The Detail: Recent Episodes
RNZ
The news, explained. Join Sharon Brettkelly & Emile Donovan every weekday as they make sense of the big stories with the country’s best journalists and experts.
Made possible by RNZ & NZ On Air. Produced by Newsroom. Listen on RNZ National at 6.30pm Monday-Thursday.
Strong parental control seems to be the key to keeping insta-famous and highly visible YouTube kids safe…
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Despite a model based on choice, New Zealanders options for birth are limited based on post code.
The World Health Organisation has called for a community midwife model - just like New Zealand's. But in some areas of the country, that model is far from the reality.…
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As the US looks to be leaving the Pacific, and New Zealand is rowing with Kiribati and the Cook Islands, experts worry about Chinese influence …
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Why the palliative care sector feels under fire, under-funded and under pressure to allow assisted dying practitioners into its facilities
A government proposal to axe the only two jobs in New Zealand's health sector of people who were working on a national strategy for palliative care has angered those in the sector, which is already under immense strain.
It's put another wedge between those who want terminally ill patients to live well before they die; and those who want to give them the option of dying earlier.
Yes, this is another story about the stretched New Zealand health service.
But it's one that will affect the 89 percent of us who will die naturally and will require nursing at the end of their lives.
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The palliative care sector, much of it provided through the efforts of volunteers, has felt under attack lately. Here's why:
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The plan to dispense with the jobs of two people who had been giving palliative care a voice in the health service, and in government
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Recent critical news stories about two patients who had to be moved from their aged care facility and hospice because they wanted an assisted death, which wasn't allowed on the premises.
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A commentary in The Listener by End-of-Life Choice Society president Ann David titled "Dignity Denied" that said some doctors, health care facilities and hospices are obstructing patients' rights when it comes to dying. (The law says that doctors are not allowed to bring the subject up themselves, but the accusations here went further.)…
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The president, the tech oligarchs, the media and AI - why we can expect a new wave of information you just can't trust …
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As the 2025 schoolyear kicks off, a slew of problems for students, teachers and the government…
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Memecoin operates in a decentralised, unregulated system. Critics say that's the point - and the problem.
A cryptocurrency expert worries that memecoins will change the crypto world as we know it, and not in a good way…
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He's a Kiwi superstar in the Beautiful Game, but we don't talk enough about Chris Wood. That could be changing. …
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Euthanising a beached whale is an unpopular move. But sometimes trying to save it is worse. …
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Our fourth strongest Olympic sport is in hot water over allegations about the way it conducts itself
Yachting New Zealand is the country's first body to be dragged before the new Sport Integrity Commission, in what is uncharted territory…
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A recent shoplifting allegation put the spotlight on crime-fighting platform Auror, but concerns about the app have been bubbling away for some time
Auror is designed to help police and retailers fight back against repeat - and often violent - shoplifters. But a recent incident has raised concerns about privacy for everyday Kiwis.…
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A new documentary on the Haka Party Incident tells the story of the 'three-minute war' through the eyes of the people who fought it…
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From the Treaty Principles Bill submissions to Rātana to the Waitangi Tribunal shake-up, 2025 looks to be a big year for race relations in Aotearoa
The Treaty Principles Bill is dead in the water, but that hasn't stopped the conversation around it from spilling into meetings and events around the country…
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The TikTok saga has raised questions of what your personal data is worth in a trade-off with money making opportunities
TikTok spent a mere 12 hours in the dark before new convert Donald Trump gave it a reprieve. But the saga of the Chinese-owned app isn't over.…
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Eden Park's CEO says his is the only option for Auckland's main stadium. But to survive, it will need to be more than a rugby park.
Eden Park is in the running to be named Auckland's main stadium. CEO Nick Sautner says he's already got the neighbourhood behind him.…
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Main streets across New Zealand are run-down and struggling, but we can look to Oxford Street for inspiration
After years as a 'national embarrassment', Oxford Street is thriving. The realtor behind the revamp has advice for Auckland.
…
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A tough market for job seekers isn't set to improve until the second half of the year. The potential fall-out could be major brain drain
Rising unemployment and the volatile job market are set to get worse. By the time they turn around mid-year, it may be too late to keep talent in the country.…
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The Detail wraps up its sixth year with an all-in look at what the team enjoyed most (and least) about 2024
It's The Detail's last episode of 2024 and that means it's time to look back on the highlights, moan about the lowlights and laugh at the just plain weird of the year…
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Despite a law against paying employees differently based on their gender, we've still got a gender pay gap. A new bill could help.
A bill before Parliament aims to close the gender pay gap by allowing employees to discuss their wages with each other. Proponents say it's about time.
…
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Every year, 1500 refugees come through the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre. For many, it's the first home with four walls and a roof they've had in years…
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How a solar power company backed by public funds and one of the world's largest asset managers went into liquidation…
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Having a baby by surrogacy in New Zealand is complicated, convoluted and costly. A bill promised to fast-track change, but progress has been anything but…
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New research identifies a surge in fake online shops scamming Kiwis out of pocket in the lead up to Christmas…
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It hasn't been clear sailing for the Interislander, but any day the government will announce plans for the ferries' future…
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Developers are moving at pace to turn the south Auckland town of Drury into our next city…
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There's a clash of wills going on between central and local government in Taranaki when it comes to plans for seabed mining…
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There's already plenty of doubt that we'll get an India trade deal signed in the Prime Minister's first term as he promised. Here's another hiccup.
A rift among New Zealand's Indian communities that's testing tolerance over the right to protest could blow up, and a potential trade deal could suffer in the blast.
The Prime Minister's goal of getting a free trade deal signed with India in his first term is still looking shaky, but progress is being made.
Business links in both countries are being forged, but we are still a long way from any agreement.
Our Indian High Commissioner, Neeta Bhushan, appeared to put the brakes on expectations at a recent event in Christchurch celebrating new ties.
Newsroom's National Affairs Editor Sam Sachdeva says her message was revealing - and placed further doubt on the prospect of a free trade deal being done this term.
Calling Christopher Luxon's pre-election commitment on it "perhaps ill-advised", he says Bhushan was still quite positive about progress, noting that we are closer than we have been in a long time.
"But she sort of said 'look, let's take some small steps .. you can't just jump ahead' so I viewed that as an implicit reminder that you can't rush this."
However there's another potential stumbling block, one that's possibly under the radar for most kiwis ... but is not for the three hundred thousand-strong Indian population here.
It comes in the shape of a group labelled by India as terrorists, which is drumming up support around the world for an independent Sikh homeland.
The president of Sikhs for Justice was in New Zealand last month, rallying thousands of Kiwi Sikhs for what the group calls a "referendum" on the issue.
Auckland police have been praised for helping diffuse the situation, but the Hindu community wants to know why a man known for sowing discord was allowed in, especially on the back of a ban by New Zealand immigration of outspoken, far-right American speaker Candace Owens.
RNZ Asia journalist Gaurav Sharma says the New Zealand government has to start taking this seriously, especially if Indian officials read it as New Zealand giving its blessing to Sikh separatism.
And there's a warning - if the government doesn't keep an eye on this development, we risk a diplomatic rift like the one between India and Canada ... and there goes our trade deal.
Such a note of concern has already been sounded by political experts including Victoria University's David Capie from the Centre for Strategic Studies…
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X is out, Bluesky is in and Mastodon is for the birds - and the nerds. The fight for the top spot in an ever-evolving social media landscape is political.
Following the US election and a change of terms, users have left the social media platform X in droves. But that doesn't mean they're leaving social media altogether.…
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Mumfluencing can be a lucrative business, but making a living off of children can come at a cost…
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Historians talk to The Detail about the good, the bad and the grumpy of the 23 past Prime Ministers of New Zealand
A look at the New Zealand Prime Ministers who shone; the ones who changed the nation; and one who helped change the world. It's not the one you think.…
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Facing methanol poisoning in a place like Laos means hurdles to getting help, including accessing health care in time…
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Rough sex is appearing in songs, tv shows, and in sexual encounters between young people. But research suggests many women participating in it don't want to.
Rough sex is becoming normalised in pop culture, and more common in real life - whether or not people want to take part…
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Our Prime Minister's just apologised for decades of child abuse in care, but the Mental Health Act allows the same kind of treatment to be dished out to the mentally unwell
Work is underway to replace the current Mental Health Act with something more up to date, removing the ability to treat unwell people with electric shock therapy and isolation
A mental health boss has labelled the Mental Health Act as out-of-date and inadequate.
"And if I want to be blunt, it (the Act) supports a system where we effectively criminalise people who are very unwell and then subject them to quite brutal acts because we can't be bothered developing a better response to mental health," CEO of the Mental Health Foundation Shaun Robinson tells The Detail.
Those "brutal acts" include electroshock therapy and solitary confinement.
"Solitary confinement is essentially where someone is put into a bare room with a mattress on the floor and a cardboard toilet, sometimes for up to two days. It's not okay," he says.
New Zealanders are now being encouraged to give submissions on a new Mental Health Bill, with the closing date extended until midnight on Friday, December 20th.…
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Our local free newspapers are disappearing at a rapid rate, as costs soar, revenue plummets and readers turn to screens
While media companies continue to shed titles, staff, and programmes, lost in the news about the news is the fate of our local papers…
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Next Saturday is Thank You Day, a chance to express gratitude to everyone involved in organ donation, and raise awareness about the issue.
It's a day to say thanks to those who give others a second chance of life…
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Moving an elephant across an ocean is no small feat for her keepers, physically or mentally
Auckland Zoo has said goodbye to New Zealand's last elephant, and with her, her keepers…
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Defence lawyers say there are better ways of clearing clogged courts than the government's plan to have fewer jury trials
The government wants to cut court backlogs, but lawyers say taking out a jury of your peers to make things faster isn't necessarily the best justice…
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Meet the Auckland businessman who's helping to pick up the pieces of Indian migrant exploitation …
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When it comes to our outcomes on poverty, New Zealand's marks are poor. Experts gathering this week in Wellington want to change that.
In Wellington this week, the Pakukore: Poverty, By Design conference will tackle the systemic issues holding New Zealand back from eradicating poverty
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New Zealand isn't the target of Trump's tariff threats, but might just be collateral damage in a global economic war.
How we eat lunch at work has changed, but a good lunch is more about how you eat than what
Posties say proposals to NZ Post that include job cuts, price increases, communal delivery points, and fewer deliveries and postal outlets threaten our culture
It's being labelled toxic positivity; opening the door to women in sport, but closing it before they get into high performance coaching jobs
Crops and vegetables contaminated with sea water, an ocean that's getting fished out, and inundation at high tide is the reality of life for perhaps hundreds of Fijian villages
Deepfake porn is easier than ever to create, and students are suffering the consequences
The Ministry of Education has cancelled 39 rural bus routes. Parents say it will leave 100s of students unable to get to school.
It's been 645 days between dunks for Kiwi NBA stalwart Steven Adams. He's older, wiser, and more often than not, on the bench.
The welcome mat is laid out for the return of Polish refugee children in Pahiatua, where their arrival 80 years ago has been wound into the fabric of the town's history
At North Shore Hospital, anaesthetised patients were examined by student doctors without giving consent. It's likely that most don't even know it happened.
Chat GPT is here and changing education, with new versions of the technology making the use of it harder to detect
Getting a building consent is about to get easier, with some builders allowed to skip council inspections
Some fear drivers will swap prescription drugs like medicinal cannabis for more dangerous substances, like opiates, that don't show up on saliva tests, making our roads less safe.
A few days out from the US presidential election, The Apprentice tells the story of how Trump became Trump
Nyree Smith's cancer is terminal, but during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, she's on a mission to get Kiwis to their doctors before it's too late
A deep dive into the massive Royal Commission report into Abuse in Care reveals a host of roles and names of those who stonewalled victims' compensation claims, but one stands out
An Australian mining CEO took a top spot at CHOGM's business plenary to talk about how his company is going 'real carbon zero' by 2030
It's Play Week in New Zealand, and play experts want to turn our cities into more fun and joyful places, not just for children
A look at some of the people who turned up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, hoping to advance plans for global change
The most celebrated victory of New Zealand's incredible sporting weekend may have been the one at a small rugby ground in Te Aroha
A new bill to criminalise stalking could be here by the end of the year. Here's what it might look like.
The wreck of the Manawanui is leaving an oily sheen on the water, and taking the shine off the job of hosting world leaders including the King
The OCR goes up to bring inflation down. So now that the OCR is falling, what does it mean for inflation - and what does that mean for New Zealanders?
Is the government's new directive that public services should be prioritised on the basis of need, not race, a championing of equity - or has it just removed a vital tool from decision-makers?
It's superhero saturation at the box office with Batman's offsiders claiming screen time without Batman.
In the space of a decade the Wairarapa town of Featherston has reinvented itself, from a broken down P-plagued problem place, to a vibrant reading centre
Coaches, gels, health supplements, and even pyjamas. Menopause has become a marketing opportunity
New Zealand's booming video game industry reaches for $1 billion exports in the next few years
New Zealand is making Australia look good when it comes to new efforts to save the world's biodiversity and protect its oceans
This article contains sensitive material including the discussion of sexual violenceExtended supervision orders should keep tabs on serious offenders, but sometimes they're not granted - and sometimes they don't work
Developers of AI that could detect brain injuries and disease say it's just a tool, not a replacement for health experts
Christchurch's cash-starved arts centre needs to boost its budget, but city businesses are turning up their noses at its request to bring in revenue-generating food trucks
Critics are asking if the 149 projects on the government's fast-track list are real schemes, or just unfunded dreams
Winstone has shut down two mills, citing high electricity costs, but in Kawerau, Sequal sawmill is scaling up to meet demand
Long Covid sufferers feel they've been abandoned by health authorities and the government, left to struggle alone with the after-effects of the pandemic
Recreational use of nitrous oxide has been reclassified. Some experts say it's an overcorrection.
Join Alexia Russell, Tim Murphy and Jeremy Rees in a look at the words we find the most confusing, satisfying, irritating, beautiful, and just plain revolting
The risk of an increasingly privatised healthcare system is deeply inequitable care, and some fear we could be moving toward a US model
The founders of Du Val portrayed a lifestyle of extreme wealth. The company's investors and contractors look set to pay the price.
