Context

RNZ podcast producer Phil Vine introduces you to his latest RNZ podcast, The Reality Machine. Hosted by television insider Dylan Reeve, Dylan dives into the history of reality TV in Aotearoa pulling back the curtain on what makes reality TV what it is. Phil also shares a short update about what stories are coming next to The Lodge podcast feed.

Dylan Reeve dives into the fuzzy origins of reality TV in Aotearoa to try and figure out what we even mean when we say ‘Reality’. He looks at our local shows, ranging from fly-on-the-wall docuseries like Motorway Patrol into heavily constructed social strategy games like Treasure Island and The Traitors, exploring how a format with almost no fixed rules managed to grow into one of our biggest pop-cultural touchstones.

Keep listening here for the first episode of The Reality Machine, What Even Is Reality? and check out the rest of the series on the RNZ website or on your favourite podcast app.

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

As the Opportunity Party climbs above the crucial 5% threshold,, Context looks back at New Zealand's minor parties. From kingmakers and coalition partners to spectacular failures, who made it into Parliament and who fell short?

Season 3 Episode 6

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

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

Today's housing downturn has decades of booms and busts behind it. Context explores how governments, investors and global shocks helped turn New Zealand into a country where property became both a home and an obsession.

Season 3 Episode 5

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

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

A controversial remark in Parliament becomes the starting point for a deeper story. From Chinese gold miners and the poll tax to free trade and modern geopolitical tensions, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace the history of one of New Zealand's most important relationships

Season 3 Episode 4

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

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

National is spending millions to bail out Golden Bay Cement. But when Watties and Heinz faced closure, the Government turned its back. So why do some companies get rescued while others are left to fail? A look back at the history of bailouts, who gets saved and who doesn't?

Season 3 Episode 3

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

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

New Zealand is the only country in the OECD without wealth tax - so why are we so afraid to tax the rich? The This week, Context looks back on the wealth taxes we had, why we got rid of them and whether this Election will see the tables turn.

Season 3 Episode 2

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

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

Genetic engineering has sparked protests, divided governments and resulted in one of the most famous interviews in NZ history. As Parliament once again looks at our GE laws, Context looks back at the political storm that never really ended.

Season 3 Episode 1

Watch the video version of the episode on YouTube or TVNZ+.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

In 2002, allegations of a government cover-up over genetically modified corn exploded into one of New Zealand's biggest political scandals. Nicky Hager's Seeds of Distrust landed in the middle of an election campaign. Helen Clark accused John Campbell of ambushing her in an interview that became the stuff of broadcasting legend. Protesters filled Queen Street, politicians turned on each other, and the debate over genetic engineering became one of the most divisive issues of the era.More than two decades later, the Government is once again trying to change New Zealand's genetic engineering laws. But why are they still among the strictest in the world? How much of the fear was about the science and how much was about trust, politics and the power of the media? This week on Context, Corin Dann and Guyon Espiner revisit the story behind Corngate, unpack the ethics of one of New Zealand's most controversial political interviews, and explore why a debate that began more than 25 years ago is still shaping our politics today.

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

Labour leader Chris Hipkins cries in response to a social media post by his ex-wife. Should we be listening? We chart the history of political scandals from the Profumo Affair through to Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

Season 2 Episode 6

Watch the video version of the episode here

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

Political scandals from the Profumo Affair through to Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky – how has journalistic reporting on this thorny issue evolved and how much do we really need to hear about the private lives of our political leaders?

Labour leader Chris Hipkins cries in response to a social media post by his ex-wife. Is that something we need to know about? What about Shane Jones watching blue movies and putting it on his ministerial credit card? Are we bothered about Meteria Turei's benefit claiming history? How about the sexual preferences of Michael Joseph Savage? Is it in the public interest or are the public just interested? Where should reporters draw the line expecially when social media breaks the story?

Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]

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

After Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's arrest for his links to Epstein, questions arise about his place in the line of succession. We explore how New Zealand remains tied to the Crown and why changing it is more complex than it seems.

Season 2 Episode 5

Watch the video version of the episode here.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

As scandal surrounds Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, attention has turned to his place in the royal line of succession in New Zealand. In this episode of Context, we explore how New Zealand remains tied to the Crown and why changing it is more complex than it seems.

Here’s the catch: if the UK moves to remove him, countries like New Zealand would need to pass their own laws to match it. So what does that actually mean? And if New Zealand became a republic what would have to change?

Corin Dann and Guyon Espiner trace the long evolution of our system from the Treaty of Waitangi, through dominion status and the Constitution Act 1986, to the modern role of the Governor-General. Along the way: Why NZ has a legal say in the line of succession What would replace the monarch as head of state And what happens to agreements made with the Crown Could New Zealand walk away from the monarchy and what would we be walking into?

Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]

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

New Zealand is the only country with a drug-buying agency like Pharmac - but how did we get here? This episode traces its origins, and through politics and patient stories explores the tough trade-offs at the heart of our health system.

Season 2 Episode 4

Watch the video version of the episode here.

Or you can watch the full series on the RNZ website here.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

Pharmac decides which medicines New Zealanders get and which they don’t. It’s one of the most powerful institutions in our health system, negotiating hard with global drug companies to save billions. But that success comes with a trade-off: not every life-saving treatment can be funded. So how did New Zealand end up with a system like this? In this episode of Context, we trace the history of Pharmac from its creation in the 1990s to the controversial role it plays today. Along the way, we unpack how it works: the tough negotiations, the use of generics, and the cost-benefit decisions that can determine who gets access to medicine. We also explore the human side of those decisions. The cancer patients forced to go overseas for treatment. The families campaigning for drugs that aren’t funded. And the growing political pressure on a system that was designed to stay independent. As new, high-cost treatments emerge, including weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, the stakes are only getting higher. Is Pharmac a world-leading model that protects New Zealand’s health budget? Or a system that leaves some patients behind? This is the story of the trade-offs at the heart of New Zealand’s healthcare system.

Have a topic you'd like Corin or Guyon to explore? Send your ideas to [email protected]

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