The opening has been pushed back again, the price is extraordinary, but Auckland's City Rail Link is expected to deliver the region the wow factor

Those in charge of the country's most expensive transport infrastructure are confident the new timetable for opening will stick - but they won't name a date

Guests:

• Alan Trestour - CRL Head of Delivery for Auckland Transport
• Patrick Brockie - CRL chief executive
• Stacey van der Putten - Auckland Transport director of public transport and active modes
• Russell McMullan - CRL Assurance and Integration general manager
• Adrian Price - Auckland Transport head of completion of Karanga-a-Hape station

Learn More:

• CRL official website

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There's a lot of hand-wringing but few answers when it comes to culling New Zealand's rapidly expanding deer population

In a war between hunters and conservationists over the control of one of our most damaging pests, only the deer are winning

Guests:

• Richard Dawkins - Federated Farmers meat and wool chair
• Jill Herron - Newsroom journalist
• John Bissell - hunter and conservationist

Learn More:

• RNZ's podcast Deer Wars
• More on Herd of Special Interest
• Details of talks on special interest wapiti herd revealed

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Aviation under pressure: Airbus A320 glitch adds to a year of crashes, questions, and shaken confidence

The Airbus A320 fault sparked worldwide delays and airport chaos, and has renewed fears over aviation safety in a turbulent 2025

Guests:

• Grant Bradley - Aviation commentator
• Dan Lake - Travel commentator

Learn More:

• Planes grounded after Airbus discovers solar radiation could impact systems
• Victim identified following fatal mid-air collision between two planes in Sydney's southwest
• Fleet of UPS planes grounded after deadly crash expected to miss peak delivery season
• US fears cover-up in Air India crash
• Washington DC plane crash: Aircraft plunges into Potomac River after colliding with Black Hawk helicopter, major emergency response, flights grounded

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Regional councils have to find a different way of operating that cuts down on double ups and layers of bureaucracy

Regional councillors who've just been sworn in have been shown the writing on the wall by the government, which is plotting a swift end to their terms

Guests:

• Glenn McConnell - Stuff political reporter

Learn More:

• Read Glenn's piece on the regional council shake up here
• Beehive news release on local government changes
• Further details from the Department of Internal Affairs

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

An HIV diagnosis used to be a death sentence, but that hasn't been the case in years - so why hasn't the stigma changed with the science?

More than four decades after the first New Zealander was diagnosed with HIV, medical advances have completely changed the face of the once-fatal virus, but one man living with it says he doesn't "think that the HIV stigma has changed radically"

Guests:

• Rodrigo Olin German - Head of Services and Outreach, Burnett Foundation
• Liz Gibbs - Chief Executive, Burnett Foundation

Learn More:

• Liz Gibbs talks about the ongoing HIV outbreak in Fiji - listen to our podcast episode on that here
• Learn more about HIV in Aotearoa here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It doesn't have to be extravagant, expensive or loaded with tinsel and tat - bring your smile to host the perfect seasonal party

If you're fed up with Northern Hemisphere listicles on how to prepare for a cold Christmas, here's a taste of what it takes to host a summer celebration

Guests:

• Trudi Nelson - Food writer and broadcaster
• Colin Mathura-Jeffree - Model, TV personality, and professional guest

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We've failed to reach our smokefree obligations, but has New Zealand done well enough to relax our efforts?

New Zealand was once a world leader in getting people to give up cigarettes, but we seem to have pulled up the brakes

Guests:

• Chris Bullen - University of Auckland public health professor
• Anaru Waa - University of Otago professor
• Jasmine Graham - Hāpai te Hauora general manager

Learn More:

• Read more about the history of nicotine drinks here
• Find the New Zealand health survey here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The West Coast has long been mining country, but a proposed expansion of coal mining operations - and the backlash - leaves the region's economy and ecology uncertain

A proposal to expand mining operations on the Denniston Plateau pits the economy against ecology, leaving the Government facing a high-stakes decision

Guests:

• Fox Meyer - Newsroom political reporter

Learn More:

• Read more about the Plateau proposal and protests here, here, here, here and here

Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details