September 29, 2024 • 15 mins
Provincial New Zealand is hurting.
Alliance Group last week confirmed plans to close its Timaru meat processing plant in Smithfield, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.
It comes after earlier this month that Winstone Pulp International said will close two mills near Ohakune, which will see 230 people lose their jobs.
To discuss the impact facing small towns in New Zealand, and if there’s a way out from them, today on The Front Page, we are joined by Dr Sean Connelly, senior lecturer at the school of geography at the University of Otago.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Susie Nordqvist
Sound Engineer: Dan Goodwin
Producer: Ethan Sills
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Cura. I'm Susan Nordquitzt and for Chelsea Daniels and this
is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the
New Zealand Herald. Provincial New Zealand is Hurting. Alliance Group
is proposing to close its Timidoo meat processing plant in
Smithfield with a loss of hundreds of jobs, and earlier
(00:28):
this month, Windstone Pulp International said it would close two
mills near Ohokuni, which will see two hundred and thirty
people lose their jobs. To discuss the impact facing small
towns in New Zealand and if there's a way out
from them today on the Front Page, we are joined
by doctor Sean Connolly, senior lecturer at the School of
Geography at the University of a Targo. Sean, what are
(00:53):
the ramifications going to be for those small centers who
are facing the loss of major employers.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, I think in the first instance, it's a period
of crisis and people feeling all kinds of uncertainty around
what their futures look like. That's on an individual level,
but also for the wider community. It's likely that those
that are able to will move and they'll find work elsewhere.
They'll take their skills elsewhere, but that not everyone will
(01:21):
be able to move, and they'll be quite worried about
their economic future and their livelihoods. Overall, likely to see
a decline in the younger population, they're more likely to
move to other opportunities. So you see an out migration
of younger people, people with families, and that could have
(01:42):
the flow on effect on the viability of some schools
and some more rural and remote places.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
What does history show us about the impact of big
businesses leaving smaller centers.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Often in the smaller places that are very much resource
dependent or in this single industry pen see a rapid
population decline and it takes quite a while for that
to stabilize at a much lower population level, much lower
level of economic activity.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Sean, one of the major concerns is going to be
around population decline in these centers. What would a mass
exodus of people mean for a community.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Once you have a substantial out migration from a community,
it really starts to question the viability of the town
in the future. You've got issues around the viability of
health services, whether that's doctors at pharmacy, pharmacists or schools,
and whether that's sort of closing classrooms and losing teachers
(02:45):
or the closure of entire schools. You see the out
migration of people that are volunteering in the community, so
you won't have as many people volunteering for sports clubs
and that kind of thing, and a real impact on
the ko U and sort of the social networks in
those communities. So it is really important to avoid or
(03:07):
to manage decline in such a way that this crisis
period doesn't lead to a self fulfilling downward spiral.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Is that your fear with some of these.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Towns, some of the smaller towns. Yeah, certainly, once you
reach a certain critical mass, the options for the future
get narrowed much quicker. But that doesn't mean that it's
sort of that it's all lost. There are communities that
have rallied around and saved their health services, for example,
and set up their own trust so that they run doctors'
(03:38):
offices and health centers and pharmacists to maintain that level
of service in the community. Because I think it's important
to remember that these small towns don't exist in isolation.
They are a critical service provider for the much wider
rural district that rely.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
On heart break and devastation tonight for Ruape District communities
in this central North Island. It follows confirmation this afternoon
that the region's biggest employer is closing its two mills
with the loss of around two hundred and thirty jobs.
The Kuriyoway pult Mill and tounguy Wi Sawmill are located
along State Highway forty nine. The shut down a massive
(04:14):
blow for nearby communities like Wayuu or Hakune and rights he.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
A terrible day for meat workers and tomorrow that's right.
Alliance Group has announced its proposing to close its Smithfield
Meat Works. If confirmed, sheep meat, calves and night shift
venison processing will stop at the end of the season
and the remaining venison at the end of the year
at the latest. The Timidoo plant employs more than six
hundred people at peak season. Mayor and Nigel Bowen says
(04:41):
it's a proposal that will deeply hurt the community.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
State sen Zed says areas like the West Coast and
Southland could lose population over the next few years. What
other towns are at risk of seeing population declined lines
and why do you think that is so?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
If you look at the profile it is relatively uneven
the small towns and rural centers. A lot of the small,
more isolated communities in the central North Island, on the
West Coast and in Southland are seeing population decline, but
that's not uniform. There are some places that are located
within the commuter belt of the larger cities that we've
(05:26):
seen some growth in. We've seen other places that are
actually struggling to deal with growth because of the physical
amenities of a place, the tourism potential retirees moving out
of the city to some of these places as well.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I think it's fair to say that many people, especially
those in urban cities, don't really consider a lot of
these towns that we're talking about arry the tourists spots
or the towns that we drive through to get somewhere.
