The Detail

Join The Detail team six days a week as they make sense of the big stories with the country’s best journalists and experts.

A Newsroom production for RNZ, supported by NZ On Air

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Monday - Saturday at 4.30am, encore on weeknights at 10.15pm on RNZ National

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The "inherently unsafe" brakes in some 70,000 vehicles

For years, a father has been fighting for Waka Kotahi to do more about the dangers of a vehicle braking system involved in his son's death. Now a coroner's report backs him up, but NZTA still disagrees.
Selwyn Rabbits father of Graeme Rabbits

The BBC edit heard around the world

Editing scandal at BBC sparks 'existential crisis' for public-service broadcaster and puts the spotlight on trust in journalism
Members of the media work in the rain outside the entrance to the BBC in London on November 10, 2025. The outgoing CEO of BBC News said on November 10, 2025 that the broadcaster was "not institutionally biased", after she resigned over accusations that it had misleadingly edited a speech by Donald Trump. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Earth's weakest link may be in space

Space terrorism is no longer relegated to sci-fi movies: it's happening already, and one legal expert warns we're far from prepared
a space shuttle is flying over the earth, space station over the horizon, view from space

Fears of bubble trouble with AI shares

As AI share prices soar, some economic doomsayers have started to ring the warning bells of a bubble risk 
Cyber security specialist working on a computer in a control room with multiple screens. (Photo by GORODENKOFF PRODUCTIONS/SCIENCE / GPR / Science Photo Library via AFP)

An economy based on tourism burns

Ruapehu District's mayor says the huge fire still burning in the region could have the same effect on the local economy as the 1996 eruption
The Tongariro National Park fire is leaving the surrounding sky covered in hazy smoke

In Taiwan, invasion by disinformation

In a country swamped by disinformation, two entrepreneurs have come up with solutions to tackle the problem, on and offline
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Audrey Tang speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on September 24, 2025 in New York City.   JP Yim/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative/AFP (Photo by JP Yim / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Life in a peaceful country with war on its doorstep

The Detail's Sharon Brettkelly visits Jordan, where the tourism industry propping up the country's economy has been all but decimated by the war in neighbouring Israel
Two horses carry tourists over the desert landscape of Jordan

Efforts ramp up to eradicate the yellow-legged hornet

This nasty pest can be destroyed, but it will take government resources and extreme vigilance from the public to do it.
Yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) have recently been sighted in the Auckland region. MPI have put out advisories after a queen was found on 17 October 2025.

Behind the education overhaul

A key player in the curriculum rewrite says the criticism is overblown - and not a reflection of what the sector thinks
Dr Michael Johnston, a Senior Fellow at The New Zealand Initiative.

City Councillor slams "protected" gulf zones that still allow fishing

A City Councillor and a Marine Science Professor warn that the Hauraki Gulf recovery is at risk after a last-minute fishing carve-out to the new Tīkapa Moana.
Commercial fishing in the Hauraki Gulf

Paying over the odds for our four-lane highways

The figures keep blowing up when it comes to paying for our Roads of National Significance, and critics say some of the justifications are shonky
Transmission Gully

A move to split the autism spectrum

Up to 150,000 New Zealanders have autism, but there's a huge range in how it impacts people - so some think it's time the spectrum is divided
Kid girl hands holding puzzle jigsaw,  mental health concept, world autism awareness day

Thirty years of dance for Black Grace

As this unique Kiwi group celebrates a big anniversary, it's balancing its creative vision with a tight budget and an agile approach - on and off stage
Black Grace dancers performing in Esplanade by Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Rugby's big gamble in the US

The US isn't known for its rugby prowess, or interest - so when the All Blacks take on Ireland this weekend, they're playing to sell a vision
A dejected All Blacks side after losing to Ireland in Chicago in 2016.  Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in Ireland.

A spotlight on aging

The aged care sector has had enough of reports describing all its many problems - and hopes a new Ministerial Advisory Group will provide some solutions
A person offers support, holding the hand of an elderly person.

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