A family is being reunited just in time for Christmas, after a lengthy separation and an epic solo yachting trip from the Caribbean to Auckland. Dmitry Pelevin promised his 7-year-old son he would make it back to our shores by Christmas after being trapped in Europe due to COVID lockdowns. He joins The Panel to tell us about the big reunion.

This year will be the last of Mercury Bay's well-known and much-loved 'Christmas House' run by Gordon and the late Diana Barnaby.

Iraqis have reacted with outrage to Donald Trump's move to pardon four security guards from the security firm Blackwater who were jailed for a 2007 massacre that sparked an outcry over the use of mercenaries in war.

As 2020 draws to a close it keeps delivering bad news - and this one is for chocolate lovers - Whittaker's has run out of stock of two of their most popular chocolate blocks, due to supply chain disruptions caused by Covid-19.

A group of tourism industry heads and mayors want more power to manage freedom camping, including a national vehicle track and trace database. Tim Cadogan, mayor of Central Otago and member of the Responsible Camping Working Group, joins the show to discuss.

The Mangere Budgeting Service says they have seen a 46 percent spike in pensioners needing food in the past two years. Darryl Evans, who runs the service, says the problem is crippling rents. He joins The Panel to discuss.

What panellists Julia Hartley Moore and Alan McElroy have been thinking about.

This is a time of year when a lot of people are on the move, often to places that are important to them. That has taken on a new resonance this year, as many have been locked down or sheltering place. New Zealanders are able to make these journeys currently. Robert Kelly reflects on the growing trend towards secular pilgrimage and on how important place can be in times of immense change.

The Panel tackles a story that is getting a bit of traction - the danger of slippery tiles.

Transport officials have warned the government the Auckland Light Rail project is too big and too complex for any public agency to deliver.