In this issue

Gut punch, food, antibiotics, the microbiome - what's driving NZ's rocketing rates of inflammatory bowl disease?
Bastion or BS? the risk of criticising the Rwandan regime
Marrow focus, the truth about bone and calcium

Lifting the lid

NZ First's bid to regulate toilet use should be flushed away, but adolescents' access to transgender medicine deserves serious attention.

4 mins

Ditch the rich

A neighbour recently told me he's going Jeff Bezos-free, a decision that resonated with me immediately, as I have long resented the cone-headed tycoon for stealing the name of the world's mightiest river to drown the rest of us in his lucre lust.

3 mins

He is here

In the week my brother died, there was a storm in the universe.

2 mins

Don't call us ...

Finland's ingenuity galvanised the rapid global uptake of cellphones, so it's paradoxical the country's latest claim to fame should be the elevation of no-speakies to a new commercial opportunity.

2 mins

The point of Peters

There's been much to admire about the NZ First leader's politics over the years, but where has it got him?

5 mins

Busting a gut

IBD is escalating, seemingly thanks to the Western lifestyle, and New Zealand has one of the highest rates in the world.

10 mins

Wrong message

A UK journalist who came here to talk about Rwanda’s authoritarian regime found herself the victim of a social media hate campaign.

8 mins

Leaving it all on the park

After cancer treatment, Graeme Downes takes stock of a musical life leading The Verlaines and lecturing future generations of songwriters.

9 mins

Creating the WOW factor

Meg Williams, in charge of the biggest festival involving a bunch of people wearing wacky outfits, admits she's not very flamboyant in her own dressing.

8 mins

A chemical killer

A new book outlines the life of a woman who may well have been New Zealand’s most prolific poisoner. What was it that led police to exhume the body of her husband from its watery grave?

7 mins

To the Max

The testosterone and torments of late adolescence are centre stage in this novel about finding your place in life.

2 mins

Spilt milk

Excess dietary calcium goes into toilets, not bones.

3 mins

Read all stories from New Zealand Listener

New Zealand Listener Magazine Description:

The New Zealand Listener is New Zealand’s highest-selling and best-read current affairs magazine. Each week the Listener brings you the latest commentary and insight from award-winning writers and columnists.
An energising read, full of witty insight and award-winning investigative journalism, this is the magazine that has been setting New Zealand’s agenda since 1939.