New Zealand Listener

New Zealand Listener is the country’s most respected general interest magazine, bringing you a wide variety of news, stories, columns, reviews, plus TV listings, every week.

Masthead

Haere rā, Fiona • For 30 years, Fiona Rae has written witty, insightful TV previews. Now, we say goodbye and thank you to one of the Listener’s longest-serving staff members.

Beacon of hope

Bright Lines

Quips & Quotes

10 Quick Questions

Clowns on the bus

Barking at planes • We’ve seen a polarisation of our main political groupings yet neither camp seems capable of delivering what it promises.

The benefit of the doubt

A neutered cat

The go-between • There’s impetus for NZ to build on past glories as a peacemaker in international conflicts. But with resources scarce, what could this look like?

Go forth & multiply • The world is edging closer to a population of 10 billion yet some argue birth rates must increase to avert economic ruin.

A love game • At 16, Nicolas Lamperin announced he wanted to be a professional tennis player. Instead, he became an agent and travelled the world. Now, he’s in charge of the ASB Classic.

Bring a plate, share the load • Chicken taken up a notch, a tangy prawn salad and a figgy torte make a memorable medley for your Christmas table.

Trending now • The price of olive oil will come down, cold coffee will be on the rise and the air fryer will maintain its favourite-appliance status as we head into the new year.

Fake news • New Zealand wines are not immune to counterfeiting criminals globally. But fortunately, it’s not too hard to spot a fake.

Recipes for success • Cookbooks have long been popular with NZ consumers and this year, a Kiwi cook topped sales.

Reading the room • It’s been a tough year for book sales, but some literary gems emerged to brighten the gloom.

What sold in 2024

Chills and thrills • Character-centric journeys intimate and epic in three new crime novels.

Sleepless in Southampton • A debut novel from a Dunedin-based doctor offers a revealing peek into life on the wards in Thatcher’s Britain.

Bestsellers

Yesterday no more • In returning to the towns and cities he visited 20 years ago, Joe Bennett hasn’t seemed to notice what has changed.

Ghost stories • Nature has never been pristine, as shown in this engaging account that explores our planet’s past.

Bestsellers

A blessing and a curse • People with ADHD have ‘furiously busy heads’, and this documentary is aimed at leading a discussion about living alongside them.

I’m just different

A dog’s show • The stage version of the Aussie kids’ TV phenomenon Bluey is headed this way complete with a team of human handlers.

Scene stealers

Refinding its groove • An exhaustive new book traces the elusive history of Deepgrooves, the music label that became a cross-cultural soundtrack to 1990s Auckland.

Play Misty for us • Father John Misty melds Dylan, George Harrison and Scott Walker on his sixth album, and Michael Kiwanuka channels some Otis Redding.

Country cousins • Irish family feud comedy gets bogged in clichés.

Take the whānau • The richly comedic Moana 2 is glorious to look at.

Tv Picks of the week

Tv Films • The big movies on TV this week

Saturday/Rāhoroi December 14

Sunday/Rātapu December 15

Monday/Rāhina December 16

Wednesday/Rāapa December 18

Thursday/Rāpare December 19

Friday/Rāmere December 20

Radio December 14 - 20

The shape of water • Composer Grace Wellik is on the crest of a wave.

The dope on sleep • Research into a lesser-known...