In your opinion, what is the importance of having thriving
small towns.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
They play a really important role. We often forget that
the smaller towns, towns of ten thousand people or less.
Just under twenty percent of our population lives in these
kinds of communities, so there's lots of employment activity, there,
lots of businesses, and they're a key driver for our
GDP in terms of the tradable not so much the services,
(06:16):
but the goods really rely on the services that those
small towns provide, and so they do play an important
role in a social sense sort of just the value
of those communities in those places, but also in an
economic sense, we really need that divers city of cities,
towns and smaller rural communities.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Given the imports that you place on small towns. What
was your reaction to the proposed closure of the meatworks
and Timorrow and the mill closures in the North Island.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Feel bad for the people people affected, certainly, and those communities.
It's likely to have a greater impact on those towns
in the North Island because they are smaller. Timuru is
a more diversified economy, but that's not the case elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Is diversity the caving.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I think we really need to be having a conversation
about do we value small towns in our rural communities
or are they too important to be just left to
market forces. Right now, we've got policy and planning that
is almost entirely geared towards this assumption that everywhere will grow,
and we don't have the necessary policies to deal with decline,
(07:31):
How do we ensure that public services, infrastructure can all
be maintained so that people still living in these rural
communities can still maintain a high quality of life, can
still provide for their well being. That's not something that
can be left just to rates. I don't believe.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You. May remember a few years ago, economist Shamawil Jakub
said that many small towns in the country resembled places
in the Third World, with a loss of small town
functions and populations, creating zombie towns that need to close.
Is that a fear description in your view?
Speaker 2 (08:19):
No, I don't think it is. I think zombie town
discussion was really useful in terms of drawing attention to
alter Roa's rural towns. It did shine a spotlight on
the fact that they are often ignored and take it
for granted. But the reality is those small towns in
absolute decline are really not the norm. We often see
periods of decline then and stabilization, and so I guess
(08:43):
I would like to see the conversation moving towards how
can we best support stabilization in a new context. If
industry is going to close in these towns, how do
we support those that remain behind, that want to remain behind,
how do we ensure that maintain their quality of life
they still have access to the same level of services
and that's not something I think that can be left
(09:05):
entirely to the volunteer capacity of those communities themselves.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And could that support come from central government? Could they
play a role here in saving some of these towns,
and if so, how can they do that?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I think in part it is thinking about the resources
that central government has and how they're allocated to communities.
We know all across the country that rates are rising
as communities both small and large, struggle to deal with
crumbling infrastructure and infrastructure deficits and upgrading pipes and roads
(09:41):
and all that kind of thing, and that can't be
just based on rates. Sort of the tax system needs
some looking at as well.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Reefton is possibly the last true left in New Zealand
and how to describe a count was as it was
when we were young, and where there is a kinship,
where there is a care for each other, but you've
(10:11):
got all the basic services that you need to be
able to live life. What I love about it is
that during the day she has flat out Refion is
the gateway through the Westerns. All the shops are doing well,
the key rooms, all the food outlets, and then at
about five o'clock you would stand in the middle of
the road, the middle of the state highway and have
a natter.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
There are some success stories, though, aren't there. Reefed And
being an example of a town that was facing a
decline in their population and they've managed to turn around
their fortunes. What was their secret?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
So Reefedon's an example where they faced a process of
declining population through loss of government services, changes in the
mining industry, and closure of some minds the feast population decline,
and they were able to restable lies and reorient sort
of the purpose of the identity of that town through
(11:05):
process of local leadership, lots of effort and local volunteers,
people working together to position Reefton as a nice heritage
town and sort of building on the physical attributes of
that place. It helps that it's not too far from
christ Church, so it can capitalize sort of the weekend
(11:27):
domestic tourism. But it has been successful in people that
grew up in Reefton back to town and it's largely
focused on a livability kind of focus. It's a nice
place to live, the quality of life is good, it's
perhaps more affordable than some of the urban centers. A
nice combination of the physical amenities and the location of
(11:47):
that town, but also a lot of hard work and
effort and local leadership in Reefdoon over many years.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Do some small towns need to develop something they are
well known for, like how Almadu has its steampunk festival
every year.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, there's all kinds of examples of places trying to
differentiate themselves. I remember a number of years ago Westport
put up billboards in christ Church talking about how cheap
the housing was in Westport to try and attract people
to move. The Kitangata in the South Island a number
of years ago was offering housing and land package. That
(12:22):
got a lot of attention and has attracted a few
new families to that community. So yeah, there's there's things
that can be done. I guess I would just question
how can those communities be supported rather than be just
left to their own devices.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
I mean, in Amaru since two thousand and seven senergy
was lifting then and then the steampunk came along, and
the ups the ocean came along, and it's just really booming.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Now.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
Drove down to the Bigrodi one from Dunadin, there's a
lot of steampunk is in the We call it the
Stame Park Capital of the world. I'd like to refer
to as just the place of pilgrimage because it's so
blink and difficult to get to.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Do you think we care enough as a country about
these small towns?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Probably not enough. I think we hear these stories about
industry closure, and we care about the impacts on the
individuals that are affected and the families that are affected.
