Nights

For those familiar with the topography of Dunedin, Mt Cargill stands high above the Southern city. A group of hardy souls took off from Bethunes Gully at the bottom of the peak on Friday in a new race called the Crush the Cargill 100 Miler. The aim is to complete 19 laps, which is 100 miles or 161km, up and down summit in 36 hours. Not to be out-done another group will set off at 10am tomorrow morning for the 24-hour challenge, aiming to complete as many laps as possible. And who is the brain behind this madness - that would be Steve Tripp, Dunedin ultra-runner extortioner, who chatted to Nights.

Night's resident screen critic Dan Slevin is back. This week he's got three watches for us, including a surprise final film from the Japanese Studio Ghibli master, A animated batman Christmas special and a new comedy series from the creator of Community.

On Sunday what is possibly the Southern Hemisphere's largest playground will be officially unveiled. And no it's not in Sydney or Melbourne and not even Auckland - - It will take pride of place in Timaru's Caroline Bay. It's been a long time coming but the $3 million new state-of-the-art, CPlay will be celebrated by the community with a community family fun day. So to take us on the journey from brainstorm to completion, Todd Zaner talks to the project chair Owen Jackson.

For one last time with her podcast picks on nights, here's Lynn Freeman. She's put together a bumper list for her final review of the year.

Today on the panel Wallace and panellists Jo McCaroll and Ed Amon find out why volunteer editors are leaving the world's fourth largest webiste, Wikipedia. Then, some NZ organisations are offereing unlimited leave - is it all it's cracked up to be? And, tips to stop your dogs barking - especially if your neighbours have mabe a noise complaint.

Today on the panel Wallace and panellists Jo McCarroll and Ed Amon discuss next year's projected household cost increase, and ask what will happen if earthquake-prone buildings in Wellington aren't fixed by the 2027 deadline. Plus, what is your favourite beach?

Picture this: it's 5 o'clock, Friday evening, you've just finished work for the day. You head outside to where you parked your bike up. But... there's nothing there. Nothing except the 10-dollar lock you picked up at KMart, SLICED IN TWO Anyone who's been through anything resembling this knows that having your bike stolen is one of the MOST frustrating experiences a person can have. This happens quite a bit in New Zealand - more than 400 times a year, and that's just those that are actually reported to police - the real number might well be much higher. But there ARE ways to help cyclists keep their precious vehicles safe. Gabriel Gati, a board member for Bike Auckland joins us...

Golf's governing bodies have announced a change to the rules that govern golf ball design. The new rules are designed to combat the games ever increasing hitting distance. To find out how the changes are going to impact the game, and what they might mean for you Mark is joined by former professional golfer and superstar coach Marcus Wheelhouse...

Most people have a family heirloom they've been trusted to look after for future generation. Very few heirlooms will be 150 year-old submarines. But that's the exact situation Pete Sparrow has found himself in. Pete has been involved in the restoration of a 10m-long, iron-plate Platypus submarine, which was built by his great-grandfather Joseph Sparrow in 1873. The partially restored sub will be unveiled in its new enclosure in Middlemarch, about an hour from Dunedin, this weekend. Pete joins Mark Leishman on Nights.

Former MetService Severe Weather Meteorologist, Erick Brenstrum, joins us from the RNZ Wellington Studio to talk about what the weather events making an impact across the word.

Why do we remember certain aspects of the over others, and why does it matter? Those are the central questions behind a new book from historian, lecturer, and curator of the Auckland War museum Dr Rowan Light. "Why Memory Matters: Remembered histories and the politics of the past" is available now. Rowan Light joins us on Nights.

A search is on in Southland after a Great White Shark parted ways from it's monitoring tag somewhere of the coast of the Catlins. And the public is being asked to keep an eye out for the valuable piece of kit which provides scientists with valuable insights into the free roaming animal. Nikki Ladd from Shark Exeperience in Bluff talks to Mark Leishman about how the search is going and how "friendly" they are with the sharks down there.

Great news for fans of music journalism 13 years' worth of editions of Rip It Up - spanning 1986 to 1998 - are now available to read in full, thanks to a project from AudioCulture and Papers Past. Murray Cammick is one of the creators of the magazine, and was editor for much of this period - He joins Nights to reminisce about the history of the publication.

Subscribers to Sky Sport Now and Neon got a bit of a shock this morning when they found out their price for those streaming services was increasing. But it's not just the New Zealand services upping their prices, with the big players Netflix and Disney Plus also increasing their prices in the past year. Coupled with the rapid rise in the cost of living, could there be a mass exodous away from paid streaming services? Dan Slevin is Nights' resident tv and film critic and he talks to Mark Leishman about what this all might mean.

A study from the University of Auckland has found only about 2% of New Zealanders exclude all meat from their diets. Vegans make up only about .5% Previous estiamates have been as high as 20% Mark Leishman talks to the study's lead author Dr Kathryn Bradbury about why it's important we have an accuarate idea on the number of people who eat a strict plant based diet.

A new study from the University of Otago has highlighted the links between deforestation and the loss of biodiversity in New Zealand's rivers and streams. Comparing over 100 different freshwater sites in Otago and Southland, the study found key differences in the insect life in areas that had been deforested. Mark Leishman talks to the lead researcher Professor Jon Waters from the department of zoology at the University of Otago.

A Dunedin motorcycle mechanic is set to take on some of the best bike building enthusiasts in the world. Andy Martin and his custom built chopper have made the final of the Biltwell's People's Champ The annual competition is the show for up-and-comers, independent builders around the world. So to find out what went into creating the chopper Andy talks to Nights.

Together, the Grand Theft Auto games have raked in nearly 20-billion New Zealand dollars since 1997. The next instalment, GTA 6, is likely to be one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time. It's so hotly anticipated it's trailer was leaked today. Oskar Howell is a video games and technology journalist and he talks to Mark Leishman about the hotly anticipated instalment.

Here's four words for you to ponder: Hallucinate; Authentic; A I and Rizz These four words have each been named the 2023 word of the year by different English dictionaries. So what do the words 'authentic' and 'hallucinate' tell us about where society is at in 2023? Joining Nights to find some meaning is University of Waikato linguist Andreea Calude.

From Rotorua's natural hot springs to the fresh mountain air of the Southern Alps, the health benefits of New Zealand's natural environment have often been part of our tourism attractions. Well with its picturesque golden beaches, enchanting hills, and lush green valleys the Coromandel is promoting itself as a region that's good for your health and soul. And they can back it up, with a research trial finding those who visited the region reported a decrease in stress and anxiety as well as an increase in relaxation and happiness. To find out about the Coromandel Cure and how the region is faring, Nights is joined by Destination Hauraki Coromandel general manager Hadley Dryden.