Media Releases

New podcast: Context with Corin Dann and Guyon Espiner

Released at 10:26 am on 21 August 2025

Two men converse intently way in front of large letters that read "Context"

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi (photo), Robert Whitaker (design)

Context is the backstory to the front page. In this new chatcast, award-winning investigative journalist Guyon Espiner and Morning Report co-host Corin Dann take you on a trip through time with a story making headlines in New Zealand today, asking the question: How did we end up here?

But there's a twist - only one of them knows the topic in advance. Being fair and balanced types, they swap roles each week, one being the expert and the other the interested interviewer. In the first episode, out today, Corin's topic choice is brain drain. The two discuss when kiwis first began to leave for Aussie in their droves, and what drew them across the ditch. They touch on the event that had Australians rushing here back in the 1800s and why the brain drain is once again a hot topic in Aotearoa.

RNZ’s Executive Editor, Audio Tim Watkin says Dann and Espiner have spent their careers researching and reporting on the biggest news stories, which gives them the ability to understand the backstories to the topics we’re grappling with now.

“Context is a great way to get some of that wealth of information out of their brains and into ours.

“This is a more relaxed style of podcast, an off-the-cuff chat between two good mates who have spent decades talking and arguing off-mic about the big stories – only this time we’re getting to listen in.”

Context is a fun and accessible way for New Zealanders to get a greater understanding of how our political past shapes our present. The first episode is out today at rnz.co.nz/podcasts and on podcast platforms. It will also be available to watch on rnz.co.nz/video. The podcast will be broadcast on RNZ National on Sundays at 5pm from 24 August.