- Polyfest pioneer - 50 years on2025/03/29
Mama Tupou Manapori is one of the founders of Polyfest, now in its 50th year. Now 80 years old, Tupou Manapori has been to every Polyfest since it began and this year she'll be running the Cook Islands stage. [picture id="4K9ZN0U_Tupou_Manapori_00_16_55_25_Still004_jpg_1" crop="16x10" layout="full"]
- The Stolen Children of Aotearoa2025/03/29
A new documentary tells of a chilling chapter in New Zealand's history - one of systemic abuse in state care. Between 1950 and 2019. Susie speaks with filmmaker and journalist Aaron Smale, whose The Stolen Children of Aotearoa premiered at the Maoriland Film Festival and on Maori +.
- Toitu Te Whenua: Places and People of the New Zealand Wars2025/03/29
In several places in Aotearoa the land tells the story of conflicts which have shaped NZ on a cultural and political level.
- Earthquake resilience with Graham Leonard2025/03/29
Volcanologist and GNS principal scientist Graham Leonard talks about the fault that caused the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.
- After The Party's BAFTA nomination2025/03/29
New Zealand hit drama After The Party has been nominated for a Best International TV Series BAFTA.
- Being an adult with ADHD2025/03/29
Jo Randerson has worn many hats in their career, often at the same time. A writer, performer, award-winning theatre maker and champion of up-and-coming artists.
- Debut success - The Ministry of Time2025/03/29
Kaliane Bradley's The Ministry of Time started as a fan fiction project to entertain herself and her friends during covid lockdowns and became an instant hit.
- No Words For This: Ali Mau2025/03/29
Award-winning journalist Ali Mau's 20-year career cemented her as one of the country's most recognised faces. In 2018 Ali was the force behind the #MeTooNZ journalism project. But it's her new memoir No Words for This, that might be her bravest piece of writing yet.
- Itchy research - the chemicals in your home triggering eczema2025/03/29
Atopic eczema is the most common form of the disease among New Zealanders. New findings by a team of scientists from the NIH indicate two particular chemicals are responsible for triggering eczema in many cases - and these chemicals are likely hidden in our own homes.
- Former All White on football's moment in NZ2025/03/29
Info (Show/Hide)Football is having a bit of a moment in New Zealand with the emergence this year of Auckland FC into the Australia League and - in the last few days our national team, the All Whites qualifying for the men's world cup. Duncan Oughtan, The former All White played College soccer in the U.S and then went on to play for Columbus Crew before moving into coaching and now - he works as a scout and player agent for Sports Invest USA.
- Sue Black: saving Bletchley & promoting women in tech2025/03/29
Professor Sue Black started the UK's first online network for women in tech, BSC Women in 1998. She also led the social media campaign that saved World War Two codebreaking centre Bletchley Park and started TechUP Women, a course that retrains women from underserved groups into tech careers.
- Post-natal care bill 'very odd', midwives say2025/03/29
A new bill extending post-natal care at hospital, from two days to three, is being labelled as "very odd" by the professional body of midwives. Meanwhile, an organisation supporting families with anxiety and depression due to pregnancy, says it's "a drop in the ocean".
- Myanmar quake: BBC's Lindle Markwell reports2025/03/29
More than 144 people have died after a 7.7 magnitude quake in Myanmar. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Zealand says seven New Zealanders are registered in Myanmar and 161 in Thailand. All of its staff from embassies in Yangon and Bangkok have been accounted for. The BBC's Lindle Markwell who reports from Bangkok speaks to Susie.
- Ngati Haua signs settlement with Crown2025/03/29
Today the Ngati Haua Deed of Settlement will be signed with the Crown at Ngapuwai-waha Marae in Taumarunui. Over 60 sites will be returned to Ngati Haua along with financial redress and a cultural fund of $26.5 million dollars. Chair of the Ngati Haua Iwi Trust, Graham Bell, speaks to Mihi.
- Australian volunteer medic in Gaza details humanitarian need2025/03/29
This week Doctors without Borders condemned Israel's strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. It says two people were killed in the hospital's inpatient surgical department and several injured. Australian emergency nurse Jaafar Yusof works at the hospital.
- Sea trawling exacerbating climate change2025/03/29
Just released research from the University of Otago shows bottom trawling on the sea floor can exacerbate climate change. Dr Sebastiaan van de Velde is based at the University of Otago's Department of Marine Science and speaks to Susie.
- Why hybrid work is better2025/03/22
Is allowing employees to work from home a few days a week good for their productivity, careers, and job satisfaction?
- Kulaiwi Hawaiian performance2025/03/22
Kulaiwi & Kaumakaiwa is a collective of award-winning Hawaiian performers in Aotearoa right now for Auckland's Art Festival.
- Five years on: where are the animals now? Dr Laura Jean McKay2025/03/22
Dr Laura Jean McKay is the first New Zealand-based author to win one of the world's top science fiction prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, for her novel The Animals in That Country.