Mānawa Bay may be a winner so far for owners Auckland Airport, but the new mall hasn't won any friends from people who have to get through the crowds to work
Critics want to see the workings behind the new Dunedin Hospital rebuild figure of $3 billion, questioning the number, and saying it's essential long-lasting infrastructure
The tiny island of Guam is America's shield against Chinese moves in the Pacific, but that comes at the expense of its people
In spite of the lifetime guarantee, Tupperware hasn't been able to push its quality products through the barrier of quick, cheap storage solutions online
The New Zealand fashion industry is facing serious long term problems, including the influx of cheap, shoddy clothing; economic headwinds; and way too much waste
Where there's cigarette smoke there's controversy, and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has courted plenty of it
Sir Don McKinnon on New Zealand's key role in bringing peace to Bougainville over the last 30 years
The America's Cup drama is heating up, with a challenger likening Team New Zealand's style in Barcelona to a communist state
The move to give police search powers in private homes to look for gang insignia has raised a mass of red flags with law makers
Auckland City Library takes visitors on a trip back in time with a display that includes the first efforts to write down the Māori language
Every year, 600 people are diagnosed with HPV-related cancers that could be prevented with a free vaccine
Beauty pageants are back, but the days of catwalks, high heels and bikinis have been consigned to the past
Post-cyclone slash caused destruction across the East Coast, but can the region survive without the forestry industry?
St John ambulance staff have voted to strike again this month after rejecting their latest pay offer. They say they're at breaking point
The highly anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling novel It Ends With Us has gone viral, but not for what plays out on screen
Attacks on bus drivers in Auckland are increasing but police and AT say confirmation bias and media reports have contributed to a feeling that things are much worse than they really are
The Pacific Islands served as a perfect hiding place for priests accused of sexual abuse. Some didn't stop when they got there.
Auckland Council is developing Shoreline Adaption Plans covering 3,200 kilometres of coastline, as our shores are battered by wilder weather
After an incredibly tough 2024, those in construction-related industries see the dark clouds starting to lift
The US election is a dog-eat-dog, no-holds-barred fight between two people who couldn't be more different to each other
Brokenwood's Tim Balme talks to Amanda Gillies about the New Zealand drama series watched worldwide
A new report from the SIS aims to help New Zealanders recognise the risks to our security
Child support arrears and penalties sit at nearly a billion dollars. That's comparatively good news, according to the tax department.
Political pet projects that get overturned by incoming governments could be a thing of the past if a new infrastructure body achieves its aims
The lions and tigers are ready to roar again as Whangārei's Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary re-opens it doors on Saturday. But the park has a troubled past – and its future is uncertain.
There are horror stories on both sides of the landlord/tenant divide, but how do the laws of the country ensure a fair balance between the rights of both?
Three exciting world cups on New Zealand soil have boosted coverage of women's sport stratospherically – and women are now far more visible in public life. When can we say these 'firsts' are normal?
By George Driver: Millions of panels could soon be erected across thousands of hectares of the country as an unprecedented solar-farm boom begins.
The pop culture dollar is being laid down on Barbie and Taylor Swift, as young women not in the market for a mortgage splash their joy around.
After India's successful landing on the south pole of the moon, there's hope the West will stop seeing the country as a land of "snake charmers and elephants".
The saga of Villa Maria wines involves valuable land, an iconic brand, legal action and millions of dollars in dispute.
Conservation projects across the country risk losing progress as money gets tighter and budgets are slashed.
They say beer is recession-proof, but two of the country's well-known craft breweries are facing an uncertain future.
By Theo Macdonald: Long-distance rail travel is in for a revival in New Zealand — eventually. And you don’t have to be a nostalgia buff, trainspotter or climate-action protester to see why.
Advocates for migrant workers are alarmed as more and more people come to them for help, because the jobs they've been promised haven't eventuated.
Audiences are returning to theatres, but the future is uncertain for university-level theatre education.
Scenes of mass destruction in Greece and Hawaii have shown us just how serious wildfires are.
Most parents find it awkward to talk about, but who should take the lead when it comes to educating kids about sex and relationships?
The Detail visits New Zealand's last commercial wool weaver, Inter-Weave, to find out how they're helping keep the wool industry alive.
By Kate Evans: With each generation, predators and prey refine their aggressive weapons and defensive armour.
When a natural disaster destroys your home, who should foot the bill? The government, private insurers, or you?
It's popular with the voters, but not with the experts. The Detail takes a closer look at the debate about Labour's GST plans.
The government has a goal to grow aquaculture to a $3 billion-a-year industry. But red tape – and red flags – stand in the way.
The FIFA World Cup has captured the attention of plenty of New Zealanders. How do we keep them interested, and invested, in women's football once the tournament's over?
Maternal mental health is another one of those hidden "women's issues" that we don't talk about enough. Now it's in the spotlight for the most awful of reasons.
By Anusha Bradley: After leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Brad Miller and Cassie Dean were cut off from almost everyone they’d ever known.
The polls are showing a tight race between the two major parties as we inch closer to October's election. But can we trust them?
We like to think we're pretty progressive, but can New Zealand do more to support parents in the workplace?
The Detail weighs up the pros and cons of public private partnerships in big infrastructure projects.
Wool was once the backbone of our agriculture industry, but now farmers are struggling to make a buck from it. What happened?
It's been decades in the making, but there will be major changes to the way we regulate medicines, medical devices and natural health products.
By Dave Hansford: Meet New Zealand's lawn addicts, who can be found in the weekend perfecting their 'outdoor carpet'.
Having kākāpō in the North Island wilderness again is an historic win for our native manu, but conservationists say other species are at risk of falling through the cracks.
The Far North's roads are in a perilous state – and the fix-up job is mammoth in scale.
MetService and NIWA are both government agencies. Why are they competing with one another?
Thinking about booking that long-awaited overseas trip? International travel is back and bigger than ever.
Bank scams are rising exponentially, so much so that $183 million has gone out of New Zealanders' accounts over the last year.
By Jean Edwards: Raised to be meek and submissive in a world dominated by men, six former Gloriavale women have won an extraordinary legal victory.
After Auckland's CBD shooting the knives were out for home detention sentences – but is it the justice system we should be pointing at, or is the problem more deeply-rooted?
It's their own money – so why shouldn't hard-up students be allowed to use their KiwiSaver when faced with the tough task of coming up with a bond for their rental?
Should the media be self-censoring its court reporting of the Dickason triple murder trial as the gory details unfold?
Victoria's decision to pull out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games after a budget blowout shines light on the huge amount of money it takes for these sporting extravaganzas.
There's a silent sentence faced by prisoners just out of jail – one that makes it hard for them to get back on their feet without resorting to crime again.
By Nikki Mandow: The government spent $51.5 billion of taxpayer money on buying stuff last year. The criteria for how they spend it have had a shake-up.
As the political parties reveal their slogans for the election campaign, we look at who and what makes a catchphrase sing,
There are five basic standards to be met before landlords can get their Healthy Homes tick. Why do so many seem to be slipping through the cracks?
New Zealand's slow slide into poor productivity isn't just a cultural quirk – it means we miss out when it comes to competition and trade opportunities.
Two decades after Facebook.com changed our lives, social media is going through another big upheaval.
Whether it's a corporate refresh with more cultural considerations, or a new version of a sporting uniform steeped in history, what our high profile teams wear matters.
By Max Rashbrooke: While the fatal fire at Loafers Lodge has reinforced calls for greater scrutiny of boarding houses, the warning signals have been around for years.
We call this star cluster Matariki – but the Seven Sisters myth is told all over the world, in startlingly similar fashion. Could it be our oldest story?
The US is sending cluster bombs to Ukraine in a move it hopes will shorten the war – how do they work, and why has the move prompted an uproar from human rights workers?
Japan has made assurances the wastewater it's dumping in the Pacific is safe – but not everyone is convinced.
The WorkSafe prosecution over the Whakaari eruption begins today – and some of the heroes of that dreadful day are in the spotlight.
By George Driver: An ancient lake bed in St Bathans is revealing New Zealand's mysterious past.
Auckland, Dunedin, and now Wellington – does pedestrianisation solve problems, or create them?
Months and months of heavy rain means many of the lakes around Rotorua are reaching levels not seen in 50 years, flooding nearby boat ramps, playgrounds and properties.
Hollywood writers have been striking for three months' now – and there's no resolution in sight. Half a world away, the strike's having an impact on the screen industry here in New Zealand, too.
Storms and cyclones have caused major disruptions on state highways across the country this year. What's involved in fixing them up to get them back open?
These programmes are the last resort for kids who can't cope in mainstream schools – but barely any leave with NCEA qualifications.
By Ryan Wolf: Speculation still swirls about the unsolved 2012 murder of pizza shop owner Jordan Voudouris.
New Zealand's first-ever Carcinogen Survey has found alarming numbers of people are exposed to cancer-causing agents in their work. What can we do about it?
This weekend, the next phase of New Zealand's ongoing fight against single-use plastics comes into effect. But do we need to re-think our attitudes towards all waste?
Was the weekend of chaos a failed coup, or did the man once known as 'Putin's Chef' just snap, condemning himself to exile?
A government bail-out will keep the skifields open this winter, but businesses have been living with a question mark over Ruapehu's long-term future for months.
A huge Mongrel Mob tangi in Ōpōtiki has thrown up some stark contrasts in the way different towns deal with gangs.
By Tim Bollinger: Once New Zealand’s very own wonder of the world, the Pink and White Terraces were destroyed in a single night of volcanic destruction.
MPs have spent much of the week debating the merits - or otherwise - of an algorithm that takes into account ethnicity to help prioritise patients waiting for elective surgeries.
Experts say this sunken shipwreck could be a disaster bigger than the Rena. Why hasn't anything been done to prevent it?
The missing piece of New Zealand's firearms reforms falls in place this weekend – a long-called for registry which will tell us who owns what, and where guns go when they're sold.
Tens of thousands of secondary teachers have walked off the job this year in a fight for better pay and conditions. Just how bad is it?
It was announced to great fanfare in 2015, but years of negotiations have failed to secure an agreement over a Kermadec ocean sanctuary.
By Veronika Meduna: Moriori await the final return to the Chatham Islands of human remains recovered from institutions around the world.
Is it becoming harder to be a sports fan, as sportswashing continues its creep into more codes and competitions?
A recent fire at a scrap metal yard in Auckland has put the spotlight on increasing hazards in the industry.
When all other avenues have failed, Mr Big stings can help the police ensnare their suspect - but can their use be justified?
New research on the South Island's Alpine Fault is helping communities prepare for the next big quake.
New Zealand's a world-leader with its smokefree laws, but can it do the same when it comes to vaping?
By David Cohen: The death of Mike 'the juggler' Wahrlich in the Loafers Lodge fire prompts Cohen to examine Mike's past.
How do some of society's most vulnerable people – men in particular – fall into insecure housing?
Universities across the country are facing funding shortfalls. But philanthropy is unlikely to help them make up the difference.
While New Zealand debates the merits of bilingual signage, Wales and Ireland have been using it for decades.
The most dramatic protests in a generation - The Detail looks at the growing dissent in China over Covid-19 restrictions.
Summer has arrived, but with our restrictions largely kicked to the curb and a soup of different variants at play, what can we expect from Covid-19 case numbers?
If you're arrested or detained overseas, who do you call for help back home - and can they really help you?
In private hands, iconic New Zealand treasures can be sold off, hidden away, or even destroyed.
How do governments and societies decide when you're old enough for certain rights and privileges?
The removal of back country huts in Te Urewera has brought tensions simmering within Tūhoe to the surface.
A dwindling workforce and tricky legal territory is putting the world of fossil hunting on shaky ground.
Delegates from almost 200 countries have been meeting in Egypt for COP27 - how do we measure their success or otherwise?
The convoluted story of two intertwined companies which has sent the value of cryptocurrencies plummeting.
The MeToo movement sparked calls for change in the music industry, but what's happened since then?
Will Ruapehu Alpine Lifts survive after being placed into voluntary administration, or is this the death knell for North Island skiing?
The Detail looks at what happens when sex offenders go to rehabilitation - does it work?
There are 37 native plant species listed as critically endangered - can a seed bank help save them from extinction?
A deep-seated belief in sorcery in parts of Papua New Guinea is resulting in more and more gender-based violence.
When it comes to driving on beaches, some want vehicles banned, some want tougher rules - and others just want a free for all.
It's a housing crisis of a different kind - house prices are falling and interest rates are rising.
Covid-19 put wastewater testing on our radar, but what else can this technology tell us about our lives?
It's less than a year until the next election and Labour's still got a lot on its legislative agenda this term.
New Zealanders have been proudly nuclear free for decades, but do we really know what nuclear power involves?
Why has a national, integrated public transport ticketing system been so long in the making?
Bank profits are set to crack $10 billion - is it too much, or are the banks just an easy target for criticism?
Aussie netballers have been called 'ungrateful' and 'precious' by refusing to wear their mining company sponsor's logo on their dresses - a moral move that's cost them a $15 million deal.
The case of the GP punished for throwing ADHD patients a lifeline has highlighted gaping holes in our system for those on the autism spectrum.
Four counts of rape, one of sexual violation. How - and why - did the court reach a sentence of nine months' home detention?
The news is filled with doom and gloom about climate change - is there any reason to be optimistic?
Kris Faafoi's move into lobbying has raised eyebrows - is there a case for regulating the industry?
A cheating scandal has rocked the chess world, but it's just the latest in a long list of sports cheats.
The Detail talks to Newsroom's Melanie Reid about the years she's spent covering the Peter Ellis case.
Kauri dieback disease is killing our giants of the forest - are we any closer to a cure?
A record tax take, a better than expected deficit - could tax cuts be on the table going into next year's election?
Scientific research doesn't always have to be serious, but it should always make you think.
What do we do about cleaning up the bombs left behind in the Pacific after World War II?
They are the biggest protests in Iran for years - but will this women-led uprising force the regime to change?
The police need to solve crimes - but there are strict rules about how they obtain evidence. What happens when it goes awry?
The police need to solve crimes - but there are strict rules about how they obtain evidence. What happens when it goes awry?
The heavy focus on Mandarin over Chinese Language Week is disappointing to many Chinese Kiwis.
The heavy focus on Mandarin over Chinese Language Week is disappointing to many Chinese Kiwis.
The government has just put new protections on highly productive land, the best of which makes up only one percent of our soil.
