RNZ

Nights

Society EN ↓ 354 episodes

Tune in to Nights with Emile Donovan every weekday from 8pm to midnight for a delectable buffet of creative ideas, open-minded conversations, music, musings and daily stimulation.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.rnz.co.nz

Author

RNZ

Category

Society

Podcast website

www.rnz.co.nz

Latest episode

Oct 30, 2026

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Episodes

Politics with Natalia Albert  08.10.2026

Tonight, she’s looking at why we still campaign like we’re under First Past the Post, only to govern under MMP.

What makes the perfect online review? 08.10.2026

Why do we give more weight to some reviews than others? That’s the question behind new research from the University of Auckland.

Boomers say age doesn’t make them a burden 08.10.2026

A new report, For the Long Run, says political parties need to stop seeing older New Zealanders simply as a financial burden and start recognising the contribution they can continue to make.

How do trademarks actually work? 07.10.2026

Can you trademark any word you like? A surname? A suburb? Your dog's name?

Why companies test their weird flavours in NZ 07.10.2026

From Caramilk to Ginger Coca-cola, Kiwis are often among the first people in the world asked to give something a go. But why is that?

European correspondent Christian Smith 07.10.2026

Tonight: protests in France, a mysterious plague case in Russia, accusations against Germany’s former spy chief, and whiskey in space

IceCube neutrino research wins Nobel Prize  07.10.2026

More than 50 institutions are involved in the project, including a team from the University of Canterbury, led by Professor Jenni Adams.

Do we need an independent referee for election promises? 07.10.2026

Several parties have proposed creating an independent agency to analyse policies and cost election promises. But would it improve the quality of election debate, or simply create another institution for parties to fight over?

Shower Thoughts: Can you smoke on a private plane? 06.10.2026

It's time for Shower Thoughts, our weekly segment where we answer unshakeable questions...

Can bad music drive shoppers away? 06.10.2026

A new survey by a music licensing initiative found nearly 40 percent of people will walk out of a store because of bad music.

The internet has thoughts about Buck the Kiwibank sheep 06.10.2026

Its new mascot, an animated sheep called Buck, has attracted plenty of attention online - though probably not the kind they hoped for.

Nights at the Museum: Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum  05.10.2026

Tonight: more than 20,000 sets of salt and pepper shakers at the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sports with Ben Strang 05.10.2026

Journalist and commentator Ben Strang joins the show with the latest sports news.

Is a sleeper train between Auckland and Wellington really feasible? 05.10.2026

The Greens want to bring back an overnight passenger train between the two cities. On paper, it sounds simple enough. But is it?

A family affair: Father and daughter update freshwater field guide 05.10.2026

Peter Hamill first put together a field guide to Marlborough’s freshwater plants and animals more than twenty years ago. 

Is the overhang a threat to MMP itself? 05.10.2026

Extra seats being added to Parliament because a party has one more electorate seat than its share of the party vote would normally give it is nothing new. But this year, the possibility of parties and their supporters, deliberately trying to engineer an overhang to skew the proportionality of Parliament in their favour has put the issue firmly in the spotlight.

Out Lately with Finn Johansson 02.10.2026

He's back, and no doubt ready to inform, educate and entertain us with an array of eclectic music.

Auckland's Button Fest  02.10.2026

Auckland's Hannah Bennett is the founder of Thread Lightly and runs community events that are all about helping people donate, swap and take fabric and craft supplies out of the landfill. 

The Kiwi muso becoming a Silk Way Star 02.10.2026

We've seen many a kiwi representing us on the world stage... But what about representing us on a televised singing competition in China?

All aboard for Aotearoa’s biggest model train show 02.10.2026

Tomorrow, New Zealand's biggest model train show pulls into Christchurch's Cowles Stadium.

Left brain, right brain: What does the science actually say? 02.10.2026

For years, we’ve been told personality types might come down to whether we’re more “left-brained” or “right-brained." But how much of that is actually true? 

Lawrence Patchett on new collection Have This Heart 01.10.2026

Lawrence Patchett joins Emile Donovan to discuss his new short story collection, Have This Heart. 

Short-cuts with Dan Slevin 01.10.2026

Night's resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review: Verity (In Cinemas), Anemone (Netflix), and The Social Network (TVNZ+). 

Danyl McLauchlan on Francis Spufford's "Red Plenty" 01.10.2026

Friend of the show, writer and all-round thinker Danyl McLauchlan, joins us to explore some of the best political novels of the 21st century.

The great golden retriever gathering  01.10.2026

This weekend, nearly 200 golden retrievers and their humans are getting together in Taupō for what promises to be a pretty spectacular sea of gold.

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