Episodes
-
An investigation by the NZ Herald has revealed concerns with police recruitment.
Over the last several months, we've learnt that prospective cops who didn’t pass fitness or literacy tests were allowed to start training, and dozens of recruits graduated from police college despite not being assessed on their ability to swim.
It’s prompted an audit by police of the process, and promises to change things, but has the damage already been done?
NZ Herald investigative reporter Michael Morrah has led the charge on this, and with us today on The Front Page to run through what’s gone wrong here and how Police have responded.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Donald Trump has claimed that a ceasefire has been declared in the war between Israel and Iran.
Releasing a statement on Tuesday morning NZ time, Trump said there’d be a “complete and total ceasefire” in what he’s calling the “12 day war”.
He said the war “could have destroyed the entire Middle East” and “could have gone on for years” but claimed both Israel and Iran came to him “almost simultaneously” and said “PEACE!”
While there remains uncertainty about how long this ceasefire will last and how committed both sides are to it, there also remains questions about the legitimacy of the intelligence that sparked the targeting of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
To those familiar with how the Iraq War started, it does feel like a case of history repeating itself.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister and administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark, was instrumental in our country not engaging in that war.
She joined The Front Page on Monday afternoon, prior to the ceasefire deal being announced, to discuss her experiences with Middle East conflicts and what the world should be doing to bring lasting PEACE!
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Missing episodes?
-
In a move called Operation Midnight Hammer, the US has attacked several key nuclear facilities in Iran.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, with President Donald Trump saying “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier”. He’s also calling for Iran to “MIGA - MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN”.
In response, Iran’s foreign minister said Washington crossed a “very big red line” - AND its Parliament has reportedly voted to shut the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows through.
The advancement saw our Foreign Minister Winston Peters quickly call for “diplomacy and dialogue” while also announcing government personnel and a Hercules aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East to help get stranded Kiwis home.
Today on The Front Page, to help us make sense of this crisis and what this heightening of tensions mean for the rest of the world, we’re joined by University of Otago international relations professor, Robert Patman.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Over the last few months, all we’ve been able to talk about when it comes to the economy has been tariffs and trade wars.
Behind a lot of Donald Trump’s talk has been his desire to see more manufacturing done in the United States.
And that includes everything from steel and cars down to smart phones.
But how realistic is it to demand everything moves production to the US? And has Trump perhaps touched on a flaw in how our most popular products are made.
Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by BusinessDesk’s Dileepa Fonseka to discuss how manufacturing actually works.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Unity is the theme for this year’s Matariki.
Today is the fourth year of the public holiday, marking the Maori new year.
It’s the first holiday to recognise Maori – and the first new public holiday introduced since Waitangi Day became a holiday in 1974.
Today on The Front Page, Professor Rangi Mātāmua the chief advisor for Matariki is with us to take us through what the holiday means.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
A major blaze at an Auckland supermarket this week has once again highlighted the incredible work of our firefighters.
More than 20 appliances and over 80 firefighters spent hours containing the fire at the Victoria Park New World this week, in scenes that captivated audiences across the country.
It’s not the first major fire the city has seen this year, and it’s unlikely to be the last.
So what’s it like on the frontline of these fires – and is our current fleet of firefighting appliances up for the job?
Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union Auckland President, Terry Bird, and Auckland local representative Josh Nicholls, to get into what it’s really like for our firefighters.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
We are halfway through the year, but there have already been a number of confronting headlines about early childhood education providers in 2025.
Earlier this year, the Herald ran a number of stories about children “escaping” from centres around the country.
And in the last week, two coroners reports have come out highlighting tragic deaths that befell two young children.
The news comes after a review by the Ministry of Regulation into ECEs and how they operate, with another review just announced by the Education Ministry into funding coming next.
Today on The Front Page, we are discussing what’s happening with rules, regulations and funding with Dr Sarah Alexander, chief advisor to the Office of Early Childhood Education.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Tensions are high in the Middle East, as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.
It comes after Israel launched a surprise attack last Friday against multiple targets in Iran, including nuclear and military sites.
Iran has retaliated, and this back and forth shows no signs of stopping – instead, both sides are threatening to escalate the conflict.
With major international players now weighing in, how big could this get – and will New Zealand have to pick a side?
Today on The Front Page, University of Otago international relations professor, Robert Patman is with us to take us through the history, and future, of this complicated relationship.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
It was February 19, 2013.
Maree Schafer was excited to start a hairdressing course at the Eastern Institute of Technology the next day.
That night, three cars - a silver Holden Commodore, a blue Ford Falcon, and a grey Nissan Skyline were street racing near Napier.
The Commodore continued through an intersection, going well over 180km/hour, when the driver lost control, slid sideways across the road, and crashed into a tree.
There were three occupants in that car. One was 18-year-old Maree. She died at the scene.
Twelve years later, and boy racer events are still happening.
People are injured, cars totalled, police intimidated, and, people die.
Just last month, riot police clashed with what the Police Minister’s called “cowardly, try-hard idiots” in Levin and Palmerston North – and police are preparing for more gatherings.
Today on The Front Page, Coreen Schafer, Maree’s mother, tells us what she’d say to one of these kids, and what life is like after losing her daughter to street racing.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Six years after Gore toddler Lachie Jones was found dead in a Gore oxidation pond, the coroner has handed down his findings.
And coroner Alexander Ho has called for a third police investigation, concluding that there were gaps in the original investigations that make it difficult to truly establish what happened to the three year old that night.
