The news year, unpacked, by five divas with microphonesAs the year draws to a close, The Detail looks back at 12 months of deep dives, sharp analysis, and the kinds of conversations that helped New Zealanders make sense of a turbulent, fast-moving worldGuests:Alexia Russell - The Detail editorGwen McClure - The Detail producer/ hostAmanda Gillies - The Detail hostSharon Brettkelly - The Detail hostDavina Zimmer - The Detail associate producerLearn More:Catch up on The Detail's 2025 episodes hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
From storms to scorchers, what this summer's wild weather means for New Zealand tourism With tourism numbers back to pre-covid levels, New Zealanders are getting ready for a swarm of tourists. Experts say those tourists should be getting ready for New Zealand's wild, changeable weather.Guests:Chris Brandolino - Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist and meteorologistDr Stephen Espiner - Lincoln University associate professor of parks, recreation and tourismFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
From stray dogs to traffic jams to the most controversial topic of all - berms - councillors and mayors from across the country report what's getting on their residents' nervesWhen residents have a gripe about rain, stray dogs, berm maintenance, or even a tree root, they call their councillor. Today The Detail is calling those councillors, too.Guests:Bryan Cadogan - former Clutha mayorSam Jennings - Horowhenua District councillorMax Brough - New Plymouth mayorRichard Hills - Auckland councillorLearn More:Auckland locals reaction to fortnightly rubbish collection proposalNew Plymouth women gets fined for planting on her bermChristchurch man takes fine for parking on berm to courtFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
At Auckland Museum's new shark exhibition, all the models are to scale, allowing visitors to get face-to-face with some of the largest creatures on the planetFrom a shark the size of a cigar to the long-extinct 400-kilo 'buzzsaw' to those that glow in the dark, sharks are an incredibly diverse species - and according to the exhibition's curator, 'the most misunderstood animals on the planet'Guests:Clinton Duffy - Auckland Museum curator of marine biologyLearn More:Details about Auckland Museum's Shark exhibition hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Between the high cost of living and a slew of toys failing safety tests, buying Christmas presents for kids is fraughtHow to shop for your kids this Christmas, in the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children's products failing safety testsGuests:Gemma Rasmussen - Consumer NZ head of research and advocacyMareta Hunt - Safekids Aotearoa Poutokomanawa/DirectorLearn More:Toy safety tipsMore about recent tests of toys from Shein, Ali Express, eBay and Amazon here and hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
A year of highs, lows and hard questions: Inside New Zealand's rollercoaster sporting seasonThe country's biggest sports teams delivered everything from turmoil to triumph in 2025, with a mixed bag of results across rugby, league, netball and cricket, with off-field drama often dominating headlines.Guests:Rikki Swannell - Sports commentator and journalistLearn More:The Post's All Blacks season player ratingsRNZ's deep dive into the Netball NZ and Dame Noeline Taurua incident RNZ's piece on the Silver Ferns' win over England More rugby news here and hereMore on the Warriors here More on NZ football hereLiam Lawson's 2026 season confirmationFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The opening has been pushed back again, the price is extraordinary, but Auckland's City Rail Link is expected to deliver the region the wow factor Those in charge of the country's most expensive transport infrastructure are confident the new timetable for opening will stick - but they won't name a dateGuests:Alan Trestour - CRL Head of Delivery for Auckland TransportPatrick Brockie - CRL chief executiveStacey van der Putten - Auckland Transport director of public transport and active modesRussell McMullan - CRL Assurance and Integration general managerAdrian Price - Auckland Transport head of completion of Karanga-a-Hape stationLearn More:CRL official websiteFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer populationIn a war between hunters and conservationists over the control of one of our most damaging pests, only the deer are winningGuests:Richard Dawkins - Federated Farmers meat and wool chairJill Herron - Newsroom journalistJohn Bissell - hunter and conservationistLearn More:RNZ's podcast Deer WarsMore on Herd of Special Interest Details of talks on special interest wapiti herd revealedFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Aviation under pressure: Airbus A320 glitch adds to a year of crashes, questions, and shaken confidenceThe Airbus A320 fault sparked worldwide delays and airport chaos, and has renewed fears over aviation safety in a turbulent 2025Guests:Grant Bradley - Aviation commentatorDan Lake - Travel commentatorLearn More:Planes grounded after Airbus discovers solar radiation could impact systemsVictim identified following fatal mid-air collision between two planes in Sydney's southwestFleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery seasonUS fears cover-up in Air India crashWashington DC plane crash: Aircraft plunges into Potomac River after colliding with Black Hawk helicopter, major emergency response, flights groundedFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Regional councils have to find a different way of operating that cuts down on double ups and layers of bureaucracyRegional councillors who've just been sworn in have been shown the writing on the wall by the government, which is plotting a swift end to their termsGuests:Glenn McConnell - Stuff political reporterLearn More:Read Glenn's piece on the regional council shake up hereBeehive news release on local government changesFurther details from the Department of Internal Affairs Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
