Although it will be remembered as a year of fast-moving Covid-19 news, 2021 also delivered exceptional long reads from RNZ's in-depth team. As you slow down over summer, check out some of the best of the past year here.
An easy summer read
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Locked up for their part in a drug ring, two inmates swapped manufacturing meth for manufacturing yoghurt.
Crime and Justice
How a pervert became CEO of a crown entity
Photo: RNZ/Vinay Ranchhod
How could Phillip Barnes, a man who planted a camera in a gym changing room, be promoted to chief executive of a Crown entity?
Mentally ill and shot in the back: the police killing of Jerrim Toms
Jerrim Toms' mum asked police to help her mentally ill son. They ended up shooting him as he ran away. Guyon Espiner reveals what happened that night and details the unanswered questions that remain four years on.
Police using app to photograph innocent youth: 'It's so wrong'
Across the country, police are approaching innocent young people, photographing them, collecting their personal details and sending it all to a national database. But why, and what impact is this having on rangatahi?
Environment
The mysterious case of the meat clips
Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod
They are showing up in fish's stomachs and in beaches across the country, but how are oesophagus clips escaping the meat works?
The environmental hangover from New Zealand's winemaking
Marlborough's wine industry is booming, but there's no industrial-sized solution to deal with its waste.
Pakiri locals fight plans to take their sand for Auckland beaches
The fate of Pakiri's sand is at the centre of a fight between sand mining companies who want to ship it to Auckland, and locals who want to keep it on their beach.
Fonterra discharging nitrogen-heavy water onto 'ghost farms'
Fonterra cleared the cows from 16 farms and is using the land to dispose of waste water, which could be leaching a colourless, tasteless and odourless pollutant into private drinking water supplies.
Revealed: The companies dumping contaminants down the drain
Talleys, Ernest Adams and Yoplait are among hundreds of manufacturers and brands dumping contaminants into New Zealand's drains and getting away with it.
Te ao Māori
The racist aftermath of the Aotearoa debate
Photo: RNZ/Vinay Ranchhod
Judith Collins has been described as both dog whistling and standing up to wokeness for endorsing the idea of a referendum on the use of the word Aotearoa. But no matter her motivation, she set in motion a wave of hurt. Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reports on the harm done when debate spirals into racism.
Māori war veteran's skin still peeling 50 years after agent orange exposure
Tour Karate frequently scratches himself until he bleeds, but time is running out for him to get compensation for a condition he says was caused by Agent Orange. Will a Waiting Tribunal inquiry finally deliver for Karate and other Vietnam veterans before the last of the veterans die?
Health
Dying for help: Eating disorder treatment waiting lists months long
Photo: RNZ/Vinay Ranchhod
The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a wave of serious eating disorders that are overwhelming treatment providers. How do you help a loved one in crisis when there's a waiting list everywhere you turn?
Safety fears as supplement sales soar along with Covid-19 cases
Sales of natural health supplements have soared in the time of Covid-19, but some can cause life-threatening reactions. Experts say they should be treated with the same caution as pharmaceuticals. Naomi Arnold reports.
No baby, no help: Depressed, grieving mum told she's not eligible for help
A depressed woman whose baby died was denied help from Perinatal Mental Health Services - and other mothers in extreme distress say they can't get treatment via their district health boards or ACC. When suicide remains New Zealand's biggest killer of pregnant women and new mothers, why can't mums get help?
The health system's attention deficit when it comes to ADHD
From struggling kids to out-of-control teens and desperate adults, New Zealand's ADHD community is in crisis. Why is it so hard for them to get help that some are resorting to TikTok for medical advice? Anusha Bradley reports.
Deep dives
Long reads not enough to keep you occupied this summer? Go deep with these series.
If you imagine New Zealand's sheep meat as a plate of 10 meatballs, Kiwis would get to eat half of a meatball. So where's the rest going, and what are the issues around the food we grow and export?
A series that delves into inequities in the system, revealing the struggling New Zealanders being charged interest on their legal aid bills and why some lawyers and family violence survivors are afraid to complain about judges.
Long watches
Can't get your holiday brain to agree to reading? Here's some long watches instead.
Blackouts, bad hangovers and even an embarrassing incident with Helen Clark wasn't enough to stop Guyon Espiner drinking, but two years ago he finally quit the booze. Now, with camera operator/editor Claire Eastham-Farrelly, Espiner has made a documentary about saying goodbye to the bottle, New Zealand's drinking culture, and the influence of the alcohol industry.
How could the government offer land on Aotea/Great Barrier as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement for iwi who no longer live on the island without consulting with an iwi who do?
