Kim Hill Wants To Know

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.

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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
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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!
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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

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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
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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.
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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
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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
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