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.

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What is the question? • The Ministry of Education’s list of suggested texts should not be thrust upon English teachers or students, writes Sarah Frost.

Act on a billboard

Quips & Quotes

10 Quick Questions

Get rich quick • Does the government’s economic shift to the right mean New Zealand will finally attract foreign investment?

Fear Factor

Crossing The Great Divide

Blood on the tracks

When the end is nigh

On the wrong trail • Mona Blades’ disappearance and police reliance on an orange Datsun still haunt New Zealanders 50 years on. Would such a mystery have a different outcome today?

Faces on the water • Eyewitness testimony was important in the conviction of Scott Watson, though he looked unlike the ‘mystery man’ first described.

Bard’s labour’s lost • Insisting teenagers read Shakespeare is a sure-fire way to turn them off his works forever. And besides, such pedantry would have the man himself chuckling in his grave.

Winter, unplugged • Our national grid struggles to deliver enough power where and when it’s most needed by households and industry – in cold snaps. Richard Woodd looks at why we don’t have electricity to burn.

Blowing In The Wind • Offshore wind turbines could provide a big chunk of our future power needs – but the coalition government is not a fan.

Feats of clay • A new book pays tribute to a supreme collector and the items he gifted Te Papa.

Liar’s poker • Washington journalists paint a damning picture of a declining president surrounded by insiders insisting he’s fit for office.

Haze of summer • Skilful narrative control and vivid authenticity help make local debut novel a winner.

Short cuts

Silence is golden • Fires literal and metaphorical take centre stage in author’s tale of reflection and renewal.

Flight Of Fancy • The final novel in Boyne’s elements series reflects on a broken marriage from 10,000m up.

Tattoo Artists • Dust off your tartan and gather the clans – the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo prepares for a summer assault.

Flying Sorcery • First album in five years sees Fly My Pretties conjuring with the elements.

Happy Landings • Kate Winslet’s daughter as a pouty nun in Wes Anderson’s quirky caper.

Hard Row To Hoe • Irish sporting underdog story sculls through the cliches.

Utah Billionaires’ Club • The creator of TV’s Succession pivots to scathing satire of today’s tech titans.

Trip Advisors • Russell Brown outlines the history and new science behind Mind Menders, a documentary series about psychedelic-assisted therapy he worked on as researcher and associate producer.

TV Picks of the week

Tv Films

Saturday/Rāhoroi June 7

Sunday/Rātapu June 8

Monday/rāhina June 9

Tuesday/Rātū June 10

Wednesday/Rāapa June 11

Thursday/Rāpare June 12

Friday/Rāmere June 13

Radio June 7

Finding her roots • Wellington composer’s ode to nature showcased in NZSO Masterworks tour.

Go nuts • Nut butters are just as nutritionally packed as whole nuts but watch the additives.

Retro tweak • Melbourne-based chef Thi Le showcases her Vietnamese heritage with traditional recipes and a twist on classics.

Taste & see • Will 2025 be a good year for our wines? Sometimes it doesn’t pay to listen to the hype.

Too hot to handle • Studies on group dynamics reveal the...