The government has just put new protections on highly productive land, the best of which makes up only one percent of our soil.
Now that the dust has settled after the Queen's death, what's next for Aotearoa and the monarchy?
Now that the dust has settled after the Queen's death, what's next for Aotearoa and the monarchy?
Outside our bigger cities, Aotearoa's smaller centres are seeing stacked races and fraught local issues.
Outside our bigger cities, Aotearoa's smaller centres are seeing stacked races and fraught local issues.
The closure of the Laura Fergusson Trust's Auckland rehabilitation and respite facility came as a shock - what does it tell us about the state of disability support services?
The closure of the Laura Fergusson Trust's Auckland rehabilitation and respite facility came as a shock - what does it tell us about the state of disability support services?
With the Rugby World Cup getting underway next month, The Detail takes a closer look at what it means for the women's game.
With the Rugby World Cup getting underway next month, The Detail takes a closer look at what it means for the women's game.
The Detail talks to RNZ's Guyon Espiner about his investigative series on Lotto - have we bought into a dream that's turning into a nightmare?
The Detail talks to RNZ's Guyon Espiner about his investigative series on Lotto - have we bought into a dream that's turning into a nightmare?
Christchurch is saying 'no' to the government's new housing density rules. Has the whole thing backfired?
Christchurch is saying 'no' to the government's new housing density rules. Has the whole thing backfired?
What makes a pepeha? As The Detail finds out, it's a deeply personal part of tikanga Māori.
What makes a pepeha? As The Detail finds out, it's a deeply personal part of tikanga Māori.
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has a lot on her plate, but who is she and what does she stand for?
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has a lot on her plate, but who is she and what does she stand for?
Podcasters can solve cold cases, but if they're not careful, they could face their own day in court.
Podcasters can solve cold cases, but if they're not careful, they could face their own day in court.
At least two people have died at work every month since last January. Are our workplace whistleblowers up to the task?
At least two people have died at work every month since last January. Are our workplace whistleblowers up to the task?
Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has displaced millions of people - why is the country so vulnerable to the impact of climate change?
Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has displaced millions of people - why is the country so vulnerable to the impact of climate change?
Mittens the cat may be cute, but Aotearoa has many animals far more worthy of immortalising in bronze.
Mittens the cat may be cute, but Aotearoa has many animals far more worthy of immortalising in bronze.
Workers have been locked out, threatened with legal action and left without any means of income - and it's not the first time.
Workers have been locked out, threatened with legal action and left without any means of income - and it's not the first time.
When Princess Diana died, millions were compelled to travel to her home and leave flowers. Why?
When Princess Diana died, millions were compelled to travel to her home and leave flowers. Why?
The Sydney golden wattle is causing havoc in coastal areas around the country. Could a tiny wasp be the answer to getting this invasive weed under control?
The Sydney golden wattle is causing havoc in coastal areas around the country. Could a tiny wasp be the answer to getting this invasive weed under control?
European museums are stacked with cultural treasures taken from their former colonies. New thinking could change that.
It's one of the most significant democratic processes in the country, so why don't we know more about school board of trustee elections?
With climate change-induced disasters becoming more frequent around the world, how do insurers weigh up the financial risks?
We've slowed immigration to a trickle to stave off infrastructure overload, but at what cost?
Backbench MPs have been hitting the headlines in the last few weeks, but what do they actually do?
International travel is back, but flyers beware - more and more bags are going missing in transit.
How is Vladimir Putin using the case of a jailed American basketball superstar to his advantage, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine?
How do you land an interview with the president of Ukraine? It turns out it takes months of planning, persuasion, good timing - and a healthy dose of luck.
It's local election season - but how much do we really know about the candidates standing for council?
Sea level rise is already destroying people's homes across the Pacific. How do you move a whole island community?
Why is the Reserve Bank facing flak from every angle over its economic handling of the pandemic?
Our highest appellate court is being asked to do what Parliament will not - hold companies liable for contributing to climate change.
Escalating food, fuel and housing prices are driving people everywhere to desperation - even on the North Shore.
Political party presidents tend to stay out of the spotlight - but just how influential is their role?
Major parts of our daily lives are controlled by artificial intelligence. What if it turns against us?
New Zealand's age of criminal responsibility is lower than many other countries around the world - Amnesty wants the government to change that.
Taiwan is a country with a complicated past, a complicated present and, in all likelihood, a complicated future. What happens next as tensions with China escalate?
The multitude of ways that alcohol harms society have been well documented - but will Chlöe Swarbrick's new Bill have unpleasant side-effects?
A dispute over pay has morphed into much more as our professional firefighters face long hours, stretched staff resources and failing equipment.
From our water supply to our polytechnics, we're eschewing regional control for a more centralised approach. Why?
They're not GPs, but they do nearly as much as one. Can nurse practitioners help relieve healthcare stress?
The Games are cringy, insular, and they've got a colonial hangover - but we still celebrate an opportunity to show off our athletes on the world stage.
Thousands of Kiwi kids are concussed playing sport every year, but our rules for treating them aren't up to scratch.
Are the Greens better off as activists and agitators? Or is there strength in softening to the centre?
A surge of elderly New Zealanders will require rest home care at the same time as a crisis in aged care nursing.
Two-thirds of students struggle to afford the very basics. Why aren't we doing anything about it?
What happens when the balance between feeding public interest in the All Blacks and protecting the team's image blows up on you?
With workers heading overseas to new horizons and greener pastures, what are employers doing to retain their staff?
After only one year in the job, the head of the New Zealand Film Commission has been stood down over a conflict of interest involving public funding for his own TV series. What happened?
For the last two-and-a-half years, Niue's been largely untouched by Covid-19. But that all changed when the first quarantine-free flight arrived from New Zealand.
On January 1, Te Pūkenga will take over the country's 16 polytechnics and industry training organisations. Can a mega-merger bring the sector financial security?
A simple stroll down Queen Street will reveal more than 38 empty shop fronts. What happened to Auckland's main street, and how can we fix it?
How did New Zealand end up with just two big supermarket players - and can the government's changes really shake things up?
It's one of the most high-stakes Pacific Islands Forum in recent memory, but political power plays may be standing in the way of real progress.
Our almost 70-year-old adoption laws are under review and there are calls for changes to make it easier for adopted children to reconnect with their biological family.
The new Australian prime minister is keen, so will Kiwis' rights across the Tasman finally be brought in line with Aussies' rights here?
The Supreme Court has ruled that Family First isn't a charity - so what actually are the rules about what is and isn't a charity?
We're producing up to 150,000 tonnes of surplus food every year. The New Zealand Food Network steps up and takes it before it reaches what would've been its destination: landfill.
As winter really sets in, Covid-19 case numbers are back on the rise. Should health authorities be acting with more urgency?
Elite sporting bodies worldwide are barring transgender women from competing if they've experienced male puberty, all in the name of fairness – but The Detail finds out that the science isn't that simple.
When someone screws up and it hits the headlines, what actually happens when PR experts are called in to help them fix it?
We're told to stay home when we're sick – but for many workers, that's an almost impossible ask. Can employers be doing more?
About half of the 400 people who arrive in New Zealand as asylum seekers every year end up being accepted as refugees - but why are they treated differently to people arriving through the quota system?
Sportswashing presents a myriad of ethical dilemmas for players and fans alike - and the rebel LIV Golf tournament is just the latest example.
Twenty years ago, he thought human-induced climate change was a load of rubbish. Now, George Moss' dairy farms are leading the way in counting - and cutting - greenhouse gas emissions.
The Detail takes a closer look at how the shortage of plasterboard - a critical building product - reached crisis point.
Kriddles Roberts is doing everything she can to help people in need in west Auckland - The Detail heads along to one of her community events.
It came as a surprise to economists, but GDP fell 0.2 percent in the March quarter - is New Zealand in for another recession?
It's one of our top tourist destinations, but Rotorua locals are worried about the proliferation of city motels being used for emergency housing – with no end in sight.
Five seconds warning could be enough to take action to protect yourself in a major shake. Does New Zealand need an earthquake early warning system?
Trevor Mallard is calling time on his parliamentary career. What's he achieved as Speaker of the House of Representatives?
Transmission Gully, the Christchurch stadium, the Waterview Tunnel, the Wellington Town Hall - why do big infrastructure projects take longer and cost more than we expect?
It's three months since parliament unanimously passed the Russia Sanctions Act - but are sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine actually having an impact?
We've got vast amounts of knowledge and information available to us at our fingertips - so why are literacy rates steadily declining?
Big changes to the way pigs are farmed are on the cards - is it possible to strike a balance between the views of farmers, vets and consumers?
Amid a global shortage of nurses, how does New Zealand lure health staff from overseas to fill our workforce gaps?
Why has the Christchurch City Council's approval rating sunk to 42 percent? The Detail talks to Newsroom's David Williams.
The number of people diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand is at its lowest since the 1990s - but what more need to happen to reach the goal of zero new infections by 2025?
What does New Zealand Rugby's deal with Silver Lake actually mean for the game? The Detail finds out.
The Queen officially celebrates her platinum jubilee this weekend, but does Britain's longest-reigning monarch maintain her relevance and popularity here in New Zealand?
How did billionaire Chinese businessman Lin Lang end up exporting thoroughbred horses from New Zealand to China - and why has the lucrative business come to a halt?
New Zealand's on the brink of eradicating the devastating cattle disease mycoplasma bovis. But has it been worth it?
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's high-profile trip to the United States is coming to an end. The Detail asks, what's in it for New Zealand, what's in it for the US, and where to next for the relationship?
Newsprint shortages, supply chain delays and soaring costs are making life even harder for newspaper publishers in New Zealand.
Monkeypox cases are steadily rising around the world, but do we need to be worried? Infectious diseases experts say the outbreak is cause for concern, but not alarm.
A massive landslide swamped part of the Bay of Plenty town of Matatā in 2005. Seventeen years on, the managed retreat process is finally coming to an end.
The government's set an ambitious target of hitting 100 percent of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 – but it is achievable?
The maritime border is about to reopen and that means cruise ships will once again be visiting our shores. But will it be a return to the pre-pandemic status quo?
It's six months since a fire tore through part of Christchurch's main wastewater treatment plant. But residents in neighbouring Bromley are sick of the resulting stench that's invaded their homes.
At the turn of the millennium, the Timorese people voted for independence from Indonesia. Twenty years on, The Detail talks to New Zealanders who played a part in building a new democracy.
It's not illegal to send food products to Russia under New Zealand's sanctions regime, but many exporters are boycotting the market in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Detail talks to one apple grower about what that means for business.
Could a domestic coastal shipping service ease some of the country’s supply chain woes, get more heavy freight off the roads and help reduce emissions?
Australians go to the polls on Saturday - all the signs are pointing to a Labor victory, but can Scott Morrison defy the odds and keep the Liberal-National Coalition in power?
It was the biggest eruption the world had seen in decades, but there's still so much scientists are piecing together about what happened when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai blew.
Is New Zealand prepared for the impacts of a nuclear war or some other global catastrophe? With Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, it's not beyond the realm of possibility.
Estimates suggest up to 50 percent of neurodiverse people are unemployed. Could unforgiving work environments be keeping skilled people out of the workforce?
What's the fuss about co-governance? As The Detail finds out, it's not a new concept and voters are being urged to get on board with it.
The Productivity Commission says New Zealand needs to take another look at its strict regulations on genetically modified organisms – or we could risk missing out on important innovations that improve our lives and the environment.
The Detail talks to Sri Lankan Kiwi and Newshub journalist Kethaki Masilamani about the crisis in Sri Lanka and the protests that seem to have united its long divided population.
America's Cup sailor Simo de Mari's life changed in the most unimaginable way in March 2019. He tells The Detail about his mission to walk again after a freak accident at Omaha Beach.
There have been calls for New Zealand to expel Russia's ambassador in response to the war in Ukraine. But is that the right diplomatic step to take?
More than half a million low income New Zealanders collectively owe the government $3.5 billion. Why do they owe so much? What's it for? And can they pay it back?
Research suggests anywhere between 10 and 30 percent of people who get Covid-19 end up developing Long Covid. What happens if that impacts your ability to work?
A woman was killed in Shanghai in 2009. A New Zealand resident, Kyung Yup Kim, is accused of her murder. China wants him extradited - why is it taking so long?
All over the country, ratepayers are forking out millions of dollars for CCTV cameras. But are they actually making us any safer?
The Detail heads to Tokomaru Bay to find out how locals are faring after three major floods in less than a year - what's next for the East Coast township?
Journalist David Farrier talks to The Detail about his reporting on serious allegations of emotional and physical abuse at one of the country’s biggest megachurches: Arise.
Why do the majority of Russians back the actions of their strongman leader Vladimir Putin? As The Detail finds out, the answer goes back centuries.
Just how many New Zealanders have connections to Ireland? The Irish Embassy has been trying to find out, in a world-first mapping project.
Public transport fares have been halved until the end of June, but to what extent are our bus and train trips already subsidised by the government and local councils?
The three strikes legislation is in the process of being repealed - how will history judge one of the most controversial justice reforms of recent years?
With the borders reopening, will immigration return to pre-pandemic levels, or does New Zealand need to re-think its reliance on migrant labour?
Some countries are increasing their defence budgets as the war in Ukraine rages on. The Detail looks at whether New Zealand needs to follow suit.
Scientists have finally finished mapping the human genome. The Detail looks at why it's taken so long and what it might mean for indigenous populations both here and around the world.
Groundswell says it advocates for farmers and rural communities - but what does it stand for and is its message getting through?
Are New Zealanders' attitudes towards offensive language changing? A recent survey by the Broadcasting Standards Authority seems to suggest they might be.
Ashley Bloomfield's been a regular in our living rooms over the past two years. But how did a public servant become one of the most recognised faces of our Covid-19 response?
New Zealand is facing a serious shortage of GPs - many family doctors will be hitting retirement age over the next decade and we're not training enough to replace them.
Newsroom's Nikki Mandow decided to only eat food made by women or women-run companies for a week. It was a lot harder than she expected.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called the security deal between China and Solomon Islands "gravely concerning" - but does New Zealand really need to be worried?
Commissioners will stay on at Tauranga City Council until 2024 - are locals being denied their democratic rights or is more time needed to get the city back on track?
The White Ferns may not have made it into the final four, but the 2022 Cricket World Cup is being hailed as a success for the women's game.
RNZ investigative journalist Guyon Espiner explains to The Detail the secretive the workings of our police watchdog, the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Nine years after it was first put on the table, Australia has finally accepted New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees from its detention centres. The Detail asks - why now?
Extreme weather events, like last week's flash flooding in Auckland, are becoming more frequent. The Detail asks if there's anything more we can do to protect ourselves and our homes.
The Netflix series Drive to Survive has been a smash hit for Formula 1, but can motorsport here in New Zealand cash in on some of that success?
How did Wellington Water fail to fluoridate much of its water supply for months on end - and why didn't it tell anyone?
A bill intended to make it easier for employed lawyers to do pro bono work was voted down by Parliament, but are changes actually needed?
Under-fives can't wear masks or get vaccinated against Covid-19 - are we doing enough to protect them from the virus?
The final curriculum for teaching Aotearoa's history in schools is out, but what will students actually learn and how will they learn it?
Newshub's Europe correspondent Lisette Reymer and cameraman Dan Pannett have witnessed some of the horrors of Russia's invasion of Ukraine first-hand. They talk to The Detail about what it's like reporting from a war zone.
With traditional media on the decline, could new publishing platforms like Substack be the key to keeping talented writers in gainful employment?
The cost of food, petrol and rent is soaring, and inflation is at its highest level in 30 years - how did it come to this?
Parliament has passed historic legislation to impose sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, but how do they actually work?
South Auckland is once again bearing the brunt of a Covid-19 outbreak, but one Pacific health provider is doing everything it can to help whanau isolating at home.
The price of petrol has skyrocketed to more than $3 a litre across most of the motu - is it going to keep going up?
Auckland will have a new mayor after the local elections later this year. The Detail talks to the three frontrunners for the job.
An innovative meth harm reduction programme is transforming lives in Northland - why hasn't it been rolled out across the country yet?
Manu Vatuvei was one of rugby league's biggest stars, but last week he was jailed for importing methamphetamine - what happened?
RNZ's Veronica Schmidt talks to The Detail about the wider issues raised by her recent investigation into a volunteer firefighter who sexually abused his young son - and the boy's mother's fight to be believed.
Lithium is in hot demand around the world and a New Zealand company has come up a more sustainable way of extracting it. The Detail finds out more about what Geo40 is doing differently.
After 23 days, the occupation at Parliament was finally brought to a chaotic and violent end. The Detail talks to two reporters who were there as it all unfolded.
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark talks to The Detail about Russia's invasion of Ukraine: the background to the conflict, her impressions of Vladimir Putin and how it might end.
The increasing number of applications for helipads on Aotea Great Barrier Island is causing alarm among locals. But the current rules mean they don't have to be notified or consulted about them. The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly looks at why.
The shift away from more sensitive PCR tests to rapid antigen tests marks a significant change in New Zealand's Covid-19 strategy. The Detail takes a closer look at what it means in the midst of the surging Omicron outbreak.
A decade in the making, the Auckland City Mission's new building - HomeGround - has finally opened its doors. The Detail takes a look behind the scenes to find out what difference it will make for the city's most vulnerable people.
The protest at Parliament has dragged into a third week - two top political journalists join The Detail's Emile Donovan to discuss how the country's political leaders have responded to the unprecedented situation.
The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly heads to the capital to see the occupation at Parliament first-hand, speak to protesters and tour their sprawling campsite on Parliament's front lawn.
With MIQ soon to be a thing of the past, young people who've put off international travel during the pandemic are planning their OEs - but what will that mean for employers?
Does the new leader of The Opportunities Party Raf Manji have what it takes to get the party across the 5 percent threshold to get into Parliament at the 2023 election?
Virtual production technologies and digital screens are set to change the way movies are made, but is New Zealand's film industry ready?
She's just 20 years old, but Zoi Sadowski-Synnott already has a full set of Olympic medals. How did she hit the top of her sport in such a short time?
For more than a week, hundreds of protesters have been occupying the ground of Parliament - presenting challenges for the police, politicians and the journalists covering it.
For the first time, women are starting to talk about menopause and employers are being warned to ignore it at their peril.
The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the world's biggest podcasts, but does Spotify need to take greater responsibility for its content?
The government's unequivocal promise of a ban on mining on conservation land has not eventuated. What happened?
Feral cats are killing our native birds, but the conversation about getting rid of them just isn't happening.
The government's helping hand to an industry in trouble - the media - has more than the usual critics, most of them concerned about journalists being too scared to bite the hand that's feeding them.
New Zealanders are over-confident in the water, say surf lifesavers - something that's helped us to our appalling drowning statistics.
Alarm bells are ringing over new legislation that could strip the power of the independent Children's Commissioner.
At last a concrete plan for light rail in Auckland - but at an eye watering cost. What are the chances of this really happening? And is it the right option?
Diplomatic efforts to cool mounting tensions in Ukraine have come to nothing, and New Zealand's being told this is one we can't afford to sit back and watch.
The battered tourism and hospitality industry is hanging on for better days - but some insiders say we're looking at a reset, not a bounce-back.
Tonga is one of the world's riskiest places for communications - its undersea internet cable has broken for the second time in three years. What's the solution?
In the seemingly never-ending parade of covid-enforced changes, we are now queueing for a third vaccination. Here's why it's so vital, now that Omicron has entered the picture.
It's been a strange year for sport - again. We look back at the high - and low - lights of 2021.
For our American-Kiwi family, the start of 2021 here was better than the alternative in California. We take you through our second covid year, through their eyes.
How long can the construction industry keep taking the hits? A look at another year of disruption in building.
New Zealand has a new domestic violence strategy - but is it more than bureaucratic talk and hot air?
It's been a year of developments in Climate Change discussions - but not a year of progress.
As summer flights head back to Antarctica, we look at the geopolitics of the land that no one owns, but everyone wants a piece of.
Global shipping restraints are putting New Zealand importers and exporters at risk. There's a solution, but it's not cheap, and it won't come as quickly as it's needed.
Coastal ecosystems are better than tropical rainforests when it comes to trapping carbon and at this year's big climate change conference they finally got some attention.
New Zealand forces are being sent to the Solomon Islands to help calm growing unrest in what is most definitely not a tropical tourist paradise. But the portents for a lasting peace are not good.
A global shortage of microchips may not be good for your Christmas present list, but one New Zealand company is cashing in.
Ruapehu's ski fields are under pressure - but unusually, this time it's not from natural forces.
An international multi-level marketing scheme operating in New Zealand uses social media influencers to entice people to enter a complex financial world they know nothing about.
There's a new face at the head of the National Party - but he's the fifth new face since John Key resigned five years ago. Is his the one that will stick?
Is the mysterious disappearance of Peng Shuai – and her unconvincing 'reappearance' - a watershed moment in the Chinese chapter of the MeToo movement?
The new bipartisan bill on housing intensification was welcomed by all - until the detail was revealed.
After a long lockdown winter, swimming, sunshine and surf are here - but in some places, Great White sharks are also coming to a beach near you.
Outside the "hermit kingdom" of Aotearoa people are embracing a Covid rules-free world - but are things as back to normal as they seem?
Filmed under the twin shadows of both the pandemic and the Lord of the Rings, Cowboy Bebop is an Auckland film success story.
Breeding fast-growing chickens for meat means top-heavy birds stumbling around in giant sheds. But New Zealand doesn't have an option to grow them slowly.
Covid has meant huge disruption for seasonal workers, but they're back now - if they ever left. What is it like for RSE workers who leave their families so they can feed them?
Our legal aid system - the one that is on a promise to fund justice for all, no matter their means - is in crisis.
While we've been wrapped up in our Covid worries and woes, across the world in Africa a catastrophe of immense proportions is unfolding - putting our problems into stark perspective.
So they didn't win the T20 final yesterday - but that's the third world cup final featuring the Black Caps in three years. They're our best side ever and there's not even a debate about it.
Pfizer has developed a Covid-19 vaccine for 5-11 year-olds. Should New Zealand race in, or hold back on getting our children immunised?
Head injuries in sport are being taken more seriously, especially as more women become professional.
No player signs up to play the game they love knowing that brain damage could be the long term result.
Covid lockdown disruption is being blamed for crazy sleep patterns, weird dreams and insomnia .... but sleep is vital to build up our immune systems and fight off the virus.
The shape of philanthropy is changing away from traditional giving, to a more strategic way of closing the massive gap between rich and poor.
It's being seen as a distraction from controversy, but the metaverse is definitely on its way.
An economic indicator that hasn't made a splash in the headlines for quite some time is back - inflation.
The invisible section of New Zealand society - disabled people - are finally getting their own ministry. It will have a massive task ahead of it.
A billion dollars in benefits for New Zealand - and a chance for the UK to show the world it still has friends. But our fresh free trade agreement has some hitches.
New Zealand has been at international trade fairs - now Expos - since they began in 1851. But are the multi-millions spent on getting there worth the benefits?
Here's a tale of two communities when it comes to getting Māori vaccination rollouts right.
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack's plain language bill is a major continuation of the on-going fight against bureaucratese.
Tearfund's annual name-and-shame of unethical fashion chains leaves out some important factors - such as clothing manufactured in New Zealand.
A lot of people think being an MP is a cushy job with a great salary. But along with debate comes an increasing number of death threats, some of them very real.
Dairy farmers under pressure to reduce their herd sizes could look at planting oats - diversifying and helping out a new industry at the same time.
Builders and other tradespeople have been struggling with empty shop shelves; weeks, sometimes month-long delays in delivery of essential materials and soaring costs. The issues are far from over.
We are likely to see a total reassessment of international travel, and probably not just in the short term. Think vaccine passports and higher air fares just for starters.
The battle for equal pay started 125 years ago and it's not over yet. A new campaign, Mind The Gap, hopes to address some of the issues.
Rapid antigen tests have finally been approved for use in New Zealand. Critics say they're not accurate enough, but as we wave goodbye to an elimination strategy, we're going to need fast results.
Bio-diversity is at a crossroads - can we not just stop things getting worse, but actually make them better?
Grab the newest model, buy the latest thing, nothing is built to last. Often if you want something repaired - it can't be. Can we change all that?
The impact of the pandemic has been apocalyptic on international air travel- but that's starting to change.
Older entrepreneurs often have more altruistic motives, and are more likely to succeed in business - but they could do with some more support.
Twenty-five years ago today New Zealand held its first MMP election. How's that working out for us?
New Zealand's electricity market system is stacked up against the consumer when it comes to lower power prices.
As the 25th film in the franchise comes out, we look at why a James Bond movie is still a major cinema event after nearly 60 years on the screen.
The Pandora Papers is the biggest data leak ever, and a startling insight into the way the other half a percent lives and structures their affairs.
The money thrown at businesses during our first lockdown last year has been refined and is now more targeted - but accountants warn the government can't save every struggling company.
Thomas Phillips and his children are back home, safe, in what many saw as a miracle after 19 nights in the bush. But questions remain as to why he disappeared in the first place.
The godwits are landing on New Zealand's coastal mudflats again - after incredible journeys from the other side of the world.
It's a great new way to get what you want upfront and pay later - but there are traps, and consumer advocates say the schemes need to be regulated.
What is so vital about the Glasgow climate change summit that minister James Shaw weathered a public uproar?
Employers trying to keep their workplaces safe are caught between four different conflicting laws and rights over compulsory vaccination - and they want some government guidance.
Genetic manipulation, toilet training for cows, seaweed feed, vaccines ... millions is being spent on research to reduce the methane emissions from New Zealand's agricultural industry.
We've used closed borders to explore our own country, but you can love a place to death - there are some places that are not only difficult to get to, but tourism is not encouraged.
Being left out of the new Australia, UK and US security pact was a blessing in disguise, according to one international relations expert - because it would have caused a domestic crisis if we'd been asked in.
Packs of feral dogs have been causing heartbreaking stock losses throughout the Far North, and authorities are ill-equipped to deal with them.
Name suppression has become a publicity-dodging exercise that just generates publicity. Why does this rule, that favours those who can afford a lawyer, still exist?
Our grim climate statistics could have been so much better if we'd veered down a path that was mapped out 30 years ago, instead of resting on our forestry laurels.
Lorde's surprise EP drop in te reo Māori prompted all the feels - from awe, wonderment and joy, to unease and accusations of cultural appropriation.
The A2 Milk Company was the darling of the stock exchange, but a series of events have seen its fortunes yo-yo.
The people behind the wildly successful porn campaign are back with an edgy series aimed at kids on fake news.
The difficulties of forestry ownership are many but the rewards for the persistent are great.
The Detail will be switching to written explainers while our Auckland-based team is locked down in Level 4. Catch us on RNZ and Newsroom's websites.
Changes planned for the NCEA art curriculum have teachers and the art world worried about the down-grading of the subject.
Data on housing is surreal if you own a home, depressing if you don't. How did we get to this stage?
In Afghanistan the Taliban is taking control again, even as US military planes leave the tarmac in Kabul. Now the war is being compared to Vietnam in its futility.
There's a queue for the queue - New Zealand's immigration process is a nightmare made worse by Covid-19 restrictions. We look at who's locked out, and why people we need are leaving the country
Why is the world going mad for mixed martial arts? Sharon Brettkelly goes along to an Auckland gym to find out more.
How much doom, gloom and catastrophising can the world take? We boil down the latest big climate change report.
Between 10 and 30 percent of Covid patients go on to develop Long Covid, a crippling illness with up to 114 symptoms. They're not happy with the level of research being conducted on it, so they're fundraising to do their own.
Gangs with guns; the fatal shooting of an officer in West Auckland; a changing attitude from front line police on firearms. Should we be arming our force?
Companies are increasingly claiming to be 'eco' - their products are good for the planet - but how true are these environmental claims? And how much is just greenwashing?
Journalists in New Zealand don't tend to get shot or jailed for doing their jobs - but they do face some impediments in collecting information. That's when the Media Freedom Committee is watching.
Marsden Pt shareholders will vote today on a proposal to shut down New Zealand's only oil refinery, slashing hundreds of jobs.
Not many people would argue against legislation banning conversion therapy - but there is a lot of devil in the detail.
Hundreds of millions has been poured into developing Auckland's waterfront, and there's more mega-funding to come. Is it being spent in the right place?
Crumbling pipes, polluted beaches, bugs in drinking water ... something has to be done about the nation's ageing water infrastructure. But is Three Waters the right solution?
How can New Zealand be importing massive amounts of coal when we are supposedly on a journey towards 100 percent renewable energy? The answers are complex.
Unions are heading to the Employment Court taking action over Uber's drivers - asking the question when a 'contractor' is really a 'worker', and should be offered worker benefits.
Too short, too skimpy, badly designed, or just uncomfortable - women have for too long been on the receiving end of uniform rules where one size doesn't fit all.
Why do New Zealanders get so invested in saving wild animals that strand themselves? Is it worth spending thousands on getting them back where they belong?
New Zealanders have very easy access to alcohol, and the choices are growing. But communities worried about the harm it's causing face big hurdles to stop liquor stores proliferating.
We've been told New Zealand needs to take some of those trade eggs out of China's basket - and Africa is looking wide open after nations signed a continent-wide pact. But there are difficulties.
Financially it was a lemon the moment Covid closed the borders - so how did Auckland do when it came to hosting the America's Cup? Was it worth it? And should we do it again?
Desperate kiwis are paying thousands for clever computer operators to get them a space in MIQ, because booking a spot is proving impossible for ordinary travellers.
Three closely aligned nations, three different political approaches, and three very different results when it comes to the path taken by the pandemic.
Everyone has to pay their fair share of tax - but worldwide, the big tech multi-nationals have been getting away with paying far less than others. There are plans to change that.
Inflation's hit a 10 year high, and although fuel and houses are largely to blame, the food that we grow in abundance is expensive. Why?
Elderly people are being targeted by scammers in heart-breaking numbers. They rarely get their money back, and often they're too ashamed to admit to having been sucked in.
Our divorce laws are 40 years old - and there's a renewed push to change them to reflect the realities of the 21st century.
Nurses have more industrial action planned as frustration with shortages and pay boil over - what's behind the anger?
The Restaurant Association has a long wish list for the government to help its labour shortage situation - but does it need to look internally at the wages and conditions of hospitality workers?
Is a sports world without doping an impossible aspiration? David Howman, director-general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, talks drugs and testing.
While New Zealand and the Cook Islands are bubbling away, the Covid-19 situation in what used to be our biggest Pacific tourism destination, Fiji, is horrifying - and out of control.
The Tokyo Olympics might have been delayed a year but somehow it's still snuck up on us - here's the rundown on the New Zealand team.
The consequences of a wasteful Kiwi lifestyle are getting harder to ignore. Our landfills are filling fast and it's getting more difficult to find new sites. We do have waste minimisation levers, but change is slow.
RNZ's Red Line podcast sees two journalists dip their toes into unknown waters - our carefully balanced relationship with China.
The building boom is in full force - but with it comes an ugly side effect. Construction waste is an increasing problem.
No one has ever been held to account for the decades of abuse and torture suffered by children at the Lake Alice psychiatric unit. Now, survivors have told their stories.
History won't be re-written, but it will be re-learned and taught under the new New Zealand history curriculum.
After 50 years of a closed community on the West Coast, more and more people are leaving Gloriavale.
The Dome Valley dump has planning approval as Auckland hunts for its next rubbish disposal option - but the very real need for a new site is coming up against both environmental and intangible objections.
Unsuitable housing, carless city centres, cars parked on the footpath are issues that draw complaints from able bodied people - but if you're disabled they can have a dramatic impact on your life.
On Wednesday morning, at the same time as news filtered out of a positive Covid-19 case going on a tiki-tour of Wellington, an operation was being executed with military precision at a retirement village in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. The Detail's Emile Donovan went along to see how an operation like this is run; how residents are feeling about it; and talk about how the 70-plus demographic has first-hand experience of the difference a vaccine can make.
NZ First is the enigma of New Zealand politics. From positions of pivotal power in governments to periods in the political wilderness. The party's chances of a return to its glory days seem to rest, as they always do, with its long-time leader Winston Peters.
The South Westland town of Franz Josef has survived floods and earthquakes but the lack of international tourists due to border restrictions has forced many of the town's businesses into closure or hibernation.
There's a factory in Christchurch that could help solve the housing crisis by churning out modular homes - but a reluctance to adopt this building method means its future is unclear.
There's so much happening in New Zealand's space industry it's hard to keep up. There's more to it than just Rocket Lab - it's bigger than the wine industry - and it's growing fast.
Action to stop a film being made before it's even clear what it will be about is a reflection of increased awareness about race, identity and place across the globe.
Our rules and regulations over political donations are fuzzy - and most of our politicians are getting tripped up by them. Is it time to make those laws more transparent?
It's not just the big cities suffering from affordable housing issues - but the more remote areas of the country are getting no help, even if they're willing to help themselves.
In a time when the country is concentrating on well-being, our mental health facilities are crumbling and overcrowded.
Moves to protect New Zealand's biodiversity have West Coast farmers feeling under attack as they're dictated to over what they can do with their land. Are they carrying the can for the rest of us?
The New Zealand accent is a potpourri of international diversity, and it continues to evolve.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open on mental health grounds may have cracked open the door for a change in the way we conduct post-match media conferences.
The Covid-19 Wuhan lab leak theory has re-emerged and appears to have sparked the curiosity of the US President. We look at why, and what the likelihood is of that being the case.
Vaping has been touted as a game-changing tool to help smokers quit - but it also has its downsides.
Our big cities are supposed to be getting more cycling friendly - but progress is slow and there is a wall of road users who would rather bicycles just disappeared.
Sleepyhead manufacturer the Comfort Group has a grand plan to build a company town in a rural Waikato location. But is it really such a good idea?
There was a lot of money for Māori housing and infrastructure in the Budget - $730 million in total. But what is Māori housing, and how will the money be used?
Kiwi motor racing champion Scott Dixon is a sensation-seeker - but not an adrenaline junkie. Meet the man who looked inside his mind.
How on earth do you explain cryptocurrency? Not even those with their head in the game really understand it all.
The massive James Hardie court case on now is the latest in decades of leaky building issues.
Uncovering the secret of how a pervert hid his criminal prosecution and became the boss of a crown entity.
Willi Huber was a champion of Mt Hutt's ski field developments, and a popular local. But it wasn't until he died that the full horror of his past was revealed.
It's just nine weeks before the Tokyo Olympics are due to open - but if they go ahead, they'll look and sound very different to games in the past.
New Zealand has a thriving gaming industry - it's a genuine career path and we have great talent. But a tax sweetener across the Tasman risks pulling the rug from underneath it all.
You can't beat Wellington on a good day - but Wellington's good days are getting few and far between.
Has the Christchurch Call made any progress or has the whole thing descended into a talk fest?
Laurel Hubbard is a reluctant trailblazer, a pioneer for transgender women - but all she wants to do is lift weights.
A look at what's in the aspirational He Puapua document, currently being used to stir racial disharmony.
Details have been released about arguably the biggest shift in industrial relations in 30 years - what are Fair Pay Agreements all about?
A new Netflix programme - we're not calling it a documentary - is putting people world wide off eating fish. But how much of the message was massaged?
The unemployment rate has defied the expectations of economists, banks and Treasury. Is it hiding the reality of the job situation, or did the wage subsidy save us?
Labour's announcement of a public service wage freeze took everyone by surprise. Was it a party taking aim at its traditional support base, or a minister losing control of the narrative?
Once again rabbits are on the verge of causing an ecological disaster in parts of New Zealand that will cost us hundreds of millions.
Long awaited reforms on hate speech have gone before Cabinet - and they're stirring up unease and discontent.
The post-Covid rich list is different to NBR's previous yearly efforts. In 2021, ranking wealthy New Zealanders also means measuring what they give back.
The Covid-19 crisis in India is so bad it's been called the 'invisible terrorist'. It's also split families in New Zealand and is causing huge heartache.
Much has been said about New Zealand's construction costs contributing to our housing crisis. But there are reasons for soaring prices - and no easy solutions.
Why do we pay mega-subsidies to international movie giants to come to New Zealand to film? Is it really worth it?
The Waikeria Prison fires are out, the excitement's died down, the protesters charged. But that's not the end of the repercussions, with three inquiries underway and civil actions launched.
The government's newly announced health plan heralds a massive change in the system. But commentators say its success depends on what's in the detail.
Nearly two weeks after voting, Samoans still don't know if their leader of 22 years will be ousted by his former deputy.
A new skirmish in the war against tobacco aims to stub out a whole new generation of smokers.
Trans-Tasman quarantine-free flights are back on - as New Zealand's vaccination rollout's been described as shambolic, and Australia's as a failure.
The Dawn Raids of the 1970s carry a shameful legacy to this day - and those who haven't forgotten, want an apology.
The biggest shift in public broadcasting is being mulled over by a government-appointed group. But is such a unification desirable, or even necessary?
Facebook protests that its new algorithm that curates your newsfeed is just a mirror reflecting yourself back at you. If that's the case, says one digital expert, it's a funhouse mirror.
A marina at picturesque Kennedy Point on Waiheke Island is the scene of a massive battle - and work has started in spite of a looming Supreme Court decision.
No one would argue against a Child Protection Act - but is a register for child sex abusers actually protecting children?
The spotlight being shone on anti-Asian attacks in America is spilling over to New Zealand, and has highlighted the fact that such sentiments lurk beneath the surface here too.
There's been much speculation that the recent housing announcement could prompt landlords who feel targeted to put up rents. Now there's counter-talk of rent controls. How would it work?
Chinese growers are stealing the kiwifruit we stole from them in the first place, along with the varietal secrets New Zealand holds the rights to. Zespri has a novel plan to combat that.
Pasifika rugby has been the world's poor cousin for too long. Could a new plan help retain players and see the island game thrive?
New Zealand's "productivity" figures aren't great and are artificially inflated by rampaging house prices. Toss in wellbeing and the picture looks murky.
Sharon Brettkelly takes a trip with bee rescuer Jessie Baker to look at the urban beehives that are buzzing away on city rooftops.
Trevor Mallard, the arbiter of Parliament's house rules, is ironically not one to follow the rule book.
The decision over fluoridation of the country's water supplies has been handed over to the Director-General of Health. Why is this issue so divisive that it's been taken out of the hands of councils?
Under the surface of public discourse lurk a bunch of mysterious organisations who are major players in shaping public policy.
With more than a thousand conservation stories under her waterproof parka, science journalist Alison Ballance is retiring from RNZ's Our Changing World programme.
NFTs - non-fungible tokens -are the latest crypto wonder. It seems unfathomable but people are willing to spend huge amounts acquiring them.
Has the government managed to remove stumbling blocks for first home owners with its policy announcements yesterday? Or is the basic problem that houses are just too expensive?
The New Zealand technology sector is booming - but there are rocky shoals ahead. Among them, getting caught in a US-China tech war; and unwittingly contributing to human rights abuses.
When the Chinese were told to drink milk to stay healthy and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealand's dairy farmers celebrated. The Global Dairy Trade, explained.
The champagne's been mopped up, the sailors are recovering from their victory celebrations - what's the next step for the America's Cup?
After the Markle Debacle and Andrew's murky associations, you couldn't blame Aotearoa for saying goodbye to the Crown. But what would a queen-free country look like constitutionally?
Pharmac's generic drug swap for epilepsy treatment saved $30 million over five years. But for some patients, the consequences were nightmarish.
What's the point in learning a dead language like Latin? It's been struck off the NCEA list, but its loss will be mourned by many who say it lives on in everyday English, and it's vital to some professions.
Fallen politician Jami-Lee Ross has turned his hand to selling "health" supplements with dubious benefits. It's an industry that's thinly regulated and barely policed.
Mike Hosking's made the most of Jacinda Ardern's decision to ditch him - spinning it as her running for the hills. But what gave him unfettered access in the first place, and did he abuse the privilege?
Our wood processing industry is in distress, largely run over by China's demand for raw logs to provide work for its own people and factories. Why isn't there more support for the few sawmills we have left?
Is the move to stop publishing six Dr Seuss books another example of cancel culture - or an acknowledgement that we've moved on from a more insensitive past?
The subject of Māori wards on local bodies brings out both passionate support and angry opposition.
No one expected the level of intensity and brazenness used by a blogger, a former politician and a PR man in the saga that became known as "dirty politics".
Someone broke the rules to put Auckland in Level 3 and there has been a clamour for punishment. But the situation isn't black and white. Is our covid messaging still appropriate?
Being locked down also means for many people being locked out of meaningful face to face interactions - for them, Level 3 is a tense and frustrating time.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellites are a wondrous sight - and also a slightly disturbing one. How many foreign objects can we fit into the night sky before they start crashing into each other?
The My Food Bag IPO this week looks like a mouth watering offer - but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The story of young West Coast entrepreneur Jake Millar is an extraordinary one of tragedy, success, money, the high life, and now, a disappearance.
The Pacific Islands Forum is facing unprecedented disruption at a time when it's arguably needed the most, to present a united front on issues such as Covid and climate change.
For those kiwis with rare disorders, it's a battle against the health system to get treatment.
After 30 years the Resource Management Act - the unwieldy, development-stopping, strangely inadequate environmental legislation - is being reformed.
Why would a massive international investment firm want a stake in New Zealand's national game? And what could change if a deal with Silver Lake goes ahead?
Australia and New Zealand are supposedly cultural cousins, but this latest rift - over the return of a woman labelled a terrorist - shows we are drifting further and further apart.
Reviews, resignations, recriminations - New Zealand sport is rife with bullying accusations, particularly against women and girls. What's being done to change the landscape?
What happens between the time when a lab worker finds a positive Covid-19 test in the community, and the Prime Minister announces another lockdown?
New Zealand's school kids are failing at maths - and other subjects too. What are we doing about addressing our educational gaps?
New Zealand sharemarket darling Infratil is in danger of being lost offshore, to Australia's superfund. But is the company too important to lose?
Polyfest is the largest Pasifika dance festival in the world. But it takes huge amounts of time and money to prepare for it, and after two years of disruption, parents and schools are thinking twice about entering.
The debate about women speaking on the marae at Waitangi has lasted for years. There are customary rules, but it appears they are about to change.
Taxpayers and ratepayers have sunk millions into helping stage the America's Cup - then Covid hit and no one came to the party. Have we gained anything for our outlay?
New Zealand walks a trading tightrope with China - but by failing to bring up human rights issues, are we selling our souls for $32 billion a year?
