Friday Funnies: Te Radar and Irene Pink
Our comedians are here for a lighter look at some of the weeks stories.
May 14, 2026•15 min
Nine To Noon
Smart, in-depth and relentlessly curious, host Kathryn Ryan dives into the stories shaping New Zealand and its people. Interviews and expert analysis from around the world and at home. It’s where big ideas are unpacked and everyday life explored.
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Episodes
Around the motu: Jonathan Leask from the Ashburton Guardian
Jonathan reports on the on-going battle to get a second bridge underway in Ashburton, the amalgamation question in front of local councils and a world wide shortage of bins delays rollout of food waste collection in Ashburton.
May 14, 2026•10 min
After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland
Dean Bedford reviews After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland, published by Europa Editions.
May 14, 2026•6 min
Art exhibition looks at the restoration of waterways
A new art exhibition, shaped by Cyclone Gabrielle, has a focus on waterways and climate resilience. Currents Calling Home has opened at the Hastings Art Gallery.
May 14, 2026•11 min
AMA nominee Ladi6
Hip-hop soul singer Ladi6 - aka Karoline Fuarosa Park-Tamati is a finalist in three categories at the Aotearoa Music Awards later this month. Following the release of her latest album - Le Va - Ladi6 is up for Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist, and Single of the Year for Lightbulb.
May 14, 2026•17 min
Asia correspondent on President Trump's visit to China
US President Donald Trump in China for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Edward White is the Financial Times China correspondent.
May 14, 2026•13 min
Tom Sainsbury on protecting satire and parody
The Members Bill was drawn from the so-called biscuit tin in 2024 and passed it's first reading on - appropriately perhaps - April Fools Day this year.
May 14, 2026•10 min
The human story behind the criminal justice system
Asher says the country's ever-increasing muster is because it is ultimately cheaper to put people in jail than to pay for the support services that might keep them away from crime.
May 14, 2026•27 min
Screentime: Half Man, Criminal Record 2, Episode One Redux
Film and television reviewer Tamar Munch
May 13, 2026•10 min
The value in kids stepping up to stop peers being bullied
Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day - the annual fundraiser that aims to raise awareness about bullying.
May 13, 2026•23 min
Tech: First Mythos - now the rest, RAMageddon and more
Technology commentator Mark Pesce on the latest issues.
May 13, 2026•17 min
Around the motu: Samantha Gee, RNZ's reporter in Nelson
The trial of Haydn Tasker who is alleged to have murdered Nelson policewoman Lyn Fleming, problems with drunken teens, Ai helping marine famers and the ongoing saga of the former interislander, Aratere, moored since late last year.
May 13, 2026•9 min
Book review: The Good Settler by Richard Shaw
Paul Diamond reviews The Good Settler by Richard Shaw, published by Massey University Press.
May 13, 2026•8 min
Ingrid Horrocks takes top fiction prize with All Her Lives
A collection of short stories about women across generations has taken out New Zealand's top prize for fiction. All Her Lives by Ingrid Horrocks was last night announced as the winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at last night's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The book of nine short stories follows women at various periods in time and place navigating the social or political challenges of the day: from a queer nurse feeling lost in her family home following her return from the G...
May 13, 2026•25 min
UK: Starmer's leadership faces toughest test yet
UK correspondent Harry Taylor details the latest in the leadership crisis facing PM Sir Keir Starmer.
May 13, 2026•12 min
Every Bite - helping families find ways to avoid food waste
This month, families are getting help to reduce food waste through the Every Bite programme that gives a whole host of practical tips.
May 13, 2026•7 min
No evidence to support immigration law changes - lawyer
A leading immigration and human rights lawyer says plans to clamp down on asylum seekers, and make it harder for decisions for deportation to be appealed are going ahead without any evidence there is a problem.
May 13, 2026•14 min
Worries about funding under new Conservation Reform Bill
Federated Mountain clubs is concerned that international visitor access charges to top conservation sites could get rolled into day to day funding rather than used for extra preservation of our native flora and fauna.
May 13, 2026•16 min
What to do if you're worried about someone's sudden weight loss
What's the best way to approach a loved one or friend if you're worried about their sudden weight loss and what it could mean?
May 12, 2026•13 min
New Zealand's Zine scene
A hallmark of the punk scene in the 1980s, Zines are now thriving with their own festivals throughout the country.
May 12, 2026•19 min
Around the motu: Kaitlyn Morrell of the Bay of Plenty times
Kaitlyn discusses the close of a long-running pub in Tauranga's CBD, levels of immigration scepticism in the Bay of Plenty, three historic caves are permanently sealed due to vandalism and the first dedicated pickle ball venue in Bay of Plenty opens in Tauranga
May 12, 2026•8 min
Out of the Blue: Essays on Artists by Christina Barton
David Hill reviews Out of the Blue: Essays on Artists from Aotearoa New Zealand 1985-2021 by Christina Barton, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press.
May 12, 2026•5 min
London Falling: A young man's mysterious death and its link to the city's underbelly
In the small hours of a November morning in 2019, a security camera at London's MI6 building captured a figure falling five storeys from an apartment building and into the Thames. But there was so much more to the young man's life that could inform what really happened to him.
May 12, 2026•30 min
Australia: Tax overhaul, virus quarantine, paratrooper death
Australia correspondent Karen Middleton details what was unveiled in the federal Budget, where Hantavirus cruise passengers from Australia are being relocated to and another paratrooper has died in a training accident.
May 12, 2026•9 min
More AI - digital health leaders hear about new opportunities
Ensuring health data can flow across health services has been one of the big topics for a gathering of digital health leaders in Wellington.
May 12, 2026•11 min
Whakatāne turns to the community to fund slip-closed walkway
Local councils are facing a long list of expenditures from water services, to roading, to storm repairs and on top of all of that a planned rates cap. So how do councils keep up public amenities such as walkways?
May 12, 2026•10 min
Calls for New Zealand to plan for future threats
The fuel crisis and all the hardship it's causing has brought into focus how under prepared New Zealand is to deal with major threats to this country's wellbeing.
May 12, 2026•20 min
Sports correspondent Sam Ackerman
The Wellington Phoenix women's team are off to a grand final, while in men's football Auckland FC are one step away. The All Blacks bring back a legendary former coach to the selection team, while New Zealand Rugby League has a new chief executive.
May 11, 2026•12 min
Guy Hessell on the benefits of going native in the garden
Like so many kids, Guy Hessell's first job was mowing lawns. When he started redesigning his parents' garden - with dubious results - they passed it off as a phase. But it didn't pass - and Guy went on to get a degree in ecology and ran a successful landscaping business. He was head gardener at Summerset Retirement Village, and Garden Manager at Whangarei Quarry Gardens. He's now sharing his wealth of gardening knowledge in a new book called Let's Go Native: From Back Yard to Bush, Landscaping w...
May 11, 2026•18 min
Book review: The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
Emma Hislop reviews The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, published by Allen & Unwin.
May 11, 2026•3 min
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