The Front Page

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.   

Kiwis have departed New Zealand in record numbers this year. 

News reports covering monthly migration data have repeatedly announced new records of net migration loss, with the latest stats from the year to September showing 79,700 migrant departures.  

Just over half of those leaving the country moved to Australia, while the lure of the traditional UK OE is still taking people to London. 

But is moving overseas going to make your life less expensive? In July, NZ Herald reporter Ben Leahy joined us after crunching the numbers to see if the grass is really greener on the side.  

New episodes return January 13th. 

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Audio Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.   

On July 26th 1984, David Lange was sworn in as the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand.  

His ascension into the country’s top job came after Robert Muldoon’s infamous 'Schnapps Election' ended his nine years in power.  

Best remembered for enshrining New Zealand’s nuclear free status, Lange also oversaw controversial economic policies that ultimately divided his caucus and saw his time on the ninth floor only last five years.  

For the 40th anniversary of his reign, we spoke with Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper – one of the few journalists who was there at the time and still working today. 

New episodes return January 13th. 

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Audio Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.   

June 20 this year marked 30 years since five members of the Bain family in Dunedin were found dead in their family home.  

The one survivor, David, would be convicted of murdering his parents and three siblings. 
He served 13 years in prison before the Privy Council quashed his convictions, and he was found not guilty on all charges at a retrial in 2009.   

For the anniversary in June, we spoke to long-time Bain advocate Joe Karam for an exclusive chat reflecting on his three decades linked to the case, as well as exploring our obsession with the case with AUT University’s Professor of Pop Culture, Dr Lorna Piatti-Farnell.  

New episodes return January 13th. 

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Audio Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we will be shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts from the New Zealand Herald network over the last year.  

In 2022, BusinessDesk journalist Murray Jones investigated the finances of the New Zealand branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – better known as the Mormons.  

That investigation sparked a lot of feedback on social media, including a number of posts that suggested there was more to the Church that first thought. 

That led to Heaven’s Helpline, a NZ Herald podcast that investigated the Church and how it has built a system that protects its wealth and reputation – and shields sexual predators from the law.   

You can listen to half of the first episode of Heaven’s Helpline now, and find the full series on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024.   

Travelling is often a stressful experience, particularly over the Christmas break and summer holidays when it seems we’re all rushing to get away.  

Those trips aren’t made easy when violent turbulence or technical errors have an impact. 

In 2024, stories of extreme turbulence popped up around the world, including one case in April when a man onboard an Air New Zealand flight from Bali broke his leg, while in May, a violent Singapore Airlines flight saw dozens hospitalised and one passenger die.   

That’s on top of multiple stories locally of domestic and international flights impacted by landing and technical issues.  

To get insight on this, in July, we spoke to the chief executive of Massey University’s School of Aviation, Ashok Podavul about whether we should be concerned – and stay tuned for advice on what you can do if things go wrong for you this summer from Consumer NZ’s Jessica Walker.  

New episodes return January 13th. 

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Audio Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page is taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast this year.  

Losing a loved one is one of the worst things a family can go through.  

But it can get a lot worse if people start fighting over the will before the body’s even cold.  

In June, we spoke to NZ Herald senior journalist Jane Phare about the dos and don'ts when it comes to inheritance – including how you should go about getting your fair share, and what you can do to make sure your final wishes are clear.  

New episodes return January 13th.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Audio Engineers: Paddy Fox, Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year in politics has been a bumpy road for many.

The coalition Government dived in quickly to reverse previous Labour policy, and pushed numerous bills through Parliament to reach quarterly deadlines and targets – with a mixed response from voters around some policies.

Labour meanwhile has spent much of the last year recovering from their election wipeout in 2023, leaving Te Pati Maori to lead the pushback against the Treaty Principles Bill.

At a local level, huge rates increases were a burden for many councils, while Wellington Council had the unfortunate honour of having a Crown Observer appointed.

Today on The Front Page, we’re revisiting some of our interviews with top politicians from central and local government as we look back on the year that was.

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.

It’s been a huge year for sport here in New Zealand.

In one weekend in October, Team New Zealand took to the water in Barcelona and took home the America’s Cup for the third time in a row, while the White Ferns won the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup final.

There were major wins across the board for the Black Caps, the Silver Ferns, and our latest football team, Auckland FC.

But in this major year, there was perhaps no bigger cause for celebration than the Paris Olympics, when Kiwi athletes bagged more gold medals at Paris 2024 than at any other Olympic Games in history.

On this special sports-themed compilation episode of The Front Page, we're looking back at some of the best conversations we've had around the year in sport.

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.

The economy has been in an uncertain place for quite some time, and 2024 was no different.

Over the last year, we’ve seen some improvement. In October, the annual rate for inflation had fallen from 3.3 percent to 2.2 percent. The official cash rate ended the year on 4 point 25 percent.

Elsewhere, the news hasn’t been so positive. The country’s gross domestic product contracted 0.2 percent in the June quarter, only just missing out on a technical recession.

Job cuts across multiple sectors have seen Jobseeker benefit numbers surge to over 200,000.

And Government books released this week show that it’s unlikely we’ll return to a surplus until 2029 – about a year later than originally anticipated in this year’s Budget.

So what’s going on in our economy? And how soon until we start to see some change?

On this compilation episode of The Front Page, we revisit some of the discussions we've had to do with economy and the business sector throughout 2024, including post-Budget analysis, closures in the retail and hospitality sector, and the big scandal around Du Val Group. 

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.

While 2024 has been a big year of news in New Zealand, there’s been plenty happening around the world over the last 12 months.

From wars and conflicts to extreme-weather events -- new pandemic threats to cancer coming to Buckingham Palace -- we’ve seen it all over the last 12 months.

Today on The Front Page, we’ll be revisiting the many conversations we’ve had about the biggest stories from around the world in 2024, including the impacts of Donald Trump's re-election on New Zealand, the ongoing impacts of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and some of the biggest deaths and crime events from Australia. 

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.