- High-country high fashion2025/03/22
Eden Hore held one of one of the most significant high fashion collections of its kind in Australasia in a tractor shed on his high-country farm in the Māniatoto.
- Laila Lalami: The Dream Hotel2025/03/22
Laila Lalami is the author of five books, and her latest work, The Dream Hotel is a gripping speculative mystery about the seductive dangers of the technologies that are supposed to make our lives easier.
- The rise of deepfake pornography2025/03/22
New six part podcast Levittown shares the stories of dozens of young women in small town America, who discovered photos of themselves had been stolen from their social media accounts, manipulated and posted on a pornography site. Kiwi, Olivia Carville is an investigative reporter in New York.
- Channel finished to release tuna/eels2025/03/22
This week whanau from Wairewa, Lake Forsyth have been working hard to ensure tuna, long and short finned eels can complete their lifecycle.
- Growing kai sovereignty2025/03/22
Info (Show/Hide)In just a few generations, many New Zealanders have become disconnected from growing kai in their backyards, these days being completely reliant on big corporations who control the flow of food. The good news is there are communities trying to change the narrative and the practice. Jessica Hutchings and Jo Smith have co-authored a new book Pataka Kai highlighting the work small scale indigenous food growers across New Zealand and the Pacific are doing to create a sustainable food ecosystem and take back control. Mihi speaks with Jessica Hutchings.
- Investigating the sounds in your head2025/03/22
An upcoming conference is examining the different ways people hear sounds in their heads - from a music earworm, to a loved-ones' voice, to hearing nothing at all.
- The debate about under 18s rugby2025/03/22
This year, for the first time, New Zealand Rugby will field an under 18 team against Australia. But that's started a growing debate.
- Catching Covid in hospitals2025/03/22
Experts are worried that lessons learnt during the Covid pandemic are being ignored and too many people are getting sick and dying after catching the virus in healthcare settings.
- New Zealander of the Year Bev Lawton2025/03/22
Excellence was celebrated this week with the announcement of the new Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. Professor Bev Lawton (Ngati Porou) is a pioneer in women's health.
- Two-month truce in Gaza shattered2025/03/22
In defending the renewed bombing campaign Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas and said it was rearming itself. In turn Hamas, in the past 24 hours has launched rockets at Tel Aviv - and has blamed Israel.
- Drought in the Central North Island2025/03/22
A drought has been declared in the Northland, Waikato, Horizons, Marlborough-Tasman, and Taranaki regions. Our reporter Alexa Cook has been out and about in the central North Island.
- Questions asked over Heathrow Airport shutdown2025/03/22
The complete shutdown of one of the world's busiest travel hubs is estimated to cost tens of millions, according to experts.
- WOMAD: Talisk2025/03/15
Said to be one of the most talked-about folk bands of the 21st century, Scottish band Talisk have been ripping up stereotypes and redefining folk music for the last ten years.
- Liam Lawson at the Melbourne Grand Prix2025/03/15
Pukekohe local Liam Lawson is competing for the first time as a permanent driver for Red Bull Racing at the Australian Grand Prix.
- Talented farmer changing narratives for ex-prisoners2025/03/15
Our next guest is someone with an incredible story of how farming turned his life around. Ben Purua is a finalist for Kiwibank's Young New Zealander of the Year.
- WOMAD: Jordyn with a Why2025/03/15
Maori-Samoan R&B artist, Raglan-based Jordyn Rapana, aka Jordyn with a Why, is a making her mark with soulful, dynamic performances.
- WOMAD: Nitin Sawhney2025/03/15
British musician, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney CBE is a formidable talent across many genres.
- Jojo Moyes: 'Chick lit' is a misogynist label for my books2025/03/15
Journalist turned number one New York Times best-selling author and screenwriter, Jojo Moyes, is back with a new book. She speaks with Susie Ferguson about the importance of middle-aged women seeing themselves in literature and films, and keeping on keeping on - even after her first three books were rejected.
- WOMAD: Queen Omega2025/03/15
Star of the global dancehall-reggae scene, from Trinidad and Tobago, Queen Omega has been blazing a trail for over 20 years, performing at some of the world's biggest reggae festivals. Her 2023 recording of No Love was a phenomenal international success, capturing the imagination of a new generation and attracting more than 53 million views on YouTube. Queenie speaks with Susie.
- Dr Simon Talbot: Campaigning for moral injury change2025/03/15
Info (Show/Hide)Dr Simon Talbot is a pioneer in hand and arm transplantation, the Director of the Upper Extremity Transplant Program at the world-renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and an associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Simon's corrective transplant surgeries are incredible feats of modern medicine. But in many other areas, the world of healthcare is not only falling behind but failing to protect the very people that keep it running. Moral injury is an injury to someone's moral conscience, for example having to make a decision or witness something that goes against a personal moral code. It's an area close to Simon's heart, affecting thousands if not millions of workers in healthcare systems around the world. Simon is campaigning for a systematic change and speaks to Mihi.
