The Week in Detail: Floods, eggs, and Carmel Sepuloni

Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories.

This week, we spoke to an aid worker who had made the trip to the warzone in Ukraine, looked at why Carmel Sepuloni was picked to be the new deputy prime minister, visited the flood-torn streets of Titirangi in West Auckland, asked why we're in the midst of a chronic egg shortage, and found out what a 'sponge city' really is.

Whakarongo mai to any episodes you might have missed.

Ukraine aid work: How dangerous is it?

When New Zealand aid worker Anne Bulley knocked on the door of two elderly women living in a bombed-out apartment block in Kyiv, she was struck by the bitter chill and the darkness. 

"It's absolutely soul destroying," she says. 

"You're just sitting there in the cold, in the dark. Cooking, they had a single camping gas stove in their kitchen."

She tells Sharon Brettkelly about her experiences in Ukraine during a stint there at the end of last year, shortly before another Kiwi aid worker, Andrew Bagshaw, disappeared. 

Carmel Sepuloni: What does it take to be deputy PM?

She's well-liked in the Labour caucus and she's seen as a safe pair of hands - but has Carmel Sepuloni got what it takes to be the deputy prime minister?

Sepuloni is the first Pasifika person to hold the position. For the last five-and-a-half years, she's had the high-profile job of Social Development Minister - where she has courted public backlash over perceived failings.

Tom Kitchin talks to Today FM host Tova O'Brien and former Labour MP Luamanuvao Dame Winne Laban.

Auckland floods: The Titirangi street teetering on the edge

First person - Residents in Titirangi have been without power and water for days: their road blocked at one end by a massive toppled kauri, with a house teetering on the edge of the slip above; and other homes on this steep bush-clad street also in peril.

But at the other end of the road was a much bigger problem.

As we passed the fire truck parked next to the road closed sign and turned the corner, a gaping hole exposed huge timber piles that had formed a retaining wall. 

The road had been gouged out by torrents of water on Friday, leaving a sheer, dangerous drop to the beach below and cutting off the driveway to neighbouring property.

Can the egg shortage be cracked?

Eggs are in short supply - and it's sending New Zealand scrambling.

Supermarket shelves are empty, there are limits on how many cartons you can buy, and interest in buying hens has shot up.

Matthew Scott finds out it's the end result of a few different things: a 10-year transition away from battery cages; the decision by the big supermarket chains to go completely cage-free; and supply chain issues borne of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Can a sponge city really prevent flooding?

With the cleanup in full swing all over Auckland after this week's catastrophic flooding, people are starting to talk about throwing out the old building rules and "unengineering" our city - to help it cope with future devastating downpours.

It's about uncovering natural streams that have been tar-sealed and paved over, and replanting natives that will absorb the water, says Tim Welch, who teaches urban planning at Auckland University and is co-director of the Future Cities Research Hub. 

But it's also about moving people and their homes from the riskiest places.

Sharon Brettkelly visits Te Auaunga Creek in Mount Roskill in Auckland to find out what sponge cities are all about.

Introducing: The Detail's Long Read

The Detail takes you inside the big stories every weekday. Now, we're here for the weekend, too.

The Long Read is one in-depth story read by us every Saturday. You can find it wherever you get The Detail - on RNZ, Newsroom, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, it's The School Away From School written by Bill Morris and published in NZ Geographic's January/February 2023 issue.

You can find the entire article, with photos from Lottie Hedley, on the NZ Geographic website.

One hundred years since its inception, Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu/the Correspondence School has broadened its scope to become a safety net: a place for kids who are bullied, anxious, or profoundly out of step with the mainstream system. Many of them struggle at Te Kura, too—but for others, there’s something magic about this school that strives to meet them where they are.

You can find out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.  

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.