The Detail

The Detail puts on a rabbit suit and gets special access to the incubators of Taiwan's semiconductor industry Inside Taiwan's booming semiconductor sector, rabbit suits, sanitising air showers and transistors smaller than a speck of dust Guests: Brian Travers - CEO of Christchurch's Syft Technologies Yuyi Chang - Electronic Engineering student Dr Sun-Zen Chen - Tsing Hua University resea...

How New Zealand manages to develop brand awareness without spending a fortune on advertising itself New Zealand ranks pretty highly in this year's Global Soft Power Index, but we've been better in the past, and some of our key images are aging out Guests: David Downs - New Zealand Story CEO Alice Peacock - Newsroom business reporter Learn more: NZ Story Market Pulse report Global soft po...

A spate of legal cases have put the Government up against industries and unions who say fast-tracked laws have been undemocratic From a ban on greyhound racing to dismantling the Māori Health Authority, this Government's hallmark is fast becoming its speed of lawmaking - and the industries and unions in the firing line aren't happy about it Guests: Laura Walters - Newsroom political edit...

A workplace performance expert warns that introducing artificial intelligence simply to replace people will backfire badly for companies Companies trying to use AI simply to reduce staff costs are being told they risk weakening morale, diminishing trust and stalling innovation Guests: Craig Steel - Transforming New Zealand's Productivity author Learn more: Read Steel's paper on Transform...

Hawkes Bay orchardists are pulling out their peach trees after Wattie's told them it's shrinking production of the canned fruit A gap in production in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle allowed Chinese canned peaches to get a perch in the market - now they're undercutting the local offering and are here to stay Guests: Andrew Bevin - Newsroom business reporter Gary Hamilton-Irvine - Hawke's B...

Parliament isn't all fiery debate and smart comebacks, in fact MPs of all political colours get along. But only some are willing to admit it. Lawmakers spend their days arguing with their opposition over decisions that shape our nation, but behind-the-scenes there's a bit of room for collegiality Guests: Find a list of the current New Zealand MPs (including those interviewed in this episode)...

The Black Ferns are one win away from the finals, and the mood of the nation depends on a much-needed sporting victory. "The Jonah Lomu of her time" will take on Canada this weekend in the Women's Rugby World Cup semi-final, with hopes of taking New Zealand to victory Guests: Suzanne McFadden - LockerRoom founding editor Learn more: Women's Rugby World Cup website The Spinoff&#...

BRICS is shifting the weight of global power, and one expert says it may be time New Zealand changed alliances With BRICS shaking up global politics and economics - and irking Donald Trump - would joining be smart diplomatic strategy for New Zealand, or just risk alienating an ally Guests: Chris Ogden - Associate professor in Global Studies at Auckland University Sam Sachdeva - Newsroom national a...

The sunscreens under investigation for their labelling claims in Australia, but still for sale here Sunscreen law dictates how SPFs are labelled, but when a product doesn't meet its claims, enforcement is a grey area Guests: Belinda Castles: Researcher and Test Writer, Consumer NZ Learn More: See Consumer NZ's sunscreen database here See Choice's recent test results here See Ultravi...

It's still not clear exactly why the Greens' Right to Repair Bill faltered at select committee stage, after extensive cross-party collaboration on the details With the Greens' bill that would have encouraged more durable products gone, it's feared New Zealand may become the dumping ground for cheap, unrepairable goods Guests: Marama Davidson - Green Party co-leader Marc Daalder - Newsroo...

With local body elections less than a month away, The Detail looks at what's at stake  Falling voter numbers, growing mistrust and leaked documents have local democracy under pressure, but the stakes for communities at local body elections are high Guests: Tim Murphy - co-editor of Newsroom Scott Necklen - Local Government NZ interim CEO Learn More: See Tim Murphy's story here See the complet...

An overhaul of the secondary education curriculum will likely see outdoor education become a vocational subject, and critics say the change risks loss to New Zealand's identity and industry   Changes to the secondary school curriculum will likely mean outdoor education becomes a vocational path, but feedback from across industries suggests the ministry can't see the woods for the trees Guests...

