Nights

8:10 The hidden rise of organised crime networks in New Zealand and the Pacific

Here's a stat you might not be familiar with: over the past seven years, the price of cannabis, MDMA and methamphetamine has dropped by ten, 26 percent and 36 percent respectively. In that same period, food prices have risen by about 37 percent.

An increase in supply, fueled by increasingly-sophisticated organised crime networks operating here and across the Pacific, has made New Zealand a lucrative untapped market.

And it's not just illicit drugs: black-market tobacco, fraud, and people trafficking are also part of this growing, complex web, which authorities are struggling to get on top of.

It's a story that writer Danyl McLauchlan has explored in detail in the latest edition of The Listener.

He speaks to Emile Donovan.

8:25 The House

Tonight, on The House, Louis looks at the second reading of the highly contentious Regulatory Standards Bill. 

8:30 How frogs were used as medicine in the medieval era

Boiled, burned, mixed with honey, or simply placed on the stomach of someone with tuberculosis: in Europe, over one thousand years ago, frogs were believed to contain miraculous medicinal properties. 

Greti Dinkova-Bruun is a Fellow and Library Director at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto, and has been looking into medieval texts to find how frogs were depicted and used for medicinal purposes.

She speaks to Emile Donovan about the spell frogs had over people during the Dark Ages.

8:45 Shower Thoughts: How do you write an obituary?

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

And tonight: how do you write an obituary, who are they for, and how far in advance are they prepared?

Jeremy Rees is the executive editor of specialist news at RNZ and a former editor of the Weekend Herald, NZ Herald website, and the Herald's head of news.

He joins Emile Donovan to talk about the craft of writing about the recently deceased.

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 The New Zealand artist creating 'risky' playgrounds 

New Zealand-born, Australia-based artist Mike Hewson creates playgrounds that, at first glance, look more like construction sites than places to play.

He now has five permanent installations across Australia, including sites with boulders balanced on what look like impossibly small wheels, and palm trees hanging five metres in the air, making them hard to miss and even harder to resist.

His latest installation is tucked four stories down, inside a former World War II oil tank deep beneath Sydney, and includes a milk tank transformed into a steam room, sauna and barbecue.

Mike Hewson joins Emile Donovan to discuss his philosophy of risk and play.

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

On The Detail - The figures keep blowing up when it comes to paying for our Roads of National Significance, and critics say some of the justifications are shonky

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10:45 The Reading: Daisy

Annie Whittle reads Daisy by Pip Adam, from her award-winning short story collection Everything We Hoped for, published by Victoria University Press.

We spend time with two-year-old Daisy, who loves to push her trolley. A close-up of a toddler's daily life.

11:07 Worlds of Music

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