The Front Page

Parliament has not even returned for 2024 yet, but we’ve already got our first political scandal of the year.  Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman has quit Parliament after multiple allegations of shoplifting surfaced over the last few weeks.  Citing mental health concerns in her statement, it has once again raised questions about the stress placed on MPs and their suitability to serve, while the Green Party again faces scrutiny over their handling of the case.   NZ Herald deputy political editor and host of the On the Tiles podcast, Thomas Coughlan, joins to dissect what to make of this scandal. 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: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Light Rail is finally dead.  The National-led Government has killed off the scheme first proposed by Labour on the 2017 campaign trail. Millions were spent on the project, which went through multiple iterations but never quite managed to get on track.  The failure of the project has raised questions about how our Government’s approach to infrastructure will work, and why these schemes are so expensive and difficult to get off the ground.   Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joins us to discuss why we need to rethink our approach. 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: Katie HarrisSound Engineer: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shark sightings have dominated Kiwi headlines this summer, with Surf Life Saving New Zealand recording several dozen reports over the holiday period.   While some may view this as summer hysteria, the sightings did prompt water evacuations at certain beaches, and one woman suffered significant injuries to her leg after being attacked by a shark while walking through an estuary.   So is global warming playing a hand in bringing these sharks close to shore, and what, if anything, can Kiwi water users do to keep safe?  Today on The Front Page, shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott joins to discuss the sightings and what we get wrong when talking about these sea creatures.   Host: Katie HarrisSound Engineer: Paddy FoxProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page has been taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast this year. Back in April, two record drug busts within Aotearoa’s borders prompted us to take a look at why more and more drugs were passing through our borders.  In the months since, more stories have landed in the NZ Herald newsroom of record hauls, including 140 kilograms of cocaine seized at the Ports of Auckland, 25 kilograms of meth found inside a Canadian man’s suitcase, and 25 million dollars worth of cannabis seized in Auckland.  With so many drugs passing through our borders – or at least trying to – we're revisiting our chat on The Front Page with NZ Herald senior crime writer Jared Savage to find out why these busts are getting bigger. New episodes return January 15th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we are shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts and news events from the NZ Herald network over the last year.   For years, Kiwis have pondered the identity of the ‘prominent businessman’, who, after several eventful court cases, was found guilty of sexually assaulting three men over a number of years.  In 2023, he was unmasked as James Wallace, at the time a knight recognised for his services to the arts as one of our country’s biggest patrons.   In a three-part special series of A Moment in Crime - the country’s top local true crime podcast - Anna Leask re-examined the case, looking at who Wallace was, the victims whose lives he ruined, and how he got away with it for so long.  In this excerpt from the first episode of The Patron, you can learn who James Wallace is, and how Leask was the first journalist to report his crimes.  You can listen to the full episode and series in the A Moment in Crime feed on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page is looking back at some of the biggest news stories and top rated episodes from the podcast this year.   One of the big talking points in Aotearoa for years has been the state of our education.   Concerns over falling test results, and dropping numeracy and literacy rates have worried parents, educators and politicians for some time – and this all became worse during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.   The new National-led government has vowed to tackle education head on, but what exactly is needed to achieve this?  Back in March, the Herald’s Making the Grade series, in collaboration with the New Zealand Initiative, explored what we need to do to repair this damaged system.  Damien Venuto caught up with NZI Senior Fellow Michael Johnston to discuss what it will take to get our education sector back on track.   New episodes return January 15th.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we are shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts and news events from the New Zealand Herald network over the last year.   Cold cases are relatively few and far between in Aotearoa. And that’s what makes the case of Donald Fraser stand out. 90 years after Fraser was shot dead in his bed at the Racecourse Hotel in Christchurch, questions linger about who was responsible, and why no one was ever brought to justice. Open Justice journalist Ric Stevens has been looking into this case for over a decade, and in this special series for the Herald’s Chasing Ghosts podcast, does he have an answer to this nearly century-old cold case?  Listen to the first episode of Chasing Ghosts: Murder at the Racecourse Hotel now, and find the full season in the Chasing Ghosts feed on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page is taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top rated episodes from the podcast this year.   No family ever expects to find themselves in court – but for thousands in Aotearoa, that is the reality they find themselves in.  In August, the NZ Herald ran a series on the Family Court, poring through the case files and talking to those at the coalface of a part of our legal system that is under crisis.   Herald senior writer Jane Phare discussed what she had learnt about a system that some have described as a “warzone”.  New episodes return January 15th.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While The Front Page is taking its summer break, we are shining a spotlight on some of the biggest podcasts and news events from the NZ Herald network over the last year.   It’s a new year, and many of us will be looking for ways to improve our lives as we try to keep up with our new year resolutions.   In the Herald podcast series, The Little Things, hosts Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey are trying to do the same, by looking at what the science says about living a healthier life.   In this episode, they talk with medical doctor, epidemiologist, and Professor at King’s College London, Tim Spector, to cut through the crap – literally – to find out what you actually need to do to eat healthy.  Listen now, and find more episodes of The Little Things on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will return on February 3rd.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we’re on our summer break, The Front Page is taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top rated episodes from the podcast this year.   For decades, Waiwera Thermal Resort was one of the go-to places for Kiwis looking to cool off on a hot summer’s day.   This year though marked the final nail in the coffin for the once popular destination.   For six years, the complex has sat empty, but 2023 saw demolition crews come for the iconic slides, statues and pools.   So how did this tourist favourite end up a ghost town, and what warnings does it hold for other destinations?  The Front Page caught up with NZ Herald Property Editor Anne Gibson back in August to find out how this Auckland icon became a wasteland.  New episodes return January 15th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.