Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories.
This week, we looked at how our top authors make a living writing books, the sky-high fares coming from independent taxi drivers, how the people of Muriwai are putting their lives back together post-Cyclone Gabrielle, why a Levin chocolate maker is in hot water over claiming its products are "handmade", and went behind the story with Guyon Espiner for his latest series on lobbying.
Plus, a special edition of our Long Read.
Whakarongo mai to any episodes you might have missed.
Does it pay to be a top author?
The shortlist for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards - the country's most prestigious literary prize - has just come out. It's a celebration of local authors at the top of their game.
New Zealand authors Catherine Chidgey and Graci Kim. Photo: Helen Mayall/Supplied / Supplied
But being a great novelist doesn't necessarily mean great pay.
Sharon Brettkelly speaks to authors Catherine Chidgey and Graci Kim about the two very different ways they make a living.
Catching a fair ride
A 2017 law change has led to a proliferation of independent taxi drivers, and the high fares they charge are leaving commuters feeling startled and ripped off.
Photo: 123RF
Tom Kitchin speaks to Newsroom journalist Matthew Scott who says this sort of story isn't uncommon.
"I think the most egregious example I heard in my reporting was $96 for a 3km trip in central Auckland. It would be cheaper to get an airfare on a cents-per-kilometre basis," he says.
Cyclone Gabrielle: Why many in Muriwai can't move on
More than one month on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Sharon Brettkelly is on the ground in the hard-hit, cordoned-off community of Muriwai.
One of the land slips that has forced evacuations and red or yellow stickered homes at Muriwai. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Some residents are being allowed to return home to live, or for restricted access, after Auckland Council last week downgraded the dangers of their stickered properties from red, to yellow or white.
But 83 homeowners in the Auckland west coast community face an uncertain future, because their properties remain red stickered, meaning they are prohibited from entering them.
Some of the properties are damaged beyond repair and their owners will eventually get an insurance payout, if they are insured. But they don't know if the payout will be enough to cover the cost of a new home in Muriwai.
Behind the story: Lobbying and the backdoor of our democracy
If you want to know who lobbies the Australian government on behalf of Air New Zealand, you simply go to an online register, type in the company's name and you'll find out in seconds.
Try to find out the same thing in Aotearoa and you get nothing.
Photo: RNZ
That's because Australia has a lobbying code of conduct - and a mandatory register.
New Zealand has no rules about lobbyists.
"It's utterly unregulated," says RNZ investigative journalist Guyon Espiner, whose series 'Mates, Comrades, Brothers' looks at who's in the industry, where they've come from and who they represent.
A storm in a lolly jar? The pineapple chew controversy
Can you really call a mass-produced lolly dipped in chocolate "handmade"?
The Potter Brothers have admitted to selling bulk-bought pineapple lumps wrapped in chocolate as a "handmade" product. Photo: Supplied
Levin-based confectioners The Potter Brothers have racked up four complaints to the Commerce Commission over how they marketed their pineapple chews after a TikTok 'exposing' their products went viral.
But in an age where most of what we consume is mass-produced, it's hard to know where to draw the line.
Bonnie Harrison speaks to The Spinoff reporter Stewart Sowman-Lund, marketing expert Dr Marilyn Giroux, and chief executive of Consumer NZ Jon Duffy.
The Long Read: What's Up With ADHD?
The number of adults filling prescriptions for ADHD medication has skyrocketed from around 4300 in 2012 to almost 22,000 last year. Photo: Rachel Salazar / North & South
This week, it's What's Up With ADHD?, written by Mirjam Guesgen and published in North & South's April 2023 issue.
You can find the full article, with illustrations by Rachel Salazar, in this month’s issue of North and South.
Once a condition associated with children, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis in adults have quadrupled in New Zealand in the past 10 years. What’s behind this sudden and extraordinary rise, and should we take it at face value?
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