Nights for Tuesday 25 November 2025

8:10 Regional councillor, former Mayor on local government shake-up

A coalition proposal has pitched the biggest shake-up of local government in three decades.

Under the proposal, Mayors of city and district councils would take over the duties of regional councils.

The mayors would form 11 Combined Territories Boards (CTBs), which would meet regularly and would also be tasked with coming up with a "Regional Reorganisation Plan" for reorganising how their councils are structured in the long term.

Jono Naylor has been around all sides of the issue - a former National Party MP, former mayor of Palmerston North, and now serving his fourth term as councillor on the Horizons Regional Council.

He joins Emile Donovan.

8:20 Are solo drinkers a problem for bars?

A Manchester bar owner has caused a furore over his policy to ban solo drinkers to his bar after 9pm

The policy is in place at the cocktail and karaoke bar Alibi in Greater Manchester

The owner says it is over safety concerns should something happen to the solo drinker, and said people on their own can sometimes start mithering other groups.

Charles Gillet is bartender at The Last Word in Christchurch and took out the title of New Zealand 2025 Bartender of the Year at the NZ Spirit Awards.

He joins Emile Donovan for his thoughts on the issue.

8:30 The life and times of the small town of Herbertville 

Mediawatch's Colin Peacock recently spoke on RNZ Nights about the life and times of the small North Island town of Herbertville and the stoush involving the publican of the nearby Wimbledon Hotel, who has described the area and its locals in some fairly colourful terms.

That conversation followed on from an earlier chat host Emile Donovan had with former Mediawatch staffer Hayden Donnell last year

This whole exchange has now been immortalised in Nights listener and writer Simon Burt's book Route 52, which includes two chapters centred on Herbertville.

8:40 Shower Thoughts: Why do cats meow?

Have you ever been standing in the shower, when suddenly, the noise in your brain clears and, in its place, appears the perfect thought?

That's a Shower Thought. Each Tuesday, here on Nights we aim to answer those unshakable questions lurking in the back of your mind.

Tonight - Why do cats meow?

Molly Kelsey is The Cat Counsellor and she joins Emile Donovan to explain. 

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 What can we learn from Australia's cigarette black market to avoid the same fate?

Tobacco has never been more expensive mostly due to increased excise taxes.

Yet it seems easier than ever to buy on the black market.

Just last week, raids across Auckland led to the seizure of 1.5 million illicit cigarettes, which Customs estimates represent $2.2 million in evaded taxes.

Across the Tasman, estimates suggest around half of all cigarettes are now sourced from the black market.

So what did Australia do wrong and what New Zealand can do to avoid the same fate? 

International consultant Rohan Pike is a former Australian Federal Police officer and Customs and Border Force expert. He joins Emile Donovan.

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.

Follow this podcast

10:17 The Detail

Tonight on The Detail - Unions who won an employment case for four Uber drivers in three different courts could find the ruling short-lived, with the introduction of new legislation
 

Follow this podcast

10:45 The Reading

An eight-part adaptation of a memoir/autobiography describing how Tangaroa Walker turned his life around through farming - and how what he learned can help anyone succeed.

Jamie McCaskill has part six of Farm for Life by Tangaroa Walker.

11:07 Worlds of Music

Trevor Reekie hosts a weekly music programme celebrating an eclectic mix of trans global music, fusion and folk roots.