NZ Herald reporter Ben Tomsett has been following the proceedings, and joins us The Front Page for a bonus episode to discuss the coroner’s findings.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
If you’ve turned on an American news channel in the last week, you would’ve seen wall to wall coverage of protests spreading across the country.
It all started in Los Angeles, where clashes between police and protesters were exacerbated by Donald Trump bypassing Governor Gavin Newsom and sending National Guard and Marine troops to the city.
LA Mayor Karen Bass has blamed the protests on Trump's immigration raids, which she said "provoked" residents by causing "fear" and "panic".
While Trump has compared protesters to a “foreign invasion” and said that troops will “liberate” Los Angeles.
With the protests now being picked up in other major cities, how widespread could this get – and how much of this is a test case for what will happen in the rest of Trump’s term?
Today on The Front Page, 9News US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley is with us from Los Angeles to explain what’s happening on the ground.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
More than 600 days of war and an 11-week blockade of all aid has pushed those living in Gaza into a deeper crisis.
Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade of Gaza in March, cutting off food, medical supplies, and other aid to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
And while some aid has been allowed in in recent weeks, many countries are calling for more to be done.
New Zealand has joined the condemnation, placing travel restrictions against two Israeli ministers, but is that going to be enough to send a strong message?
Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by Alexander Gillespie to get into the latest on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Is New Zealand’s legal system moving fast enough to adapt to new technologies?
It’s a question being asked by some of our top academics and MPs.
The conversation around covert recordings has made headlines this week – as well as questions around whether it’s illegal.
And Act MP Laura McClure made global headlines after holding up a photo of herself naked in Parliament. It was an AI-generated ‘deepfake’, which McClure said took her only moments to create.
So do our existing laws protect victims from being abused through rapidly developing technology?
First on The Front Page, we discuss that viral deepfake moment with Act’s Laura McClure. Then, on the rise of new techology, University of Canterbury professor of law, Cassandra Mudgway.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
Every few weeks, it seems that we are reporting on a recidivist drink driver who is once again going through the court system due to their behaviour.
And there are still thousands going through the justice system every year. In fact, figures show that over 15,000 people were convicted last year for driving under the influence.
Now, a new survey has shown consistent support from New Zealanders to tackle drink driving.
Conducted by the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council, more Kiwis are keen to see Police issue on the spot fines for minor alcohol related offences, while there remains high support for confiscating cars and the use of alcohol interlocks in cars.
With this high support in place, what can be done to get drunk drivers off our roads?
Today on The Front Page, we discussing how we can curb drunk drivers with Virgina Nicholls, executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
The divided nature of our politics has been spotlighted once again.
A fiery debate has seen Te Pati Maori’s leaders suspended for Parliament in the harshest punishment ever handed down to a politician.
It was a vote made along party lines – with the Government parties voting in favour of the Privileges Committee recommendations, and the left-bloc voting against.
And that split was highlighted once again by two polls with conflicting results showing who will win next year.
Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls to discuss the latest in politics – starting with a scandal that has hit the Prime Minister’s office.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
It has been revealed that the Government considered using private company Bluebridge to replace the current Interislander fleet.
It’s just the latest in the saga that is the Cook Strait ferries, after years of negotiations, debate, and an axed contract.
But it’s hardly the first time we’ve had a major transport project face delays and changes.
All forms of transport are eyeing big investments, but how long before we actually get some movement?
Today on The Front Page, Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howell is with us to dig into the politics behind the country’s transport networks.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
A new study suggests that another Pike River mine disaster is likely.
The Victoria University of Wellington researchers say the failures that lead to the disaster that killed 29 men could happen again at any other organisation.
One of their "potentially disturbing observations" is that health & safety training, auditors, and well-qualified staff were not enough to prevent failure – and may also have provided an "illusion of certainty" and overconfidence.
The new research has come amidst a slew of changes to health and safety legislation being pushed through by the Government, which has sparked warnings from advocates.
One of those is Mike Cosman, an independent health and safety practitioner who sat on the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health & Safety established after the Pike River disaster.
And he joins us now on The Front Page to discuss this new study and the proposed changes.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
A warmer winter is coming, meaning we might not need our heaters as much as we usually would.
However, these conditions won’t be great for those heading away for ski season.
And, while the puffer jackets can stay in the wardrobe, those rain ones will be getting a workout – because with a warmer winter, comes rain.
Today on The Front Page, Niwa forecaster Chris Brandolino is with us, to give a glimpse into what the weather might look like in the months ahead.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
The world of pop culture fandom was once on the fringes of society – comic books, anime and sci-fi movies have historically been seen as the realm of nerds living in their parents basement.
But in recent years, the power dynamics have shifted, and what was once considered niche is now very much in the mainstream.
Blockbuster movies are increasingly being dominated by superhero and fantasy genre, and that’s seeping into the world of prestige television.
And everything from Labubus to the latest Nintendo Switch console are flying off the shelves in ways that are taking their makers by surprise.
To unpack why this side of pop culture is proving so popular, we’re joined today on The Front Page by the Academic Dean at SAE Creative Media Institute, Dr Lorna Piatti-Farnell.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
-
2024 was a difficult year for the Royal Family, with King Charles and the Princess of Wales both going public with cancer diagnoses, which required lengthy treatment that took them out of the spotlight.
Things have been looking rosier for the family so far this year, and the King is even flexing his diplomatic muscles in a visit to Canada amidst tensions between the country and the United States.
However, in recent weeks, the friction between the monarchy and Prince Harry has made headlines once again.
Today on The Front Page, for King’s Birthday, we’re touching in on the current state of the Royal Family with UK correspondent Gavin Grey.
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 SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Show more
