The Front Page

H5N1 bird flu has landed in New Zealand. 

The positive result from a brown skua found at Wellington’s Petone Beach is the country’s first case of the strain.  

For months, officials, farmers, and DOC workers have been bracing for this moment, trying to protect our wildlife from a virus that’s already devastated birds around the world. 

We’ve been one of the last places on Earth untouched by H5N1. That’s no longer true. 

So, how likely is it to spread, which animals are at risk, and should anyone be worried about their own safety? 

Today on The Front Page, University of Otago virologist Professor Jemma Geoghegan is with us to unpack what this means for our wildlife, our poultry sector, and the risk to people. 

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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.

Ex broadcaster Paul Henry is running for Act in the upcoming election. 

He stood for National in 1999 but is best known for hosting TVNZ's Breakfast in the mid-2000s. 

Henry’s long media career has been marked by a string of public controversies, many of which have led to him being criticised for his offensive and inflammatory remarks. 

So, with Act stagnant in polls - will this colourful personality be the party’s secret weapon or agent of chaos – or both? 

Today on The Front Page, Paul Henry joins us to discuss why politics, why now, and what happens next. 

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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.

Don’t you think it’s time for New Zealand to have more supermarket options?

The Government's announced a new guide for international chains wanting to set up shop here. It’s all in the hope of luring overseas investors to break up our duopoly grocery sector.

Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has said the guidelines are like rolling out a red carpet for those looking here to invest – but, the question is, will anyone actually want to walk it?

Today on The Front Page, Grocery Action Group chair Sue Chetwin is with us to explain why the option and ownership problems go deeper than new rules, and whether this could really change what’s on Kiwi dinner tables.

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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.

The United States has unleashed its biggest round of strikes on Iran in weeks.

The US has said it struck about 140 Iranian military sites – which prompted Tehran to attack allies in the region, including Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar.

Meanwhile, Washington insists that the Strait of Hormuz is open, despite Iran saying it has closed the waterway amid renewed strikes.

Today on The Front Page, Waikato University international law professor Alexander Gillespie is with us to break down the legality of these strikes, the risks of further escalation, and what could come next.

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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.

This week, New Zealand will host Narendra Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit this country in four decades. 

It should be a major diplomatic and economic moment, coming as the India free trade agreement edges closer to ratification and the Government celebrates early signs of export growth. 

But behind the diplomatic spectacle, political tensions are still bubbling away. 

Foreign Minister Winston Peters- who will absent from the weekend’s events- has been openly critical of the deal, accusing National of quietly tightening immigration settings linked to it without proper transparency. 

So, is this a genuine breakthrough in one of New Zealand’s most significant relationships — or is the politics around the deal threatening to muddy the moment? 

Today on The Front Page, India New Zealand Business Council chair Edwin Paul is with us to unpack Modi’s visit, what the trade deal could actually mean for New Zealand, and whether the political noise risks overshadowing a historic opportunity. 

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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.

Labour has unveiled its pitch to make power bills cheaper. 

If elected, the party’s promising subsidies of up to $3000 to low-and-middle-income households so they can install solar panels.  

The party is also promising two Government-backed low-interest loan schemes for home energy upgrades, alongside rule changes that would let renters install plug-in solar too. 

If that sounds familiar, it’s because National rolled out its own solar policy just a few weeks ago. 

So what, exactly, sets Labour’s plan apart? And will it actually make a meaningful dent in household power bills? 

Today on The Front Page, Labour leader Chris Hipkins is with us to explain how it would all work.

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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.

All eyes are on the Reserve Bank this week, as it prepares to make its latest call on the Official Cash Rate. 

Just weeks ago, a hike looked likely. 

But as Wednesday’s announcement approaches, that once-simple story has become a lot more complicated. 

Fuel prices have fallen, inflation fears have softened, and economists are now sharply divided on whether the Bank should move at all. 

So what changed? And what does this moment reveal about the balancing act the Reserve Bank is trying to pull off? 

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann is with us to talk through the OCR call, the growing uncertainty around it, and what comes next for borrowers, businesses, and the economy. 

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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.

National has unveiled an ambitious new trade pitch, promising to pursue New Zealand’s “next billion customers”.

The party says it’s all part of a plan to grow exports, create jobs and boost incomes, with a long-term goal of doubling export value by 2034.

Supporters say that is the kind of ambition a small trading nation needs. Sceptics say the policy may be trying to do too much at once.

Today on The Front Page, BusinessDesk Senior Correspondent Dileepa Fonseka joins us to dig into the policy, the politics, and what it could actually mean for the New Zealand economy.

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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.

Kim Dotcom has spent more than a decade at the centre of one of New Zealand’s most high-profile legal and political sagas. 

From the dramatic FBI-backed raid on his Coatesville mansion in 2012, to the long-running fight over extradition to the United States... The former Megaupload mogul is never far from the headlines. 

Now, with fresh developments putting Dotcom back in the spotlight, the big question is no longer just what’s happened, but what comes next. 

Is this the beginning of the end of a years-long legal battle, or is there still another twist to come? 

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald senior writer David Fisher joins us to help us make sense of the latest twist in the Kim Dotcom saga, why this case has lasted so long, and what could happen next. 

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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.

El Niño is back and scientists say it could become one of the strongest we’ve ever had to deal with.

That means the weather patterns shaping our spring and summer may be about to shift in a big way.

But El Niño can also be one of those phrases we hear a lot without always fully understanding what it actually means or how seriously we should take it when scientists start sounding the alarm.

So, what is happening in the Pacific right now, why does it matter so much for us here in New Zealand, and how worried should we be about what’s coming?

Today on The Front Page, Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist Chris Brandolino is with us to explain what’s driving this El Niño event, what it could mean for New Zealand in the months 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.