- Polyamory for Dummies2025/03/15
Info (Show/Hide)The idea of non-monogamy has long been a controversial one, linked with heartache and promiscuity. But polyamory's gaining traction, including online in the last few years, with influencers normalising the lifestyle and its benefits. Dr Jaime Grant is an activist, researcher, and sex coach who has taken workshops around the world to help people understand their sexual desires. She's the host of the Just Sex podcast and has had a polyamorous lifestyle for over 40 years. She's also the author of a how-to guide, Polyamory For Dummies which does exactly what it says on the cover - explaining, from start to finish, how non-monogamy works in the real world.
- Womad: 47 SOUL2025/03/15
Info (Show/Hide)47SOUL is a Palestinian Shamstep group. In fact they founded the genre! The musical collective formed in Jordan in 2013, and take their influence from hip-hop, electronica and R&B - and melded it with the sounds of Dabke, a traditional folk dance, and other Shaa'bi roots music from the Levantine region. 47SOUL has a big following across Arab countries, the global Arab diaspora and beyond. Band members Tareq Abu Kwaik - known by his stage name El Far3i, and Ramzy Suleiman, known as Z the People speak with Susie.
- Mapping out Long Covid on the body2025/03/15
Info (Show/Hide)Having Long Covid can be an extremely isolating experience, patients may not look unwell, but they have debilitating symptoms like shortness of breath, muscle pain or extreme fatigue. Sufferers say it's hard to explain what's happening, but now there's another language to help them communicate. It's called "body mapping" and is bringing positive results to Long Covid patients. Oxford University research fellow Maaret Yokela-Pansini teamed up with colleague Professor Beth Greenhough to use body mapping for their project Visualising Long Covid, with the help of charity Long Covid Support.Former professional rower turned Long Covid advocate, Oonagh Cousins, says body mapping allowed her to reflect on how the illness is experienced in different parts of the body. Maaret and Oonagh speak to Mihi.
- Suzanne Porter: Putting together Womad2025/03/15
CEO of the Taranaki Arts Fetival Trust, who puts on Womad, and Event Director, Suzanne Porter speaks to her about putting the event together.
- Liam Dann: Trade Wars, investment and misery2025/03/15
Tariffs on steel and aluminium came into effect on Wednesday, what impact is that expected to have on NZ? Plus the Government's investment summit, and where do we sit on the misery index? New Zealand Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann unpacks what's on the economic horizon.
- Making recyclable silicone using sulphur2025/03/15
Silicones are used for everything, from bakeware, to life-saving medical equipment, to the prosthetics in the film industry. But they're incredibly hard to recycle - until now.
- The PM in India2025/03/15
Today Prime Minister Christopher Luxon jets off on his latest diplomatic effort, heading to India while his Deputy Winston Peters prepares to go to the US.
- Māori business on the big stage at summit2025/03/15
Representatives of more than 100 companies, from 15 countries have been in Auckland this week for the government's Infrastructure Investment Summit.
- Ukraine war: Will the ceasefire go through?2025/03/15
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of dragging out the ceasefire process.
- Six years since Christchurch mosque attacks2025/03/15
Anjum Rahman, from Inclusion Aotearoa Collective Tahono, and former spokesperson for the Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand reflects on six years since the Christchurch mosque attacks.
- Mr Meatballs - Michael Dearth2025/03/08
The 13th Hawkes Bay Food and Wine Classic festival is set to get stomachs rumbling with the inaugural Hastings Meatball Festival.
- Scottish Ballet: pirouetting to NZ2025/03/08
The Scottish Ballet is sharing the stage with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, making its first visit to the South Pacific for performances in Wellington and Auckland.
- Carla Houkamau and Robert Pouwhare2025/03/08
From Polynesian navigators to contemporary business, Mana Moana documents the remarkable story of Maori fishing.
- Autumn gardening with Hannah Zwartz2025/03/08
Autumn is a season of fruitfulness - but it's also the season for blights, mildew, rust, shield bugs and passion vine hoppers.
- Malia Johnston: A performance of air2025/03/08
Malia Johnston is a renowned director and creative. Her latest work Belle - A Performance of Air is a mesmerising melding of lights, aerial performance and theatre at the Auckland Arts Festival this month.
- The Beths - how to survive a music festival2025/03/08
Beloved Kiwi indie rock band The Beths are set to headline the main stage at WOMAD next weekend, ahead of their upcoming Australian tour.
- Live from the Pasifika Festival2025/03/08
This weekend, Pasifika Festival returns to Auckland's Western Springs park in all its vibrancy. Mihi speaks with RNZ Pacific reporter Coco Lance who's there for the whole event.
- Russia will get what it wants: Oval Office fallout2025/03/08
World leaders have started to pick up the pieces after a trade war started by the US, and a shock showdown in the Oval Office between Zelensky and Trump.
- Ruby Wax: finding the funny side2025/03/08
Following a sell-out West End run and UK tour, Ruby Wax's critically acclaimed show I'm Not As Well As I Thought I Was is coming to New Zealand in April. