RNZ: Nights

Nathan Garland is a lecturer in Applied Mathematics at Griffith University in Australia and has been crunching the numbers on collecting all 1000 Pokémon cards.

Could this gold medal be just what the sport needs to secure a future? Former Silver Ferns Coach Yvonne Willering joins to discuss. 

Tonight, we're talking 'Clicky Ponting,' Commonwealth Games, and FIFA.

This week Emma is taking a look at the history of UFOs.

The Whangārei principal joins Emile Donovan to share his story.

Economist Cameron Bagrie joins Emile Donovan to discuss the UK's move to a 20 percent cut to business tax rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues. 

A Qantas aircraft was recently in the air for a full 24 hours - going from Melbourne to France. The test flight was in anticipation of a new Melbourne to London direct flight which would see passengers in their seats for 19 to 21 hours. Ashok Poduval from the Massey University School of Aviation joins us to discuss how long is too long when it comes to flying the friendly skies.

Earlier this week, stomachs roiled at the story of a woman having to stomp clusters of roaches in her shower at Auckland Hospital. Even Health NZ says they spread diseases like dysentery, salmonella and diarrhoea But are we doing our scuttling friends a disservice by painting them all with the same broad brush? Canterbury Museum's Morgane Merien joins us to give us the entomologist's take.

NZ Skeptics is celebrating 40 years of bring together doctors, scientists, teachers - and even magicians - to put scrutiny on spurious claims of psychic abilities, alternative health practices and other areas where science and not-quite science meet. In their words: 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof'. Chair Bronwyn Rideout joins us to talk about taking things with a pinch of salt.

The University Book Shop in Dunedin has announced it's relocating to the University of Otago campus and being reshaped, with a bigger focus on textbooks and stationery for students. The decision has sparked a strong reaction from Dunedin's literary community, with writers, readers and former staff reflecting on what the shop has meant to the city. Award-winning novelist, former academic and Chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors, Wendy Parkins joins us now to reflect on the shop's legacy.

A survey of more than 1,000 New Zealanders has taken a peek inside our fridges, and it turns out we're a nation of last-minute cooks, half-used condiments, forgotten leftovers and some surprisingly adventurous ingredients. Angel Bay commissioned the research, and the findings have inspired its new Real Life Restaurant which is taking bookings for the next two weeks. Home cooking expert Jana MacPherson helped developed the dishes and she joins the show tonight.

Nights' resident pop culture expert Dan Slevin joins us to chat about the untimely passing of Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, along with Spider-Man's latest outing which swung into theatres last night. Plus, an oft overlooked Sam Neill performance you can watch for free on TVNZ+.

It's time for our fortnightly politics catch-up with political scientist, writer, thinker and former deputy leader of The Opportunities Party, or TOP as it was known then, Natalia Albert. Tonight she's looking at why both Labour and National are trying to distance themselves from, or have outright ruled out, any post-election agreement with The Opportunity Party.

Over the past few years, it seems our mates across the ditch have been attracting more and more Kiwis. Last year alone, over 70,000 New Zealand citizens left the country - the highest annual total on record. For a lot of people, it seems like a no-brainer: higher wages, better job prospects and a better standard of living. But does that still hold up? Is Australia still the obvious choice for Kiwis looking for a better deal? Chief Economist at Simplicity, Shamubeel Eaqub has been crunching the numbers and joins the show.

The United Kingdom is bouncing for Burnham and Europe is in flames - Christian Smith joins us to tell us what's going on on the other side of the world.

In 1976, a group of Pacific women came together in Auckland to support Pacific women who were newly arrived into New Zealand. 50 years on Pacifica Incorporated is a UN affiliated NGO with branches throughout New Zealand from Northland to Southland. Pacifica national president Repeka Lelaulu joins us.

For years, bowel cancer rates followed a fairly predictable pattern. the older you got, the greater your risk. But that pattern is changing. Now, more New Zealanders under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Whether it's our diet, lifestyle, gut bacteria, or something else entirely, scientists are searching for answers. Dr Theo Portlock joins Nights to discuss.

RNZ correspondent Adam Burns drops in for a quick chat about the Commonwealth Games from on the ground in Glasgow.

Have you ever been standing in the shower when suddenly the noise in your brain clears and, in its place, appears the perfect thought? That's a Shower Thought, and RNZ's Nights is aiming to answer those unshakeable questions lurking at the back of your mind. Tonight's question: How do streets get their numbers? Who decides where number 1 starts? Why are the odds on one side and the evens on the other? And what happens when someone squeezes a new house between two old ones? To help us unravel it all is New Zealand's Surveyor-General, Anselm Haanen.

Time for our fortnightly Chat with Anna Fifield - experienced journalist, foreign affairs commentator, author and the writer behind the Substack Between Giants. Tonight she's looking at how the Iran-USA conflict has reshaped the global order and New Zealand's place in it.

One of Wellington's grandest heritage buildings is about to become one of its biggest creative spaces. Urban Dream Brokerage has unveiled a major programme of public art taking over Wellington Railway Station for the rest of 2026, bringing artists, installations and performances into the heart of the city. Urban Dream Brokerage manager Jason Muir joins the programme to explain what is planned.

Greyhound racing in New Zealand is coming to an end, but for hundreds of retired racing dogs, a new chapter is just beginning. Around 1,500 of these dogs will need to be matched with new owners over the coming years. Which means for adoption groups, the work is only just beginning. Rachel Rae is the director of Nightrave Greyhounds joins the programme.

The odds that we're the only intelligent life out there seem pretty slim. But if we do one day detect an alien civilisation, how would we actually handle it? 

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

This week Emma is taking a look at the early LQBTQ+ history of New Zealand.

Should we be expecting a fiscal return on public art or pieces bequeathed into public collections? Jenny Harper, former director of the Christchurch Art Gallery, joins to discuss. 

They're mundane in many ways - warehouses built to store digital infrastructure - yet they're quickly becoming a contentious topic. 

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

Emile Donovan and Nights executive producer Tim Miller have been tossing around some ideas for giving the Games a new lease on life.

The 23rd edition of the Commonwealth Games kicked off this morning. RNZ reporter Adam Burns joins the show live from Glasgow. 

A new viral trend is seeing people use apps to order food and clothes, but the catch is: nothing ever arrives. 

Part of the late beloved Kiwi actor's legacy now hangs on the wall of Gore's Eastern Southland Gallery where he quietly donated artworks from his personal collection over the years.

We've enlisted the help of name consultant Sonya Prior, also known online to her thousands of followers as "The Baby Namer."

Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review: I, Object (In Cinemas), The Rip (Netflix), and The Day Shall Come (Beamafilm). 

By the numbers, we're one of the most urbanised countries in the world. But are we really urbanites? Or are we still holding on to the quarter-acre suburban dream?

Turns out, there's a quirk in our election rules that gives good reason for it.

Over the past month or so, journalist and podcaster Melody Thomas has been joining us to unpack season three of her podcast Good Sex. 

It's time for our fortnightly chat with Nights' resident sociolinguist, associate professor Julia de Bres. 

The Palmerston North astrophotographer, Evan Mckay, has now earned a place on the shortlist for the world's biggest astronomy photography award. 

Former mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, looks at what lessons we can take from his approach when it comes to fixing our broken local councils.

Jon Olav Stokke climbed into his parents' attic looking for a few family photographs. Instead, he uncovered a forgotten family archive. 

Have you ever been standing in the shower when suddenly the noise in your brain clears and, in its place, appears the perfect thought?