The Detail
The news, explained. Join Sharon Brettkelly & Emile Donovan every weekday as they make sense of the big stories with the country’s best journalists and experts. Made possible by RNZ & NZ On Air.

Navigation for The Detail
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Making the Covid message clear
Someone broke the rules to put Auckland in Level 3 and there has been a clamour for punishment. But the situation isn't black and white. Is our covid messaging still appropriate? Read more Audio
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Lockdown is tough going for the lonely
4 Mar 2021Being locked down also means for many people being locked out of meaningful face to face interactions - for them, Level 3 is a tense and frustrating time. Read more Audio
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All the stars in the sky are not stars
3 Mar 2021Elon Musk's Starlink satellites are a wondrous sight - and also a slightly disturbing one. How many foreign objects can we fit into the night sky before they start crashing into each other? Read more Audio
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Bye Bye babies - what our declining birth rate means for NZ
2 Mar 2021New Zealand's plummeting birth rate means we have some serious planning to do. Read more Audio
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A delicious sounding offer - but is My Food Bag really that tempting?
The My Food Bag IPO this week looks like a mouth watering offer - but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Read more Audio
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The young kiwi who charmed the rich and famous then disappeared
The story of young West Coast entrepreneur Jake Millar is an extraordinary one of tragedy, success, money, the high life, and now, a disappearance. Read more Audio
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Pacific pact torn apart by infighting over leadership
The Pacific Islands Forum is facing unprecedented disruption at a time when it's arguably needed the most, to present a united front on issues such as Covid and climate change. Read more Audio
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Having a rare disorder isn't rare - but it is frustrating
24 Feb 2021For those kiwis with rare disorders, it's a battle against the health system to get treatment. Read more Audio
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The future of planning - reforming the RMA
23 Feb 2021After 30 years the Resource Management Act - the unwieldy, development-stopping, strangely inadequate environmental legislation - is being reformed. Read more Audio
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NZ rugby and big money
Why would a massive international investment firm want a stake in New Zealand's national game? And what could change if a deal with Silver Lake goes ahead? Read more Audio
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Fighting with your best mate - the Oz/NZ disagreement
Australia and New Zealand are supposedly cultural cousins, but this latest rift - over the return of a woman labelled a terrorist - shows we are drifting further and further apart. Read more Audio
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NZ sport's bullying problem
18 Feb 2021Reviews, resignations, recriminations - New Zealand sport is rife with bullying accusations, particularly against women and girls. What's being done to change the landscape? Read more Audio
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What happens when a positive Covid test rings alarm bells
17 Feb 2021What happens between the time when a lab worker finds a positive Covid-19 test in the community, and the Prime Minister announces another lockdown? Read more Audio
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Falling down at school - our educational gaps
16 Feb 2021New Zealand's school kids are failing at maths - and other subjects too. What are we doing about addressing our educational gaps? Read more Audio
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The fight to keep Infratil in NZ
15 Feb 2021New Zealand sharemarket darling Infratil is in danger of being lost offshore, to Australia's superfund. But is the company too important to lose? Read more Audio
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Top Polyfest school pulls out over covid uncertainty
Polyfest is the largest Pasifika dance festival in the world. But it takes huge amounts of time and money to prepare for it, and after two years of disruption, parents and schools are thinking twice… Read more Audio
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Waitangi, women and speaking - it's complicated
11 Feb 2021The debate about women speaking on the marae at Waitangi has lasted for years. There are customary rules, but it appears they are about to change. Read more Audio
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Sailing, spending and closed borders - our America's Cup
Taxpayers and ratepayers have sunk millions into helping stage the America's Cup - then Covid hit and no one came to the party. Have we gained anything for our outlay? Read more Audio
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Genocide and trade - the cost of having China as a friend
New Zealand walks a trading tightrope with China - but by failing to bring up human rights issues, are we selling our souls for $32 billion a year? Read more Audio
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The path of a pandemic - what's next?
An economist and analyst who plotted the path of the new Covid virus - and gave the government an early head's up - talks about how it unfolded and what's likely to happen next. Read more Audio
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Australia's showdown with Google and Facebook
Google and Facebook are in a showdown with Australian lawmakers over payment for using the work of others. The world is keenly watching to see what will happen. Read more Audio
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Ready for change - our climate obligations
3 Feb 2021Are New Zealanders ready to take the bus? Give up their gas hobs? Plant more trees? If we're going to meet our international obligations, we'll have to be. Read more Audio
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The complex roll-out of Covid vaccinations
New Zealand must wait its turn for Covid-19 vaccinations - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Read more Audio
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Sewage and seawater - what's happening at Auckland's beaches?
1 Feb 2021When Auckland's Safeswim website lit up red after a downpour, residents were horrified. But are the city's beaches really a no go-zone, or are we being over-informed? Read more Audio
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It's been ... an interesting year
18 Dec 2020Wrapping up our year, with The Detail. Read more Audio
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Wine and power lines - a Marlborough tale
The saga of Marlborough Lines and Yealands Wine involves legal action, a raid, secrets, lies, falsified documents, and millions in community money. This is what happened. Read more Audio
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Howzat?!? NZ Cricket is in good shape
16 Dec 2020New Zealand cricket is in good shape, sharing the top of the honours board with Australia. But is it deserved? Read more Audio
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How our eating habits changed over and after lockdown
Covid lockdown changed our food habits - but possibly not in the way you think. Read more Audio
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Our housing crisis - the result of planning for 10 years ago
We ARE in a housing crisis - and there are plenty of reasons for it. It's time for authorities to stop planning for 10 years ago and start looking forward. Read more Audio
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Burial rites are expanding to fit our shrinking world
11 Dec 2020The earth's short of space and that's affecting our customary expectations of how we bury our dead. Read more Audio
The Detail is produced for RNZ by Newsroom
The Detail
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