The Detail

Are stadiums a joyful symbol of a thriving city - or a wasteful excess draining ratepayer finances?

Steroid use will be out in the open at the Enhanced Games, and testosterone won't be banned. But is it taking away from the sport?

Fans fear Shortland Street's 32 years of soapy drama could be coming to a close if TVNZ's cost-cutting knife hovers over it for too long

A vital part of our healthcare - palliative care - has been sidelined by our health system, largely because we don't like to talk about dying

A new review of New Zealand's response to crisis is blunt about the inaction of the past, and sceptical that much will change in the future

The new fast-track approvals bill has been described as 'government by amateurs', with no checks and balances

It's hoped a new GNS Science lab can crack open the door to cheaper green hydrogen production

On Great Barrier Island the media landscape is bucking the national trend - it's flourishing

When our Gallipoli soldiers landed at the historically significant site they occasionally paused to admire the sunsets, birds and flowers; and to souvenir treasures

The government's hit pause on strict new building regulations over earthquake strengthening, and even its usual opponents are happy with the move

KiwiRail's future could be veering more towards mothballs than mega-ferries, but the government's not sending out any hints

New technology available to abuse victims aims to change the figures on unreported sexual assaults.

From harem pants to scandalous hemlines, Auckland Library's latest exhibition showcases what we wore in the 1950s through 1990s

The government's back-office public service job cuts are adding to Wellington's woes

Secret lists and capped budgets - how does Pharmac make its drug buying choices?

The beauty industry in New Zealand is a wild west devoid of regulation, and the price people are paying can take the form of scars, burns and infections.

Government fixes for truancy need to look at why kids aren't coming to school, rather than just shaming schools for their numbers.

The lights are on, the beds are ready, but no patients have stepped inside a brand new $320 million surgical hospital built on Auckland's North Shore.

A Victim Support worker on what it's like to support victims on their worst days.

New Zealand is edging away from our long-held Independent Foreign Policy and towards old allies, and navigating it all is an old hand.

The heritage building debate: A balance between saving our history and building our future.

Coming soon to an inbox or letterbox near you is something shocking - your next rates bill.

Two fact-finding projects on children and poverty are under attack by public service cost cutting.

The plan to get Kiwis moving - as long as it's along a motorway - has public transport experts fuming

Using the health star-rating for packaged food should be simple, but it's not

Snow season is fast approaching but the North Island's only commercial skiing mountain has an uncertain future

On the field and off, rugby is fighting to keep the game alive

The line between freedom of expression, and suppression of other people's freedoms

Service cuts from the disability ministry caused panic and stress. How did it all go wrong?

China has been caught spying on us. Forty billion dollars in trade might explain why it took three years and the support of two friends to announce.

The Gloriavale offshoot in India is home to Kiwi women and children. A former member of the sect says getting them out of there is urgent

Are fiscal holes a real issue, or an easy headline?

Today from The Detail: When the money dries up, gains made by a wave of Covid-inspired funding are likely to be lost.

The Japanese art forms that have shaped more of the West's story telling than you may realise

In the wake of a change in the way power bills are calculated, The Detail helps you understand the bottom line.

A team of New Zealand scientists has just returned from studying the sea ice factories in Antarctica, in a joint expedition with Italy

The Holidays Act is complex and has led to years of problems. But fixing it seems just as challenging.

The proceeds of crime laws have traditionally been used to target gangs and drug dealers. Now police have their eyes on a new target, and that's left businesses feeling vulnerable.

A sector that's had rules piled upon it is welcoming moves to cut the red tape

The Detail's Davina Zimmer discovers she's sitting across from a quiet music legend.

Critics of a new electoral law in Samoa say it could allow overseas voters to decide elections.

Auckland Council is calling it a 'bin optimisation drive', but residents say the move to remove their litter receptacles is rubbish

A review into a new visa category that sparked more problems than it solved is scathing about Immigration NZ's processes and systems.

A haka incorporating barbs aimed at the Government has rekindled a decades old debate over sport and politics.

The laws that govern our money-lending landscape are in for another shakeup.

All ice is not created equal, and the ice created by Conor Whale is top-shelf stuff.

Auckland University's new space centre will soon take control of a satellite that detects the world's worst methane emitters.

Hollywood's red carpet is getting rolled out for its premier event, the Oscars, for the 96th time this weekend

An Auckland school for some of our most vulnerable children is crumbling, and any hopes for a rebuild have just been dashed by the government's moves to halt school property developments.

The first of our athletes to wear the silver fern in Paris have been announced

One in 17 New Zealanders have what's termed as a rare disorder. March is the month to highlight their lives and struggles.

Magazines are facing extinction by internet. Are they special enough to save?

It was a skin-of-your-teeth operation from the start, and Newshub's 35 year old life looks to be ending with multi-million dollar losses presided over by off-shore owners

Leap year is all about matching the seasons to time. It's just a construct, but try telling that to February 29th babies.

