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 associate producer

Learn More:

• Catch up on The Detail's 2025 episodes here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 councillor
• Max Brough - New Plymouth mayor
• Richard Hills - Auckland councillor

Learn More:

• Auckland locals reaction to fortnightly rubbish collection proposal
• New Plymouth women gets fined for planting on her berm
• Christchurch man takes fine for parking on berm to court

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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:

• Clinton Duffy - Auckland Museum curator of marine biology

Learn More:

• Details about Auckland Museum's Shark exhibition here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 about recent tests of toys from Shein, Ali Express, eBay and Amazon here and here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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
• RNZ's deep dive into the Netball NZ and Dame Noeline Taurua incident
• RNZ's piece on the Silver Ferns' win over England
• More rugby news here and here
• More on the Warriors here
• More on NZ football here
• Liam Lawson's 2026 season confirmation

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 Putten - Auckland Transport director of public transport and active modes
• Russell McMullan - CRL Assurance and Integration general manager
• Adrian Price - Auckland Transport head of completion of Karanga-a-Hape station

Learn More:

• CRL official website

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 on Herd of Special Interest
• Details of talks on special interest wapiti herd revealed

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 mid-air collision between two planes in Sydney's southwest
• Fleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery season
• US fears cover-up in Air India crash
• Washington DC plane crash: Aircraft plunges into Potomac River after colliding with Black Hawk helicopter, major emergency response, flights grounded

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 government changes
• Further details from the Department of Internal Affairs

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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 - Head of Services and Outreach, Burnett Foundation
• Liz Gibbs - Chief Executive, Burnett Foundation

Learn More:

• Liz Gibbs talks about the ongoing HIV outbreak in Fiji - listen to our podcast episode on that here
• Learn more about HIV in Aotearoa here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details