Nights

How prepared are we for solar storms?

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last night, stargazers were treated to a spectacular show as the Southern Lights lit up the skies in the south. Thanks in part to Dr Daniel MacManus f...

Europe correspondent Christian Smith

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe correspondent Christian Smith joins Emile Donovan for the latest on the BBC, a German court ruling against Open AI/Chat GPT for misusing musi...

The Prime Minister mulls asset sales

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Brunskill is interest.co.nz's political and economics reporter based in the parliamentary press gallery. He joins Emile to discuss.

The psychology behind The Celebrity Traitors

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Baumgardt is from the University of Bristol's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and is also a Traitors megafan. He joins Emile Donovan. ...

Shower Thoughts: What does a ghostwriter actually do?

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Margie Thomson discusses how she became a ghostwriter for musician Stan Walker, and mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan and what it all entails. ...

A blueprint for iwi-led housing in New Zealand?

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Vancouver, the Squamish Nation is building an apartment complex on its reserve land which will be home to at least 9,000 residents. Under Canadian ...

Booker Prize's 2025 winner's 'bare bones' prose

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ's executive editor of specialist news Jeremy Rees has read the shortlist. Is Flesh a worthy winner? 

Scathing report into upper echelons of NZ Police

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ political reporter Lillian Hanly joins Emile Donovan.

Chris Kohler: The journalist helping keep money in people's pockets

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He joins Emile Donovan to discuss his new book How They Get You, a guide to hanging on to your hard-earned cash and spotting the tricks designed to m...

BBC World Service Lookahead with Rob Hugh-Jones

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

BBC World Service reporter Rob Hugh-Jones drops by to take a look at events making international headlines.

Sports with Jamie Wall

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ's Jamie Wall joins with the latest sports, including the All Blacks' victory over Scotland. 

History with Emma Kay

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emma runs Small Histories of New Zealand, where she digs up curious stories, funny articles, and lost treasures from our past and shares them on socia...

When winning in court still costs you

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even after winning $200,000 in costs, Siouxsie Wiles' court case has left her $400,000 out of pocket. Is this fair? Barrister Steve Keall joins Emi...

Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review Dan Trachtenberg's 2022 Predator prequel Prey (Disney+), eight-part western-noir series ...

The Quiz Appendix: See how it runs

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Bonnie Harrison joins Emile Donovan to debrief the week in quizzes.

This Weekend: Robot Rampage

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Barker, organiser of Robot Rampage and part of the team behind End Game, New Zealand’s world champion combat robot, speaks to Emile Donovan.

New Zealand's top tertiary teacher

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 25 years as an automotive mechanic, Richard Hope transitioned into tertiary teaching in 2019. Since then, he has transformed his classroom into...

What's the secret behind IKEA's global success?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emile Donovan speaks to University of Otago consumer behaviour expert Professor Lisa McNeill.

Quakes: Can we predict when the 'big one' will hit?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's been about 2,600 since New Zealand's last large earthquake of magnitude six or more. Are we 'overdue'? Earthquake geologist Dr Rob Langridge joi...

The power of eye contact with Julia de Bres

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After nearly two years of chatting about language on the radio, Emile and Julia are meeting in person for the first time!

How concerned should we be about hornets arriving in New Zealand?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hornet-watcher Phil Lester is a professor of ecology and entomology at Victoria University of Wellington.

Why clear and easy-to-understand language matters

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The annual Plain Language Awards aim to fight back against that and highlight good examples of clear and easy-to-understand language. Founder Lynda H...

Science with Ezzy Pearson

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science correspondent Ezzy Pearson talks about orcas that have developed a new way of hunting sharks, why men need to exercise more to get the same h...

Should MPs be attending Taiwan celebrations?

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former MP Peter Dunne — who visited Taiwan several times as an MP — says New Zealand's Chinese ambassador has “lost the plot” in warning MPs...

The New Zealand artist creating 'risky' playgrounds

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand-born, Australia-based artist Mike Hewson creates playgrounds that, at first glance, look more like construction sites than places to play....

Shower Thoughts: How do you write an obituary?

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Rees is the executive editor of specialist news at RNZ and a former editor of the Weekend Herald, NZ Herald website, and the Herald's head ...

How frogs were used as medicine in the medieval age

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Greti Dinkova-Bruun is a Fellow and Library Director at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto, and has been looking into medieval ...

The hidden rise of organised crime networks in New Zealand and the Pacific

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the past seven years, the price of methamphetamine has dropped by 36 percent. In that same period, food prices have risen by about 37 percent. Wri...

90 years on, Monopoly remains a global obsession

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best-selling licensed board game of all time was released 90 years ago, and chances are there's a Monopoly set tucked somewhere in your home, read...

