Red Line

RNZ•www.rnz.co.nz

Can we walk the thin line between what some see as an evil empire and others as our greatest economic opportunity? A four-part series investigating China's growing influence in New Zealand.

Last refreshed: November 16th, 2025 at 8:22 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Bonus Episode: China, If You're Listening E1

If you liked Red Line, you'll also enjoy China, If You're Listening from Australia's public broadcaster, the ABC. Hosted by Matt Bevan it looks at how Australia's relationship with China has gone from warm and friendly to the verge of collapse. If Red Line has piqued your interest in China and the growing tensions in this part of the world, then we'd like to recommend a new podcast from our friends at the ABC in Australia. China, If You're Listening is a podcast about how the relationship betwee...

Jul 08, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Red Line

As China becomes more assertive, human rights abuses are exposed and evidence grows of our politicians being played, where should New Zealand draw the line? To see more images and details about the series, vist the website here . A New Zealand Uighur fears his parents are in Chinese Communist Party internment camps. And as China becomes increasingly assertive, Western governments push back. But where should New Zealand draw the line? In episode four we ask what's really going on in Xinjiang and ...

Jul 04, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4

A United Front

The Chinese Government has a propaganda super ministry. But how much influence does it have in New Zealand? And is development money from the CCP an opportunity or economic 'invasion'? To see more images and details about the series, vist the website here . The Chinese Government has created a propaganda super ministry - the United Front Works department. But how much influence and reach does it have in New Zealand? In episode three, Guyon Espiner and John Daniell travel to the Far North to look...

Jul 01, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 3

The Crash

Two dissidents die in a car crash. China expert Anne-Marie Brady reports break-ins at her house and office. A US National Security Advisor warns that Beijing wants "servitude". Should we be worried about the Chinese Communist Party? Or are we being paranoid? To see more images and details about the series, vist the website here . What really happened on State Highway 1 outside Tokoroa? Was it an accident - or something more sinister? And as the political stakes rise, who can we trust to tell the...

Jun 29, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 2

The Blood of Our Friends

Two Chinese New Zealanders are killed in a car crash while on a mission to warn of the dangers of the Chinese Communist Party. So exactly what is China up to in New Zealand? To see more images and details about the series, vist the website here . Two Chinese New Zealanders are killed while on their way to a parliamentary select-committee meeting, to warn of the dangers of the Chinese Communist Party. Their friends, left clutching bloodied fliers, fear it may have been sabotage. In the first part...

Jun 27, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Introducing: Red Line

Are we paranoid? Or is the Chinese Communist Party out to get us? Guyon Espiner and John Daniell investigate China's growing influence in New Zealand in this four-part podcast series. To see more images and details about the series, vist the website here . Watch the video trailer here. In July 2020, two Chinese New Zealanders were killed in a car crash. Wang Yuezhong and Xi Weiguo were on their way to parliament, trying to bring a message to the New Zealand government. The dead men wanted us to ...

Jun 18, 2021•3 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android