But there's no sustained attention on those communities.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And if we don't have these tough conversations, could we
see a country littered with ghost towns.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Well, yeah, and we already see that our major centers
are struggling to deal with growth, and many of our
small towns are really struggling to deal with growth. You've
got places like Cromwell, for example, where there's really acute
housing shortage, dealing with the growth pressures of Queenstown and
elsewhere in Central Attagraph. So I guess the question is
do we want to abandon our small communities where they're
(14:00):
already is infrastructure, there's schools and facilities and all that
kind of thing and just concentrate population in intellct centers
or have that population distributed and supporting a lot of
the primary industries and the rural economic activities that are
happening in the rural places that are a significant component
of our economy.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Just finally, Sean, is there a silver bullet solution here
or is it a case of accepting perhaps a population
decline and helping these towns adapt to what may be
a new normal.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
I think there's a lot of discussion about right sizing
rural communities all around the world. We can't have this
assumption that absolutely everywhere will will continue to grow. It's
just not going to happen. So the key thing is
what can we do to make sure that people's quality
of life, no matter where they're living in New Zealand,
(14:52):
can be maintained. How can they be supported?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Thanks for joining us Sean for this episode of the
Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and
extensive news coverage at inz Herald dot co dot nz.
The Front Page is produced by Ethan Sells Van Goodwin
as a sounder engineer. I'm Susie Nordquist. Subscribe to the
(15:16):
front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts,
and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.
Cura. I'm Susan Nordquitzt and for Chelsea Daniels and this
is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the
New Zealand Herald. Provincial New Zealand is Hurting. Alliance Group
is proposing to close its Timidoo meat processing plant in
Smithfield with a loss of hundreds of jobs, and earlier
(00:28):
this month, Windstone Pulp International said it would close two
mills near Ohokuni, which will see two hundred and thirty
people lose their jobs. To discuss the impact facing small
towns in New Zealand and if there's a way out
from them today on the Front Page, we are joined
by doctor Sean Connolly, senior lecturer at the School of
Geography at the University of a Targo. Sean, what are
(00:53):
the ramifications going to be for those small centers who
are facing the loss of major employers.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, I think in the first instance, it's a period
of crisis and people feeling all kinds of uncertainty around
what their futures look like. That's on an individual level,
but also for the wider community. It's likely that those
that are able to will move and they'll find work elsewhere.
They'll take their skills elsewhere, but that not everyone will
(01:21):
be able to move, and they'll be quite worried about
their economic future and their livelihoods. Overall, likely to see
a decline in the younger population, they're more likely to
move to other opportunities. So you see an out migration
of younger people, people with families, and that could have
(01:42):
the flow on effect on the viability of some schools
and some more rural and remote places.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
What does history show us about the impact of big
businesses leaving smaller centers.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Often in the smaller places that are very much resource
dependent or in this single industry pen see a rapid
population decline and it takes quite a while for that
to stabilize at a much lower population level, much lower
level of economic activity.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Sean, one of the major concerns is going to be
around population decline in these centers. What would a mass
exodus of people mean for a community.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Once you have a substantial out migration from a community,
it really starts to question the viability of the town
in the future. You've got issues around the viability of
health services, whether that's doctors at pharmacy, pharmacists or schools,
and whether that's sort of closing classrooms and losing teachers
(02:45):
or the closure of entire schools. You see the out
migration of people that are volunteering in the community, so
you won't have as many people volunteering for sports clubs
and that kind of thing, and a real impact on
the ko U and sort of the social networks in
those communities. So it is really important to avoid or
(03:07):
to manage decline in such a way that this crisis
period doesn't lead to a self fulfilling downward spiral.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Is that your fear with some of these.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Towns, some of the smaller towns. Yeah, certainly, once you
reach a certain critical mass, the options for the future
get narrowed much quicker. But that doesn't mean that it's
sort of that it's all lost. There are communities that
have rallied around and saved their health services, for example,
and set up their own trust so that they run doctors'
(03:38):
offices and health centers and pharmacists to maintain that level
of service in the community. Because I think it's important
to remember that these small towns don't exist in isolation.
