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

Do fence me in • Kim Hill and Peter Butler outline plans to create a thriving habitat for native birds and other wildlife on Farewell Spit.

The tipping point

Bright Lines • Creative words competition

They said it

10 Quick Questions

Riding the blame wave

No going back

Joy rides • ANDREW KERR talks to owners whose enthusiasm for old cars defies modern conventions like comfort and performance.

Dealing In Wheels

What lies beneath • New protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf are a win for nature, but what about the cultural heritage hidden beneath the waves?

Lost connection • From cyclones and tsunamis to software glitches, our dependence on cables can bring everything to a shuddering halt. Where is Plan B?

Lines Of Communication • Old-fashioned cable laying has eased our dependence on a single line.

The Hard Stuff • Cash becomes king in a natural disaster but in an increasingly cashless society, we need to regain the infrastructure.

Hoofing it • A rambling old house, the arrival of an old nag – the rest was history for a pony-loving tribe in the Wellington outback.

A question of sport • Test your recall of these sporting talking points of 2025.

Driving Alice • Each summer, we invite some of Aotearoa’s finest writers to tell us a short tale. This year’s theme is distraction and here are the second three stories.

Maia and the Sparrow

Crossed with the cat

Charmed lives • Masterful, continent-spanning novel from a Booker prize winner is a love story that must negotiate knotty family ties.

Lip service • Story about a failed-novelist bookseller who hates the world fails to entertain.

Bestsellers

When the end is nigh • A story of a dying woman who banishes her husband falls short on emotional impact.

Bestsellers

Right-hand man • Nick Cave’s musical foil. Decorated soundtrack composer. Wildlife sanctuary owner. The weird & wonderful world of Warren Ellis.

Cinematic Seeds

Top of the ninth

Neil life

Queer as folk

Dust and ashes

Domestic odd mess

Thick as thieves • UK stars Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker are at the top of their game as con women in heist drama.

Tv Picks of the week

Tv Films

Saturday/Rāhoroi January 10

Monday/Rāhoroi January 12

Tuesday/Rātū January 13

Thursday/Rāpare January 15

Advertisement Friday/Rāmere January 16

Radio January 10 ‒ January 16

Musical Chemistry • Australian cellist Martin Smith joins a Kiwi cultural institution.

Holiday hangover • Going overseas for weight-loss surgery may seem a cheap ticket to better health, but post-op complications can outweigh any gains.

Table service • Australian foodie Stephanie Fehers draws on her Chinese-Hungarian heritage to provide inspiration for dinner parties.

A canny move • NZ winemakers are serving up tinned wines to meet popular demand.

Driven To Distraction • We may have all the grey matter we’re going to get by our teens, but that doesn’t make us good drivers.

Game Of No Chance • Online resources show the folly of living the coastal dream as seas rise.

Clown Town

Reasons To Be Cheerful