The Front Page

It’s been revealed that Ardie Savea’s future with the All Blacks hung in the balance. His push to quit was amid whispers of player discontent and coaching fractures exposing deep cracks in the team’s foundations. Players apparently openly questions coaching, discipline, and its overall direction. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald rugby analyst, Gregor Paul, joins us to break down the inside story, and the deeper turmoil inside the All Blacks. 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 DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The financial year is coming to an end.  It means we’ll see a whole bunch of policies and adjustments from April 1.   Everything from crayfish catch limits and Pharmac funding to changes to the Living and Minimum wages.  Super annuitants, working families, students and beneficiaries are among those who will receive additional support.  On the law-and-order front, the government’s crackdown on drug drivers is set to ramp up. And power bills are expected to increase, after the Commerce Commission agreed to let local lines companies, and Transport, charge households and businesses more a couple years ago. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large, Liam Dann, is with us to break down what changes are in the works, and what it might mean for you – and our economy. 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 DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the word ‘crisis’ now comes talk about working from home. As oil prices rise and the cost of petrol surges towards $4 a litre, it’s been flagged as a potential voluntary measure in contingency plans. There’s been no direct government endorsement or mandate for working from home, but it’s been recognised as a possible fuel-saving step if the crisis worsens, alongside prioritising essential sectors. Today on The Front Page, University of Otago business school associate professor Paula O’Kane is with us to take us through different ways of working, and what businesses could do to help out their employees. 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 DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran is warning against US ground invasion as regional leaders ramp up diplomatic efforts. It comes as the USS Tripoli – carrying 3,500 US service members – arrived in the Middle East at the weekend. It’s all while Pakistan said it is prepared to host US-Iran talks after meeting with foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. But, what are the chances of peace in the Middle East? How do we achieve it? And, how long will this war last? Today on The Front Page, University of Otago Peace Studies professor Richard Jackson is with us to take us through the latest, and what could happen next. 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 DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anne Gibson, NZ Herald property editor with decades covering Auckland development, walks through the city’s changing skyline. She highlights long-abandoned sites, bold new office and tall student towers, halted ghost projects, supermarket rebuild plans, theatre restorations, and lessons from Sydney. Short bursts on cranes, green design and how major transport projects reshape the central city.

Chris Abercrombie, president of the PPTA and representative of secondary teachers and principals, shares his frontline perspective. He discusses the rushed timeline and missing nuts-and-bolts details, the risks to teacher workload and school specialisms, concerns about compulsory English, maths and science, and how AI, neurodiversity and vocational pathways fit into the overhaul.

Liam Hehir, a lawyer and political commentator on New Zealand politics, polls and policy. He discusses National’s slipping poll trajectory and Luxon’s personal approval challenges. He explains how to read polls beyond single results, why ACT and NZ First are strengthening, and how the fuel crisis and coalition tensions shape political fortunes.

Every New Zealander at the moment is feeling the impact of the price of fuel.   It’s something Finance Minister Nicola Willis has mentioned time and time again.   She’s also made it incredibly clear that this government won’t make the same mistakes as the last – so, any financial assistance must be targeted, and temporary.  That’s why she’s announced extra support for low-to-middle-income families.  From April 7, about 143,000 working families with children will get an extra $50 a week through a boost to the in-work tax credit.   But, what else could the Government do? What about the rest of the population without kids who are also still struggling to make ends meet?  Today on The Front Page, Journalist and publisher of The Kākā, Bernard Hickey is with us to break down how a war about 15,000 kilometres away is affecting New Zealand’s economy, and New Zealanders’ wallets.  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 DanielsEditor/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Jane YeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Gillespie, international law professor at Waikato University, explains legal risks around strikes on civilian infrastructure. He discusses possible Iranian reprisals, threats to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, how other countries might be drawn in, and humanitarian and environmental dangers if nuclear or power facilities were hit.

Yesterday, Stats NZ released New Zealand’s GDP performance for the last quarter of 2025, and the government tells us things are looking good with gross domestic product rising 0.2 percent.   But the Reserve Bank had forecast growth of 0.5% - so while the latest results show we’re heading in the right direction, are we travelling fast enough?  Today on the Front Page, NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, joins us to explain what the latest results mean and how the conflict in the Middle East might impact the next chapter of our economic story.  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/Producer: Jane YeeEditor/Producer: Richard MartinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.