An economist and analyst who plotted the path of the new Covid virus - and gave the government an early head's up - talks about how it unfolded and what's likely to happen next.
Google and Facebook are in a showdown with Australian lawmakers over payment for using the work of others. The world is keenly watching to see what will happen.
Are New Zealanders ready to take the bus? Give up their gas hobs? Plant more trees? If we're going to meet our international obligations, we'll have to be.
New Zealand must wait its turn for Covid-19 vaccinations - but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
When Auckland's Safeswim website lit up red after a downpour, residents were horrified. But are the city's beaches really a no go-zone, or are we being over-informed?
The saga of Marlborough Lines and Yealands Wine involves legal action, a raid, secrets, lies, falsified documents, and millions in community money. This is what happened.
New Zealand cricket is in good shape, sharing the top of the honours board with Australia. But is it deserved?
We ARE in a housing crisis - and there are plenty of reasons for it. It's time for authorities to stop planning for 10 years ago and start looking forward.
The earth's short of space and that's affecting our customary expectations of how we bury our dead.
We hear a lot about child poverty and lack of action on it - how bad is the situation really?
Our Five-Eyes spy network has evolved from a surveillance agency to a political tool - and New Zealand is caught between old allies and new trading partners.
How do you make an adventure tourism venture safe when the main selling point is danger?
The findings of the Royal Commission into the Christchurch mosque shootings will be released tomorrow. But an extensive investigation that formed a submission into that inquiry is already out, and it foreshadows the result.
Stuff this week issued a public apology for its portrayal of Māori - how significant was the move?
Disharmony, an attempted coup, nasty texts, childish comments - what on earth has been going on at the fractured Tauranga City Council?
Diabetes is a massive health issue for New Zealand and disproportionately affects Māori and Pasifika. So why are we so far behind when it comes to using new drugs that improve treatment?
New Zealand's supermarket duopoly is being investigated by the Commerce Commission - but are the big two, too big to bring down?
The tourism industry has some big decisions to make, and it's had an enforced break to think about them. But with vaccines on the horizon we'd better hurry on policies that decide what type of visitors we want.
Support for people with dementia is reaching few of them - yet four in five New Zealanders have some connection to the disease. Dementia sufferers need a champion.
What's the big deal about the new trade deal we've signed up to? And didn't we already have one of those with the same players?
The Reserve Bank has been caught up in a political storm over the housing crisis. Is it really the Bank's fault that the levers it pulls have seen prices spiral out of control?
Denmark is looking at culling all of its 17 million mink after they were found to have a mutated form of coronavirus - how worried should we be about this development?
LockerRoom's Suzanne McFadden opens up about her ground-breaking series on top female athletes, maternity and fertility.
Dealing with the political and financial repercussions of sea level rises is going to make political decisions over Covid look easy. There are billions of taxpayer dollars at stake in property bailouts.
As dementia numbers soar and a cure remains elusive, one of the key organisations leading research into prevention and treatment is under threat.
Emile Donovan sits down with the man charged with keeping the country's civil servants in check.
Māori politics is a story of rapid rises and sudden falls - and this year the Māori Party is back
With Winston Peters gone from the political scene, why do we still need to indulge his pet portfolio of racing? We look at the health of the sector and progress of planned reforms.
Sir John Key dealt with Joe Biden when he was US vice-president. He gives The Detail an insight into the man.
The country's first open ocean fish farm could bring in billions - but the company behind it is running into objections, largely by locals not impressed by its levels of compliance elsewhere.
With the biggest political mandate in a long time, why is Labour holding itself back from treading a traditional - and bold - left-leaning path?
While New Zealand has successfully (for the most part) kept the pandemic at bay, Taiwan's done it without a strict lockdown and it's economy has actually grown. Today The Detail looks at how.
As industries hand the new government their wish lists, we look at two sectors - arts and tech - that say they have plenty of untapped potential.
Many didn't pick her as the new Foreign Affairs Minister and she made headlines for being the first woman in the role on Monday. Today The Detail looks at Nanaia Mahuta's track record and just what she will bring to the job.
On Friday, the outcome of the special votes - nearly 20 percent of the overall vote - will be revealed. Here's what it could swing.
Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer wants a Royal Commission into ACC, saying the system that was a world-beater is now unjust.
Auckland Zoo has been open for nearly 100 years - and it's come a long, long way in that time. But should we still be looking at captive animals these days?
New Zealand businessman Eric Watson is currently in a London jail, felled by a man with deeper pockets and a big score to settle. How did it come to this?
ACT scored big on election night but it was a "bittersweet" victory - the party is still on the wrong side of power. So what will its nine new MPs do for the next three years?
Developing a Covid-19 vaccine is arguably the number one priority of humanity right now. So how does New Zealand fit in?
The descendants of Pacific Island Coastwatchers just want to be part of the ANZAC story - but there's so little recorded about the men sent to remote areas with no resources, who then got no pensions or medical care.
A growing population, cities straining at the edges, and everyone wants a back yard for the kids. Or do they? We may have reached the stage where a change of mindset is helping to house people.
Construction of Auckland's City Rail Link is well underway and don't local retailers know it. It's killing the heart of the city and turned it into a cone zone, the sound of construction replacing the ringing of tills.
Journalist Aaron Smale talks about his deep-dive investigation into children abused in state care - and the roadblocks the Crown put up to stop the details getting out.
A lot has been said about Sweden's approach to tackling the Covid pandemic. Not a lot of it is true.
Winston Peters was the wild card of New Zealand politics for most of his long political career - cutting, brusque, combative, rude, funny - a contradiction. Now he's gone, and we look back.
New Zealanders are coming home in droves in what's becoming known as the 'brain gain'. Who are they, why are they returning, and how long will they stay for?
Are farmers really intractable over freshwater regulations and climate change rules - or are they embracing environmental protections as the Prime Minister suggests?
Peter Dunne is the MP who's been involved in more coalition negotiations than any other - he takes us behind the closed doors to shine a spotlight on what happens after an MMP election.
Advance NZ's Billy Te Kahika has some strange ideas that it would be better to keep a lid on. So why has one of the country's top investigative reporters shone a spotlight on him?
The alarming levels of New Zealanders with mental health issues is being described as a silent pandemic. What's being done to stem the tide?
The Taxpayers' Union has generated a lot of heat but not much light when it comes to its digs at Creative NZ grants. We explore who they go to, and what the money is used for.
Dyslexia was recognised officially as a learning condition 13 years ago, but our attitudes towards children - and adults - who think differently have barely moved. Isn't it about time this changed?
New Zealand's not far off achieving 100 percent renewable energy - but is that really our best bet for combating climate change?
At election campaigning time politicians have a lot to say about public debt and government spending. But how does it really affect ordinary people, and should we care about it?
The political narrative on immigration has flipped - with closed borders, the numbers have plummeted and the debate has dried up. But we have to talk about it at some stage.
Locked up inside and working from home - it was a death knell to the high fashion industry. But one expert says some luxury brands may have closed their doors too quickly.
Wellington is trying to prepare for its projected population growth, but potential housing developments are being held up by debate over how to honour its heritage buildings.
It's the annual story - orchardists can't get fruit pickers at harvest time. Now with no immigrant workers the situation is even more dire. But there's a reason unemployed New Zealanders won't take up the jobs.
Can you date, marry, or even just be friends with someone who holds the opposite political views to you? In the US that's generally a hard 'no' - here, it's a bit different.
As the cannabis referendum draws nearer, we have a look at the chemical make up of the substance there's been so much debate over.
In warehouses near motorways and on backlots in West Auckland, players who contract to the movie industry are making their mark - in business, and on the world.
Law enforcement organisations all over the world are tapping into increasingly sophisticated facial recognition tech - but the regulations on how it can be used are vague.
MPI has slapped a temporary ban on live animal exports after the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1. There are demands they cease all together but banning them completely is not that simple.
One sudden gust of wind and traffic around New Zealand's biggest city goes into a chaotic meltdown. How long will it take to fix the Auckland Harbour Bridge and why can't it be faster?
A look at the three elements that make up the TV election debate - the broadcaster, the moderator, and the politician.
Soaring temperatures, lockdown in a pandemic, a summer of riots and protests, a crazy election - and now raging wildfires. A kiwi in California details her drama-filled 2020.
The Waiwera Hot Pools closed more than two years ago for refurbishment and never reopened. Everyone assumed they were dead, but a new plan is bubbling to the surface.
Hamilton is up for the prize of New Zealand's most beautiful city - and far from scoffing, one Auckland architecture expert says the crown would be well-deserved.
The 1pm Jacinda and Ashley show has exposed the way journalists operate - and it's not pretty. Should they modify their behaviour now it's televised?
Avatar producer Jon Landau talks to Sharon Brettkelly about making block-buster sequels in New Zealand - far away from home, during a pandemic.
Debate around Otago University’s medical school makeup has raised the hackles of some students – so why do we have affirmative entry policies at our universities?
Where does all that treaty settlement money go? We look at how one iwi is using it to lift the health and welfare of its people.
The uproar over televising school sport, and the complicated mix of players clashing over who owns it.
This pandemic has brought out the amateur share traders and a new app is helping them invest - or is it gamble? - on the stock market.
The New Zealand company making the machines keeping Covid patients alive is cashing in big-time from the pandemic, but says it also feels huge responsibility.
It's 10 years since the first big Christchurch earthquake - and if you'd just started school then you're now ending your decade of education amidst a global pandemic. We meet two teens for whom disruption is normal.
The medical world is starting to look at some of the unintended consequences of lockdown - some of them positive, some more worrying.
Meet a developer who's trying to help solve the housing crisis by importing boxes from China.
The whole world is facing a pandemic recession - so what are the off-beat measures some governments are taking to stimulate their economies?
New Zealand is powering on towards a digital future, in the face of a new report that reveals unexpectedly high numbers of people who don't have access to internet services.
Political commentators often light up the comments section, but how much of what they have to say is valuable insight, and how much is clutter and noise?
Just because New Zealand's leader is a woman doesn't mean all is fine for women in the workplace - in fact, in this pandemic, things have got significantly worse.
Councils are wary about signing up to the Three Waters programme, aimed at improving drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. We discuss the fishhooks.
You can legally drive, fly a plane, have sex or own a gun at 16 - so why can't you vote? Well, there's a campaign underway aimed at changing that.
As a second Covid wave hits the country we are gearing up - but some of that PPE gear including gloves and masks could have reached New Zealand via slave labour factories in Asia.
Our election date's been delayed for a month - but there's no guarantee we won't still be in lockdown on 17 October. How did Singapore manage to conduct its Covid election?
New Zealand scientists are playing a key role in genome testing being used trace coronavirus cases back to their sources.
Dylan Reeve tracks down the source of the rumour that sparked vileness on the internet - and finds a young man full of regret and waiting for a call from police.
Christchurch's health services are under siege and the DHB's financial issues have seen vital management team members leave. What is going on?
A lot of our problem gambling issues stem from pokie machines - but those same machines prop up a myriad of community groups. What's the solution?
Reduce, re-use, recycle is taking on a new and more formal meaning with the government's product stewardship scheme.
Ambiguity, uncertainty and unpredictability are three key indicators for stress, and Aucklanders in particular are going through all of those right now. A clinical psychiatrist has some sound advice.
There are other diseases the country is battling that could do with big injections of money and effort, but they don't attack humans.
Long awaited changes to tenancy law have been made - are they really the landlord-killers that some make them out to be?
Binge drinking in teenagers has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years - but it's not really about super-sizing screen time, and researchers don't really know what has happened.
Auckland will host an international conference next year on cyber security, as the country tries to take advantage of its trusted reputation to make waves in the technology space.
How does a four percent unemployment figure gel with estimates that soon there will be whole neighbourhoods of people in south Auckland without work?
After China's succession of food scares, and post-Covid wariness, consumer demands there are changing. New Zealand can take advantage of that, or be left behind.
The science on transgender women in sport, from the person whose scientific work informed World Rugby's controversial new proposed policy
New Zealanders are about to vote on two of the most polarising social issues of our time - how much do you know about the cannabis and end of life referendums?
In opting to protect their people from Covid-19 the Pacific islands are cut off from tourism income - and they're suffering badly as a result.
Was it really a 'rogue' poll? How do pollsters go about getting a real taste of what the electorate is thinking? We speak to two experts on the methodology behind the numbers.
The astonishing story of a young Māori woman who started life amongst gang culture, went through homelessness, got hooked on helping people and is now the president of the Waitakere Rotary Club.
Covid-19 has complicated our court system, caused more stress for victims of crime, and failed the dictum that everyone has a right to a speedy trial.
Deepfakes, synthetic media - the latest and most advanced techniques to spread disinformation and deception.
Once again the America's Cup has erupted in scandal - but that's nothing new for the sport. Today we take a trip through some of the country's other big controversies, with rugby writing legend Phil Gifford.
From today masks are mandatory in public in Melbourne and the adjacent Mitchell Shire as the city grapples with hundreds more Covid-19 cases every day. How did things go so badly wrong there?
Our biggest export market is changing post-Covid - and trading with China has always been a tightrope. What does New Zealand have to watch out for?
Sharon Brettkelly heads to the Bay of Plenty where a tiny iwi has managed to galvanise a community behind a high-risk aquaculture project - and is reaping the rewards.
Half of them are leaving or they want to leave .... investigative reporter Mel Reid talks about the extraordinary feedback she's received from social workers to her stories on Oranga Tamariki.
New Zealand scientist Dr Andrew Veale has mapped the stoat genome - a global breakthrough which may hold the key to eradicating the pest.
She's tough, she's abrasive, and her political history is less than squeaky clean - but can Judith Collins rescue the National Party from a humiliating election defeat?
The rules over the culling and hunting of Himalayan Tahr are causing consternation for both hunters and environmentalists.
St John Ambulance is paying wages on borrowed money - and that can't keep happening. Why don't we have a fully funded emergency service?
This is a story about a Chinese shipwreck, the Māori guardians of the bones, and the documentary maker who's upset two cultures with his efforts to tell the tale.
Making Wellington earthquake resilient involves billions of dollars, a tonne of anxiety and homeowners who've had it up to here with the yellow sticker nightmare.
New Zealand's music scene is starting to open up again, but without international acts, it's a limp back to normal.
