Kim Hill Wants To Know
RNZ
Kim Hill is back asking questions in her inimitable style. She has conversations with guests from around the world about topics that spark her interest and will do the same for you.
Kim Hill is back asking questions in her inimitable style. She has conversations with guests from around the world about topics that spark her interest and will do the same for you.
Why Tim Winton thinks crisis is a catalyst for change
Episodes
Beloved Australian literary voice and environmentalist Tim Winton is in conversation with Kim about how to keep going in a burning world. Winton's new book is a memoir in essays about the fragility of existence. Songs From the Firefront is published by Penguin. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 7 Songs from the Firefront is published by Penguin. (00:00) The voice of Australia (03:36) The power of common good (06:33) Juice - a dystopian reflection (10:11) Tim’s cyclonic experience (14:30) Protecting marine ecosystems (21:24) Environmental Advocacy and common good coming from a crisis (35:17) Don’t live alone in Australia! (42:15) Nihilism vs. action (44:30) Ayn Rand's Influence and the strongman ideology (52:28) Fiction in activism (58:52) Mortality and legacy Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Emily Wilson is the first woman to translate The Odyssey into English. Emily is passionate about making Homer and the Classics accessible to everyone, and she wears her love for them on her sleeve, almost literally! Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 6 Emily Wilson's new book Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is published by Profile/Allen & Unwin. In this episode: (02:48) The art of translation: revisiting The Odyssey (08:58) The Odyssey’s relevance today (12:08) Misinterpretations (14:57) Classics in modern society (21:01) Christopher Nolan's adaptation (26:50) Understanding Homer (34:38) Sappho and the ambiguity of desire (39:14) Was Helen of Troy a victim or a villain? (48:31) Tattoos (52:25) The challenges of translation Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Richard Dawkins is in conversation with Kim Hill. Half a century after The Selfish Gene the controversial evolutionary biologist reflects on his theories and argues AI could already be conscious. Richard Dawkins is appearing in Auckland on November 20, 2026, at the Aotea Centre and in Wellington on November 23, 2026, at the Michael Fowler Centre. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 5 In this episode: (03:00) Understanding genes and altruism (11:08) The rise of AI, its impact on society (15:08) Is AI a new form of life? (28:27) The Frightening Possibilities of Genetic Advances (30:39) The role of religion and our need for belief systems: the impact of 'The God Delusion' (35:35) The beauty of science and nature (37:29) Gender, biology, and language (45:59) Conservation success stories (46:49) The future of extinct species revival Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Professor of Chinese Studies Kerry Brown is in conversation with Kim Hill, explaining why, although Taiwan is a geopolitical powder keg, doing nothing about the conflict it could spark is the best approach. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 4 In this episode: (00:00) Taiwan: a geopolitical powder keg (15:13) Historical context to democracy in Taiwan (33:54) Identity and cultural heritage (46:26) Global implications Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Rory Cormac knows a lot about deliberately spreading propaganda for political gain. The professor of international relations specialises in the study of covert action and secret statecraft. He speaks to Kim Hill about his latest book Fakers. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 3 Professor Rory Cormac is the author of Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line In this episode: (00:00) Introduction to Professor Rory Cormac (02:53) The role of the Information Research Department (09:00) Covert operations in Africa (12:10) The characters behind the IRD (15:08) Fake news agencies and journalistic integrity (18:05) Mission creep post-WWII (20:55) The Indonesian genocide and propaganda (24:02) Soviet tactics and modern parallels (26:58) The challenge of disinformation today (32:47) The future of truth in a “post-truth” world Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner talks with Kim Hill about being shot and left for dead by Islamist gunmen, adapting to life in a wheelchair and writing truthy fiction. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 2 Frank Gardner is the author of the memoir Blood and Sand In this episode: (00:00) Frank Gardner's Journey: From Adventure to Adversity (07:18) Reflections on journalism in the Middle East (17:16) The Arab Spring: Hopes and disillusionment (23:25) Optimism amidst challenges (26:01) Fiction and possible future scenarios (27:49) The threat of Russia and NATO's response (30:54) Frank’s brush with intelligence and espionage (37:59) Reflections on life after trauma (49:10) Frank’s family heritage and historical connections Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Punk rocker, lead singer of The Undertones, Feargal Sharkey speaks to Kim Hill about reinventing himself. The Irishman has become one of the most vocal advocates for cleaning up Britain's waterways and served as chairman on one of England's oldest angling clubs. Watch the video version of this episode on the RNZ website on YouTube or TVNZ+. Season 2 Episode 1 Feargal Sharkey recommends TV mini series Dirty Business, see more about the series and stories from the real whistleblowers and victims from the Channel 4 documentary series on YouTube. In this episode: (00:00) From Punk Rocker to Environmental Advocate (10:14) The Music Industry and Its Challenges (15:22) The Decline of Chalk Streams (24:02) The Crisis of Water Privatisation (36:03) Public Concern and Political Accountability (41:26) Comparing Scandals: Water Industry and Post Office (50:14) The Need for Visionary Leadership (54:10) The Future of United Ireland Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kim Hill Wants to Know is back for another season. With guests including former punk rocker-turned-clean water advocate Feargal Sharkey, BBC correspondent Frank Gardner and secret statecraft specialist Professor Rory Cormac, there's something for everyone. You can now watch Kim Hill Wants to Know at rnz.co.nz/video or on YouTube. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The secret to living well for longer is one geneticist Dame Linda Partridge has been trying to uncover for much of her career. In this episode of Kim Hill Wants To Know, she talks with Kim about the scientific breakthroughs that could mean the end to aging as we know it. Season 1 Episode 10 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kim chats with neuroscientist Sir Richard Faull about the wonders of the human brain and the work being done to unlock its secrets. Season 1 Episode 9 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kim Hill sits down with linguist and etymologist Anatoly Liberman to talk about words – their meaning, their history and how languages evolve. Season 1 Episode 8 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kim Hill speaks with journalist Nick Wallis about his time covering the UK’s Great Post Office scandal - described as England's worst miscarriage of justice - and discovers the story is far from over. Season 1 Episode 7 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Caroline Crampton resisted the idea that she was a hypochondriac, but now she's written an entire book on the history of the condition. Is this normal Doctor? The more we know about things, the more there is to worry about. This is especially true of our bodies, where it seems impossible that something isn’t going wrong all the time. Caroline Crampton is a hypochondriac and has written a book on the history of the condition - A Body Made of Glass. Crampton tells Kim Hill it took a long time to even entertain the idea that she might be a hypochondriac. Season 1 Episode 6 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Historian, author and podcaster William Dalrymple believes it was India's Golden Road - not China's Silk Road - that transformed the world. He tells Kim Hill about his latest book and his own family history in the Empire. Scottish historian and journalist William Dalrymple is renown for his books, television series and podcast Empire - mostly about India, a country he’s been in love with since he was a young man. In his latest, The Golden Road, he argues that it was India and not China which transformed the world between 2050BC and 1300AD. Season 1 Episode 5 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
If you put Kim Hill and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a room together - this is what you get. A fiery yet invigorating conversation about Johnson's political career and his new book Unleashed. Watch the video version of the episode here. Season 1 Episode 4 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
How much money is too much? Belgian-Dutch philosopher and economist Professor Ingrid Robeyns has written a book called Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth and she tells Kim Hill why the uber rich should be forced to give up their cash. Belgian-Dutch philosopher and economist Professor Ingrid Robeyns believes there is such a thing as too much money. Professor Robeyns, who holds the Chair of Ethics of Institutions at Utrecht University, has written a book called Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth and she believes the world would be better off if no one was allowed to have multi-millions of dollars. Season 1 Episode 3 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Jon Lee Anderson’s life of adventure began when he was a young boy. The veteran New Yorker journalist tells Kim Hill about covering conflicts, doing jail time and his fascination with rebels which led to discovering Che Guevara's body in Bolivia. Jon Lee Anderson’s life of adventure began when he was a young boy. The veteran New Yorker journalist has covered some of the most intractable conflicts in some of the most troubled and chaotic parts of the world. His several books include a biography of Che Guevara, subtitled A Revolutionary Life and it was Guevara who played a part in Jon’s particular focus on people prepared to die for a cause. Season 1 Episode 2 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Best-selling author, journalist and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell sits down with Kim Hill to explain his latest book and how his perspective has changed last 25 years. He delivers insights into the power in numbers and his surprising interests. Twenty-five years on from the publication of his best-selling book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell has a new book out. It’s called Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders and the rise of Social Engineering and once again his fascinating case studies illustrate his theories. Gladwell, who also hosts the podcast Revisionist History, talks about being an optimist and power in numbers. Season 1 Episode 1 Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Kim Hill is back asking questions in her inimitable style. She has conversations with guests from around the world about topics that spark her interest and will do the same for you. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