They are a critical service provider for the much wider
rural district that rely.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
On heart break and devastation tonight for Ruape District communities
in this central North Island. It follows confirmation this afternoon
that the region's biggest employer is closing its two mills
with the loss of around two hundred and thirty jobs.
The Kuriyoway pult Mill and tounguy Wi Sawmill are located
along State Highway forty nine. The shut down a massive
(04:14):
blow for nearby communities like Wayuu or Hakune and rights he.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
A terrible day for meat workers and tomorrow that's right.
Alliance Group has announced its proposing to close its Smithfield
Meat Works. If confirmed, sheep meat, calves and night shift
venison processing will stop at the end of the season
and the remaining venison at the end of the year
at the latest. The Timidoo plant employs more than six
hundred people at peak season. Mayor and Nigel Bowen says
(04:41):
it's a proposal that will deeply hurt the community.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Now.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
State sen Zed says areas like the West Coast and
Southland could lose population over the next few years. What
other towns are at risk of seeing population declined lines
and why do you think that is so?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
If you look at the profile it is relatively uneven
the small towns and rural centers. A lot of the small,
more isolated communities in the central North Island, on the
West Coast and in Southland are seeing population decline, but
that's not uniform. There are some places that are located
within the commuter belt of the larger cities that we've
(05:26):
seen some growth in. We've seen other places that are
actually struggling to deal with growth because of the physical
amenities of a place, the tourism potential retirees moving out
of the city to some of these places as well.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I think it's fair to say that many people, especially
those in urban cities, don't really consider a lot of
these towns that we're talking about arry the tourists spots
or the towns that we drive through to get somewhere.
In your opinion, what is the importance of having thriving
small towns.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
They play a really important role. We often forget that
the smaller towns, towns of ten thousand people or less.
Just under twenty percent of our population lives in these
kinds of communities, so there's lots of employment activity, there,
lots of businesses, and they're a key driver for our
GDP in terms of the tradable not so much the services,
(06:16):
but the goods really rely on the services that those
small towns provide, and so they do play an important
role in a social sense sort of just the value
of those communities in those places, but also in an
economic sense, we really need that divers city of cities,
towns and smaller rural communities.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Given the imports that you place on small towns. What
was your reaction to the proposed closure of the meatworks
and Timorrow and the mill closures in the North Island.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Feel bad for the people people affected, certainly, and those communities.
It's likely to have a greater impact on those towns
in the North Island because they are smaller. Timuru is
a more diversified economy, but that's not the case elsewhere.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Is diversity the caving.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I think we really need to be having a conversation
about do we value small towns in our rural communities
or are they too important to be just left to
market forces. Right now, we've got policy and planning that
is almost entirely geared towards this assumption that everywhere will grow,
and we don't have the necessary policies to deal with decline,
(07:31):
How do we ensure that public services, infrastructure can all
be maintained so that people still living in these rural
communities can still maintain a high quality of life, can
still provide for their well being. That's not something that
can be left just to rates. I don't believe.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You. May remember a few years ago, economist Shamawil Jakub
said that many small towns in the country resembled places
in the Third World, with a loss of small town
functions and populations, creating zombie towns that need to close.
Is that a fear description in your view?
Speaker 2 (08:19):
No, I don't think it is. I think zombie town
discussion was really useful in terms of drawing attention to
alter Roa's rural towns. It did shine a spotlight on
the fact that they are often ignored and take it
for granted. But the reality is those small towns in
absolute decline are really not the norm. We often see
periods of decline then and stabilization, and so I guess
(08:43):
I would like to see the conversation moving towards how
can we best support stabilization in a new context. If
industry is going to close in these towns, how do
we support those that remain behind, that want to remain behind,
how do we ensure that maintain their quality of life
they still have access to the same level of services
and that's not something I think that can be left
(09:05):
entirely to the volunteer capacity of those communities themselves.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And could that support come from central government? Could they
play a role here in saving some of these towns,
and if so, how can they do that?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I think in part it is thinking about the resources
that central government has and how they're allocated to communities.
