Nights

A Dunedin baker is being called up to Paris in January to judge at the Bakery World Cup. Founded in 1992, the The Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie is a high octane event, flour flying left right and centre, as 12 teams compete to be named the best bakers in the world. Kevin Gilbert of Gilbert's Fine Food in Dunedin will be the first New Zealander ever to judge the competition and he speaks to Nights about what he's expecting

One week till Christmas now, and the big question is whether Christmas lunch will be inside or outside - how the weather will fare. To give us an idea of this week leading up to Christmas across the country, Mark Leishman is joined by MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam.

Usually 50 years is a reason to celebrate - but for Women's Refuge New Zealand it means domestic violence is still a major issue. Ang Jury is the chief executive of Women's Refuge and she speaks to Mark Leishman about the organisation and why it's still as relevant today as it was half a century ago.

For his final appearance of 2023, Nights' sports correspondent Bryan Waddle talks about his sporting highlights of the year.

Resident muso Finn Johannson joins Mark Leishman with an electic mix of new tracks, including Adrienne Lenker, Sevy, Carpet Dust, Badieh, and Stress Positions.

Tis the season to be jolly, and for some closing out the year, that can mean running the risk of hazardous drinking. But the most recent New Zealand Health Survey, released earlier this week, shows that fewer of us are choosing to overindulge in alcohol. The rate of hazardous drinking reported in the survey dropped to an all-time low of just 16 percent of the adult population, with a marked decrease among younger people in particular. Mark Leishman speaks to the executive director of the NZ Alcohol Beverages Council Virginia Nicholls.

Nights' resident screen critic Dan Slevin joins Mark Leishman to discuss the Roald Dahl reimagining 'Wonka', the 2022 film 'Confess, Fletch' following the deloved rogue journalist created by Gregory McDonald, and a new documentary about Hipgnosis, the most influential design studio in the music business, responsible for iconic record covers from the likes of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

It's just 10 sleeps until Christmas and the staff at Wellington charity Age Concern are taking it upon themselves to bring some festive cheer to isolated seniors in the area. On Tuesday 19, the Age Concern Wellington staff will become Santa's elves for the day, hand-delivering special Christmas gift bags to 50 seniors who might not otherwise get visitors or presents, to show them they are not forgotten. Mark Leishman catches up with Stephen Opie, the CEO of Age Concern Wellington.

With summer upon us, it's worth reflecting on one of beachgoers' favourite items.

The bikini may be small, but it has a fairly large and radical history dating back to the anti-nuclear movement in the 1940s.

And deciding to put it on today, for some, can still be radical, too.

Angela Barnett, a writer and body-positivity campaigner based in Auckland, tells Mark Leishman about what she calls "a protest in three small triangles".

Kiwi aerospace company Rocket Lab has successfully launched a small Earth-imaging satellite for Japanese company iQPS at 5:05pm today. The launch was performed using the company's pioneering Electron rocket, with the mission called "The Moon God Awakens", an homage to a Japanese god. This is a big day for the company, founded by New Zealander Peter Beck, with Rocket Lab's last mission in September of this year suffering a launch failure. With today's launch, that raises a total of 10 launches for Rocket Lab this year, beating its previous annual record of nine. Rocket Lab spokesperson Morgan Bailey tells Mark Leishman about the mission.