Greg Dixon’s Another Kind of Politics: Te Pāti Māori planning hīkoi against itself

Greg Dixon runs a satirical eye over the week in local and international politics.

Chris Slane’s political cartoon of the week

Chris Slane on the week in New Zealand politics.

PM Christopher Luxon seemingly transmutes political gold into sh*t

PM seemingly fluffs the coalition’s beneficiary-bashing surefire vote winner.

Pike River director on Jacinda Ardern cameo and why he wants Brooke van Velden to see his film

The filmmaker on his approach to his third feature about real-life NZ tragedies.

Jane Clifton: Wicked weeds and four-legged menaces added to list of threats facing Europe

A German city with a raccoon epidemic runs out of options while foxes are in the dog box.

Severe distress must be proven for the law against harmful communications to kick in

Courts are actively rebalancing against political use of the act.

Aaron Smale: NZ media’s ageing audience encourages a feedback loop of bias

Focusing on a Pākehā baby boomer audiences creates a narrow, biased view of Aotearoa.

Russell Brown: Welcome to the cannabis club

Cannabis clubs get a plug at Cannaposium as the Misuse of Drugs Act turns 50.

All at sea: NZ is dragging the chain on High Seas Treaty ratification

More than 70 countries have now ratified the treaty, but NZ is not one of them.

Listener Weekly Quiz: October 15

Test your general knowledge with the Listener’s weekly quiz.

At 15, Sammie Maxwell got treatment for anorexia. She’s just won the mountain bike world cup title.

Mountain biker Sammie Maxwell on her fight to ride.

NZ’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer Ep 5: Overall value drop as show turns to (slightly) more humble abodes in Matakana, Coromandel and Waikato

The next batch of multi-million dollar homes from the fifth episode.

Fibremaxxing is trending on social media, so what is it and should you try it?

Fibre is fabulous and most of us need more of it but this wellness trend could be too much

Groundbreaking treatments offer new hope to those with Huntington’s disease

Efforts to slow progression & repair damage of ruthless neurological disease show promise.

Elusive cures: An extract from scientist Nicole Rust’s book on new thinking on brain diseases

Scientist Nicole Rust on why it's time to change the way we think about brain diseases.

Why it’s time for new thinking on brain diseases

US neuroscientist Nicole Rust on the new approaches needed to tackle brain diseases.

The Good Life: The latest natural disaster to unfold at Lush Places

A gum tree that spoilt the tranquillity of Lush Places gets its comedownance.

Two decadent & guilt-free recipes from Chelsea Winter's new cookbook

Indulge in Chelsea Winter's sweet treats with two recipes from her new cookbook, Nourish.

Bumper Weekend Wine Guide: Top picks to transport you straight to the vineyard

Wine produced from a single vineyard can take you to the very terroir.

Creamed tripe with onions, giblet soup and sausage apples: Steve Braunias cooks the books

If you think joke books are a laugh, try old cookbooks.

What happens when your heart breaks? The NZ play that shows all

Theatre meets science in Heartbreak Hotel’s tale of love lost.

Political theatre: Helen Clark play makes its debut in ATC 2026 season

Auckland Theatre Company also staging Cabaret, Macbeth and Ruth Bader Ginsburg play.

The opera that offended Stalin gets a makeover for Wellington performance

Marc Taddei cuts Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth down to size for Wellington audiences.

Chris Knox: His singular voice lives on in revelatory new biography

How writer Craig Robertson captured the cult figure's haphazard artistic life.

Listener’s October Viewing Guide: The Diplomat goes full West Wing, Inspector Lynley returns, and the puzzling The Iris Affair

Updated weekly: What's new on television with links to all the best shows.

Scarlett Johansson’s directing debut has nonagenarian fibbing about a touchy topic

Johansson does a spirited take on growing older but a touchy subject may divide opinions.

Luther creator Neil Cross talks new tv thriller The Iris Affair, and life in Khandallah

The Wellington-based UK screenwriter on his new AI-meets-Hitchcock series.

Dwayne Johnson delivers a knock-out in The Smashing Machine

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson adds to repertoire with powerful performance in gritty biopic.

From mythical Māori beasts to a universal city, a fresh roundup of top children’s books

The latest and greatest additions to the kids' shelves.

Book of the Day: Beyond The Reef by Graeme Lay

Kiwi stories feature characters born of words and deeds.

Book of the Day: Moderation by Elaine Castillo

Moderation’s goings-on in the life of VR games controller leaves the reader wanting more.

Author Elspeth Sandys on mad mothers, philandering husbands and what cheerful people might be covering up

It’s no surprise challenging characters inspire Elspeth Sandys. They have filled her life.

How the insanity defence fell apart: Steve Braunias on the trial of Jasmine (Hakyung) Lee

Part II on the trial of a mum who killed her children and hid their bodies in suitcases.

A twist in the tale: Steve Braunias on the trial of the mum who killed her children and hid their bodies in suitcases

The courtroom realisation that changed everything: "I have never seen anything like it."

Steve Braunias on the latest Scott Watson case decision: ‘Smug complacency and stupid intransigence’

A response to the Court of Appeal's decision not to quash Scott Watson's convictions.

Alone and vulnerable: Steve Braunias on the murder of a lone security guard

The violent and senseless death is raising questions about the security industry.

Foreign minister Winston Peters called on to acknowledge NZ’s role in cover up of 1975 Balibo five murders

Cold-blooded murders of five newsmen, including Kiwi Gary Cunningham, remembered.

Unidentified drones in European skies stoke “hybrid war” fears

No matter where the drones come from they’re making Europe’s citizens nervous.

Jonathan Kronstadt: Do we deserve democracy if we doubt the vaccines that saved us?

There’s no vaccine for viral weirdness in the United States.

Jane Clifton: Mamma Mia! Swedish supergroup Abba misses out on ‘national treasure’ status

Want to start a national debate? Start by drawing up a cultural-canon list.

This Titirangi home was transformed into a functional family home

A mid-century Auckland home is reconfigured to make it more functional for a young family

This contemporary Redcliffs home maximises its view of the estuary

A home on a Christchurch estuary provides its owner with an outlook that’s always changing

10 things we learnt from listener.co.nz stories this week

Peacekeeping, population and why cannabis could cure insomnia.

10 things we learnt from listener.co.nz stories this week

The former PM who helped solve a violent crime to 11 words to say before you die.