The Detail

Youth Parliament is there to give aspiring politicians a taste of a future career, but after three decades the value of the event is in question A former politician says change is needed to the Youth Parliament system if it's to stay relevant.MP-turned political commentator Peter Dunne says the scheme isn't just "a rag-tag collection of young people coming together for a couple of days to play at being MPs," but if the event is going to be taken seriously, more consistency is required around its processes.That's not the case at the moment, in everything from how the teens are selected to the quality of the mentorship they're getting.The tri-annual event usually passes under the media radar, but this year's event was overshadowed by what a handful of Youth MPs said was censorship of their speeches.…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Laws over international deep sea mining are being thrashed out at a meeting in Jamaica, but the process has so far taken over a decade and we don't even have a draft set of rules A tiny Pacific nation that stands to make millions from a deal over deep sea mining in international waters may have found a way around the rules it signed up to…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Refugee Family Support Category is supposed to allow refugees to reunite with family. Instead, it's a waiting game which could take another decade to clear. It could take 10 years to clear a refugee visa waiting queue - but those applicants have already been waiting for seven years, and some have families in danger…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Henare vs Kaipara: Legacy, loyalty and the fight for Māori representation in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-electionTwo Māori heavyweights battle it out in a pivotal political contest for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat after the death last month of Takutai Tarsh Kemp…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

If you don't want to face the unpalatable truth about your boozing, the alcohol lobby is on your sideOutdated alcohol guidelines put New Zealand out of step with modern research, but our health authorities are in no hurry to update themIn Canada, proposed guidelines for low-risk drinking set the weekly limit at two drinks.Here in New Zealand, the recommendation is to cap alcohol at 10 drinks weekly for women, and 15 for men, with two alcohol-free days per week.Despite these guidelines being nearly 15 years old, and documents from Health NZ showing that they consider a review of the guidelines to be 'necessary', for now, the guidelines are staying as they are."The complication is that the Ministry of Health has come in over the top of [Health NZ] and has said 'actually these are our guidelines ... we want to control this and we're putting a pause on that work'," says RNZ's Guyon Espiner."It certainly does show that they're listening to the alcohol industry, who are pretty exercised about this - because as you can imagine, this could have a significant effect on sales if people did take this advice and did drink significantly less."In a series of articles over the past few months, Espiner has reported on issues of alcohol harm and how the alcohol lobby has impacted policy in New Zealand…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand's first play zone for children with disabilities is becoming a charitable trust, with the goal of expanding services to cater for people of all ages.Parents of a young autistic boy took his diagnosis head on, creating New Zealand's first play zone for children with disabilities and attracting international attention and recognition…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

When it comes to damage from serious weather events, the days of big pay-outs to property owners are coming to an endThe 100-year floods are rolling in on a regular basis; the rain doesn't let up; no one wants a cliff-top property anymore.Climate change is no longer just about things you can't see or touch. It's about running from rising water and bailing out the basement."I think there has been a lot of emphasis both in reporting and in people's understanding of climate change ... and the science behind that and how it's getting worse," says RNZ In Depth reporter Kate Newton."We're now starting to shift our focus because of these severe weather events that we're seeing more frequently, and at a greater level of severity, to what that actually means for us now, and the fact that climate change is no longer this far-off, distant prospect, but something that is affecting real people and real lives, at this very moment."Today on The Detail we look at how we adapt to this new normal, and who will pay for it, after a report by an Independent Reference Group recommended essentially that the days of property buy-outs have a limited life.The reference group included economists, iwi, bankers, insurance and local government representatives and was set up by the Ministry for the Environment.Newton goes through the findings on climate mitigation and adaption, which she says are politically unpalatable, and extremely expensive."There's a whole lot that goes into it and every step of it is complex and every step of it is expensive. But we also need to remember that even if we do nothing, it's still expensive."I think the top estimates of costs involved with cyclone Gabrielle was $14.5 billion - it's a huge amount of money."But you're looking at things like, even just understanding where the risk is, and how severe that risk is, and how it might change in the future - it's a huge amount of work."The government wants bipartisan support on decisions because future certainty is required but also, Newton points out, because of the bleak message it's likely to send - in the words of one critic: "you are on your own".…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Leaks, lies and leadership. The Wellington mayoral race was shaping up to be dull but now a dirty politics scandal is splitting the capitalIt was heading towards the most boring mayoral campaign in the country - now Wellington's race has turned chaotic with a backfiring bombshell of an email…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

With an increase in drugs coming through Auckland Airport, border officials focus on trying to stop the imports before they reach our shoresA customs officer at New Zealand's biggest airport says it's not just the amount of drugs coming across the borders that is surprising, but the fact that smugglers aren't really bothering to conceal it…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

New Zealand's orange roughy stocks are under fresh scrutiny, and a major fishery faces closureWhat was once called the "white gold" of our oceans is now at risk, and conservationists are fighting to save the country's orange roughy population…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details