Nights for Tuesday 26 August 2025

8:10 Should people be able to protest outside your home?

A bill which would make protesting outside someone's home an offence - even if the protest is peaceful - passed its first reading in parliament last week.

Its purpose is to protect people's privacy - because apparently such protests are increasing in frequency, targeting people like MPs, judges, and other people filling public roles.

Protesters could face up to three months in prison, or a $2,000 fine. 

Professor Andrew Geddis from the University of Otago's faculty of law joins Emile Donovan to discuss the balance between free speech and privacy.

8:25 When should you use an em dash?

Apparently, one of the ways you can tell if something has been written by AI is an overuse of the em dash. That's the elongated hyphen: "—".

This is because AI models tend to train on American writing, and Americans love an em dash.

It's putting some people off what is otherwise a very fine, very useful piece of punctuation

Managing editor of Te Herenga Waka University Press Ashleigh Young joins Emile Donovan to discuss the merits of the em dash and its friends: the comma, the semicolon, the ellipsis, and the period.

8:35 From the NZ Wool Board to the runways of Delhi

Emile Donovan speaks to Pranay Baidya.

Born in Calcutta, Pranay came to New Zealand for his education and gained his fashion design degree in Christchurch before working for the NZ Wool Growers' Board as Creative Director. 

Returning to India, he launched his own fashion brand which an emphasis on sustainability. He's back in New Zealand for Fashion Week with a series of trunk shows.

• Friday 29 August: Auckland City – 1/18 Shelly Beach Road, St Marys Bay 1:30pm - 6:30pm
• Sunday 31 August: Auckland North Shore – Hauraki Social Club 12:00pm - 3:00pm
• Tuesday 02 September: Cambridge – Odell Home (come for Prosecco!) 2:00pm – 6:00pm
• Thursday 04 September: Rotorua – 28 Selwyn Road, Lynmore 5:30pm – 8.30pm
• Saturday 06 September: Havelock North – 1a Legorne Lane 12:00pm – 3:00pm
• Monday 08 September: Wellington – Sable Fine Hair 2:00pm – 6:00pm

8:45 Shower Thoughts: How does a washing machine clean clothes?

Every Tuesday, we find an expert to answer curious questions about the world and how it works.

Tonight, we're taking a peek inside one of the hardest-working appliances in any household: the humble washing machine.

We've all used one before, but do you actually know how your clothes are being cleaned? How different is one cycle from another?

Bryan Wall, product test writer at Consumer NZ joins Emile Donovan to explain.

9:05 Nights Quiz

Do you know your stuff? Come on the air and be grilled by Emile Donovan as he dons his quizmaster hat.

If you get an answer right, you move on to the next question. If you get it wrong, your time in the chair is up, and the next caller will be put through. The person with the most correct answers at the end of the run goes in the draw for a weekly prize.

9:25 We’ve been "trolling" since the beginning

You may think trolling is a modern phenomenon, much like clickbait, social media scraps, or reality TV.

But you'd be mistaken.

The act of insulting or humiliating someone in just the right way to provoke the perfect reaction seems to be almost as old as the spoken word. And my next guest argues that some very influential historical figures were exceptional at the art of trolling.

David Rudrum is an English lecturer at the University of Huddersfield and the author of Trolling Before the Internet: An Offline History of Insult, Provocation, and Public Humiliation in the Literary Classics.

9:45 Pacific Waves

A daily current affairs programme that delves deeper into the major stories of the week, through a Pacific lens, and shines a light on issues affecting Pacific people wherever they are in the world. Hosted by Susana Suisuiki.

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10:17 The Detail

Tonight on the Detail - Inside the Auckland event where tech startups pitch to New Zealand's wealthiest investors, the economic outlook is sunny.

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10:45 The Reading: Rocking Horse Road

Episode 2 of Rocking Horse Road by Carl Nixon read by Jason Whyte

After her violent death on the beach at the end of Rocking Horse Road, Lucy Asher takes on the status of a deity for a group of boys in the school.

11:07 Worlds of Music

Trevor Reekie hosts a weekly music programme celebrating an eclectic mix of trans global music, fusion and folk roots.

To listen to this programme again or other shows you may have missed head to www.rnz.co.nz/worlds-of-music