News
New Zealand Listener
Trying for abstinence
Summer has arrived in the Far North, drying out the land, emptying the rainwater tank, spreading the scent of mānuka, sea and salt. We hear reports of a celebrity wedding in a neighbouring bay: glamorous TV news reporter Helen Castles has married sports broadcaster Andrew Saville. Castles has a solid fan base around here. I once rode in a crowded minivan to a local unveiling and the whole journey was taken up with an admiring group discussion of her journalistic exploits.
2 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Kafka's bad dream
In the UK, the corner shop performs much the same function as the Kiwi dairy: it's where you buy basics like bread and milk until you visit a supermarket or more dedicated establishment. In many places, these corner shops also double as sub-post offices, charged with selling stamps, dispensing pensions and a multitude of other state-related issues.
2 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
A neglected founding story
Sarah Mathew, a little-heralded pioneer woman, did more to cement Auckland’s position as the country’s capital than she is given credit for, says Tessa Duder.
2 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Ready for takeoff
A Marton man's connection to a WWII flying ace launched a lifelong commitment to keeping vintage fighters in the air.
6 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Immigration pitch
As test cricket returns to free-to-air TV, James Borrowdale looks at how the South African diaspora has changed our summer game.
10 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Splitting headache
Cutting ties with the European Union has failed Britons according to almost every parameter but a reversal is not on the cards anytime soon.
8 min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Wine o'clock not
Awash in powerful marketing, women are not heeding the messages on the dangers of alcohol.
10+ min |
January 27 - February 02, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Country calendars
The barbarian was at the gate. Then he was in the house. I had been smugly congratulating myself on a most civilised Christmas Day here at Lush Places.
2 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Blackjack
Each summer, we invite some of Aotearoa’s finest writers to tell us a short tale. Here is the final instalment on this year’s theme, second acts’.
6 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
More than physical
A former GP's self-help prescription which takes a broad view of wellbeing is gaining traction, despite some colleagues' scepticism.
8 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Ninety seconds to doomsday
New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance at risk of compromise through our security partnerships must be upheld, says Russell Tregonning.
2 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Buy the rumour, sell the news
More scandals and wild price swings will inevitably accompany the surging value of cryptocurrencies this year.
2 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Spear the cooking
Broccoli is vitamin- and nutrient-rich but go easy on the type and length of cooking.
3 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Soothe operator
Grammy-winning Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab is bringing her meditative, minimalist music to New Zealand festivals.
5 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Crushers
Ever since the conversation a few days ago, Pam had avoided Nīkau. “You know some people claim to be indigenous just to get the benefits,” Pam had said, just out of Glow’s earshot.
6 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Breaking the ice
Scientists have spent the summer drilling into the Antarctic seafloor to learn from the past what we can expect from future sea level rise.
9 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Going Dutch
The Netherlands has lurched further to the right politically, but Amsterdam is still a beacon for Kiwis wanting to experience European life.
9 min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
School daze
The new government plans sweeping changes in a bid to drag us back to where we used to be - near the top of educational league tables.
10+ min |
January 20 - 26 2024
New Zealand Listener
Flamingo lady
The hot pink fringe came last. Joan saw the shoes first. The paint-splatter brightness of them, displayed in the window of a boutique with two security guards positioned out front. Initially, she'd walked on.
5 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
The dog
The dog came out of nowhere. Roger was driving too fast and Laurie was looking for bars and Penny was talking to Tim and Pat had his feet on the dashboard and they all heard the thump.
4 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Brand new & ancient
A culinary revolution is taking place across the Pacific as local restaurateurs go back to their pre-colonial roots, thanks largely to efforts that began in Hawaii more than 50 years ago.
7 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Mark my words
Punctuation marks may be on their way out, to the chagrin of grammar zealots the world over.
10 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Yes, you should be worried
Two GPS have spent three years travelling the country plugging gaps in overstretched practices. The experience has been eye-opening.
4 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Play in practice: Evelyn Glennie
As she put the finishing touches on her application, a teenager named Evelyn Glennie felt butterflies in her stomach. Growing up on a farm in Scotland, she had dreamed of becoming a musician.
10 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Passion players
The daily grind can be transformed into a source of daily joy, says leading organisational psychologist Adam Grant.
2 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Tunnel of love
Shayne Cunis had never heard of engineering when his school guidance counsellor suggested studying it. Now, he's leading the big push to improve Auckland's wastewater system.
5 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
The beginnings of a long struggle
In moments of depression, perhaps at the end of a long struggle with a virus,\" wrote a former editor of the Listener, the great Monte Holcroft, \"the stranger aspects of our civilisation make us wonder if life itself has not become a sort of illness.
2 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Lurching to the right
It's starting to get scary out there. People with really weird hairdos and wild, right-wing politics are getting elected all over the place.
2 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
Quackers about festivities
Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and the like have remained strangely silent about one of the world's most recalcitrant climate offenders. Nicholas of Bari started out as a nice old clergyman, beloved for his habit of giving secret gifts.
2 min |
January 2 - 12, 2024
New Zealand Listener
The antisocial media
The dominant online platforms became more toxic than ever in 2023. Is there a way out?
2 min |