The Detail

Join The Detail team six days a week as they make sense of the big stories with the country’s best journalists and experts.

A Newsroom production for RNZ, supported by NZ On Air

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Monday - Saturday at 4.30am, encore on weeknights at 10.15pm on RNZ National

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Iran, Israel, and 'the great Satan'

A week after the US and Israel struck Iran, The Detail looks at what really led to the war, how Tehran hit back, and the political storm brewing at home
A man makes his way through debris littering a street following airstrikes in central Tehran, on March 4, 2026. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on March 4, they had total control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy transit, as Israel launched a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital. (Photo by AFP)

Why Air NZ is in the red while rivals soar

Our national carrier is flying through turbulent skies, with grounded planes, global conflict, and growing criticism from politicians and passengers 
Flights were cancelled through Wellington airport due to wind gusts.

A gold mine, an Australia mining giant, and a community divided

Central Otago is sitting on a gold mine that may be worth billions, but the decision of whether to dig has tensions simmering
A visual simulation released by Santana Minerals showing what the mine would look like from Māori Point Road, Tarras.

How supercritical geothermal energy could change our future 

With LNG on the way, The Detail looks at two possible fuel alternatives that could deal to New Zealand's reliance on gas and coa
Rotokawa Geothermal Power Station. Photo: Mercury

Net fishing is in, then out again

The Hauraki Gulf is back in the spotlight as National backflips on their own fisheries policy, leaving the commercial fishing industry sweating - and confused
A ring net fishing boat in Northland. Photo: Seafood NZ 

The longevity obsession

Bio-hackers are looking for the answers to stretching out their lives as long as possible, but research says there's a biological end point for our bodies
Bryan Johnson and his son.

A home for granny, a headache for the homeowner

Rule changes for putting a granny flat on your section cut very little red tape, but move questions of liability from councils to homeowners
Table and chairs on the terrace of a flat in summer.

All stick, no carrot with move-on laws

The government's making city shop owners happy with its decisive move-on orders for homeless people, but there are doubts they'll achieve anything
Homelessness Bin the Ban letter for parliment

Citizens arrests, armed guards, and the power of Sunny Kaushal

For the past decade, Sunny Kaushal has been a man on a mission to crack down on retail crime, and he's one step closer to getting his way
Sunny Kaushal

The arrest heard around the world

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's dramatic arrest is the first of its kind for the royal family in nearly 400 years, and has shaken the House of Windsor
This general view shows a sign for a street originally named after Britain's former prince Andrew, with the title of "prince" blackened out, along a road in the town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim in Northern Ireland on November 25, 2025. A Northern Irish council has voted to rename a street in the town of Carrickfergus called after Britain's disgraced former Prince Andrew after now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. (Photo by Paul Faith / AFP)

Barker's of Geraldine in a jam over waste

The Canterbury preserves company wants to spray wastewater - which contains cleaning chemicals - onto a neighbouring DOC reserve. It's a stark difference to the way the company deals with wastewater at its French plant.
The Hae Hae Te Moana river, DOC conservation land, Barker's in the background

The great Australian rivalry, in New Zealand

Between State of Origin coming to Auckland and rule changes allowing Kiwis to play, NRL strengthens its foothold on a New Zealand audience
Blues' Zac Lomax (R) and Maroons' Kalyn Ponga contest a high-ball during game two of the men's State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and New South Wales Blues at Optus Stadium in Perth on June 18, 2025. (Photo by COLIN MURTY / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

A state of emergency, again and again and again

After another wild week of weather, The Detail looks at the surge in declarations of states of emergency, and whether we risk 'crying wolf'
A ute is submerged at Robert Prescott's home on Phillips Road in Ōtorohanga - 14 February 2026

Reality bites for Kiwi job seekers as unemployment climbs

Unemployment is at its highest level in more than a decade, but one expert offers a silver lining, saying that could actually be a sign of early economic growth
Jobseeker support. Benefit. Beneficiaries. Work and Income.

The wine industry headache

Too many grapes, international headwinds and a dramatic drop in drinkers is proving problematic for our wine producers
Two Paddocks' Red Bank Vineyard in the Earnscleugh Valley

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