The Long Read from Stuff - podcast cover

The Long Read from Stuff

Stuff Audiostuff.co.nz
The very best of Stuff's longform feature journalism, in audio form. One story, beautifully told, every week.

Episodes

The Secret History of New Zealand's Indiana Jones

During WWII, Edgar 'Sandy' Sanders from Christchurch was part of an elite Allied unit operating behind enemy lines. After the war, he became a treasure hunter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 22, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 47

The Vanishing of Allan Woodford

Thirty-seven years ago, Allan Woodford walked out the door of his home in the middle of the night and disappeared forever. The case has confounded his family and the police ever since. Did Woodford take his own life? Or was he murdered? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 15, 202240 minSeason 1Ep. 46

The Short Game

There has been a surprising emergence of competitive minigolf and putting towards representing New Zealand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 08, 202232 minSeason 1Ep. 45

Premmies: Raising too-tiny humans

Over 16 years, Stuff reporter Nikki Macdonald has followed five families with children born before 28 weeks gestation. These are their stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 01, 202242 minSeason 1Ep. 42

Framed for murder: Episode 2 of 2

(Two-episode special – make sure you listen to Episode One first!) When David Lyttle’s best friend disappeared, police accused Lyttle of murder, then lured him into a fantasy world to get him to confess. This is Mike White’s investigation into an undercover operation that went way too far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 202235 minSeason 1Ep. 44

Framed for murder: Episode 1 of 2

When David Lyttle’s best friend disappeared, police accused Lyttle of murder, then lured him into a fantasy world to get him to confess. This is Mike White’s investigation into an undercover operation that went way too far. (Episode one of a two-episode special.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 202240 minSeason 1Ep. 43

Guy Hatchard and the Antivax Empire

The strange story of the man who pivoted from complaining about “bullet-hard” lentils to becoming a leading voice in New Zealand’s anti-vax movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 17, 202226 minSeason 1Ep. 41

The Gospel According to Ruby Tui

Black Ferns sevens player Ruby Tui shot to international fame last year on the back of some star turns during post-match interviews at the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, she's cultivated a deeper public persona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 12, 202218 minSeason 1Ep. 40

The Murder of Lisa Blakie - Lone Kill or Gang Hit?

In February 2000, 20-year-old Lisa Blakie was murdered after she started hitchhiking towards the West Coast. The man convicted of the killing remains in jail, but some say police have the wrong man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 04, 202235 minSeason 1Ep. 39

The Great Wellington Flat Hunt

It’s a student rite of passage: first year in the halls, second year flatting. But in Wellington, finding a flat has never been more expensive, or the students more desperate. This is the story of five students, embarking on the annual quest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 25, 202227 minSeason 1Ep. 38

The Killing of James Dorgan

In the early hours of August 27, 1921, Constable James Dorgan was shot while investigating a possible burglary in downtown Timaru. His death is the only unsolved murder of a police officer in New Zealand, but new evidence points to a suspect close to home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 18, 202227 minSeason 1Ep. 37

Billy the Hunted One

For 236 days across 2008 and 2009, William Stewart was the most wanted man in New Zealand. In that time he became so notorious he inspired a folk song and his own T-shirt. But the reality was much darker. This is the true story of Billy the Hunted One. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 21, 202237 minSeason 1Ep. 36

The Berserk Incident

In 2011, a Norwegian yacht sank off the coast of Antarctica during a storm. Three of its crew were lost. A decade on, a Stuff investigation finds new revelations about why the yacht sank and New Zealand's involvement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 14, 202243 minSeason 1Ep. 35

Punching Above His Weight

From crime boss, to circus act boxer, to relentless force for good. Dave Letele's rollercoaster life is finally on the level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 08, 202229 minSeason 1Ep. 34

The Strange Case of the Christchurch Horse Fiend

A macabre killer targeting horses terrorised Christchurch at the end of the 19th century. Who was the horse fiend, whose spree spanned a decade and drew comparisons with Jack the Ripper? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 31, 202139 minSeason 1Ep. 33