The whole world is trying to chase down the likes of Google, Microsoft and Meta for more income tax, and New Zealand is no exception Global tech firms generate enormous amounts of money, and have brilliant ways of hiding their profits from the taxman - but a new report suggests a simple gotcha Guests: Craig Elliffe - Professor of Tax Law, Auckland Law School; Director of the Master of Taxation Pro...

Entrenched gang conflict, personal grudges and methamphetamine use have fuelled a spate of gang shootings in Levin A Gang Conflict Warrant is in place in Levin, and locals say they're seeing the result of a heightened police presence, but fear for what happens when the police pack up and go Guest: Alecia Rousseau - Senior Journalist, Manawatū Standard Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to...

The Detail talks to reporter Tony Wall, who's covered the saga of the fugitive father and his children for nearly four years After nearly four years, fugitive Tom Phillips' story is over, and multiple investigations are now underway Guest: Tony Wall - National Correspondent, Stuff Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Economists are starting to talk about the demise of American exceptionalism. The Detail looks at what that term means, and what effect it has on your KiwiSaver. The United States has long been held up as the peak of the free-market economy, but several factors including political interference in institutions are giving it the speed wobbles Guest: Mark Brighouse - Chief Investment Strategist, Fishe...

Retirement village living should feel like home, but in some cases residents have the status of students in a hostel What seems like a small dispute over name-calling emails has shone a spotlight on the power imbalance residents of retirement villages can face Guests: Jon Duffy - Consumer NZ chief executive Gayle Chambers - Grey Power Foundation national president Learn more: Listen to Retirement...

In the 1990s, Lois Cox interviewed lesbian women about their lives in Wellington. Some 25 years later, those stories have been published. In Lois Cox's book 'That's What I Am' 16 lesbians tell their stories of living in Wellington last century, before they could be unapologetically out Guests: Lois Cox - author of That's What I Am Learn more: Find Lois's book here Fin...

Those who can afford it are getting thin by needle, but new weight loss drugs bring with them unanswered questions Obesity, Ozempic, and the end of body positivity - Is New Zealand losing its balance in its pursuit of thinness? Guests: Evelyn Ebrey - fashion journalist and producer of Cutting the Curve documentary series Professor Wayne Cutfield - Auckland University Learn more about the topic by...

The road to getting a driver license is set to become easier and more efficient, but experts question whether safety is enough of a consideration The government is proposing changes to make getting a driver license easier, including scrapping the full license test. But with more than a third of drivers failing that test, experts have concerns. Guests: Dylan Thomsen - Road Safety spokesperson at AA...

From promise to protest - how the Bougival Accord has thrown New Caledonia into chaos. The Bougival Accord was meant to heal, but now risks dividing New Caledonia again, with a French journalist saying that locals are armed and ready Guests: Coralie Cochin - Journalist at New Caledonia La Premier Learn more about the history of civil unrest in New Caledonia and other Pacific nations French claws i...

New Zealand risks missing out on the "land grab" for e-waste and is paying the price as it sends phones, laptops and batteries offshore A Kiwi tech firm's breakthrough solution for recycling EV batteries goes offshore, where countries are scrambling to keep hold of their valuable e-waste metals. Guests: Will Barker - Chief executive and co-founder of Mint Sue Coutts - Director of external aff...

There's a silent epidemic in our national game, and it's leaving a trail of tragedy here and overseas Shane Christie wanted a hard look at the link between head knocks and long-term brain injury, and he asked for his own brain to be studied Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Despite the scandals and leaky pipes, Wellingtonians want the rest of the nation to know that their city is still unbeatable The capital city has been getting a tough time in the headlines lately, but locals say it's the same creative, beautiful place they've loved for a long time Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

AI-hallucinated scientific research and legal precedents are making their way into academic papers and court cases, highlighting AI's real-world impact The world's most cited cat had a brief, successful run. Then Google Scholar brought his career to an abrupt halt. Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details