Methamphetamine - or P - has been demonised as the destructive drug associated with violent crime. But that shameful label could be stopping addicts from seeking help.
Our economy's taking a hit, our wallets are thinner - and this pandemic has also changed our direction of travel when it comes to spending.
A New Zealand-made ad featuring porn stars that encourages parents to talk to their children about what they're seeing on line has gone viral - and sparked a world-wide conversation.
Three women's world cups to be played in New Zealand over the next three years - but how well does this country really do when it comes to equity in sport?
The Finance Minister says international students aren't coming back to NZ any time soon. How will schools that have come to rely on the money they bring in now going to cut their cloth to fit?
The Detail tracks a Christchurch small business owner from the shock of lockdown to re-opening and recovery.
Lockdown temporarily eliminated rough sleeping in New Zealand - but what's the long-term solution?
Elections are just around the corner - here's what you want to know but have been too embarrassed to ask.
Remand prisoners are kept in a waiting room for danger - and they make up more than a third of the prison population. How did this situation turn into a crisis?
Much-lauded mental health expert Dr Max Abbott has resigned after being outed for sexual harassment. But his case is just the tip of what's going on.
What's the point in voting for a party that is never going to take a seat in Parliament? Well, there are plenty of reasons, say our guests today.
It's one of our most successful companies - but how much do we know about what Rocket Lab is carrying into outer space, and who it's carrying it for?
Infrastructure is such a boring word - but what's happening now to boost our economy through shovel-ready projects will change our quality of life.
Advertising deals down the drain, ticket sales from international games gone - why New Zealand rugby is in a fraught space financially.
The new Health and Disability Review is said to be the biggest shake up of the health system in a generation - so what was wrong with it in the first place?
The statues are being torn down, and history re-written. Are we destroying the past, or correcting the record?
New Zealand is developing a new underclass of desperate people - migrants who no longer have any work and can't get home; and temporary visa holders trapped outside the borders when they snapped shut.
The world didn't completely stop while we were in lockdown. Here's a summary of what else happened while we were tuned to the 1pm Ashley and Jacinda show.
Cameras on fishing boats have been promised for years, and were due to roll out on 1000 vessels on 1 July - now they've been quietly put on ice, again.
Armed Response Teams are dead in the water, with the new police commissioner reading the room when it comes to arming Kiwi cops.
The World Wide Web is an international phenomenon with few rules, and no one stepping up as global sheriff. Can New Zealand's new internet legislation have an impact on its worst excesses without over-censorship?
New Zealand's about ready to go back to the movies. Trouble is, what movies? And is this worldwide pandemic a chance to up our game in the industry?
The Super dilemma - how can New Zealand afford the weight of future pensions without raising the superannuation age?
An African-American pastor from George Floyd's community gives The Detail a special insight into what's happening there - and gives us hope for the future.
Why is it so hard to build a coastal bypass road north of Wellington? Transmission Gully has been in the planning stages for over a century - and it's hit more hiccups.
A company many consider a national icon is refusing to refund hundreds of millions of dollars in customer cash. Why is Air New Zealand holding on to airfares for cancelled trips?
Efforts to protect our coastal waters from further degradation are piecemeal, slow and amount to a drop in an ocean of problems. How do we bring life back to the sea?
The Detail catches up with Sharon Brettkelly's sister and her family, still - after three months - in lockdown in California. So much has happened, and nothing has happened.
How can New Zealand hang on to the silver linings of lockdown? The quiet, the lack of air pollution, the family bike rides, working from home, the kinder politics. Or will we quickly return to normal?
New Zealand is not as egalitarian as it likes to think it is when it comes to the boardroom. One of our top directors explains why we should introduce quotas for women; and an expert on the issue tells us why we shouldn't.
Aggressively expanding, and sensitive to diplomatic slights, China is making sure a good crisis is not going to waste.
With many nations' borders still closed, global tourism is going to be slow to crank up. Who is leading the way and what are countries doing to entice back visitors?
Wellington is dealing with failing infrastructure and pandemic problems at a time when councillors are sniping at each other and the new mayor is losing his political battles.
The government's finally introduced a contact tracing app, but questions remain over its effectiveness, how transparent the process has been, and inconsistencies involved.
Attacks on 5G cellphone towers around the world are based on rumours and theories that just aren't true. Why has this pandemic spawned so many widely-believed conspiracies?
Pope Francis, Mark Zuckerberg, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Gareth Morgan all want it - a Universal Basic Income. What is it, and how would it work?
A couple of months ago people were predicting a vaccine for Covid-19 by April. Clearly that was never going to happen - and here's why.
A look at Queenstown’s economic coronavirus bloodbath - and what it will take to recover.
Tauranga is one of the fastest growing areas of New Zealand but with that is growing gang war and a massive rates hike.
Caleb Cain got lost in an internet world of white supremacism. What happened to get him to make such a radical u-turn that he's now preaching from the other side of the page?
Tourism and travel are in free fall. Our biggest export earner is dead. Will the industry ever fully recover?
Just about anyone who's still working, is working from home. We look at the social and technical issues behind the big shift to your new "office".
Is New Zealand's sporting watchdog being too heavy-handed in banning weekend warriors who take substances for vanity reasons?
Have China's draconian powers of government enabled it to kick Covid-19 to the kerb? And can we believe the figures on the virus coming out of the country?
Like millions in the Bay Area of California, Sharon Brettkelly’s sister and her family are in virtual lockdown. We Skype them to discover how they found themselves stuck in the house, and how they’re coping.
How do you manage your anxiety in a time of uncertainty like now? And when does concern turn into irrational fear?
Ships banned, quarantined, and shunned by the bug-phobic - is the coronavirus the iceberg that will sink the cruise industry?
Hugely intelligent, insatiably curious, kea are more endangered than kiwi - and their bold antics are partly why the alpine parrot's population is shrinking.
Kyle Jamieson is the cricketer of the moment - he's in Sydney today for the first of the ODI's against Australia - but he's also been frank about his battles with mental health.
The country's first case of smuggled bear bile has gone through the courts - but it's far from the only example of trading in endangered wildlife New Zealand authorities are dealing with.
Millions of dollars from around the world were poured into funds for the victims of the March 15 mosque attacks - where has it ended up?
The concept of the circular economy has been around for many years, but this sustainable way of doing business is getting a boost from a new breed of environmentally aware consumers.
Loot Boxes are the video version of bubble gum cards - you buy them while gaming, without knowing what prize you're going to get. But critics say they're opening a door for children to gamble.
The US Democratic primary races are incomprehensible to most of us - so why are they so gripping?
The number of coronavirus deaths rank lowly compared to other big killers - so why did the first case of the illness in New Zealand cause panic? And why is it being called a 'moral panic'.
Aucklanders can still turn on their taps during the drought but outside of the city supply, the north is counting every drop of water.
Is Peter Singer one of the world's most influential philosophers, or an intellectual pariah?
Europe is seeing a rapid rise of extremist parties in government - in countries with similar political systems as ours. Why isn't that happening here? Or is it?
The Serious Fraud Office is once again investigating a headline-producing case. But is it prosecuting the right crimes - or just the ones it knows it will win?
The global health emergency that is the Coronavirus - or Covid-19 - has become a game changer for scientists around the world in terms of the speed of the response. But at the same time it's been termed a "misinfodemic".
The murder case that sparked intense media interest here and around the world was actually not that hard to solve. Why did Grace Millane's death in particular spend so much time in the spotlight?
This month's Treaty settlement with Moriori does more than right wrongs - it sets the official record straight.
Aucklanders are breaking records for water usage - at the same time as the city breaks records for days without rain. How secure is the city's future water supply if these droughts continue?
The prospect of humans landing on the Red Planet is possibly a step closer with the US President's State of the Nation speech in which he promises we will be going there.
The 10,000 tonnes of toxic waste causing anger and anxiety in Mataura - and the secret deal that saw it dumped there.
Sharon Brettkelly gets a rare look inside Immigration New Zealand as staff deal with increasing cases of fraud, and political clouds on the horizon.
The most common surname for babies born in New Zealand last year was Singh - evidence of new generations of immigrants. How are those children living a kiwi life without losing their own cultures?
New Zealand produces some 80,000 tonnes of electronic waste every year - but we recycle less than two percent of it.
South Africa's desire to leave the Southern Hemisphere competition reflects the problem with global rugby - the world is too big, and there's too much money in it.
The most googled person in New Zealand last year is up for a Halberg Award today - what do you know about Israel Adesanya, or his bloody and controversial sport?
The New Zealand First Party political donations furore has escalated quickly into the hands of the Serious Fraud Office.
New Zealand is building a new generation of unsustainable housing - tens of thousands of homes that will put out carbon emissions five times higher than levels set by the Paris agreement.
The aim of having one million New Zealanders speak basic te reo by 2040 might not be as impossible as it seems.
How did an animal virus find such a deadly home in humans ... and what is life in coronavirus lockdown like?
The Detail takes a guided tour of the Waitangi Museum, which houses a host of stories about the people who built Aotearoa.
Brexit has happened - and will be followed by 11 months of nothing really changing. What's next? And how will it impact on New Zealand?
Harry and Meghan might be Rexiting but there's no chance they'll be struggling to survive - thanks to generous pocket money from dad via the British taxpayer. Just how rich are the Royals?
Road safety campaigners hope the drop in road toll deaths last year is the start of a turning point - but say the government needs to spend about twice as much as it's spending now on saving lives.
For our last podcast of 2019, we've chosen our Top 10 episodes and talk about why they made an impact
Author Rick Reilly has found himself the target of library activists who are hiding his book about how Donald Trump cheats at golf. But their censorship efforts have backfired.
Our Defence Force may be small but our troops are spread all over the world, sometimes in conflict zones that have left the headlines, and some places that are unexpected.
Auckland's ASB Classic is a minnow of tennis tournaments - so how does director Karl Budge lure some of the biggest names in the business to the end of the earth?
Food, festivity ... and arguments with Uncle Trevor the climate change denier. Here's how to argue back this Christmas.
When news of Monday's explosion on Whakaari/White Island broke on Monday, The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly called home.
Editorial cartoonists are treading a fine line when it comes to social commentary - as the Otago Daily Times discovered recently. Have times changed so much that cartoonists are now shackled?
Laced with toxic additives and finding its way into the food system - cleaning up the plastic problem is bigger than you think, but that doesn't mean we need to get rid of it all.
The referendum results will be in before Christmas - will the beautiful island of Bougainville, with a violent and destructive past, is heading toward independence.
When should we start getting worried when our volcanic fields start heating up - and which parts of Aotearoa are most vulnerable when it comes to an eruption?
New Zealand's seen an explosion of imported online shopping events - but are we pushing this retail trend too far?
The Hollywood blockbuster Ford v Ferrari is "based on a true story" about the 1966 Le Mans 24 hour race - which was won by two Kiwis. But our sporting heroes have been scrubbed out of this version.
Samoa's measles epidemic is exacting an horrific toll. Hospitals are overrun, health staff are exhausted, public gatherings have ceased, and the death toll continues to climb.
Both of Christchurch's big cathedrals were destroyed in the earthquakes. Their fates have been very different, and only one will rise again.
It's more than eight years since the earthquakes saw Christchurch crumble. Forty billion dollars has been poured into rebuilding - but what's missing now, is people.
"The case has been sent to the Coroner ..." but what happens next? The country's Chief Coroner tells us, it's not like on TV.
Defence lawyers say a new sexual violence law will mean defendants won't get a fair trial. Why is this change being introduced and what does it hope to achieve?
Two years ago Stuff journalist Michael Wright started thinking about marking the 40th anniversary of the Erebus tragedy. The result is the six-part podcast White Silence, exploring the extraordinary events after the crash.
The TV landscape has changed beyond recognition - but there's a confusing picture over where your screen entertainment will be coming from in the future.
When an Irish journalist raised the possibility of a drug culture in South African rugby he was attacked by fans for wrecking a good news story. But reporters who raise this subject are usually right.
The leaky buildings crisis was big in the 90s. We barely hear about it anymore, but the problem is actually growing - and leaky homes are still being constructed.
A former coroner is at the helm of the new Suicide Prevention Office - and she is talking openly about suicide. But is there a better plan in place to get our shocking figures down?
Protestors in Auckland are in a standoff with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority over the planned chopping of trees on Ōwairaka - but this is a dispute that goes beyond wildlife.
Nearly two weeks after fireworks is over we're still hearing them go off in the early hours of the morning. This year fireworks fires caused huge damage including on two Auckland maunga. Is it time to say goodbye to crackers?
Stuff Circuit reporters Paula Penfold and Eugene Bingham on how they uncovered the deaths of seven children as a result of New Zealand's failure to clear explosive remnants from its former firing range in Afghanistan.
Chloe Swarbrick's 'OK Boomer' aside went viral, but there's a serious message to the older generation from millennials - we are sick of what you're doing to us, and to the planet.
The timing of the launch of the new Māori policing strategy - which has the same name of one launched seven years ago that achieved nothing - has raised eyebrows.
It's getting harder to keep secrets in our society - especially when a bit of saliva in a tube can reveal through DNA that your world is not what you thought it was.
All over the country New Zealanders are making efforts towards the country's Predator-Free 2050 goal. We meet a couple bringing back kiwi through their trapping.
Armed patrols in Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury are a fundamental change in policing - but is there any evidence they will help keep anyone safe?
The first two weeks of New Zealand's biggest ever inquiry - into abuse in state and faith-based care - finishes today. It's been revealing, shocking, and heartbreaking - and it's just scratched the surface.
The machinations over getting Auckland's light rail plan off the grounds are complex and twisting - could the whole plan fall off the tracks?
The Islamic State leader thought to have been holding Louisa Akavi hostage has been killed - but there is no sign of the Kiwi nurse. Hope is fading.
There's growing understanding of what it means to be autistic, with famous faces talking openly about it and supermarkets like Countdown having a quiet hour.
How real is the threat to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, with the loss of 1000 jobs?
Why do two separate, government-funded bodies spend taxpayer money producing similar weather forecasts?
Rigged voting, furious social media attacks - New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition brings out the claws. But this fun election has a serious message, and is helping to raise awareness about endangered species.
Organisers of New Zealand's big cultural festivals have another item on their list of things to do - after March 15, security has become a major factor.
How do RNZ engineers wire up an orchestra ready for radio play? With a lot of microphones, for a start.
