Nights

Colin Peacock discusses the big stories of the week, with politics taking centrestage once again. Colin gives us his take on the second leaders debate and looks at the launch of a new news service for subscribers.

Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon faced off in the second leaders debate in Auckland tonight. RNZ's Political Editor Jane Patterson was there and joins Mark Leishman for her analysis.

Otepoti Dunedin is set to roll out the red carpet this weekend for the gala screening of New Zealand feature film Uproar. The event this Sunday at the Regent Theatre will be attended by VIP guests including producers, the film's directors, as well as some leading cast members. Nights talks to Uproar co-director and co-writer Hamish Bennett about the new film and why it was so important to base it in Dunedin.

From the deep south to the Far North, Hato Hone St John is embarking on a nationwide mission to empower thousands of New Zealanders with essential lifesaving skills. As part the organisation's annual Shocktober campaign, it aims to tackle one of the leading causes of death in this country - cardiac arrest. Jacci Tatnell is Hato Hone St John Head of Community Education and talks to Nights about the campaign.

A global experiment has tested whether music is understood in the same way across cultures. The study was led by Yale University and the University of Auckland and played song snippets to over 5,000 participants from 49 countries - asking people to classify each as a dance, lullaby, healing, or love song. Nights talks to the authors of the study about the findings and to see how New Zealanders fared.

Are you a details person? A Canterbury University researcher is keen to find naturally gifted people with the “super abilities” required to match complex visual patterns without any training – and she’s developed an online test to assess them.

In just a few weeks' time 22 young explorers will depart on a three-week expedition to the remote South Georgia Island. One of those young explorers will be aviation meteorologist with Kelly Davenport who speaks to Nights about the adventure ahead of her.

New Zealand crowdfunding platform PledgeMe is celebrating a milestone, having just crossed the 70 million dollar-through-their-platform mark. It was reached thanks to a little help from an ethical underwear company - the latest to benefit from a crowdfunding campaign. PledgeMe co-founder Anna Guenther talks to Mark Leishman about the platform's success.

Seals have become regular visitors to Wellington of late, with one even forcing the cancellation of a train service in the Capital today after it found a resting spot on the tracks. DOC Ranger Tony Milner talks to Nights about what's behind the increase in sightings and what's the best thing to do if you come across one of the marine mammals.

It's been a best-seller in New Zealand and Australia, and a video of a Scottish granny reading it to her grandchildren went viral attracting more than 100 million views on YouTube. It's the much-loved Wonky Donkey series of books about a donkey with three legs. Now a fifth book is being released, The Stinky Wonky Donkey - author Craig Smith talks to Nights about what keeps him going and why people love his stories.

It may seem like a never-ending challenge but maintaining a tidy home can go a long way to helping a person's mental well-being. But what are the best strategies for creating and maintaining order and how can you make sure it doesn't tip over into an obsession? To help us answer those questions Mark Leishman talks to researcher and senior lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology Dr Taghreed Hikmet.

The BBC's Rich Preston is with us now with the news making the headlines around the world.

It's a board game that's been played for more than 1500 years but chess is on the rise in Taranaki. Chess is getting so popular in the region the New Plymouth Chess Club has added extra weekly playing sessions to keep up with a 25 percent growth in member. Now, the club is set to host its first national tournament in 31 years. To find out what's driving this chess boom, New Plymouth Chess Club president John Ansell speaks to Nights.

An Auckland bungy fanatic is hoping to restore national pride and recapture the world record he lost just last year. In 2022 Mike Heard set the world record for the most bungy jumps in a day with 430, which was beaten last year by Frenchman François-Marie Dibon who made 765 jumps. But in just over two weeks time Mike is aiming to take it back, aiming for 800 jumps off the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 24 hours. Mike speaks to Mark Leishman about his preparation and motivation for the jumping,

Once again the regions of Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti have been hammered by heavy rain. While the rain was expected to ease tonight, other parts of the North Island are now in for a drenching, while strong winds are set to buffet other areas. So for the latest on what we can expect, and when the worst of the weather will be over, Nights speaks to MetService Lead Meteorologist, Bill Singh.

Nights regular sports correspondent, Bryan Waddle. talks to Mark Leishman about the Australian's all but out of the Rugby World cup, how the All Blacks are shaping up, what is happening with the Silver Ferns and Liam Lawson continues to impress in Formula 1.

A Rotorua woman has proved that age is no barrier, becoming the oldest person to compete in the Miss Rotorua beauty pageant. Tiana Hodge, who is 77, made history at the event which started in back in 1947. She speaks to Anna Thomas about the experience and why age isn't a barrier

It's that time of the week when we check in with our resident film and tv expert Dan Slevin. Tonight he's got his eye on something to keep both the kids, and adults, entertained over the school holidays.

From the Springbok tour, to the Nuclear Free Movement political posters have been used as a call to arms. As part of Auckland's Heritage Festival Toby will be hosting a workshop exploring the history of protest posters in Aotearoa as well as teaching others how to draw their own. He speaks to Anna Thomas about what fascinates him about political posters and how they have helped shaped our history.

Aotearoa New Zealand springs forward this weekend, as Daylight Saving time begins. Clocks will go forward by one hour at 2 o'clock on Sunday morning. Sleep expert Dr Alex Bartle speaks to Nights about the effect losing an hour has on the body and our sleep patterns.