

The Detail
RNZ
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
Mentioned books

Aug 1, 2025 • 21min
Pushing our buttons to loosen our wallets
It doesn't matter if it's health messages or supermarket campaigns, consumers are having their behavioural buttons pushed in expert waysTwo of our big supermarket chains are in the throes of promotional giveaways that couldn't be more different - but they're pushing the same buttons to make us change our shopping habitsFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 31, 2025 • 23min
Netball still under pressure in spite of TV deal
Great for netball fans, maybe not so great for players - it's unlikely they'll be hit in the pocket after a new deal with free to air TV was signed this weekNew Zealanders will be able to watch the 2026 netball premiership live and free to air for the first time in 18 years, but there are many unanswered questions over the TVNZ dealFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 30, 2025 • 23min
Axe falls on history
When one of our smallest ministries is shredded in the name of saving taxpayer dollars, critics say it feels like cultural vandalismA world class website documenting New Zealand's history could be allowed to wither and die with cuts confirmed at the Ministry for Culture and HeritageFind The Detail on Newsroom or RNZGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 29, 2025 • 24min
When it's worth waiting for democracy
The government's suite of amendments to electoral law haven't gone down well, but that's not stopping them from pushing ahead with the changes…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 28, 2025 • 23min
Balancing risk with overreach in our terror laws
Rights groups are concerned a government spotlight on terror laws will see protest, freedom of speech and advocacy endangered
…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 27, 2025 • 24min
The hidden epidemic in Kiwi homes that costs the country billions
More funding's been announced to train up domestic violence support workers, but turning our horrific figures around is expected to take generations
There's one call to police every four minutes about domestic violence, but it's just the tip of the country's crisis…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 25, 2025 • 22min
Not so awful offal
Proponents of offal-eating point out that it's just polite to use every part of a beast we've killed .... it's really the least we can doIt's cheap, it's nutritious, it's full of protein - so why are we still steering away from eating every part of the animal, including offalOne of Hannah Miller Childs' go-to bar snacks is chicken hearts."A bit of mustard, you can eat it with a toothpick," she says.You could also chop it up, add it into mince and make it a full nutritious meal.Adding offal to mince in government school lunches last week hit the headlines because parents hadn't been warned it was coming…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jul 24, 2025 • 24min
The value of Youth MPs put under a question mark
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

Jul 23, 2025 • 25min
Tiny Nauru is causing big waves over mining
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

Jul 22, 2025 • 21min
A never-ending visa queue for refugees
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