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

New dawn of the ‘pre-dead’ • The term and activities of “retirement” need a refresh to spare the feelings of people in later life, says Judith Davey.

In memory, and concern

Bright Lines

An Horatian ode to Fleur Adcock at eighty

Quips & Quotes

10 Quick Questions

A series of idiotic events • Incompetence stretching back years lies at the heart of the paralysis in Wellington that has led to government intervention.

Odds stacked against them

Here we go again

Fix-it drug for the masses

Stuck in the mud • Intensive farming in the cold Deep South could damage the image of our biggest industry. But farmer groups are opposing rule changes to safeguard the welfare of cows.

Clear As Mud • The decline in Southland’s waterways is linked to nitrogen run-off but good grazing practices should limit the damage.

Pastures Less Fresh

Seeds of destruction • Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu’s theories on why economies fail should make Kiwis very nervous, writes Danyl McLauchlan.

Extending a Helping Hand • New Zealand’s warm welcome for Polish children shipped from war-ravaged Europe 80 years ago raises questions about how today’s refugees are received.

The Kiwi Connection • The Polish Army League, which sent care parcels to men abroad, was set up by women of Manawatū, including Peter Bale’s formidable grandmother.

Up in smoke • It all started with an attempt in 1605 to blow an English king to smithereens but we continue to take our cue from that November day to light up the sky with fireworks.

Something In The Air • ‘Well ventilated’ though Aotearoa is, we shouldn’t discount the lead in fireworks.

The Rockets’ Red Glare

Giving all kids a chance • The Chief Children’s Commissioner may be a born Pollyanna, but she’s shown a willingness to speak out when youth policies lack evidence.

Divided Loyalties • Kirsty Gunn’s new short story collection could be a touchstone for the times: though diverse, they converse.

Revealing the dead • The question of whose deaths appear to matter most is explored as an amateur sleuth pursues a killer of young women.

Rebuilding the warren • A tale of grief, and rabbits, is told with simple effect and sharply drawn characters.

Found in translation • An ex-translator’s Japan-set novel about a translator adeptly fulfils the mission of bridging cultures.

The guilt of the Lily • A Kiwi poet’s painstaking piecing together of his great-aunt’s questionable actions in Nazi Germany.

Thrilling rides • Three compelling cop dramas from writers at the top of their game.

A dangerous web • Past shameful events resurface when a loner gets entangled in the case of a missing woman.

Snail pace • After a 15-year hiatus, Adam Elliot’s trademark chunky and wonky claymation figures are about to hit the screen in a new feature.

Differences matter • Strange, unnerving story will make you squirm, laugh and question your prejudices.

Taking the rap • Entertaining tale of the anarchic Irish hip-hop group that broke taboos.

Not too shabby • Blur has grown older and fatter, but this doco shows they’re still rock’n’roll.

Moana’s global iwi • Collaborations with other indigenous voices are drawn into a cohesive whole.

Murder in a microcosm • Queenstown-set A Remarkable Place to Die is not quite cosy crime but its creator hopes it has a sense of fun.

TV Picks of the week

Tv Films

Saturday/Rāhoroi November 2

Sunday/Rātapu...