An HIV diagnosis used to be a death sentence, but that hasn't been the case in years - so why hasn't the stigma changed with the science?More than four decades after the first New Zealander was diagnosed with HIV, medical advances have completely changed the face of the once-fatal virus, but one man living with it says he doesn't "think that the HIV stigma has changed radically"Guests:Rodrigo Olin German - Head of Services and Outreach, Burnett FoundationLiz Gibbs - Chief Executive, Burnett FoundationLearn More:Liz Gibbs talks about the ongoing HIV outbreak in Fiji - listen to our podcast episode on that hereLearn more about HIV in Aotearoa hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
It doesn't have to be extravagant, expensive or loaded with tinsel and tat - bring your smile to host the perfect seasonal party If you're fed up with Northern Hemisphere listicles on how to prepare for a cold Christmas, here's a taste of what it takes to host a summer celebrationGuests:Trudi Nelson - Food writer and broadcasterColin Mathura-Jeffree - Model, TV personality, and professional guestFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
We've failed to reach our smokefree obligations, but has New Zealand done well enough to relax our efforts?New Zealand was once a world leader in getting people to give up cigarettes, but we seem to have pulled up the brakesGuests:Chris Bullen - University of Auckland public health professorAnaru Waa - University of Otago professorJasmine Graham - Hāpai te Hauora general managerLearn More:Read more about the history of nicotine drinks hereFind the New Zealand health survey hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The West Coast has long been mining country, but a proposed expansion of coal mining operations - and the backlash - leaves the region's economy and ecology uncertainA proposal to expand mining operations on the Denniston Plateau pits the economy against ecology, leaving the Government facing a high-stakes decisionGuests:Fox Meyer - Newsroom political reporterLearn More:Read more about the Plateau proposal and protests here, here, here, here and hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
As the cost of insurance rises, Consumer NZ sees worrying signs that more people are dropping their house insuranceFrom house insurance to health insurance, mortgage to pet to funeral, the list of what can be insured seems to be growing. Insurance experts list the ones you can cancel.Guests:Rebecca Styles - Consumer NZ head of investigationsBianca Russell - North Shore office managerChris Walsh - MoneyHub founderLearn More:Insurance Council of New Zealand's survey reveals Kiwis are concerned about natural hazards driving up consumer costsFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Unions who won an employment case for four Uber drivers in three different courts could find the ruling short-lived, with the introduction of new legislationAn expert in employment law says new legislation will override a Supreme Court ruling, but that bill is full of holes - and will itself end up being tested in the courtsGuests:Simon Schofield - University of Auckland professional teaching fellowLearn More:Workers First Union media release on the Supreme Court decision, with a timelineSupreme court finding on Uber caseFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Psychological tricks and traps using deceptive website design techniques are starting to overwhelm online shopping.What's being termed 'dark patterns' are becoming increasingly prevalent on shopping websites as online businesses scramble for your dollarsGuests:Chris Shulz - Consumer NZ senior investigative journalistAlex Sims - University of Auckland commercial law professorLearn More:Read Consumer NZ's Invisible Influence report hereHere's the report Alex mentioned that found websites using dark patterns had double, sometimes quadruple participation rate compared to websites that didn'tRead more about the Hello Fresh case hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Two big political memoirs have hit the bookshops this year - but which high profile politicians are missing from the shelvesFrom memoirs to biographies; autobiographies - both authorised and unauthorised - to the mid-career manifesto, the documented lives of politicians come in many formsGuests:Tim Murphy - Newsroom co-editorJim McAloon - Victoria University professor of political historyLearn More:Listen to previous podcasts from Tim Murphy with The Detail here and hereListen to a previous podcast from Jim McAloon with The Detail hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
A surprise reversal on high beef tariffs has been a welcome relief for farmers, but with Trump in the White House, celebrations are muted U.S President Donald Trump no longer has beef with some Kiwi exports, but others are still stuck paying a high price - and an economist warns it's anyone's guess how long the relief will lastGuests:Brad Olsen - New Zealand economistKate Acland - Beef and Lamb New Zealand chair and New Zealand Meat Board chairLearn More:Read more about the tariff removal and what it means for New Zealand here, here and hereFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kākāpō numbers are recovering at such a rate that we are running out of pest-free islands to put them on 2026 could be the year that the kākāpō breeding programme takes such a big leap forward that conservationists can finally take a step backGuests:Alison Ballance - Kākāpō FilesLearn More:Read DoC's blog on the 2026 mast season Learn about Auckland Zoo's kākāpō programmeFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Open Mind
A political commentor spouting his unqualified nonsense about vaccines....sheesh, what's next, a plumber to tell us about rocket science? 'The Detail'....you've got to be joking.
Amanda de la Port
I was a professional nurse in South Africa qualified for 20 years. Now permanent NZ resident. NZ nursing council declined my application for registration saying they don't accept my qualifications. No way into the profession here in NZ available to me, no return to work training or exam/evaluation offered to prove my competency. A flat no!
Benjamin
I love this podcast. I listen to it everyday on my way to work. it's genuinely a wonderful way to start the day. keep up the great work whānau
George Loomes
Ick. Where was the balance in that piece.. No reference to the role of US as a potential positive influence over the post war period, ensuring stability against increasing aggression from China. Also.. 'What are satellites?' ........ 'Good Question..' *Was it though???*
Alan Dawn
Correction, 0.4 ha is one acre, not a quarter, so it excludes most residential properties. Where is the proof reading, fact checking, credibility?