At festivals, a volunteer-based service runs quality-control on illegal drugs.

What is the point of the Waitangi Tribunal if it doesn't have the power to stop a government that appears to be acting against the interests of Māori?

Four years after the first lockdown, the way we work has changed.

A life-changing diagnostic device tested on sheep in New Zealand is about to be trialled on humans

Good, fast and on-budget infrastructure building shouldn't have to wait for disaster situations to swing into action.

Conflict and coverage - why some conflicts dominate headlines for months, then suddenly get ignored

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case against some of New Zealand's biggest polluters in what some describe as judicial activism

Researchers are making some headway tackling a problem that New Zealand has a shameful record in - childhood obesity.

We're back to where we were in 1969 when it comes to easing congestion over Auckland's harbour

The ripples of a war in the music industry spread far further than just ruining Gen Alpha's TikTok time.

Kane Williamson is the world's number one batsman right now, but what he brings to the Black Caps is worth far more than runs on the board.

A $90 million housing fund promises to tackle the Bay of Plenty's housing crisis

The convoluted legal troubles of former -- and maybe future -- US President Donald Trump are playing out in court rooms across America

Critics say the government's plan to speed up infrastructure projects puts too much power in the hands of one person.

Two AUT academics are taking their Taylor Swift obsession to the next extreme at a Swiftposium in Melbourne, ahead of the star's Australian tour

Homes suspended over landslides; lives suspended by bodies that can't or won't help

Around 10,000 new donors could flood into the New Zealand Blood Service after a long-standing restriction is lifted. But if another ban is re-visited that number could rise further

When politicians fail to call out a lie by one of their own, it can have a dampening effect on democracy

When the text comes, these volunteers down tools to help strangers in their hour of need. But their numbers are shrinking.

It's spending billions on advertising and draws shoppers in with its questionable tactics. But how can you resist Temu when it's so cheap?

Government levers to increase electric car ownership have worked, and now EVs have a toe in the market it looks like even higher user charges won't stop them

There's growing fear and anger from Māori over moves by the coalition government to revisit the rules around the Treaty of Waitangi.

Young politicians around the world are disproving the adage that wisdom comes with age.

A year on from the devastating Auckland Anniversary Weekend storms, the evidence of them remains all over the city

The Detail's co-hosts Sharon Brettkelly and Tom Kitchin, and producer Alexia Russell, roll through the highlights of nearly 300 podcasts and long reads in 2023

Every Christmas Auckland's big department store creates joy and delight for children in Queen St. We meet the people behind the displays.

As Netball in New Zealand gears up to mark its centenary, strong headwinds are appearing on the horizon.

South Dunedin is one of New Zealand’s most densely populated areas but it is also one of the lowest lying. Coming up with ways to save it from repeated flooding is becoming urgent.

A 75 year old UN declaration still holds sway over New Zealand's legislation and conduct. But the Human Rights Commission sees threats around the corner.

By Ellen Rykers: The bittern’s eerie, booming call sounds like a lament, a tangi ringing across the marshes. Now, the birds themselves are in trouble

It's unclear if commentators at COP28 are holding their breaths to see what the Dubai conference will deliver, or because the oil producing country is blanketed in haze.

What's wrong with being a functioning alcoholic? And when booze has such a high visual profile in our society, why is there so much judgement when people fall foul of their own limits?

At a time when severe weather events are wrecking the environment, contractors on small building sites ignoring the rules are adding to the problem.

After a 12-year ban that was completely ineffective in stopping the manufacture of methamphetamine, the government is going to allow pseudoephedrine products to be sold over the counter again.

So many crises, and so many charities to deal with them. Donor confusion has been increasing, which is why eight New Zealand-based organisations have linked up to cut administration costs and get the money to where it's needed most.

By Kirsty Johnston: The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 remains New Zealand’s most infamous cold case.

Some big brands have taken big steps backwards with their images, just as they thought they were jumping on a bandwagon of progressive thought and inclusivity.

Spies, space and science form just part of the new domain for battle-hardened politician Judith Collins.

Anti-smoking researchers are promising a healthy fight against the new government's moves to repeal world-first legislation on tobacco sales.

A look inside an Auckland building that's an incubator for the deep tech sector, aimed at finding solutions for some of the world's biggest carbon-emitting materials.

Google is the big, intrusive company that we welcome into our lives with open arms because of the way it helps us through our daily lives. Will a ruling from the US say it's gone too far?

By Jeremy Rees: I read every book shortlisted for the most prestigious literary award in the world. Here's what I found.

Meth dealers in New Zealand are driving increasingly sophisticated and profitable operations, so much so that police now call them "criminal business entities".

Auckland's aquatic backyard and prime fishing grounds are weed-deep in trouble from exotic caulerpa, a fast-spreading algae that smothers everything in its path.

Conservation groups, prepare for battle – we're likely to see more mining applications as the country's new chief executive promises economic benefits from going underground.