The Front Page

While special votes are still to be counted, and a by-election needs to be held, it looks like National and Act are set to form the next government.   With Christopher Luxon as Prime Minister, he now has to build a Cabinet and start implementing his policies.   But without a full majority, Luxon needs to negotiate with Act and its leader David Seymour to decide what policies to adopt and how many of Act’s MPs will sit around the Cabinet table.   The question of how involved NZ First and Winston Peters will be remains unanswered, as the often left-leaning special votes could bump National and Act below a majority.   So, what could this coalition look like, and how big of a swing to the right will Aotearoa experience?  Today, NZ Herald senior political writer Derek Cheng joins The Front Page to discuss the shape of politics to come.  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 VenutoProducers: Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 16th: The campaign is over and the coalition negotiations have begun. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan joins to discuss what should happen over the next three weeks as National and the new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon prepare to take charge, and work out who they need to work with. Host: Georgina CampbellProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Doctors failing to catch blood clots. Cancer being missed. Medicine given to patients who are allergic to it. Surgical equipment left inside patients. We trust our lives to medical professionals to find out what’s wrong with us and help us get better, but sometimes the mistakes of medical staff can lead to dire consequences. Thankfully, processes are in place to hold doctors, nurses and other staff accountable when things go wrong, and hopefully prevent mistakes from happening again. We’re aware of many of these stories thanks to the Open Justice project which has been reporting on decisions made by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Health and Disability Commissioner.   Open Justice deputy editor Natalie Akoorie discusses what those organisations do, and how they can help you if your medical treatment causes you more harm than good. 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 VenutoProducers: Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special crossover episode, the hosts of On The Campaign and The Front Page discuss the results of Election 2023. As the polls predicted poll night was a bloodbath for Labour. Their caucus has nearly halved, several key MPs are out and while Chris Hipkins has not resigned yet, it seems like the inevitable outcome.  But for National and Act, it was a case of celebrations. Christopher Luxon is set to be our next Prime Minister, National swung a number of seats their way, and so did Act.   With the two parties holding 61 seats at this stage (with a 62nd likely after the Port Waikato byelection) it does raise the prospect of NZ First being needed, but it doesn't change the fact that Aotearoa is getting a change in government. Follow The Front Page and On The Campaign 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. Hosts: Damien Venuto, Georgina Campbell and Hamish FletcherProducers: Shaun D Wilson and Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 13: With only a day of voting left, and hours left of the actual campaign, for this last episode before Election Day, Hamish talks to NZ Herald editor at large Shayne Currie and Markets with Madison host Madison Reidy, who will be fronting the Herald's election coverage tomorrow night. They discuss the best and worst performers on the campaign, the politicians who surprised us, the policies that sparked more debate than usual, and share their predictions for the final result. Host: Hamish FletcherProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow, after nearly two months of campaigning, and countless press conferences, policy announcements and interviews, New Zealand will choose the next government.  With advanced voting down from 2020, many of us will still be trying to make up our minds on who we want to lead the next government and are still consulting polls, analysis and party manifestos to make that decision.  But along with the official information, there is plenty of disinformation and misinformation circulating. Some is fuelled by global discourse, some is generated by lingering discontent over long abandoned policies, and some has been fuelled by politicians themselves.  So, just how fractured is the electorate, what sort of false information is out there, and what can our next government do to repair the information void?  Today on The Front Page, Kate Hannah, founder of The Disinformation Project, is here to share what exactly has been influencing voters this election.  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 VenutoProducers: Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 12: There is a little over 48 hours to go until polling booths close, and the parties are still out in force as advanced voting suggests a huge undecided vote, with mudslinging continuing between Labour and National. And NZ Herald political writer Michael Neilson joins to discuss the state of the Māori electorates and how many could change hands.  Host: Georgina CampbellProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past few years, former broadcaster and journalist Rachel Smalley has been advocating for change in how our country funds medicine.  Currently, Pharmac is the crown entity that decides which medicines to fund for use by New Zealanders.  But Pharmac has become a dirty word to many people with life-threatening or rare illnesses, who struggle to access the drugs they need to treat their condition.  Despite years of advocacy on this subject, Smalley has struggled to gain an interview with Pharmac’s top brass to address the criticisms of how they operate. So, she made an Official Information Act request to find out why – and the resulting emails she received have sparked outrage and calls for the CEO to quit.     Today, on The Front Page, Smalley is here to explain to Damien her battle with Pharmac, and what it says about the state of drug-buying agency.   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 VenutoProducers: Paddy Fox and Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 11: Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon have faced the Herald's PM Job Interview to test their skills for the country's top job, as they continue their final days of campaigning ahead of Election Day. And NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joins the podcast to dissect the races for Epsom and Tamaki that are seeing potential coalition partners National and Act go head to head.  Host: Hamish FletcherProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aotearoa is still picking up the pieces from Cyclone Gabrielle, and with a long dry summer ahead, 2023 will surely be remembered as the year climate change truly came knocking. So where has it been this election cycle? After floods and storms claimed homes and lives earlier this year, it seemed like all our political leaders were on the same page. But as the months wore on, the focus shifted to the economy, the cost of living and high inflation rates. Now, in the middle of campaign season, it seems like all hope of consensus on climate policy has been left behind, with our parties again deeply divided on what should and shouldn’t be done. Today, on The Front Page, NZ Herald science writer Jamie Morton, digs into the different policies and offers a view on whether we’re headed in the right direction. 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 VenutoProducer: Shaun D WilsonExecutive Producer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.