BBC World Service Lookahead with Rob Hugh Jones

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight he's looking at the United Nations' latest report on global emissions of greenhouse gases, the escalating conflict in Sudan and Hungarian Pri...

Sports with Richard Irvine

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With RNZ reporter Jamie Wall covering the All Blacks in Chicago, our sports correspondent tonight is sports writer and author of the weekly newslette...

Small Histories of New Zealand with Emma Kay

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight she's talking about New Zealand's history with Guy Fawkes.

Te Pāti Māori president demands MPs resign as party feud intensifies

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To give us some context around what's happening, Emile Donovan speaks to political editor at the NZ Herald, Thomas Coughlan. 

Out Lately with Finn Johansson

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He's back, and no doubt ready to inform, educate and entertain us with an array of eclectic music.

Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan for some Friday night reviews.  

M.C. Slave on new RNZ show

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Williams joins Emile Donovan to talk about The Logg Cabin.

This Weekend: Movie Marathon at the Hollywood Cinema

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Billie Rogers joins Emile Donovan.

How Halloween cobwebs make frighteningly good DNA collectors 

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

University of Waikato Senior Lecturer of Ecology, Biodiversity and Animal Behaviour Dr Ang McGaughran joins Emile Donovan.

Why do we love horror movies?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mathias Clasen, associate professor and director of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark is a horror researcher., and he joins Em...

What was behind the global Microsoft outage?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dev Singh from the University of Auckland's Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering school.joins Emile Donovan to explain.

Why Fonterra farmers voted to sell consumer business to French dairy giant

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Jones is an independent advisor in ag industry and joins Emile Donovan.

Inside the world of competitive pumpkin growing

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Elton-Walters from Giant Pumpkins NZ joins Emile Donovan.

The significance of the PM's meeting with Donald Trump

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Sachdeva is the national affairs editor at Newsroom dot co dot nz and is on the ground in Korea.

Outgoing police association president Chris Cahill reflects on tenure

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Detective Inspector Chris Cahill served as president of the New Zealand Police Association for nine years, from 2016 to 2025.

Kiwi team out to reclaim title in annual trans-Tasman​ sheep dog trials

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lloyd Smith has been competing in dog trials since the 1970s and joins Emile Donovan from his farm near Palmerston in Otago

The pros and cons of a social media ban for young people

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are joined by two experts who come down on different sides of the issue, clinical psychologist Dr Danielle Einstein and media lecturer Dr Alex Beat...

Shower Thoughts: How do you write a sermon?

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Reuben Munn has been a pastor for twenty years and joins Emile Donovan to explain.

What can New Zealand learn from the Irish arts benefit?

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny Dagg is a sociologist and researcher at Maynooth University in Ireland and wrote the cost-benefit analysis for the scheme. She joins Emile Donov...

European correspondent Christian Smith

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christian Smith joins Emile Donovan to discuss news making headlines in Europe.

How much is your flatmate’s love life costing you?

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Ed McKnight has crunched the numbers and built a calculator that can tell you.

What you need to know about Labour's capital gains tax

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tax expert Terry Baucher joins Emile Donovan.

Out Lately with Finn Johansson

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He's back, and no doubt ready to inform, educate and entertain us with an array of eclectic music

Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan with some viewing recommendations for your long weekend.

New book to focus on Southland's tragic and odd events

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The author is historian, columnist, and former Invercargill city councillor Lloyd Esler, who joins Emile Donovan.

The man behind the 'world's best' bar

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lorenzo Antinori from Bar Leone in Hong Kong joins Emile Donovan.

Rainbow's End iconic pirate ship returns

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Mudie is the Rainbow's End CEO and she joins Emile Donovan.

UK's former schools minister Sir Nick Gibb

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Nick Gibb oversaw a dramatic turnaround in England's school reading and maths performance during his tenure as schools minister through the rollba...

Philosophy Now: A cruel God?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, Dan takes on perhaps the ultimate question in Western philosophy: if God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-beneficent, how can there be s...

The case for home economics in school

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the proposed high school curriculum, home economics would cease to be a stand-alone subject and instead be taught within health. Home economics tea...

Weather update with reporter Lauren Crimp

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to RNZ journalist Lauren Crimp about the latest on the wild weather which hit much of the country today.

What can we learn from Lebron James' longevity

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is his secret? How has he stayed at the top for so long, Flinders University sports scientist Dr Dylan Hicks joins Emile Donovan to explain.

Science with Ezzy Pearson

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight, the 2025 Ig Nobel winners, does a mother eating garlic change the smell of their breast milk, and how physics can help cook the perfect pas...

