The Front Page

Last week, 34-year-old Xavier Valent was sentenced to life in prison for importing drugs into New Zealand.  

It is only the third time someone has received a life sentence in this country for meth-related charges – but Valent was not your ordinary drug dealer. 

His six-week-long trial revealed details of the major global drug syndicate he sat at the head of, with dozens of ‘minions’ working for him as he travelled the world living a life of luxury.

NZ Herald crime reporter George Block was the only media present in court for the whole trial and sat through all the sordid details of Valent’s offending. He joins Damien to discuss the crimes committed by a man described as a modern-day Mr Asia. 

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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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone in Auckland has an opinion on what should happen to the city's port.
 
Businesspeople want its ownership structure to change, the mayor wants it to move and citygoers complain that it’s an eyesore.
 
To make matters worse, the workers have faced years of safety issues and even deaths onsite. This has led to often tense relations between the union and management.
 
The man at the centre of all this is CEO Roger Gray, who joins Damien today to give a sense of what it takes to run Ports of Auckland.

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour isn’t one to mince his words.  
 
That much was clear at the ACT Party annual conference, where Seymour used the opportunity to rally the party faithful ahead of this year’s election.  
 
As well as taking aim at other parties for their lack of action, Seymour announced a new policy if they make it into government in October – a Ministry of Regulation to reign in government spending. 

With polls showing a dead heat between both sides of the political aisle, there’s every chance that Seymour will be able to make good on that promise.  

But what does he want from a National Party coalition, and how committed is he to getting his way? 

David Seymour joins Damien to share ACT’s goals for the election, and his thoughts on how negotiations could go.  

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Wood is the latest minister to lose a portfolio under Chris Hipkins. 

He has been stood down from the Transport portfolio after revelations he owns shares in Auckland Airport – and has failed to sell them despite several reminders. 

It’s the latest problem to engulf the government at a ministerial level, heaping more pressure on Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to right his ship ahead of this year’s election.

NZ Herald deputy political editor and host of On the Tiles, Thomas Coughlan broke the story about Wood. He joins Damien to dissect the issues facing the Labour government.

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Paddy Fox and Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aotearoa’s population is getting older, which means more people are entering aged care every year. 

The problem is that our care facilities are already overburdened and understaffed, heaping pressure on the nurses taking care of New Zealand’s elderly.  
 
NZ Herald investigative journalist Nicholas Jones recently won a Voyager award for best individual investigation in recognition of his work looking into the industry. 
 
He joins Damien to explain if anything has changed since he first started asking some tough questions. 

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re being watched every single day. Our every online move is recorded, jotted down and then sold on to bidders who want our eyeballs. 
 
This is how tech giants like Google, Meta and TikTok make billions of dollars in ad revenue every year. It’s an incredibly effective system but also comes with some serious consequences.  
 
So what price are we actually paying for “free” access to these services? How worrying is it that tech giants are essentially keeping track of our every move? And what can we do to stop this from happening? 

Today, advertising expert and agitator Bob Hoffman explains to Damien how we’re being sold without even realising it.

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country woke up this morning to news that former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had been declared a Dame.  

She is just one of 182 people from across a range of industries being recognised in today's Kings Birthday Honours, on a list that includes rugby coaches, armed service personnel, medical pioneers, and Queen Camilla.  

But how does the honours system work and who gets to make the call about who gets knighted? 

To help us make sense of all the honours and understand how they’re awarded, Damien is joined by Secretary of Cabinet Rachel Hayward who helps organise the lists twice a year. 

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament’s major parties are both leaning heavily towards the political centre, in order to attract the coveted middle New Zealand vote.
 
But in doing so, they’re leaving an opportunity for the minor parties to pick up voters on the fringes. The thing is that as society becomes more polarised, those fringes are becoming larger and larger.
 
This leaves some uncomfortable choices for both National and Labour as they head into the next election.

So how do you appeal to the middle while not alienating the party faithful? And who has the most to lose in getting this balance wrong?

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few issues have attracted as much media attention in the last year as crime.

Ram raids, street violence and burglaries have grabbed headlines time again, creating a sense that New Zealand is no longer a safe place to live – and a narrative that crime has got worse under the Labour government.
 
Now, new insights from the NZ Herald data team reveal whether this perception is actually reflected in the crime statistics.
 
Head of newsroom data Chris Knox tells Damien what the numbers actually show, and political writer Michael Neilson shares what our politicians have said on the subject over the years.

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Paddy Fox and Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Name suppression is one of the most contentious parts of the New Zealand legal system.  

Many high-profile criminals in recent years have received name suppression for months or years on end – with the five year suppression for the Mama Hooch rapists being one of the recent examples of how long suppression can last. 

That can cause tension with the general public, as it often seems as though it's only high profile offenders who get to keep their identities hidden. 

So how does name suppression work, how evenly is it handed out, and how important is it to the legal system? 

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: Damien Venuto
Producer: Paddy Fox and Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.