The Detail

Skins, snow and scrutiny: How the 2026 Winter Olympics is unfolding for our athletes  This year, the most contested "ice" at the Winter Olympics isn't on the rink - it's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Guest: Nathan Rarere , RNZ First Up presenter and sports reporter Learn more: See Olympic winter games key facts and figures Read more about New Zealand's Olympic t...

Weeks after the January floods wreaked havoc on the east coast, The Detail visits two towns to see how locals are holding up - and what the future holds Sharon Brettkelly visits Ōpōtiki and Te Araroa to see how the towns are faring after the devastating January floods Guests: Tani Atkins-Waitoa - Te Araroa local Robin Hapeta - Te Araroa local David Moore - Ōpōtiki mayor Find The Detail on Newsroom...

Where does New Zealand sit in a new world order that ditches traditional international rules and favours the mighty over the tiny?  There's a rupture in the international rules-based order, but that doesn't mean New Zealand will be crushed by bigger powers Guest: Tim Groser - former NZ diplomat Jayme Poisson - Front Burner podcast host Learn more: Former National leader Todd Muller'...

As more and more discount chain pharmacies open, locally owned and operated chemists worry their customers won't get the high level of care that saves trips to GPs, and EDs In less than 10 years, nearly 100 Chemist Warehouses and Bargain Chemists have opened across the country - so where does that leave local pharmacies? Guests: Vicky Chan - Pakuranga pharmacist Clive Cannons - Wainuiomata pharmac...

Once the election date is announced, politics can disintegrate into a toxic mess. Don't expect this year to be any different. Politicians sharpen their knives and their tongues as we bump our way to November 7 Guests: Laura Walters , Newsroom's political editor Thomas Coughlan , NZ Herald's political editor Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ   Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more det...

The real treasure hidden in the wrecks of some 2500 ships buried along New Zealand's coasts isn't jewels or gold bars - but the stories of the people who were on board There are concerns divers are plundering one of New Zealand's famous shipwrecks. Are they treasure-hunting pirates, or just amateur souvenir-seekers? Guest: Garth MacIntyre Learn more: Stuff story on divers getting away with cr...

New Zealander Khol Gillies was fighting in Ukraine when he was badly injured, and he spent days in a bunker waiting to be evacuated Three months after an injury that cost him his leg, Khol Gillies tells RNZ's Lisa Owen the story of how he ended up fighting for Ukraine, and what it was like waiting in a bunker for days to be evacuated Guests: Khol Gillies Jasmine Gillies Learn More: To contrib...

The record number of prisoners are bouncing between facilities around the country, stretching court resources and rehabilitation programmes With prison numbers at their highest ever and still rising, one former prisoner and critic of this government's tough-on-crime policies has put his hope in a controversial programme Guests: Emma Priest , criminal barrister Dr Paul Wood , formerly incarcer...

Extreme weather may be the trigger for deadly and devastating slash, but the lines on who is responsible for prevention and clean-up are blurred The slash debate heats up - again - in Gisborne as forestry operators urge the government to remove their legal accountability for the devastating discharge Guest: Dr Mark Bloomberg - adjunct senior fellow at the School of Forestry at Canterbury Universit...

The floods keep coming, and we keep rebuilding. Is there a better way to cope with increasing numbers of infrastructure-wrecking storms? New Zealand's most common natural hazard is flooding, but we're often unprepared for it, and more preoccupied with earthquakes or eruptions Guests: Nick Leggett - Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Rehette Stoltz - Gisborne Mayor Kate Newton - RNZ Climat...

The news year, unpacked, by five divas with microphones As 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 world Guests: Alexia Russell - The Detail editor Gwen McClure - The Detail producer/ host Amanda Gillies - The Detail host Sharon Brettkelly - The Deta...

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 meteorologist Dr Stephen Espi...

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' nerves When 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 mayor Sam Jenn...

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 planet From 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...

Between the high cost of living and a slew of toys failing safety tests, buying Christmas presents for kids is fraught How to shop for your kids this Christmas, in the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children's products failing safety tests Guests: Gemma Rasmussen - Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Mareta Hunt - Safekids Aotearoa Poutokomanawa/Director Learn...

A year of highs, lows and hard questions: Inside New Zealand's rollercoaster sporting season The 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 journalist Learn More: The Post's All Bl...

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 date Guests: Alan Trestour - CRL Head of Delivery for Auckland Transport Patrick Brockie -...

There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer population In a war between hunters and conservationists over the control of one of our most damaging pests, only the deer are winning Guests: Richard Dawkins - Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Jill Herron - Newsroom journalist John Bissell - hunter and conservationist Learn More: RNZ&...

Aviation under pressure: Airbus A320 glitch adds to a year of crashes, questions, and shaken confidence The Airbus A320 fault sparked worldwide delays and airport chaos, and has renewed fears over aviation safety in a turbulent 2025 Guests: Grant Bradley - Aviation commentator Dan Lake - Travel commentator Learn More: Planes grounded after Airbus discovers solar radiation could impact systems Vict...

Regional councils have to find a different way of operating that cuts down on double ups and layers of bureaucracy Regional 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 terms Guests: Glenn McConnell - Stuff political reporter Learn More: Read Glenn's piece on the regional council shake up here Beeh...

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" Gu...

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 celebration Guests: Trudi Nelson - Food writer and broadcaster Colin Mathura-Jeffree - Model, TV personality, and profes...

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 brakes Guests: Chris Bullen - University of Auckland public health professor Anaru Waa - University of Otago professor Jasmine Graham - Hāpai te Hauora general manager Learn More: R...

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 uncertain A proposal to expand mining operations on the Denniston Plateau pits the economy against ecology, leaving the Government facing a high-stakes decision Guests: Fox Meyer - Newsroom political reporter Learn More: Read more about the Pl...

As the cost of insurance rises, Consumer NZ sees worrying signs that more people are dropping their house insurance From 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 investigations Bianca Russell - North Shore office manager Chris Wal...