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 New Zealanders and the genocide

As New Zealand struggled with race relations at home in the late 19th century, some of its citizens were participating in a genocide overseas. Among the most damning accounts of the genocide surviving today come from reports published in New Zealand newspapers. They indicate other New Zealanders were involved in squads that hunted Selk’nam (one of the indigenous peoples of Tierra Del Fuego) capturing them for relocation to a concentration camp, and, in some cases, killing them. Need more great p...

Oct 06, 202331 min

A prickly problem

Should Hedgehogs be treated as pests or pets? To some, they’re seen as pests and even worse than rats to our native species but to others, they are much loved, protected, and a cute surprise in the garden. This story first appeared in print in The Sunday Star Times. To avoid missing any of our great reads, subscribe at www.thepost.co.nz/subscribe. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS W...

Sep 29, 202318 min

It's part of the game

UFC mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya is many things: champion fighter, fashion plate, a particular version of modern masculinity. Adam Dudding sat down with him ahead of the release of Stylebender a new feature-length film about him which aims to show all the different facets of Adesanya, in and out of the ring. This story first appeared in print in Sunday magazine and online at https://www.thepost.co.nz/culture/350077646/israel-adesanya-ufcs-stylebender-about-become-movie-star. To avoid mis...

Sep 23, 202320 min

Blind Ambition

Minnie Baragwanath was diagnosed with a degenerative disease at age 15 which left her legally blind. This story discusses how facing her own challenges drives her to change how we think about disability. This story was made possible by subscribers to The Post. If you want to support more beautifully-told New Zealand stories go to thepost.co.nz Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Writt...

Sep 16, 202316 min

Forsaken

No one really knows how many people in New Zealand have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. In its Disordered project, the Stuff Circuit team laid bare our chronic mismanagement of the disability. Co-author Paul Penfold reads their lead written investigation. To watch and read the full Disordered project, click here. WARNING: This episode contains strong language Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected]...

Sep 08, 202347 min

Peak Barber

How chemical weapons, economic theory and the internet combined to squeeze ten barbershops into one Auckland suburb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 04, 202335 min

Aotearoa's only indigenous dog

With prices running to thousands and scientists set to study their DNA, some say the huntaway dog – and its contribution to New Zealand – still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Read this story and more like it on our masthead sites: Waikato Times, The Press, The Post Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Virginia Fallon Produced and read by Jen Black Audio editing by ...

Sep 01, 202314 min

The mystery of the Berserk expedition

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. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Lee Kenny Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing by John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

Aug 28, 202343 min

The One He Never Forgot

On the face of it, Sergeant Alastair Dickie had an easy choice to make: attend a suspected armed incident or process a disqualified driver sitting in front of him? But as Nadine Roberts found out, it’s never that simple, especially when the disqualified driver goes on to commit a brutal crime just hours later. WARNING: This podcast contains graphic content, strong language, and references to sexual assault. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's f...

Aug 25, 202330 min

The Hoarder's Treasure

For decades, a rundown house in Christchurch secretly harboured one of New Zealand’s greatest literary treasures. This is the story of the reclusive hoarder who hid it, the woman who wrote it, and the man who rediscovered it. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Michael Wright Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. ...

Aug 21, 202340 min

In her mind - The trial of Lauren Dickason

On Wednesday 16th August, the jury of eight women and four men reached a majority verdict, that Dickason was guilty on all three counts of murder. Over the four-week trial, the jury had to decide whether Dickason was or was not criminally responsible for killing her three children at their home in Timaru on the 16th of September 2021. WARNING: This podcast covers issues that may be distressing for some, including mental health, suicidal thoughts, and the death of young children. For free help, t...

Aug 18, 202346 min

A Solitary Murder

In 1927, 82-year-old André Jose was bludgeoned to death in a Stewart Island boarding house. His death is the only known homicide on the island. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Hamish McNeilly Read by Dominic Harris Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 202319 min

The wonderful world of pedigree guinea pigs

Welcome to a world where the best bodies look like bricks and $35 buys you the chance of a championship. At a Porirua guinea pig show, Virginia Fallon meets the people who know good things really do come in small packages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 11, 202315 min

The Kiwi Indiana Jones who fought Nazis and hunted for treasure

Cool under fire, Kiwi Sergeant Edgar "Sandy" Sanders was known for his wartime heroics as part of a clandestine British army unit, The Long Range Desert Group. The unit operated in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and their hit-and-run tactics made them a formidable fighting force. But after the war, Sanders continued his daring exploits, this time sailing the Pacific for the fabled Treasure of Lima. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 07, 202321 min

