The Long Read from Stuff

David Hawken and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum’s pasts had caught up. On December 9, 2023, the jury found the pair guilty of the murder of Angela Blackmoore in 1995. Justice for Angela Blackmoore was slow but it had finally arrived. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Martin Van Beynen Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Advocates fear removing and replacing the relationship and sexuality education guidelines will be taking a step backwards in ending sexual violence and reversing improvements in the wellbeing of rainbow communities. Written by Hanna McCallum Read and produced by Jen Black Audio editing by Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered where your food scraps go once you place your green bin on the kerbside? In Auckland, senior journalist Steve Kilgallon takes the 555km round trip in which food scraps are transformed via anaerobic digestion to create energy and fertiliser. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Steve Kilgallon Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As David Tamihere’s conviction for murdering two Swedish tourists returned to court this week, allegations of a shock confession surfaced, along with grisly revelations that body parts from one of the victims remained on display at a laboratory for more than 20 years. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Mike White Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born with no arms and legs, Jess Stewart became somewhat of a celebrity within the Exclusive Brethren. However, when it came time to leave, it had to be carefully planned. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Steve Kilgallon Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A survivor of sexual abuse at Dilworth School in the 1990s says memos written by senior school administrators shows they knew staff had sexually abused boys – and that it would continue. WARNING: This episode contains graphic content, references to sexual abuse and may be distressing for some listeners. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Edward Gay Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They took photos, asked personal questions, and looked in every nook and cranny of this journalist's home. As part of their qualitative research for the new Ikea mega store coming in late 2025, Ikea's interior designers are checking out NZ homes for what storage solutions we may want and need. This story was made possible by subscribers to The Post and was first featured in this week’s edition of the Sunday Star-Times. If you want to support more beautifully-told New Zealand stories go to thepost.co.nz Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Aimee Shaw Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like protests or petitions, public meetings are a cornerstone of democracy. From NIMBYs to Legal Beagles and everything in between, community reporter Jonathan Killick lifts the lid on the characters that usually go along. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Jonathan Killick Audio editing by John Ropiha Produced by Jen Black Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Described as a One-man crime wave’ Prisoner Damon Exley escaped Rimutaka Prison in February 2022 disguised as a prison guard and then abducted and raped a woman. WARNING: Warning this episode contains strong language and references to rape and may be distressing for some listeners. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Blair Ensor Audio editing by Connor Scott Produced by Jen Black Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disabled Kiwis face more dating hurdles than most, with non-disabled people often awkward or anxious around them. Olivia Shivas explores the disabled dating experience - and it’s not all about ‘those sex questions’. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Olivia Shivas Audio editing by Connor Scott Co-produced by Michael Wright and Jen Black Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These people slept on couches, in cars and on floors. For The Post, Ethan Te Ora tells the story of the diverse group of people moving into new units created by community provider, Dwell, and the politics surrounding the funding of social housing. Who are these people? How did they end up needing housing help? An perhaps most importantly, do they now have a chance of creating a community. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Ethan Te Ora Audio editing by Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As New Zealand struggled with race relations at home in the late 19th century, some of its citizens were participating in a genocide overseas. Among the most damning accounts of the genocide surviving today come from reports published in New Zealand newspapers. They indicate other New Zealanders were involved in squads that hunted Selk’nam (one of the indigenous peoples of Tierra Del Fuego) capturing them for relocation to a concentration camp, and, in some cases, killing them. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read and produced by Michael Wright Audio editing by Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should Hedgehogs be treated as pests or pets? To some, they’re seen as pests and even worse than rats to our native species but to others, they are much loved, protected, and a cute surprise in the garden. This story first appeared in print in The Sunday Star Times. To avoid missing any of our great reads, subscribe at www.thepost.co.nz/subscribe. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Craig Hoyle Produced by Jen Black Audio editing by John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UFC mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya is many things: champion fighter, fashion plate, a particular version of modern masculinity. Adam Dudding sat down with him ahead of the release of Stylebender a new feature-length film about him which aims to show all the different facets of Adesanya, in and out of the ring. This story first appeared in print in Sunday magazine and online at https://www.thepost.co.nz/culture/350077646/israel-adesanya-ufcs-stylebender-about-become-movie-star. To avoid missing any of our great reads, subscribe at www.thepost.co.nz/subscribe. Stylebender is on general release from September 28. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Adam Dudding Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minnie Baragwanath was diagnosed with a degenerative disease at age 15 which left her legally blind. This story discusses how facing her own challenges drives her to change how we think about disability. This story was made possible by subscribers to The Post. If you want to support more beautifully-told New Zealand stories go to thepost.co.nz Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by James Borrowdale Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one really knows how many people in New Zealand have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. In its Disordered project, the Stuff Circuit team laid bare our chronic mismanagement of the disability. Co-author Paul Penfold reads their lead written investigation. To watch and read the full Disordered project, click here. WARNING: This episode contains strong language Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Louisa Cleave and Paula Penfold Produced by Jen Black Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How chemical weapons, economic theory and the internet combined to squeeze ten barbershops into one Auckland suburb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With prices running to thousands and scientists set to study their DNA, some say the huntaway dog – and its contribution to New Zealand – still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Read this story and more like it on our masthead sites: Waikato Times, The Press, The Post Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Virginia Fallon Produced and read by Jen Black Audio editing by John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2011, a Norwegian yacht sank off the coast of Antarctica during a storm. Three of its crew were lost. A decade on, a Stuff investigation finds new revelations about why the yacht sank and New Zealand's involvement. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Lee Kenny Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing by John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the face of it, Sergeant Alastair Dickie had an easy choice to make: attend a suspected armed incident or process a disqualified driver sitting in front of him? But as Nadine Roberts found out, it’s never that simple, especially when the disqualified driver goes on to commit a brutal crime just hours later. WARNING: This podcast contains graphic content, strong language, and references to sexual assault. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Nadine Roberts Produced by Jen Black Audio editing by Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, a rundown house in Christchurch secretly harboured one of New Zealand’s greatest literary treasures. This is the story of the reclusive hoarder who hid it, the woman who wrote it, and the man who rediscovered it. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Michael Wright Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday 16th August, the jury of eight women and four men reached a majority verdict, that Dickason was guilty on all three counts of murder. Over the four-week trial, the jury had to decide whether Dickason was or was not criminally responsible for killing her three children at their home in Timaru on the 16th of September 2021. WARNING: This podcast covers issues that may be distressing for some, including mental health, suicidal thoughts, and the death of young children. For free help, text or call 1737, 24 hours. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written and read by Martin Van Beynen Produced by Jen Black Audio editing by John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1927, 82-year-old André Jose was bludgeoned to death in a Stewart Island boarding house. His death is the only known homicide on the island. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Written by Hamish McNeilly Read by Dominic Harris Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a world where the best bodies look like bricks and $35 buys you the chance of a championship. At a Porirua guinea pig show, Virginia Fallon meets the people who know good things really do come in small packages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cool under fire, Kiwi Sergeant Edgar "Sandy" Sanders was known for his wartime heroics as part of a clandestine British army unit, The Long Range Desert Group. The unit operated in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and their hit-and-run tactics made them a formidable fighting force. But after the war, Sanders continued his daring exploits, this time sailing the Pacific for the fabled Treasure of Lima. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Murray and Margaret Shaw retired and started a small bird park, but not before becoming embroiled in a sprawling saga involving a late-night arrest, an early-morning raid, and a music festival called Birdstock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What drives someone to make competitive mini-golf their mission? Well, something does .. and it's something Stuff's National Correspondent Steve Kilgallon investigated. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Steve Kilgallon Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One had broken ribs and two years of heartbreak to overcome. The other had been a national celebrity but never faced anything like this before. Now they were running against each other, to the death. Stuff’s Mike White and Lawrence Smith recorded the drama of the Riverhead Backyard ReLaps Ultra, the race that keeps on going until only one person is left standing. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read and produced by Jono Willliams Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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At the top of her sport and destined to row for New Zealand at the Olympic Games, Lucy Strack suddenly forgot how to scull. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Philippa Tolley Produced by Michael Wright Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As detectives set about looking for an international crime syndicate, two local lads were crumpling their crisp new bank notes to avoid suspicion. More than 50 years on, Chloe Ranford discovers some of the money was never recovered. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reinventing yourself after quitting your dream job can be pretty painful. Just ask All Black great Dan Carter - which is what Adam Dudding did. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much are we being watched? Or is it all in our imagination? With the increase in CCTV and smart ware, from phones to fridges, the feeling is we are all increasingly being tracked. But is the increase in surveillance more a result of ‘mission creep’ as businesses and government agencies expand their brief, than an overarching conspiracy? You can read Richard's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Michael Wright Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A book deal, a possible Netflix documentary and a tale of success in the face of adversity, was the life painted on social media by wannabe New Zealand lawyer Corallee Collins-Anan. In a tale that mirrors a Walter Mitty creation or a version of Inventing Anna, the reality seemed to be deceit, missing money and academic failings. In this episode of The Long Read, Steve Kilgallon sets out the life Collins-Anan painted for herself verses real life. You can read Steve's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beautiful scenery good enough for Lord of The Rings, so why has 007 - James Bond - never been to New Zealand? In this episode from the archives of The Long Read, Lee Kenny charts this country's connections with Bond and the reasons why we may just be too far away. You can read Lee's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Lee Kenny Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It started off with two pekin ducks living contentedly on a pond in Southland. But a dog attack later and the fate of Duckie and Drakie has sparked a five year court saga that has made legal history. You can read Martin's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Martin Van Beynen Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a shallow lake nestled high in the Central Otago hill country could electrify the country and serve as the biggest public infrastructure project in nearly half a century. You can read Charlie's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Adam Dudding Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the dark days of New Zealand’s winters don’t hold a candle to Antarctica’s, there’s no doubt they can still affect our physical and mental health. So what can we learn from the experts - people who spend six months of the year in darkness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's hard to believe, but there used to be a bountry on the beak of every kea. They were accused to attacking sheep and hunters killed about 150,00 in a hundred years of slaughter. In this episode from the archives of The Long Read Charlie O'Mannin sets out the how kea have gone from being regarded as the enemy to the focus of consevation. You can read Charlie's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Michael Wright Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One month on from the Loafers Lodge fire, the man who jumped to safety rather than burn, tells Nikki Macdonald he’s been given “a fighting chance to get the life I never had”. But he wonders why it took a fatal fire for people to care. You can read Nikki's story here Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Read by Nikki Macdonald Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Lewis trusted and cared about his partner, Dr Shelagh Dawson. It never occurred to him that she could be secretly trying to kill him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you could build a new society inside a national park? A motley crew of sovereign citizens tried to do just that, with an ambitious – but mostly incompetent – attempt to establish “New Freeland” under the Department of Conservation’s nose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The identities of two men who drugged and sexually assaulted numerous women have been revealed after earlier being found guilty. Blair Ensor and Jake Kenny give the full report on Operation Sinatra. A warning: this episode does have references to sexual abuse. Resources are at the bottom of the show notes. You can read Jake Kenny and Blair Ensor's story here. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Host: Philippa Tolley Read by Blair Ensor Produced by Philippa Tolley Audio editing: John Ropiha Where to get help: Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00, click link for local helplines. Victim Support 0800 842 846. Safetalk text 4334, phone 0800 044 334 webchat safetotalk.nz or email [email protected]. The Harbour Online support and information for people affected by sexual abuse. Women’s Refuge 0800 733 843 Male Survivors Aotearoa Helplines across NZ, click to find out more (males only). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They are the forgotten Māori soldiers of Colditz. The two men served time in the infamous German prison and went on a dangerous mission at the close of World War II in Europe. Charlie Gates uncovers their full story for the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 19 women were fired from the Wellington strip club, Calender Girls over contract negotiations, Hanna McCullum was given access to the inner sanctum of a strip club. She discovered a bond between the dancers and shocking employment conditions. A warning: this episode does have references to sexual abuse. You can read Hanna McCullum's story here. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Host: Philippa Tolley Read by Imogen Wells Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A storm with the destructive force of Cyclone Gabrielle could temporarily cripple the capital and sink parts of the Hutt Valley under four metres of floodwater. Ethan Te Ora examines the hypothetical path and fallout of such an event. You can read Ethan Te Ora's story here. Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Host: Philippa Tolley Read by Ethan Te Ora Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: Connor Scott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Convicted killer Mark Pakenham insists he was 'framed' in Sara Niethe disappearance. He claims he confessed to accidentally killing her rather than be charged with murder. As Jono Williams recounts, her body and her car have never been found. You can read Tony Wall's story at: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300847790/convicted-killer-mark-pakenham-lives-on-a-boat-in-far-north-insists-he-was-framed-in-sara-niethe-disappearance Need more great podcasts? Check out Stuff's full catalogue here. GET IN TOUCH Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] CREDITS Host: Philippa Tolley Read and Produced by Jono Williams Audio editing: John Ropiha Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshly divorced, psychologist Dr Angela Ahola decided to take dating to the next level. After going on 100 dates, here is what she learnt about finding love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Millicent Roberts, the blond bombshell doll better known as Barbie, is now 64 years old. She is sold in 150 countries worldwide at a rate of more than 100 every minute. Barbie, and her unrealistic proportions, have come in for a lot of stick over the years, despite efforts to diversify. But she remains steadfastly popular and has even inspired a movie due out later this year. Barbie: Feminist foe or marketing masterpiece? - written and read by Virginia Fallon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Williams always imagined he'd be a parent someday. With the help of a close friend and his big sister, he's believed to have become the first single gay man in New Zealand to achieve that dream through surrogacy, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices