Danyl McLauchlan on National’s latest poor polling results

The poor poll may reflect the government’s failure to hit most of its economic targets.

Chris Slane’s political cartoon of the week

Chris Slane's take on the week in politics.

Greg Dixon’s Another Kind of Politics: National MPs happy to let “awesome” Luxon keep up the great job

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

NZ Election Study data suggests voters, over time, are behaving more like reef fish

Even with a volatile voting history, uncommitted Kiwi's vote in sync according to mood.

Simon Wilson meets the Brit economist baffled by NZ’s lack of a wealth tax

Inequality activist Gary Stevenson lands on Auckland’s North Shore.

A grassroots approach is the solution to saving our native plant species

Weeds are overwhelming our native species. Can we stop the invasion before it's too late?

Duncan Garner: How much pain at the pump can we take - and are fuel companies making it worse?

Once again, Kiwi consumers are being taken on an expensive ride.

Steve Braunias visits the Hauraki Gulf’s snoozing cat

Braunias on his chance to step foot on Motukorea/Browns Island.

Climb every maunga: Steve Braunias continues his epic volcano adventure - and finds not all are accessible

Climbing the volcanic cones wasn't the greatest challenge. Finding them was.

Book of the day: Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis

Intelligent, affectionate tale of sisters’ lives as they intersect with turbulent times.

Widow’s peak: The fatal attraction of Taranaki Maunga

The Instagram symmetry of Taranaki Maunga is luring unwary climbers into trouble.

Listener weekly quiz: March 11

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

How improving breathing habits can help everything from ADHD to gut health

Learn how to be your own “breath detective” so you start to notice small things.

Many of us admit to delusional thinking: Could the rise of AI further fuel false beliefs?

Just under 1% of users interact with ChatGPT in ways consistent with mania or psychosis.

I didn’t sleep for years — and doctors missed the menopause link

Menopause gave Andrea Habacht insomnia so bad she thought she’d lose her life.

Law changes fail to address one of our most glaring mental health inequities

Community treatment orders are at odds with NZ’s international treaty obligations.

The Good Life: Lost letter mysteries

Could a reunion be on the cards thanks to mail received at Lush Places?

From coffee to commuting, AI can calculate how fast each habit is killing you

Greg Bruce runs the numbers: 'To say I was shocked by its analysis is an understatement.'

UK nutritionist Erica Rodriguez celebrates her love of wholefood cooking

Enjoy three vegetarian recipes from her debut cookbook Nourished Kitchen.

Weekend wine guide: Marlborough’s Astrolabe lives up to its name

Taste the spirit of adventure with Astrolabe's highly individual wines.

Grande dame of song steps back from heading NZ’s national choir

More than anyone, Karen Grylls has led the way in forging an NZ choral music identity.

Triumph of spirit: The dance masterpiece Gloria returns

For the first time since Douglas Wright's death, Gloria is being staged in Aotearoa.

Is the ballet lost or won?: Our reviewers’ verdicts on Macbeth, the RNZB’s epic new production

How did the ambitious new production fare with our coven of critics?

Opera director Daisy Evans on why she gave Bartók’s Judith dementia

A modern spin on Bartók’s famous opera may well generate a few tears.

Listener’s Songs of the week: Te reo anthem on Project Hail Mary soundtrack, Bruce Springsteen sings the Pogues, new ones by Tali, Amy Shark, Dave Grohl’s kid, and more

New and intriguing tracks picked by Listener music writers.

Austen’s plain Jane: Kiwi screenwriter on giving Pride & Prejudice’s wallflower Mary her own show

New series The Other Bennet Sister has an episode by We Were Dangerous scribe Maddie Dai.

Outstanding leads lift American Gothic riff on Mary Shelley

Fresh from starring in Hamnet, Jesse Buckley stuns again as Frankenstein's bride.

Madeleine Sami on being the new Paul Henry, her return to Deadloch and her crocodile co-stars

Before fronting The Traitors NZ, Sami goes troppo in second series of Oz cop comedy.

Book of the day: The Secrets of the Lost Vineyard by Erin Palmisano

Light-bodied, flavoursome novel with just enough zest to keep you drinking it in.

Austen’s plain Jane: Kiwi screenwriter on giving Pride & Prejudice’s wallflower Mary her own show

New series The Other Bennet Sister has an episode by We Were Dangerous scribe Maddie Dai.

Top 10 bestselling NZ books: March 14

Local fiction makes big impact on this week's top 10.

Book of the day: The Last Starborn Seer by Venetia Constantine

Purple prose and laborious worldbuilding mar this first fantasy tale in a promised series.

Cop-turned-novelist writes handbook on police procedures out of frustration over common crime-writer mistakes

How to write a crime novel that rings true - and the most common mistakes writers make.

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.

Democracy needs armed forces, but young Germans will take a lot more convincing

With increased Russian aggression and US untrustworthiness, Germany needs more soldiers.

Apocalypse how: A field guide to the end of the world as the doomsday clock ticks forward

When’s the apocalypse coming, and what are the six likeliest ways it's going to kill us?

The political divide over the future of Bondi’s bridge

The bridge at the centre of the Bondi massacre is the latest subject of debate.

Was Renee Good’s death the result of senseless violence or an outcome of domestic terrorism?

Why your “moral language” will determine how you answer this question.

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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