Nights for Monday 7 July 2025

8:10 Why being an MP shouldn't be treated like any other job

When NZ First list MP Tanya Unkovich resigned from Parliament last month, she said she was leaving politics because she could make more of a difference in the private sector.

But do MPs have an obligation to the public to serve out their full terms? Should voters reasonably expect politicians to stay on until their three years are up before moving on?

Former MP and cabinet minister Peter Dunne thinks so. He says it shouldn’t be treated as just another job to add to the CV.

He speaks to Emile Donovan about why early resignations undermine our MMP system and what can be done to stop it.

8:25 Nights Listener: 'The day I met the Dalai Lama'

In 1992 his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited New Zealand for the first of his six trips, making stops in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Nelson. 

It was in Dunedin where Nights listener Dean met his holiness and got to spend an afternoon with him. 

Dean explains how the impromptu afternoon outing happened.

8:40 Sports with Jamie Wall

RNZ sports whiz Jamie Wall joins Emile Donovan to debrief the weekend of sport, including the All Blacks' narrow victory over the French in Dunedin and what the visiting rugby journalist thought about the southern city. 

8:40 BBC World Service with Jonathan Frewin

BBC World Service journalist Jonathan Frewin joins Emile Donovan to take a look at some of the events making headlines internationally including Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with US President Donald Trump, the 90-day pause on Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs that are set to expire this week and Poland setting up controls on its border with fellow EU member Germany.

9:05 Nights Quiz

Do you know your stuff? Come on the air and be grilled by Emile Donovan as he dons his quizmaster hat.

If you get an answer right, you move on to the next question. If you get it wrong, your time in the chair is up, and the next caller will be put through. The person with the most correct answers at the end of the run goes in the draw for a weekly prize.

9:25 The price of immortality

If you could buy your way to immortality, would you do it? 

It's a question most of us won't need to bother asking in our lives. Clinically designed potions, meticulous exercise regimens and cryonic treatments to extend your youth and lifespan are products targeted at the superrich. But these cultures have a way of trickling down. The so-called longevity market is worth $160 billion worldwide and 

Meanwhile, the pace of modern life expects you to live, and work, for longer. In the 1950s, the average Kiwi had a life expectancy of around 70. In the 21st century, that's blown out to 80.

Amy Errmann is a senior lecturer in marketing and international business at AUT and joins Emile Donovan to discuss how our desire to age better (or not at all) is fueling a hungry mega-market.

9:45 Pacific Waves

A daily current affairs programme that delves deeper into the major stories of the week, through a Pacific lens, and shines a light on issues affecting Pacific people wherever they are in the world. Hosted by Susana Suisuiki.

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10:17 The Detail: Rules and red tape holding back cannabis industry

New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to grow dope, but producing marketable medicinal cannabis is a regulatory nightmare. Davina Zimmer reports.

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10:45 The Reading

Tonight, the final episode of The Three Musketeers, adapted for radio.

11:07 Nashville Babylon

Every week on Nashville Babylon Mark Rogers presents the very best in country, soul and rock 'n' roll. 

On this week's show there's blues from BB King and Alberta Hunter, reggae courtesy of Desmond Dekker, classic Americana from the Willard Grant Conspiracy, a live RNZ session track from Don McGlashan and Anita Clark plus a birthday tune for the Band's Robbie Robertson.