The Front Page: The week’s top stories – Mama Hooch rapists, family court pain, mortgage strategies, gambling regulation and World Cup legacy

Brothers Danny Jaz (left), and Roberto Jaz each face more than a decade and a half in prison. Photo / George Heard

Every weekday at 5am, the New Zealand Herald presents The Front Page, a daily news podcast covering the biggest stories of the day. Here’s a rundown of key stories that made headlines this week. We look back on the sentencing of the Mama Hooch rapists, the pain families face in the family court, and hopes for better gambling regulation in Aotearoa.

Mama Hooch rapists

Danny and Roberto Jaz were sentenced to 16-and-a-half years and 17 years, respectively, at the District Court in Christchurch for horrific crimes that spanned years.

“These guys were determined. They just kept going and going, and if a woman wasn’t interested, they didn’t care. They just wanted what they wanted and they bragged about it,” NZ Herald senior writer Anna Leask told The Front Page. “When you look at how they ran Mama Hooch, it was complete predatory behaviour. They were living a fantasy where they thought they could do whatever they liked with whoever fell in front of them.”

On this episode of the podcast, Leask offers details on how the pair were able to evade arrest for so long despite the sheer number of victims.

Mortgage strategies

Refixing a mortgage has become incredibly stressful. Photo / 123rf

Refixing your mortgage in this market can be a terrifying experience, with interest rates the highest we’ve seen in decades.

Jose George, the general manager of financial and consumer research organisation Canstar, has crunched the numbers and tells The Front Page there are simple strategies Kiwis can employ to get the best possible deal out of their bank.

“Most of us are sort of reluctant when it comes to switching banks or moving to another provider, and that means you’re sometimes foregoing thousands of dollars, which could be a boost in tight situations as we have right now,” George says.

We also discuss cashbacks and whether mortgage holders should be fixing for longer or shorter periods in the current market.

Gambling regulation

It has never been easier to gamble online. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand is being left behind the eight ball when it comes to gambling regulation.

This stark warning comes from Andree Froude, spokeswoman for the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, who tells The Front Page that our legislation is no longer fit for purpose.

“We need a Gambling Act that’s more fit for purpose. Our Gambling Act is from 2003 and there are a lot of things that have happened in the development of online gambling over that time.”

Her comments come after the launch of the BetStop programme, which has been launched in Australia to enable anyone who wishes to have themselves barred from gambling online to do so by simply informing the scheme that they wish to stop.

Other countries are also moving much faster, which means that vulnerable gamblers could be placed at greater risk for years to come.

‘A war zone’

Children are the losers when parents fight in the Family Court. Photo / 123rf

NZ Herald senior writer Jane Phare has spent months investigating the Family Court of New Zealand. In speaking to lawyers, judges, psychologists and families, she has found worrying signs that the system is simply not working as well as it could.

“They’re dealing with about 55,000 cases a year. They’ve got 64 judges, and it’s costing more than $316 million a year, of which $23m is just judges’ salaries,” she told The Front Page.

“That money also covers legal aid, lawyers for [children], supervised access, psychology reports and staff. It’s a big organisation.”

In reporting on this system, Phare has often described the Family Court as a warzone with regard to the nature of the disputes.

“It’s an adversarial rather than inquisitorial system, and that’s the problem. So you’re pitting parent against parent, lawyer against lawyer. And children are witnessing what essentially becomes a war that can go on for years.”

World Cup legacy

Spain won their first title at the Women's World Cup. Photo / AP

The Women’s World Cup was lauded internationally as a massive step for the women’s sport.

But what next for the game at a local level? How do we keep that momentum going and ensure this progress isn’t lost?

Those questions are at the centre of The Front Page’s discussion with Newstalk ZB broadcaster and Sky Sport commentator Jason Pine.

“These things can quickly become a distant memory,” warns Pine.

“The Rugby World Cup will arrive, then the Cricket World Cup, then it’ll be summer … It must be capitalised on … it simply must be built on, because it would be such a waste if it’s let to go to waste.”

So what can be done to ensure that’s not the case?

Todd Muller signs off

Todd Muller, former leader of the National Party, is quitting politics after nine years in parliament. 18 August 2023 The Bay of Plenty Times Photo / Alex Cairns

Former National leader Todd Muller was one of the more prominent names to deliver their valedictory speech in Parliament this week.

While he first walked the halls of power as a staffer for Prime Minister Jim Bolber, Muller’s time as a MP saw him negotiate National’s support of the Zero Carbon Act - before rising to the position of National leader in 2020. It was a short-lived time at the top though, lasting only two months before resigning due to mental health pressures just months out from the election.

Ahead of his speech, Muller spoke to Thomas Coughlan on On the Tiles, the Herald’s politics podcast, to reflect on his career and what his experiences taught him about mental health.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.

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