The Front Page

In the new science fiction film Mickey 17, Robert Pattinson’s character Mickey Barnes is killed and each time he dies, a new copy of his body is printed out. It’s a classic far-flung sci-fi premise -- but the technology it’s based on is far more science than fiction. 3D bioprinting is a technology that uses 3D printing to create tissues and organs from living cells and biomaterials. The technology has been evolving rapidly over the last couple of decades. So how far away are we from printing out multiple Robert Pattinsons? Today on The Front Page, University of Queensland’s Professor Sašo Ivanovski joins us to break down 3D Bioprinting, where the technology is at, and what its future looks like. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anybody watching the Oscars would have noticed a common theme...   It was probably about when host Conan O'Brien mocked streaming culture with a sketch introducing the idea of a 'building for movies' and getting people to 'stream movies in a theatre.' And it wasn’t the first, or the last, reference to brick-and-mortar cinemas...   Anora director Sean Baker used his acceptance speech for Best Director as a battle cry for movie theatres – saying they’re under threat. And it’s not just the US that’s seen less bums in seats at the cinema. NZ cinema chain Silky Otter said just last year the market was about 25% below what it was in 2019, pre-Covid. But, is the pandemic the only thing to blame? Today on The Front Page, Capitol cinema owner, Roger Wyllie is with us to chat about what could be causing the death of cinemas – and what can be done to revive them. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government plans to change laws to allow victims the right to choose whether a convicted sex offender gets permanent name suppression or not. Now, automatic name suppression applies to protect witnesses and complainants under the age of 18 and those where certain sexual offences are alleged. It’s a law that garners a lot of criticism from the general public – there is constant commentary on the perceived reasons why someone gets to keep their name a secret. Herald senior reporter Melissa Nightingale and Newstalk ZB’s Sophie Trigger have been delving into the feedback given to the Minister about the changes. Today on The Front Page, Melissa is with us to discuss them, and what the law looks like at the moment. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that meth is a serious problem in New Zealand. Wastewater Testing results show the consumption of the drug in New Zealand more than doubled in the second half of 2024 to the highest levels ever recorded. At the same time, the New Zealand Drug Trends Survey (NZDTS) 2024 showed the average price of a gram of meth declined from $563 in 2017/18 to $360 in 2024. Meanwhile, Wastewater testing in Ōpōtiki shows meth use there has halved after police raids on an alleged Mongrel Mob drug ring. Today on The Front Page, Herald investigative reporter Jared Savage is with us to run through the state of meth in our country. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March Madness is upon us – which means it’s the busiest time of year for anyone trying to get anywhere. It usually marks the end of the summer holiday period – school and university is back in session, and most people are back at work. So whether you’re biking, driving, or taking a train or bus – it's nightmarish. But it does lead back to that age old question – how do we solve our traffic problems? Today on The Front Page, we’re joined by Matt Lowrie from Greater Auckland to look at some of the possible solutions. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government’s announced it’s giving businesses more power to make ‘citizen’s arrests’.  Up until now, citizen’s arrests could only happen between 9pm and 6am, for crimes with a maximum punishment of at least three years in prison.    But the changes mean people can intervene and stop any offence at any time of the day, by using restraints and ‘reasonable’ force. Retail crime costs New Zealand retailers $2.6 billion each year. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says retail crime rose 85% between 2019 and 2023, including a 91% increase in victimisations relating to theft. Today on The Front Page, we speak to Retail NZ’s Carolyn Young about the rise of retail crime, and later Labour’s police spokesperson Ginny Andersen, who is criticising the government for the 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, commentators and analysts often raised the idea of a ‘youthquake’ - young, first-time voters coming in and shaking up the political landscape. It was after events like the School Strikes 4 Climate showed the power of youth mobilising around a common goal. Yet those youthquakes never happened – at least, not for left-leaning politicians. Instead, there’s been a shift to more conservative views among our youngest voters – and a yearning for the quote ‘good old days’ has seen trends like ‘trad wives’ and a ‘return to traditional family values’ skyrocket online. It’s all while a recent UK survey found that 52 percent of 13- to 27-year-olds believe their country would be better with a “strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”. Today on The Front Page, to discuss what’s shaping the youth of today, we’re joined by AUT University senior lecturer in Communication Studies, Christina Vogels. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The appearance of three Chinese warships so close to our borders has surprised and confused Australian and New Zealand officials. The ships issued a live-fire warning off Australia’s east coast – forcing commercial flights to change course. Then, on Saturday afternoon, sailors on a New Zealand Navy frigate saw live rounds being fired from a Chinese vessel's main gun. Beijing’s now under scrutiny for not warning Australia or New Zealand of drills being performed in the Tasman Sea. All this comes as tensions between New Zealand and our pacific neighbours are at an all time high. Today on The Front Page, Waikato University’s Al Gillespie updates us on what’s going on. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warnings of a ‘city killer’ asteroid hurtling towards earth have been filling news feeds over the last month. The space rock, dubbed ‘2024 YR4', had a 3.1 percent chance of hitting earth in the year 2032. That made it one of the riskiest asteroids ever, according to NASA, but they have since lowered their assessment again – to 0.28%. That hasn’t stopped news of this asteroid sparking a social media and news obsession, just the latest thing for people to worry about in amongst wars, a bad economy and political uncertainty. So why are we so obsessed with doomscrolling – and is fixating on potential disasters bad for our health? Later, we’ll discuss that side of things with Dr Lisa Harrison, a lecturer in digital communications at Flinders University. But first on The Front Page, to put all your minds at ease, we’re speaking to Joshua Aoraki from Stardome. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been three years since Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, a dramatic escalation in the conflict between the two countries that has been raging for over a decade.  And for three years, Ukraine has fought hard to defend itself. Over 12,000 civilians are believed to have died, a similar number captured or detained, while estimates on the military deaths range from the tens to hundreds of thousands. During this war, most of the Western world has sided with Ukraine, and supported the country financially and with tanks and missiles. But that could soon change, with US President Donald Trump arranging peace talks with Russia without Ukraine’s involvement. New Zealand freelance journalist Tom Mutch has been in Ukraine for much of the last three years, and he returns to The Front Page today to discuss the state of the invasion as a potential end to the conflict approaches. 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 DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.