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

Disrespecting partnership • The government rollback on Māori health initiatives is damaging and runs counter to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, says Tureiti Moxon.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Lunchtime blues

Bright Lines

Quips & Quotes

10 Quick Questions

Loneliness of the far-right extremist

Don’t mention the P word • Act’s leader once again pulls the rug out from under National as it attempts to sell its growth agenda.

Keeping judges accountable

Against the stream

Cruise control

Crown Law unto itself

Take back the power • Voter disillusionment is rampant in the face of short-term political thinking and the increasing sway of business elites. Can democracy respond?

Thinking Outside The Box

Passion project • For postmenopausal women, a boost of testosterone can light up libido ‒ just don’t believe all the online hype on its benefits.

You’re The Man • Posit ions of power and levels of testosterone seem to go hand in hand.

Explain yourself • One of the world’s leading exponents of getting your message across says it’s all about “chunking”.

Out of the shadows • Big hair and sequins might seem to define Tami Neilson in concert, but it’s a persona calculated to send a clear message to the music industry.

Choice cuts • The longlists for the Ockham NZ Book Awards are out – so who’s made the grade?

Awards finalists 2025

Horseback to high seas • Modern China’s rising naval assertiveness echoes the maritime daring of the Yuan dynasty’s Kublai Khan.

Poetry

Short cuts

Viral warfare • In the “microbial arms race”, attention returns to viral phages to counter deadly infections as antibiotic resistance grows.

Practice To Deceive • Debut tale of author connivance lays bare race and gender bias in the arts.

Date With Destiny • When the corrupt Gulch family’s business interests start to collapse, a ruthless race to the bottom ensues.

BESTSELLERS

Left At Mulholland Drive • With the death of David Lynch, New Zealand artists look back at their surreal close encounters with the film-maker, musician, painter and cult figure.

Peak Attractions

Song Of Decline • Director toys with the truth in another film about a famous woman.

The Power Game • Briton Harris Dickinson steals the limelight in this erotic thriller.

Campus showdown • The explosive 1979 event is revisited in a doco with original protagonists.

Old Black Magic • Two left-field US rock reissues proving it wasn’t all grunge in the 1990s.

Lady In The Van • Miriam Margolyes hits the road in Aotearoa on a personal tiki tour.

Tv Picks Of The Week

Tv Films

Saturday/Rāhoroi February 8

Sunday/Rātapu February 9

Monday/Rāhina February 10

Tuesday/Rātū February 11

Wednesday/Rāapa February 12

Thursday/Rāpare February 13

Friday/Rāmere February 14

Radio February 8 -14

Three’s a crowd • After 23 years, Ashley Brown prepares for his last concerts with NZTrio.

No healing thyself • Self-diagnosis tests are flooding the market but they can both cause false optimism and send us down a risky path.

Ripe for picking • Fast salads with punchy flavours from Australian cook, food writer and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky.

In the pink • Kiwis are lapping up rosé as though it’s going out of fashion.

Forecasting cheerfulness • The weather does affect our mood, but you can have too much of a good...