The Detail

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

Learn More:

• To contribute to Khol's r...

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:

• Vi...

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

Learn More:

• Forestr...

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:

• Nick Leggett - Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive
• Rehette Stoltz - Gisborne Mayor
• Kate Newton - RNZ Climate Change Reporter
• Fox Meyer - Newsro...

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 ...

There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer population

In a war between hunters and conservationists over the control of one of our most damaging pests, only the deer are winning

Guests:

• Richard Dawkins - Federated Farmers meat and wool chair
• Jill Herron - Newsroom journalist
• John Bissell - hunter and conservationist

Learn More:

• RNZ's podcast Deer Wars
• More ...

Aviation under pressure: Airbus A320 glitch adds to a year of crashes, questions, and shaken confidence

The Airbus A320 fault sparked worldwide delays and airport chaos, and has renewed fears over aviation safety in a turbulent 2025

Guests:

• Grant Bradley - Aviation commentator
• Dan Lake - Travel commentator

Learn More:

• Planes grounded after Airbus discovers solar radiation could impact systems
• Victim identified following fatal...

Regional councils have to find a different way of operating that cuts down on double ups and layers of bureaucracy

Regional councillors who've just been sworn in have been shown the writing on the wall by the government, which is plotting a swift end to their terms

Guests:

• Glenn McConnell - Stuff political reporter

Learn More:

• Read Glenn's piece on the regional council shake up here
• Beehive news release on local go...

An HIV diagnosis used to be a death sentence, but that hasn't been the case in years - so why hasn't the stigma changed with the science?

More than four decades after the first New Zealander was diagnosed with HIV, medical advances have completely changed the face of the once-fatal virus, but one man living with it says he doesn't "think that the HIV stigma has changed radically"

Guests:

• Rodrigo Olin German - H...

It doesn't have to be extravagant, expensive or loaded with tinsel and tat - bring your smile to host the perfect seasonal party

If you're fed up with Northern Hemisphere listicles on how to prepare for a cold Christmas, here's a taste of what it takes to host a summer celebration

Guests:

• Trudi Nelson - Food writer and broadcaster
• Colin Mathura-Jeffree - Model, TV personality, and professional guest

Find The Detail ...

We've failed to reach our smokefree obligations, but has New Zealand done well enough to relax our efforts?

New Zealand was once a world leader in getting people to give up cigarettes, but we seem to have pulled up the brakes

Guests:

• Chris Bullen - University of Auckland public health professor
• Anaru Waa - University of Otago professor
• Jasmine Graham - Hāpai te Hauora general manager

Learn More:

• Read more about the history of...

The West Coast has long been mining country, but a proposed expansion of coal mining operations - and the backlash - leaves the region's economy and ecology uncertain

A proposal to expand mining operations on the Denniston Plateau pits the economy against ecology, leaving the Government facing a high-stakes decision

Guests:

• Fox Meyer - Newsroom political reporter

Learn More:

• Read more about the Plateau proposal and protests...