Greg Dixon’s Another Kind of Politics: My wild political predictions for 2026

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

Danyl McLauchlan: Between austerity and orthodoxy, NZ’s left goes quiet

A stoush between competing economic theories is doing little to help balance NZ's books.

Chris Slane’s cartoon of the week

Chris Slane returns for 2026, sharing his perspective on politics.

The Listener 2025 collection: Our most popular stories on politics and the politics of modern life

Ten feature stories which reflect the politics of life in NZ today.

The Good life: Summer, in short, has deserted us

When the rain falls, out come the baby photos.

Duncan Garner: I’ve got a life sentence – but it’s one I am happy to serve

Owning land humbles you; it strips away the illusion that you’re in control.

An effective drug and alcohol treatment programme is being misrepresented and underfunded

It's time politicians stop pretending to be tough on crime and back programmes that work.

Russell Brown: With the world burning, New Years Day seems like a long time ago

Getting tickets for Ladi6’s New Year’s Eve House Party was the right call.

Where there's a wool: Corporate high-flyer becomes big player on sock market

Tim Deane's late start to the business hasn't held him back from making wool cool again.

We’re in this new era of kākāpō conservation: What a boom breeding season will mean for our native parrot

The kākāpō is on track for an excellent breeding season.

Listener weekly quiz: January 21

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

The other side of family harm: Child to parent violence - when kids strike out

Parents of children who turn violent have nowhere to turn under a system in denial.

Smoking foods can raise cancer risks but there are ways to snuff out most ill effects

Although smoked food isn't a health food, neither is it a villain.

Are ultra-processed soft foods stopping your mouth from getting a workout?

Our mouths play an essential role in digestion, but UPFs are making it too easy for them.

Hope is at hand for women suffering from a common post-menopausal symptom

Gone are the days when people didn't talk about menopause, but one change remains taboo.

A whole lot of pain: Why 135,000 Kiwis are still living with untreated gout

Gout is a serious form of arthritis yet stigma around it stops sufferers from getting help

Duncan Garner: I’ve got a life sentence – but it’s one I am happy to serve

Owning land humbles you; it strips away the illusion that you’re in control.

Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt: Donna Hay returns with coastal Australian home cooking

Ravenous appetites will appreciate Hay's twist on a classic garlic bread and tiramisu.

Weekend wine guide: Dancing Water’s new lease on life

The North Canterbury winery's rare vines date back to the 1980s.

The Good Life: Hazards of country life

A New Year's Honours snub and musings on being a tradwife is the latest at Lush Places.

The former refugee performing for change - and pulling the strings for Roma

Rašid Nikolić grew up in a camp for nomads & spends his time advocating for Roma people.

Beyond Dodi: The Crown star Khalid Abdalla on acting, activism, politics and performance

Theatre maker Khalid Abdalla on finding optimism in the face of crisis.

Your A-Z guide to NZ’s year in culture: The festivals, explosive exhibitions and x-rated shows you need to see

The best in live music, theatre, opera and dance coming this way in 2026.

Strings detached: Kiwi classical guitarist’s electronic pluck

Matthew Marshall: "The world does not need another guitarist who can play Spanish music.”

With so many new films & series based on novels, book lovers must consider this vital question

From classics to sci-fi romps & rom-coms, 2026 is bursting with book-to-film adaptations.

The Martian’s Andy Weir on writing another novel that Hollywood had to have

After The Martian, Hollywood called early on Andy Weir's latest sci-fi hit.

A dazzling homage to the French New Wave from the director of Boyhood

Richard Linklater's film about the making of Breathless is as stylish as its subject.

Oscar nominee Wagner Moura on his path from Escobar to superstar

His Brazilian thriller is also nominated for Best Picture and International Feature.

With so many new films & series based on novels, book lovers must consider this vital question

From classics to sci-fi romps & rom-coms, 2026 is bursting with book-to-film adaptations.

The Martian’s Andy Weir on writing another novel that Hollywood had to have

After The Martian, Hollywood called early on Andy Weir's latest sci-fi hit.

Top 10 bestselling NZ books: January 24

Can anything shake these books from the top 10?

Book of the day: The Eagle and the Hart - The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV

Rivalry between two cousins who would be kings reads like a real-life Game of Thrones.

Milk, Madness and Mayhem: The Ruahine Triple Axe Murders

Was it an act of temporary, alcohol-induced madness? Or plain bloody murder?

The Listener 2025 collection: Our most popular crime writing

From contemporary court cases to historic murders, 2025's best read crime stories.

Steve Braunias on the sentencing of the mother responsible for the ‘suitcase murders’

Mercy for Hakyung Lee was bartered for at sentencing.

Foreigner, bigamist, killer: The wild life and dubious conviction of a colonial double murderer

Faced with a double murder that rocked colonial NZ, police were quick to find a suspect.

Trump and Greenland: Liberal democracies need to wake up and smell the gunpowder

What is Europe's role in this new, brutish era?

2025, the UK’s warmest year on record, brings a sense of climate displacement

Between New Zealand and the UK, where would you rather be?

Through the lens: 2025 remembered in pictures

Images from a year in which havoc ensued but we still found light relief.

Pauline Hanson’s resurgence is an indication of deeper threats in Australia

Pauline Hanson continues to cash in on anti-migrant and anti-net-zero populism.

Last chance to subscribe to listener.co.nz in our Black Friday special

Special Black Friday offer

See the world anew when science, art and nature converge in Te Papa’s Breathe | Mauri Ora

Te Papa’s new experience is at the cutting edge of technology and immersive art practice.

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