It's taken days to put the SkyCity International Convention Centre fire out - but the salvage and repair job will take much, much longer.
He's sucked up all NZ First's oxygen for decades - but Winston Peters admits he's not immortal. What does the party's future look like?
New Zealand's low unemployment rate hides the fact that over half the people on a benefit are disabled or have health conditions, or are caring for someone in that situation.
Wellington's Mayor-elect, whose majority is hanging by a thread, didn't just (probably) get there because he was partly bankrolled by Sir Peter Jackson.
Business confidence is trending down, but we're in the middle of a massive building boom. Are the surveys giving us the real picture on life in construction?
People have been talking about impeaching Donald Trump virtually since he took the Presidential oath. What is different this time?
The Defence Minister has intervened in a case with a property developer to allow the Whenuapai Air Base to continue engine testing, in spite of it exceeding noise limits. How did it come to this?
Drug testing volunteers who set up at festivals and events are treading a legal grey area, held up by politicians with morals.
The shocking story of what happens when refugees land in Italy, and the connection with your spaghetti Bolognese.
The Power of Inclusion conference in Auckland was supposed to be an affirming event for a new generation - instead, young artists told organisers why they felt left out.
Is New Zealand keeping up with its ageing population; as the population grows older, how will we provide for them?
Is workplace bullying on the rise - or have we finally realised that it's not acceptable?
The story behind the discovery that a sex offender was attending meetings of survivors of sexual abuse.
Prophet and pacifist Rua Kēnana is to be pardoned - who was he, and how is this related to the government's announcement on teaching New Zealand history in schools?
Our $1.83 billion wine industry is being caught up in global trade wars that insiders describe as 'fundamentally concerning'.
Rural confidence is at its lowest point in three years, with farmers saying they're under siege from all sides.
E-scooters have hit New Zealand's cities with a bang - often literally. Are they good news or bad news? And are they here to stay?
Years of planning for an Auckland arm of our national museum that would showcase much of the country's Māori and Pacific taonga have been dashed, in a decision that's stunned those behind it.
People get fired up when it's suggested the name of their town is changed - so what's involved in re-naming a place?
New Zealand's demand for meth is rampant - and organised crime gangs are stepping up their efforts to get it into the country.
Paralympic swimmer Sophie Pascoe is so good, the only person she has to beat is herself.
Westpac NZ, a bank proud of its equity record, has revealed shocking figures on its own gender pay gap. It's front-footing the issue but says it can't change things on its own.
What's going on in south Auckland that once again has its suburbs on the wrong side of news headlines?
They have all the flair in the world, look like they're having fun, and their fans are the most fervent - but in spite of being neighbours to the All Blacks, the Pacific teams are the have-nots of the Rugby World Cup.
Taika Waititi has been the talk of the Toronto International Film Festival for his film Jojo Rabbit - a controversial passion project that's being both lauded and slated.
A look at the handling - or mis-handling - of sexual assault allegations within the Labour Party.
Japan has returned to commercial whaling for the first time in 30 years - but it's sticking to its own territorial waters. Is this why the world's gone quiet over it?
With 4.5 billion air passengers last year, and that number set to double in less than 20 years, how on earth are airlines going to help save the planet?
We've seen 'post-truth' politics flourish in the US and Britain - are New Zealand politicians also starting to adopt the tactic of 'alternative facts'?
How the government plans to crack down on people who are getting rich from lending to the poor.
Kashmir is a region of snow capped mountains and idyllic landscapes - as well as barbed wire and army round-ups. Tension has risen again as India moves in on the nation's autonomy.
Tens of thousands of girls and women have to put up with chronic pain for years - because their issues are played down or deemed non-urgent.
Can rich foreigners buy political influence in New Zealand? And are our rules over donations to political parties too easy to get around?
The boom times for the controversial swamp kauri trade appear to be declining - just as a Northland environmental group wins a David and Goliath battle to stop the region being pillaged.
Imagine a bunch of tourists walking into your house uninvited. It's not unusual for the residents of Dunedin's Baldwin St, one of many overcrowded attractions in New Zealand and around the world.
An Auckland scientist is planning a world-first study into the effects of micro-dosing a drug that entered notoriety in the 1970s - LSD.
Local body candidate billboards are everywhere right now, but they don't necessarily translate into awareness. Why do so few people vote in an election that affects everyone?
There has been an 80 percent increase in fires in Brazil's Amazon jungle in the last year and president Jair Bolsonaro is being blamed.
It used to be a prevalent part of history - six million Jewish people were killed in World War II's holocaust. But new polls show we are forgetting the facts.
High petrol prices in New Zealand is a merry go round of blame - will the Commerce Commission's new report lay open retailers' books and help drive prices down?
Heartbreaking stories of cancer sufferers who need expensive and unfunded drugs abound. But some of those stories are helped into the spotlight by the drug companies that will also benefit.
Hong Kong residents would prefer to concentrate on their business activities - but they realise they're losing their freedom to a Chinese government that's not remote enough for them, and they're angry about it.
Why do banks get away with behaving so badly? There's been a run of activity lately that raises questions about whose side your banker is really on.
Getting the census right is important, not just for electoral boundaries but for a host of government funding decisions. Why has it been such a disaster this time around?
The Chinese scientist who shook the world by announcing he'd gene edited twin baby girls appears to have unfairly been labelled a rogue - it turns out he had a 60-strong circle of trust.
Newsroom's Bernard Hickey explains the latest OCR drop, what it means, and predicts its direction a year out.
Meet the man who is swimming through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in an effort to draw the world's attention to the amount of plastic in the ocean.
The Green Party, in holding up the coalition government, has tasted real power - but some of the party's grass roots members don't like what's being done with it.
Lydia Ko, superstar of golf, a few years ago had the world at her feet. Now she's in a slump, and that whole world has seen fit to pile on the criticism.
Australia looks likely to toughen up even further on its deportation of New Zealanders who've committed minor crimes. But once they're "home" - the problems get worse.
Questions are being raised over the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings - is it transparent and inclusive enough?
Some of the species conservationists are trying to save seem determined not to survive. So why are we sinking hundreds of millions into trying to rescue them?
A new $42 million project is looking to address New Zealand's education inequality - a system where Māori are failing, and are "leaving their culture at the gate."
Peter Ellis has always vowed he was innocent of the child sex charges he was jailed for in 1993. Now he's dying of cancer - and the Supreme Court has given him leave to appeal his convictions.
Facebook's new currency plans were barely more than a press statement before they came under fire from US lawmakers. Why do people hate the idea, and is it likely to fly?
The Detail today takes you underground to have a look at progress on New Zealand's first underground rail system.
The history of Ihumātao is long, complicated and fraught - and there may not be any way of resolving the issue.
How on earth is New Zealand going to get a billion trees planted by 2028? And why are some farmers campaigning against the scheme?
A seemingly innocuous move by the social media platform Instagram of removing visible 'likes' could help lessen the pressure of those whose social media use is wrecking their mental health.
Boris Johnson's been described as a mini-Trump and is disliked by his own colleagues - can Britain's new Prime Minister lead the UK out of EU as he promised?
Fifty years ago a very British-style ceremony marked the bicentennial of Captain Cook's arrival in Aotearoa. This year for the 250th, Māori have found their voices and will tell their version of events.
She took them from netball duds to darlings in 11 months - a look at Noeline Taurua, the out of the box coach behind the victorious Silver Ferns
The prejudice that encourages kids to go to university at the expense of a career in the trades is harming our economy.
There have been 130 complaints of businesses breaking the law, and supermarket customers now pay for their bin liners - how is the country coping with the plastic bag ban three weeks in?
Fifty years after the moon landings - during which the space race slowed to a crawl - exploration is speeding up again.
New Zealand wants people coming in to the country to do the work - but we don't want them to stay.
Māori say their anger over uplifted children is greater than the foreshore and seabed issue, and Oranga Tamariki can not continue this way.
Have you worked out how you'll be watching the Rugby World Cup this year? Because the way sport is being delivered to our screens is changing.
Sean Marks is the other New Zealander making big waves in the world's biggest basketball competition, and he's more influential than Steven Adams.
There's a new plan to tax gas guzzlers and give discounts on cleaner cars - but changing over to electric vehicles just isn't that easy.
Celebrations of Matariki seem pale in comparison to those for Chinese New Year and Diwali - why? And do we need to have a look at rearranging our public holiday schedule to mark it?
MLMs - multi-level marketing schemes - are not illegal, but they often target vulnerable women and very few people make money out of them.
It's a good time to be in the tick certification business in New Zealand - and now there's a new one: the Gender Tick.
Low personal polling for National Party leader Simon Bridges doesn't necessarily mean that replacing him before the election is a sure thing.
A watershed Waitangi Tribunal report backs claims the system is racist, finding the Crown has breached the Treaty in failing to give Māori control over a primary health system that works for them.
There's a piece of New Zealand's most important heritage locked behind hoardings on Auckland's Queen St. The St James Theatre is dying a death of neglect - but those who love the old lady haven't given up.
It's now two years after the America's Cup was lifted in Bermuda - and two years before the next event is run in Auckland. How ready is the city?
How will New Zealand stop white supremacy ideology being broadcast from the dock when the man accused of the Christchurch mosque shooting is put on trial?
Tensions are escalating between Iran and the United States, and there doesn't appear to be an off-ramp.
Should desperately ill New Zealanders have the right to choose their own death? And if so, under what circumstances? David Seymour's End of Life Choice bill is back for a second reading today.
Rihanna talked about it and Instagram turned blue - Sudan is the massacre where social media drove awareness more than mainstream media.
The days when all your news was free on the internet are changing. The NZ Herald is now charging for premium content - and there are plenty of people willing to pay for good journalism.
It's more than 100 days since the last White House press briefing. Is this the end of a 90-year-old institution?
The government has stepped in to clean up the vast West Coast rubbish spill, after local authorities ran out of cash to finish the job. But what's being done to stop it happening elsewhere?
Hong Kong demonstrators have won their fight to stop a new extradition bill that would have allowed citizens to be tried for their crimes in China. But their mainland neighbour looms large and the battle isn't over.
Auckland Council has joined five other New Zealand local bodies to declare a climate change emergency - but is this just lip service being paid in election year?
Is the government swapping one bad habit for another by encouraging smokers to move to vaping, as a way of curing their addiction?
New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is sweeping through US politics like a hurricane. Her sharp use of social media means you've probably heard of her - so who is she?
Why does New Zealand use so much of the world's 1080, the controversial poison that environmentalists say we need to use more of, or lose our threatened bird species.
Newsroom's Melanie Reid has been reporting on children and babies being taken by the state for two years. Now, footage taken by the families involved reveals the brutal reality of what really happens.
5G is coming - what exactly is that, and will it be the revolution telcos would have you believe?
Kim Dotcom's seven year saga to avoid extradition to the United States for piracy crimes is finally coming to an end.
Three police raids on journalists and newsrooms have called into question abuses of Australian law.
Popular culture tends to portray D-Day as an American event - but around 10,000 New Zealanders played a part in the landings 75 years ago today that changed the course of World War II.
A giant car park occupies the most expensive real estate in New Zealand on Auckland's waterfront. Can we move the port - and should we?
A $7.5 million injection into a University of Canterbury game lab is an indication of the staggering numbers the industry returns to the economy.
Chinese tech giant Huawei is at the centre of a technology cold war, and now consumers have been dragged into it.
The world's super powers are on edge as China's trade policy projects increasingly dot the world map.
With New Zealand radio stations now happy to play around 15 - 20 percent Kiwi artists, is it still necessary to have New Zealand Music Month?
The world's first 'Wellbeing Budget' will be unveiled on Thursday - what is different about it, and how did it change the ways ministers pitched for money?
The government's Kiwibuild scheme has had set back after set back. Can it be rescued? And is it still worthwhile?
Pharmac attracts a lot of flak for what it doesn't fund in the way of drugs - but it's also the envy of the world for its ability to negotiate down prices. Do we have the balance right?
Two years after a New Zealand man died in a Japanese psychiatric institution, restrained under circumstances unheard of in most other developed countries, his family still has no answers and no resolution.
Young Muslim RNZ journalist Isra'a Emhail gives a special insight into what it was like covering the Christchurch mosque attacks - and seeing her own community torn apart.
What New Zealand is aiming for with its Zero Carbon Bill, and why our country is unique when it comes to dealing with methane-producing cows.
The self-proclaimed Bishop continues to dominate our news cycles. His latest venture, the Man-Up Prison programme drew crowds of thousands outside parliament.
New Zealanders will soon cast their vote on if cannabis should be legalised. With parts of the US, Canada and Uruguay leading the debate - will we follow suit?
On Wednesday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will co-chair a meeting of world leaders and tech giants aimed at stopping extremism spreading online. But what will it really achieve?
Donald Trump cheats at golf, and lies about his handicap. Why does it matter? Former Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly talks about the President he says is as rotten as a year-old banana.
Smart phones have changed the world - and the global economy. Newsroom Pro's managing editor Bernard Hickey says billions of people are now carrying a deflationary engine in their pocket.
African Swine Fever has slid under the radar in the west, but it's about to have a huge impact on pork prices around the world.
A beginner's guide to what looks like - from the outside - a chaotic and complicated Australian voting process.
After 30 years of Tomorrow's Schools, the goverrnment's looking at a shake up that might just take us full circle.
After the Christchurch mosque attacks Canterbury rugby bosses have been forced to look at changing the famous franchise's name and branding, but Crusaders fans are dead set against it. Daily podcast The Detail looks at the argument in favour.
In another blow for Pike River mine families, the long-awaited re-entry has been delayed. Daily podcast The Detail speaks to Rebecca Macfie about the incredible events since the deadly explosion.
There's been a resurgence in infectious diseases we thought we'd got rid of. The Detail speaks to a researcher studying who anti-vaxxers are, and how to win them back
Journalist Paula Penfold tells The Detail why she decided to get personal when it came to abortion law reform.
The Detail's associate producer Kethaki Masilamani calls home to find out how the Easter Sri Lanka attacks were different to the violence of the past.
Far right groups have gone underground since the Christchurch attacks, but there's a fear they'll emerge stronger and more sophisticated.
The Detail; a daily podcast helping you make sense of the news. Presented by Sharon Brettkelly and Alex Ashton. Debuts Monday April 29.