RNZ: The Detail

Pens are poised, pages are turning, and egos are trembling; it's time for the biggest night in books at the Ockham Awards - but Dame Jacinda Ardern won't be there The biggest night in the book trade will celebrate 'the best of the best' in Auckland next week, but one notable finalist will now be a no-show at the Ockham AwardsFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There's a new opportunity this election for the party started by economist Gareth Morgan to have a break-out year The new-look Opportunity Party is leaving a cat-related debacle behind, and has a new leader, new investors, and a new purposeFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An American doctor in Palmerston North says he can't think of a single ED doctor in his team who was born here. With about 70 percent of new registrations each year being overseas doctors, perhaps that shouldn't be surprising. Anti-immigration sentiment is in the news again, but without foreign doctors, New Zealand's healthcare system 'would be more on our knees than we already are'Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Firefighters are battling bosses under pressure to cut costs, but FENZ's failures have seen the organisation face Parliamentary scrutinyFirefighters appear to be in an endless standoff with the body that funds them, with neither side willing to budgeFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Thousands of eels have been found dead after a Manawatū lagoon dried out, raising urgent environmental questions Thousands of eels are found dead in dried up Manawatū lagoon as questions mount over water use and a vanishing ecosystemFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The digital health revolution is here, and so are serious questions about privacy and cybersecurityData is the new gold - but many health organisations, under pressure on the front line, are leaving the door to the safe openFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand's lack of investment in blood cancer drugs and treatments is forcing patients to seek care in countries like Australia and ChinaThe Oz/NZ great divide when it comes to treating blood cancerFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A Bill to trace modern slavery in the supply lines of businesses has the near complete approval of Parliament - here's what it does, and doesn't doAn expert in modern slavery says the Bill going through Parliament now will have to be carefully framed to avoid it becoming a box-ticking exerciseFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Slightly more than six months before voting day, two of the country's astute political journalists give us their opinions on the lie of the land Guyon Espiner and Thomas Coughlan on coalition partnerships, economic headwinds and burying a leadership crisisFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The sale of state assets is shaping up to be an election-year battle as the country struggles to cope with rising costs and debtSome disastrous state asset sales in the past have coloured the move in the eyes of many New Zealanders - but we don't have to sell the family silverFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The unique, remote island that's a financial basket case, bankrolled by the New Zealand taxpayerThe Government has handed out millions, and is now asking questions over how the Chathams can help itself get out of the dire financial shortfall it's inFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A bond more than a century old is stronger than ever thanks to a French town that will never forget the sacrifice made by New Zealand soldiers at Le QuesnoyThe French town of Le Quesnoy marks ANZAC Day with us, thanks to the New Zealand soldiers who saved them over a century agoFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A large bust earlier this week and a separate conviction earlier this month highlight the growing threat to legitimate pounamu collecting and tradeDespite being the legal owners of the stone, Ngāi Tahu say people are consistently stealing the precious taonga - as two high-profile cases this month showFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As Shane Jones talks of a 'butter chicken tsunami', new data shows Kiwis hardening on immigration and deeper fractures in trust, identity, and belonging A new report on the state of social cohesion in our country shows rising opposition to immigration, falling trust in government, and rising lonelinessFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Moana Pasifika's uncertain future sparks fears for Pacific representation in Super Rugby and raises questions about finances and governance The rugby team that captured a global audience has been handed a permanent red card, though fans hope for an 11th hour financial saviourFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Substances that were once discarded as the useless by-product of gold are now much-sought after critical minerals From electronics to batteries to weapons, the critical minerals to be found in New Zealand are in hot demandFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There's hope we may have won the fight against the yellow-legged hornet, but a crucial phase lies ahead A massive eradication effort to get rid of what could have been a disastrous insect invasion is showing encouraging signsFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Sir Don McKinnon has travelled the world, rubbed shoulders with diplomats - and was nearly kidnapped at Paremoremo prison Nearly fifty years ago, six of the country's worst offenders were released from prison for the night for a debate in central AucklandFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Following yet another storm battering our coasts last weekend, pressure mounts on coastal communities to discuss relocation New Zealand communities confront the financial, cultural, and spiritual costs of staying by the sea - and of leavingFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Scientists worry that the often-long time lags between cause and effect when it comes to polluting our lakes and rivers will give politicians the excuse not to do anything about itThere's always something more urgent to attend to, but here's why we need to take freshwater warnings more seriouslyFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Petroleum is in everything from plumbing products to chocolate, so with the Strait of Hormuz blocked, industries face price hikes and folding projects The price of plumbing products is set to soar by 30 percent as the impact of the petroleum crisis spreads beyond the petrol pump, in what one expert calls a wicked problemFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

'Not one cent' - National MP moves to cut taxpayer funding to gang-linked groups, but one critic calls it 'short-sighted' and argue there will be fallout - including more victimsA member's Bill could stop public funding to gangs and organisations with gang ties. It's unlikely to be a hard sell, but one expert says it's 'cutting off our nose to spite our face'.Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Opua Cruising Club has taken over management for the iconic event, and it's promising to be bigger and better than ever The oldest competitor in this year's solo trans-Tasman yacht race is also one of the favourites to take the titleFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It's a second chance for criminals, which Letele says is really their first chance, given the life many of them were born into A new documentary shines a light on the Grace Foundation's bold rehab model for high-risk offenders and addicts, fuelled by the loss and lived experience of a former gang criminalFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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

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

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

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

Almost 40 years after two Swedish backpackers disappeared, David Tamihere has had his convictions quashed. A journalist calls it 'another example of how slowly and painfully the system works when it sometimes might have got it wrong'. David Tamihere's murder convictions have been quashed, after nearly four decades, re-opening wounds and calling into question whether justice has actually been servedFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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