Pod Uni

This live episode features an interview with two of Aotearoa’s leading investigative journalists: David Fisher and Guyon Espiner. Both have been in journalism for over 30 years, both have won numerous journalism awards, and both have hosted investigative journalism podcasts. On this episode, we ask: what does the medium of podcasting offer investigative journalists that other broadcast media—print, radio, TV—do not? We listen to audio clips from each of their podcasts and discuss the unique affordances and challenges of podcasting as a mode of investigative journalism. 
This episode was recorded live at the NZ Podcast Summit 2025. Find out more about the NZ Podcast Summit at ⁠https://www.nzpodsummit.com/⁠ 
Podcasts discussed on this episode:  
Chasing Ghosts: The Puppeteer

The Service 

Red Line

30 with Guyon Espiner

Hosted by Collin Bjork, a senior lecturer at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand. 
Produced by Tim Jurgens
Website: www.collinbjork.com
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @collinbjork.bsky.social
Transcripts will be available at www.collinbjork.com/Poduni.html  
Music Credit: Collin Bjork

This episode features an interview with the podcasting masterminds behind Bird of Paradise Productions: Noelle McCarthy and John Daniell. Listeners will appreciate this free-ranging discussion which includes a description of how they started their own production company as well as their intertwined approach to audio storytelling and interview technique.
Be sure to listen to their latest narrative podcast project, which has just launched with The NZ Herald: Mr. Asia: A Forgotten History.
Bird of Paradise podcasts discussed on this episode:  
Getting Better 

The Service

Dear Jane

He’ll Be Right

Slice of Heaven

Fair Game

Red Line

A Wrinkle in Time 

Find out more at https://www.birdofparadise.co.nz/ 
Hosted by Collin Bjork, a senior lecturer at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand 
Produced by Tim Jurgens
Website: www.collinbjork.com
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @collinbjork.bsky.social
Transcripts will be available at www.collinbjork.com/Poduni.html  
Music Credit: Collin Bjork

This episode features an interview with scientist-turned-author, audiobook narrator and science communicator Dr Melissa Gunn, discussing her experience of the practical and cultural differences between podcasting and audiobooks. Writers and podcasters will appreciate this discussion about producing audiobooks in a home environment. Listeners who are also authors will find useful tips and tricks for beginning to record audiobook narration. 

Things discussed in this episode:

Melissa’s cli-fi short story: “A Gift of Coconuts”

Narrated by the Author by Renne Conoulty

Free Audio Editor: Audacity

Audiobook Plug-ins for Audacity: ACX Check and 2nd Opinion

Audible Specifications: ACX FAQ page or Understanding Audio Requirements for more detail.

Content warning: This podcast refers to squirrels! 

Find Melissa’s audiobooks and ebooks at https://www.melissagunn.com

Find out more about Melissa Gunn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-gunn-76a5455/

Hosted by Collin Bjork, a senior lecturer at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand 

Produced by Melissa Gunn 

Website: www.collinbjork.com

Email: [email protected]

X: @collin_bjork

Transcripts will be available at www.collinbjork.com/Poduni.html  

Music Credit: Collin Bjork

This episode features a live recording of Dr Collin Bjork interviewing a panel of podcasters at the New Zealand Podcasting Summit, held in May 2024. The panelists are Michael Wright (a journalist, reporter and producer of the podcasts White Silence, Collapse and The Trial) and Ryan Wolf (a lawyer, actor and producer of the true-crime podcast Guilt). They discuss a variety of legal and ethical issues involved in producing the popular yet often problematic genre of true crime podcasts. Both true crime enthusiasts and skeptics are likely to find this episode of interest.

Find out more about Michael Wright at https://www.stuff.co.nz/authors/michael-wright. Read more about Ryan Wolf and his podcast Guilt at https://www.theguiltpodcast.com/.

Content Warning: This episode includes some swearing, and it includes references to murder and death.

Hosted by Collin Bjork, a senior lecturer at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand

Produced by Melissa Gunn (www.melissagunn.com)

Website: www.collinbjork.com

Email: [email protected]

X: @collin_bjork

Transcripts will be available at www.collinbjork.com/Poduni.html 

Music Credit: Collin Bjork

PS Thanks for your patience with the highly compressed audio. Recording at a live
show is challenging.

This episode features a conversation between contributors to the book Teaching Students to Podcast. The authors—members of the Humanities Podcast Network—discuss the ways they integrate podcasting into their work, the challenges and opportunities that arise when students make podcasts, and also their contributions to the open-access, lesson-plan-based book. Teachers, academics and others interested in incorporating podcasting into their teaching will find this episode and the book it discusses invaluable. 

Find out more about the Humanities Podcast Network at https://humanitiespodnetwork.org/ and check out their book at https://humanitiespodnetwork.org/teaching-manual/. 

Hosted by Collin Bjork, a lecturer at Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand 

Produced by Melissa Gunn (www.melissagunn.com)

Website: www.collinbjork.com

Email: [email protected]

X: @collin_bjork

Transcripts will be available at www.collinbjork.com/Poduni.html  

Music Credit: Collin Bjork

This episode features a clip from Ketsa’s I hear echoes.