The Detail

A 'permanent presence' on the moon is only a few years away, and Mars maybe a decade behind that - but that doesn't mean it's time to sell your house and make plans to relocate Space scientists expect a 'permanent presence' on the moon by 2028, and say now is the time to lay the groundwork for international rules for lasting peace in space Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this...

Birth rates are falling globally, inspiring pro-natalist movements and government schemes to incentivise procreation - but it's not working  Countries around the world are trying everything from financial incentives to law changes to reverse declining birth rates. None of it is working. Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Little cellulose balls could be a big answer to burying carbon emissions - if there's proof they work. Getting that is proving difficult. A company that says it has a startling solution to carbon storage wants New Zealand to make rule changes so it can forge ahead Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Statistics are a vitally important tool to plan and inform government policy - but when they're wrong or misleading, trust is at risk A former government statistician is sounding alarms about our ditching of the five-yearly census, saying we risk losing a rich seam of information Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Almost 40 years after two Swedish backpackers disappeared, David Tamihere has had his convictions quashed. A journalist calls it 'another example of how slowly and painfully the system works when it sometimes might have got it wrong'. David Tamihere's murder convictions have been quashed, after nearly four decades, re-opening wounds and calling into question whether justice has actually been...

The Lake Onslow pumped hydro project could be back from the dead, with the "mega battery" that will cost billions, approved for the fast-track list by the same government that axed it The same government that scrapped the Lake Onslow pumped hydro project has put it on the fast track list. But whether this country can pull off a project of its size is another question. Find The Detail on Newsroom o...

Fear and politics are increasingly dictating where our shrinking aid money is going Giving aid to shore up your strategic position in the world isn't the way to go about it, says an expert - because your aid won't help if you're not trying to help Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The government's backdown on an undersized fish rule has intensified scrutiny of sweeping fisheries reforms There's been a U-turn on the most controversial part of the sweeping new Fisheries Bill, but keeping undersized catches wasn't the only fishhook in the legislation Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Rather than being stuck behind their screens for entertainment, an old type of gaming is luring players out into the real world - one with people in it A sector of gamers are trading in their consoles and visual effects for real live company, turning to a centuries-old social version of entertainment Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Billions in military aid crosses from the US to Israel in a decades-old alliance. But two current conflicts have many younger Americans questioning those ties. As the Iran war affects the global economy, Americans are asking if their ties with Israel look like the tail wagging the dog Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

South Australia has a law around truth in campaign messaging that appears to have set a better tone. We ask if New Zealand should follow. Does New Zealand have robust enough checks and balances to stop politicians lying in election ads - or should we be looking to Australia for stronger laws Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

"No family should go through this":  - campaign push for free jabs grows following student meningococcal cases A grieving dad renews his call for free meningitis vaccines as cases hit NZ students, and a deadly UK outbreak grows Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It's currently illegal to ride on the footpath, but when the rubber meets the road, kids do it anyway. Proposed changes could make it legal for kids 12 and under. Both the previous government and the current one kicked the can down the road on making 'sensible' changes to road rules, but now the changes are back on the agenda Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz...

A community rallies to involve itself in democracy, only to be tainted with accusations of fraud when they win a seat at the table Papatoetoe's Indian community put its hand up to be counted in local elections. It went unbelievably well, until it all went terribly wrong. Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Kiwi dark comedy Crackhead tackles addiction and takes on the television world New Kiwi dark comedy Crackhead turns real-life addiction struggles into sharp humour - with Holly Shervey starring and husband Emmett Skilton directing Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An economist says despite entering the year 'quite optimistic', we could now be staring down the barrel of another recession Higher fuel costs mean higher transport costs, and that means higher prices across the board - and that's a hard pill to swallow for Kiwis three years into a cost-of-living crisis Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

'Stupid Rules' is the new book, written by a Kiwi professor, that aims to throw out the rule book Too many rules, too little judgement - why one Kiwi professor says the country is strangling itself with red tape Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

America's war in Iran has hit global markets, but after a tough five years for the New Zealand Stock Exchange, things here may finally be looking up  The NZX is a small exchange, and it's had a difficult stretch, but despite global events there may be hope on the horizon Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The country's two biggest users of electricity could both soon be located in Southland if resource consents for a new data centre bring the project to life It's being billed as the data centre that changes everything - but hopefully that doesn't include the price of your power Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There is a bitter internal rivalry shaking one of New Zealand's most storied institutions, with a rebel alliance fighting the national body of the RSA A civil war has been unfolding inside the RSA, with suspended clubs, unpaid fees, and a High Court fight exposing the deep fractures in one of New Zealand's most historic organisations Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on...

The unemployment rate for young people is three times higher than the national average - leaving new graduates in despair  Three years minimum to set them up for a better career - and then new graduates discover there's nothing out there for them, thanks to our soaring jobless numbers Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There are so many factors feeding into see-sawing petrol prices that predicting a landing price at the pump has become impossible It doesn't matter where we get our oil from - in a globally connected world, New Zealand is at the mercy of wildly fluctuating prices as long as the Iran conflict continues Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Six years after New Zealand moved into its first lockdown, the final inquiry report examines lockdowns, mandates and the cost of the pandemic -and another Covid surge sweeps the country A deadly Covid wave returns, just as New Zealand gets its final pandemic report card Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand track and field athletes have achieved on the world scene for decades - but now there's a new strength and diversity not seen since the 1990s Sam Ruthe has set the world alight with his speed but he's far from the only Kiwi track and field athlete making waves right now Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

One million Kiwis use a Buy Now Pay Later scheme, but not everyone is convinced the regulations governing them are adequate to protect users from harm Financial watchdogs want the rules about Buy Now Pay Later schemes strengthened, saying the last tweak didn't work Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details