A Solitary Murder

It's the only known murder on Stewart Island. On December 14, 1927, 82-year-old André Jose was bludgeoned to death in a Stewart Island boarding house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 23, 202115 minSeason 1Ep. 32

Metoo and the New Zealand Drama School

They say they were traumatised at Toi Whakaari. This is the story of a group of students who helped force New Zealand's national drama school to overhaul its sexual harassment and bullying policies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 17, 202135 minSeason 1Ep. 31

Safety on the Pae

Kāwhia, in Waikato, is the ancestral home of the Tainui tribe. 100 years ago, it battled to keep the influenza pandemic at bay. Today, it is adopting a unique way of keeping Covid-19 out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 10, 202120 minSeason 1Ep. 30

The Madness and Genius of Tarras International Airport

For two years, a small team at Christchurch Airport plotted an audacious strike – to move in on their rival's territory. This is the unlikely story of the plan to build an international airport in a tiny town in Central Otago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 04, 202147 minSeason 1Ep. 29

Fried Chicken: A Love Story

Covid-19 lockdowns exposed something approaching a national fixation with KFC. Why are Kiwis so obsessed with fried chicken? The Long Read examines the light and dark sides of our collective fascination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 26, 202140 minSeason 1Ep. 28

The Sins of the Father

In 1991, Noeleen Marinovich was abandoned during her pregnancy by a local priest, who left her fighting a financial battle with the Catholic Church. Twenty-seven years later, Noeleen was murdered by their son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 19, 202121 minSeason 1Ep. 27

What Happened to Carolina Lewis?

Carolina Lewis had her whole life ahead of her, then she was gone. For two years, her family kept her story close, hoping for justice. But their pleas for a better investigation into Carolina’s death are yet to be answered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 13, 202135 minSeason 1Ep. 26

Still Down the Covid Rabbit Hole

Stuff journalist Charlie Mitchell reports once more from deep in the alternate universe of Covid-19 conspiracies. This time, the confounding case of a small group of doctors opposed to vaccination and other public health measures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 05, 202142 minSeason 1Ep. 25

Big Brother is Watching (and Listening)

A Stuff reporter was alarmed to discover his car's dashcam had been recording trips for years, long before he bought it. How far is too far for surveillance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 29, 202130 minSeason 1Ep. 24

The Flying Phoenix

A mysterious group called the Flying Phoenix Trust spared no expense building a large compound on farmland near Waihi. A decade on, the $50m complex is mainly used for school camps and the odd retreat. Who's behind it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 22, 202126 minSeason 1Ep. 23

The Price of Fish

The Antipodean albatross will be functionally extinct in 30 years. This is the story of how US supermarkets are unwittingly helping to kill New Zealand's most endangered bird. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 16, 202127 minSeason 1Ep. 22

Why has James Bond never been to New Zealand?

In 60 years of saving the world, 007 has visited more than 50 countries but never been to New Zealand. Why not? Despite our natural beauty and burgeoning film industry, is Aotearoa too bland for Bond? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 08, 202119 minSeason 1Ep. 21

Love Under Fire

The untold story of Major David Foote – the New Zealand army nurse who wrote a goodbye letter to his daughter, then risked his life to save others in Afghanistan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 01, 202127 minSeason 1Ep. 20

The Mystery of Mrs Muir

When two historians set out to learn more about the first coach of the Silver Ferns, they did't even know her first name. Their journey took them from the netball courts of Wellington to the Central Otago goldfields, revealing a story of immigrant labour, poverty and marginalisation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 24, 202141 minSeason 1Ep. 19

The Whaanga Sisters

Three sisters, Mei, Charmaine and Francess Whaanga, were children when their whānau moved from the East Coast to the city. Now in their 60s, they, like so many children of the great Māori urban migration, are without homes of their own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 17, 202139 minSeason 1Ep. 18