We know all across the country that rates are rising
as communities both small and large, struggle to deal with
crumbling infrastructure and infrastructure deficits and upgrading pipes and roads
(09:41):
and all that kind of thing, and that can't be
just based on rates. Sort of the tax system needs
some looking at as well.
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Reefton is possibly the last true left in New Zealand
and how to describe a count was as it was
when we were young, and where there is a kinship,
where there is a care for each other, but you've
(10:11):
got all the basic services that you need to be
able to live life. What I love about it is
that during the day she has flat out Refion is
the gateway through the Westerns. All the shops are doing well,
the key rooms, all the food outlets, and then at
about five o'clock you would stand in the middle of
the road, the middle of the state highway and have
a natter.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
There are some success stories, though, aren't there. Reefed And
being an example of a town that was facing a
decline in their population and they've managed to turn around
their fortunes. What was their secret?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
So Reefedon's an example where they faced a process of
declining population through loss of government services, changes in the
mining industry, and closure of some minds the feast population decline,
and they were able to restable lies and reorient sort
of the purpose of the identity of that town through
(11:05):
process of local leadership, lots of effort and local volunteers,
people working together to position Reefton as a nice heritage
town and sort of building on the physical attributes of
that place. It helps that it's not too far from
christ Church, so it can capitalize sort of the weekend
(11:27):
domestic tourism. But it has been successful in people that
grew up in Reefton back to town and it's largely
focused on a livability kind of focus. It's a nice
place to live, the quality of life is good, it's
perhaps more affordable than some of the urban centers. A
nice combination of the physical amenities and the location of
(11:47):
that town, but also a lot of hard work and
effort and local leadership in Reefdoon over many years.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Do some small towns need to develop something they are
well known for, like how Almadu has its steampunk festival
every year.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, there's all kinds of examples of places trying to
differentiate themselves. I remember a number of years ago Westport
put up billboards in christ Church talking about how cheap
the housing was in Westport to try and attract people
to move. The Kitangata in the South Island a number
of years ago was offering housing and land package. That
(12:22):
got a lot of attention and has attracted a few
new families to that community. So yeah, there's there's things
that can be done. I guess I would just question
how can those communities be supported rather than be just
left to their own devices.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
I mean, in Amaru since two thousand and seven senergy
was lifting then and then the steampunk came along, and
the ups the ocean came along, and it's just really booming.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Now.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
Drove down to the Bigrodi one from Dunadin, there's a
lot of steampunk is in the We call it the
Stame Park Capital of the world. I'd like to refer
to as just the place of pilgrimage because it's so
blink and difficult to get to.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Do you think we care enough as a country about
these small towns?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Probably not enough. I think we hear these stories about
industry closure, and we care about the impacts on the
individuals that are affected and the families that are affected.
But there's no sustained attention on those communities.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
And if we don't have these tough conversations, could we
see a country littered with ghost towns.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Well, yeah, and we already see that our major centers
are struggling to deal with growth, and many of our
small towns are really struggling to deal with growth. You've
got places like Cromwell, for example, where there's really acute
housing shortage, dealing with the growth pressures of Queenstown and
elsewhere in Central Attagraph. So I guess the question is
do we want to abandon our small communities where they're
(14:00):
already is infrastructure, there's schools and facilities and all that
kind of thing and just concentrate population in intellct centers
or have that population distributed and supporting a lot of
the primary industries and the rural economic activities that are
happening in the rural places that are a significant component
of our economy.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Just finally, Sean, is there a silver bullet solution here
or is it a case of accepting perhaps a population
decline and helping these towns adapt to what may be
a new normal.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
I think there's a lot of discussion about right sizing
rural communities all around the world. We can't have this
assumption that absolutely everywhere will will continue to grow. It's
just not going to happen. So the key thing is
what can we do to make sure that people's quality
of life, no matter where they're living in New Zealand,
(14:52):
can be maintained. How can they be supported?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Thanks for joining us Sean for this episode of the
Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and
extensive news coverage at inz Herald dot co dot nz.
The Front Page is produced by Ethan Sells Van Goodwin
as a sounder engineer. I'm Susie Nordquist. Subscribe to the
(15:16):
front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts,
and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.
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Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.