Metservice on weather warnings and watches

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk to the Metservice for an update on the red weather warnings in place across the country for tomorrow.

Should we end school zoning?

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Grimshaw is a sociologist at the University of Canterbury and joins Emile Donovan to put the case.

Latest on the extreme weather

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ reporter Lauren Crimp joins us from Wellington.

Mazbou Q on spreading the joy of hip hop

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rapper, producer and educator joins Emile Donovan in our Auckland studio. 

Shower Thoughts: Could I survive being lost at sea? 

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest Alec Frydman is a carpenter in Laguna Beach, California and joins Emile Donovan to share how he survived for 13 days lost at sea.

Why we go bananas for bananas

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Roger Harker is a principal scientist at Plant and Food Research, and a banana enthusiast. He joins Emile Donovan.

Former FBI investigator on brazen Louvre​ jewel heist

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Carpenter is the former lead investigator of the FBI's Art Crime Team in the US and speaks to Emile Donovan from the States.

World News from the BBC 

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pete Ross looks at some of the events making international headlines.

The science of earworms

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some songs get stuck in our heads so easily?

Sports with Jamie Wall

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We recap the weekend in sport.

Small Histories of New Zealand with Emma Kay

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight she's chatting about letters to the editor sent by dogs.

Rubbish collection plan causes a stink

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some residents are not happy at a rubbish collection trial being proposed in parts of Auckland

Short-Cuts with Dan Slevin

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nights' resident screen critic joins Emile Donovan to review Black Phone 2 (2025), PIRAHNHA DD (2012) streaming for free on ThreeNow, and Kim's...

This Weekend: Bananagrams Bananza

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Run by The Open Fort for Auckland's Play Month, the tournament is part of Midtown Market happening across the CBD this weekend.

This Weekend: Celebrating 10 years of the Dunedin Tweed Ride

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dunedinites are being encouraged to don their finest tweeds and spring frocks for the 10th anniversary of Dunedin's Tweed Ride. Co-organiser Ruth Bar...

Most successful season on record for Otago toroa

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A total of 38 chicks have fledged from Pukekura/Taiaroa Head colony - the most on record. The Department of Conservation's Coastal Otago albatross ra...

The rise of 'Healthization'

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This phenomenon is the subject of a new book by social anthropologist Professor Susanna Trnka from the University of Auckland.

Who invented the mince and cheese pie?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Newsroom's Jonathan Milne has been investigating, and he joins Emile Donovan to answer this question and more. 

Myth Takes with Ben Jackson

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our monthly chat with classics educator and enthusiast Ben Jackson, we are meeting the ancient world's furry friends. 

What is more efficient - filling the kettle with cold water or hot water?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Richard Easther, from the University of Auckland joins Emile Donovan to explain.

Guyon Espiner reflects on Jim Bolger's years in politics

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The former prime minister died yesterday.

Explainer: The world of gemstones

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Kennedy is a Professor at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury. and joins Emile Donovan.

Twenty- five years of art from New Zealand indie music

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Low Hum's Ian Jorgensen joins Emile Donovan to talk about the project.

Big news from New Zealand's coolest sport

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand Men's curling team skipper, Anton Hood joins Nights.

The new Mayor in favour of rates rises

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mayor-elect Nandor Tanczos joins Emile Donovan.

New device set to reduce plastics pollution at beaches

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Each year, an estimated 4 million tonnes of plastic waste from urban and industrial centres ends up in marine environments. Rivers and waterways act l...

Shower Thoughts: What is life like without vision?

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Shepherd is part of Blind Low Vision New Zealand, where he works as the General Manager of Community and Inclusion. He joins Mark Leishman.

News from Europe

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our European correspondent Christian Smith joins Mark Leishman from London. 

Community book fair left with hefty bill

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John Driscoll is from the Rotary Club of Ashburton, he's one of the people behind the Bookarama, and he joins Mark Leishman.

Are our political leaders unlikable?

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Grant Duncan is a research associate with the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland, and he joins Mark Leishman.

New report recommends decriminalisation of illicit drugs

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Joe Boden joins Mark Leishman to discuss the issue.

BBC World News

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Hugh Jones from the BBC World Service joins Nights to take a look at some of the events making international headlines.

Sports with Jamie Wall

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RNZ's Jamie Wall joins us to take a look at the weekend that was in sport.

Dame Gaylene Preston on Pike River film

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The movie is having its New Zealand premier in Greymouth tonight.

Could compulsory voting be an answer to dismal turnout for Local Body Elections?

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Andy Asquith is a keen local politics watcher and governance scholar, a New Zealander but residing in Australia and he joins Mark Leishman.