Nights for Wednesday 4 March 2026

8:10 Iran and its effect on international sport 

Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.

In fewer than one hundred days' time, the New Zealand football team is expected to be playing Iran, in the United States, for the FIFA World Cup.

Jacob Spoonley is a former New Zealand football player, and General Manager of the New Zealand Professional Footballers' Association.

Rob Nichol is the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association.

They speak to Emile Donovan.

8:25 The House

Tonight on our Parliament show - The House – Louis Collins pops his head into a select committee meeting with the Public Service Commission where they discussed with MPs their long-term insights briefing on Public Service integrity.

8:30 Midweek Mediawatch

Colin Peacock joins Emile Donovan to debrief the week in media news.

Tonight, how the media handled the breaking news of the strikes on Iran, claims of editorial interference at TVNZ and some interesting editorial changes at the NZ Herald publisher NZME. 

9:06 Nights Riddle

Tune in throughout the night for a series of riddle clues.

Be the first to text in the right answer and win a Nights mug.

Text 2101 or email nights@rnz.co.nz

Clue# 1

I am confusing. I straddle several worlds, upending expectations in each of them. I am an extremely sharp dresser, black tie - though a bit one-note. The king of the jungle who scraped a pass gives me nightmares.

Clue# 2

I am a king, a noble, and a villain. I am incongruous - like a deaf composer, a blind sculptor. In the 1990s the Swiss took earth and gave me life on screen - though my actions spoke louder than my words.

Clue# 3

I’ve hung out with Michael Keaton and Robert Pattinson, but not the others - they went for different rogues in the gallery. The further south you go, the more likely to spot me - in New Zealand, as on the planet. My diet is extremely high in omega 3

Answer: Penguin

 

9:10 How do you find out what's happening in your community?

A decade or two ago it might have been your local paper, but statistically, it's probably not there anymore.

Richard Sutherland is a former news boss here at RNZ, and he's been thinking about the paucity of information, and attention on local projects funded by ratepayers. 

He joins Nights from Estonia, although this story concerns the Point Chevalier library, in Auckland.

9:25 Julia de Bres on the use of 'you know' in conversation

Nights' resident sociolinguist, associate professor at Massey University Julia de Bres joins Emile Donovan.

Tonight she is tackling one of RNZ listeners' biggest bugbears, the use of 'you know' in conversation. 

9:35 European correspondent Christian Smith

Christian Smith dials in from London with news from the other side of the world.

Tonight, Europe’s reaction to war in the Middle East, the UK’s Home Secretary proceeds with immigration crackdowns in the UK, and a new Picasso exhibition is breaking down religious and civil war divisions in Spain.

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

On The Detail - Central Otago is sitting on a gold mine that may be worth billions, but the decision of whether to dig has tensions simmering

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10:45 The Reading: Mr Allbones' Ferrets​ Episode 3

A young man out poaching.  A beautiful maiden in a mysterious house. A perilous journey to distant islands.  All ingredients of a highly coloured Victorian romance are played out in the context of the great colonial experiment.

Tonight, episode three of Mr Allbones' Ferrets by Fiona Farrell - read by the late Michele Amas 

11:07 The History of Student Radio 

A five-part journey through 50 years of student radio - the stars and bands who got their breaks, the politics, the music, the piracy and the 'No. 8 wire', sink or swim mentality.

In Part One: From the humble home-made AM transmitters, illegally manned by tech-nerds on islands around Auckland for limited weeks of the university term, campus radio stations rapidly evolved into a beacon for music-lovers, on-air talkers and people who never finished their degrees.  

We talk to some of the characters who set the template for student radio in New Zealand, breaking rules, records, and radio transmitters.