The bird park, the conspiracy, and the council

Murray and Margaret Shaw retired and started a small bird park, but not before becoming embroiled in a sprawling saga involving a late-night arrest, an early-morning raid, and a music festival called Birdstock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 04, 202325 min

The Short Game

What drives someone to make competitive mini-golf their mission? Well, something does .. and it's something Stuff's National Correspondent Steve Kilgallon investigated. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Steve Kilgallon Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 31, 202335 min

The Last Person Standing

One had broken ribs and two years of heartbreak to overcome. The other had been a national celebrity but never faced anything like this before. Now they were running against each other, to the death. Stuff’s Mike White and Lawrence Smith recorded the drama of the Riverhead Backyard ReLaps Ultra, the race that keeps on going until only one person is left standing. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at thelongread@stuff...

Jul 28, 202319 min

The Price of Fish

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Jul 24, 202329 min

Fixing Lucy

At the top of her sport and destined to row for New Zealand at the Olympic Games, Lucy Strack suddenly forgot how to scull. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Philippa Tolley Produced by Michael Wright Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 21, 202343 min

The Heist

As detectives set about looking for an international crime syndicate, two local lads were crumpling their crisp new bank notes to avoid suspicion. More than 50 years on, Chloe Ranford discovers some of the money was never recovered. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Jul 17, 202332 min

Kicking and Screaming

Reinventing yourself after quitting your dream job can be pretty painful. Just ask All Black great Dan Carter - which is what Adam Dudding did. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 14, 202319 min

Big Brother is Watching (and Listening)

How much are we being watched? Or is it all in our imagination? With the increase in CCTV and smart ware, from phones to fridges, the feeling is we are all increasingly being tracked. But is the increase in surveillance more a result of ‘mission creep’ as businesses and government agencies expand their brief, than an overarching conspiracy? You can read Richard's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at thelon...

Jul 10, 202332 min

The double-lives of Corallee Collins-Annan

A book deal, a possible Netflix documentary and a tale of success in the face of adversity, was the life painted on social media by wannabe New Zealand lawyer Corallee Collins-Anan. In a tale that mirrors a Walter Mitty creation or a version of Inventing Anna, the reality seemed to be deceit, missing money and academic failings. In this episode of The Long Read, Steve Kilgallon sets out the life Collins-Anan painted for herself verses real life. You can read Steve's story here Need more great po...

Jul 07, 202325 min

Too Bland for Bond

Beautiful scenery good enough for Lord of The Rings, so why has 007 - James Bond - never been to New Zealand? In this episode from the archives of The Long Read, Lee Kenny charts this country's connections with Bond and the reasons why we may just be too far away. You can read Lee's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Lee Kenny Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio edit...

Jul 03, 202322 min

Duckie, Drakie and a bizarre legal saga

It started off with two pekin ducks living contentedly on a pond in Southland. But a dog attack later and the fate of Duckie and Drakie has sparked a five year court saga that has made legal history. You can read Martin's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Martin Van Beynen Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Jun 30, 202327 min

The Electric Lake

How a shallow lake nestled high in the Central Otago hill country could electrify the country and serve as the biggest public infrastructure project in nearly half a century. You can read Charlie's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 202344 min

Lessons from Antarctica on how to get through winter

While the dark days of New Zealand’s winters don’t hold a candle to Antarctica’s, there’s no doubt they can still affect our physical and mental health. So what can we learn from the experts - people who spend six months of the year in darkness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 23, 202321 min

The Great Kea Cull

It's hard to believe, but there used to be a bountry on the beak of every kea. They were accused to attacking sheep and hunters killed about 150,00 in a hundred years of slaughter. In this episode from the archives of The Long Read Charlie O'Mannin sets out the how kea have gone from being regarded as the enemy to the focus of consevation. You can read Charlie's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at thelong...

Jun 19, 202331 min

Hope and the Loafers Lodge Fire

One month on from the Loafers Lodge fire, the man who jumped to safety rather than burn, tells Nikki Macdonald he’s been given “a fighting chance to get the life I never had”. But he wonders why it took a fatal fire for people to care. You can read Nikki's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Nikki Macdonald Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Lear...

Jun 16, 202324 min

Did his partner try to kill him?

Stephen Lewis trusted and cared about his partner, Dr Shelagh Dawson. It never occurred to him that she could be secretly trying to kill him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 09, 202328 min