The Detail
Join The Detail team six days a week as they make sense of the big stories with the country’s best journalists and experts.
Episodes
Auckland Council's planning has been thrown for a loop after what looks like yet another government-imposed rule change over housing
Government interference in planning rules for Auckland housing has reached new heights with another u-turn frustrating the council
Guests:
- Richard Hills- North Shore Councillor
- Kristen De Monchy- Sandringham resident
- Philip Bradley- Sandringham resident
Learn more:
Skins, snow and scrutiny: How the 2026 Winter Olympics is unfolding for our athletes
This year, the most contested "ice" at the Winter Olympics isn't on the rink - it's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Guest:
- Nathan Rarere, RNZ First Up presenter and sports reporter
Learn more:
- See Olympic winter games key facts and figures
- Read more about New Zealand's Olympic team here
- Read more about ICE a...
Weeks after the January floods wreaked havoc on the east coast, The Detail visits two towns to see how locals are holding up - and what the future holds
Sharon Brettkelly visits Ōpōtiki and Te Araroa to see how the towns are faring after the devastating January floods
Guests:
- Tani Atkins-Waitoa - Te Araroa local
- Robin Hapeta - Te Araroa local
- David Moore - Ōpōtiki mayor
Where does New Zealand sit in a new world order that ditches traditional international rules and favours the mighty over the tiny?
There's a rupture in the international rules-based order, but that doesn't mean New Zealand will be crushed by bigger powers
Guest:
- Tim Groser- former NZ diplomat
- Jayme Poisson- Front Burner podcast host
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As more and more discount chain pharmacies open, locally owned and operated chemists worry their customers won't get the high level of care that saves trips to GPs, and EDs
In less than 10 years, nearly 100 Chemist Warehouses and Bargain Chemists have opened across the country - so where does that leave local pharmacies?
Guests:
- Vicky Chan - Pakuranga pharmacist
- Clive Cannons - Wainuiomata pharmacist
Learn More:
- Read Dr Er...
Once the election date is announced, politics can disintegrate into a toxic mess. Don't expect this year to be any different.
Politicians sharpen their knives and their tongues as we bump our way to November 7
Guests:
- Laura Walters, Newsroom's political editor
- Thomas Coughlan, NZ Herald's political editor
The real treasure hidden in the wrecks of some 2500 ships buried along New Zealand's coasts isn't jewels or gold bars - but the stories of the people who were on board
There are concerns divers are plundering one of New Zealand's famous shipwrecks. Are they treasure-hunting pirates, or just amateur souvenir-seekers?
Guest:
- Garth MacIntyre
Learn more:
- Stuff story on divers getting away with crockery at historic Mahia sh...
New Zealander Khol Gillies was fighting in Ukraine when he was badly injured, and he spent days in a bunker waiting to be evacuated
Three months after an injury that cost him his leg, Khol Gillies tells RNZ's Lisa Owen the story of how he ended up fighting for Ukraine, and what it was like waiting in a bunker for days to be evacuated
Guests:
- Khol Gillies
- Jasmine Gillies
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The record number of prisoners are bouncing between facilities around the country, stretching court resources and rehabilitation programmes
With prison numbers at their highest ever and still rising, one former prisoner and critic of this government's tough-on-crime policies has put his hope in a controversial programme
Guests:
- Emma Priest, criminal barrister
- Dr Paul Wood, formerly incarcerated PhD
Learn more:
Extreme weather may be the trigger for deadly and devastating slash, but the lines on who is responsible for prevention and clean-up are blurred
The slash debate heats up - again - in Gisborne as forestry operators urge the government to remove their legal accountability for the devastating discharge
Guest:
- Dr Mark Bloomberg - adjunct senior fellow at the School of Forestry at Canterbury University
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The floods keep coming, and we keep rebuilding. Is there a better way to cope with increasing numbers of infrastructure-wrecking storms?
New Zealand's most common natural hazard is flooding, but we're often unprepared for it, and more preoccupied with earthquakes or eruptions
Guests:
The news year, unpacked, by five divas with microphones
As the year draws to a close, The Detail looks back at 12 months of deep dives, sharp analysis, and the kinds of conversations that helped New Zealanders make sense of a turbulent, fast-moving world
Guests:
- Alexia Russell - The Detail editor
- Gwen McClure - The Detail producer/ host
- Amanda Gillies - The Detail host
- Sharon Brettkelly - The Detail host
- Davina Zimmer - The Detail ass...
From storms to scorchers, what this summer's wild weather means for New Zealand tourism
With tourism numbers back to pre-covid levels, New Zealanders are getting ready for a swarm of tourists. Experts say those tourists should be getting ready for New Zealand's wild, changeable weather.
Guests:
- Chris Brandolino - Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist and meteorologist
- Dr Stephen Espiner - Lincoln University associat...
From stray dogs to traffic jams to the most controversial topic of all - berms - councillors and mayors from across the country report what's getting on their residents' nerves
When residents have a gripe about rain, stray dogs, berm maintenance, or even a tree root, they call their councillor. Today The Detail is calling those councillors, too.
Guests:
- Bryan Cadogan - former Clutha mayor
- Sam Jennings - Horowhenua District councill...
At Auckland Museum's new shark exhibition, all the models are to scale, allowing visitors to get face-to-face with some of the largest creatures on the planet
From a shark the size of a cigar to the long-extinct 400-kilo 'buzzsaw' to those that glow in the dark, sharks are an incredibly diverse species - and according to the exhibition's curator, 'the most misunderstood animals on the planet'
Guests:
- Clint...
Between the high cost of living and a slew of toys failing safety tests, buying Christmas presents for kids is fraught
How to shop for your kids this Christmas, in the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children's products failing safety tests
Guests:
- Gemma Rasmussen - Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy
- Mareta Hunt - Safekids Aotearoa Poutokomanawa/Director
Learn More:
- Toy safety tips
- More ab...
A year of highs, lows and hard questions: Inside New Zealand's rollercoaster sporting season
The country's biggest sports teams delivered everything from turmoil to triumph in 2025, with a mixed bag of results across rugby, league, netball and cricket, with off-field drama often dominating headlines.
Guests:
- Rikki Swannell - Sports commentator and journalist
Learn More:
- The Post's All Blacks season player ratings
- R...
The opening has been pushed back again, the price is extraordinary, but Auckland's City Rail Link is expected to deliver the region the wow factor
Those in charge of the country's most expensive transport infrastructure are confident the new timetable for opening will stick - but they won't name a date
Guests:
- Alan Trestour - CRL Head of Delivery for Auckland Transport
- Patrick Brockie - CRL chief executive
- Stacey van der ...
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.
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