have largely brought the US’ second largest city to a standstill, destroying thousands of buildings have been destroyed, and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

It comes as officials declare 2024 the hottest year on record, with temperatures breaching the target of 1 point 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time.

Today on The Front Page, we’ll be discussing the ongoing climate risks that New Zealand faces with Victoria University of Wellington Professor Jonathan Boston.

But first, we’re in Los Angeles with 9 News USA correspondent, Lauren Tomasi.

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
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.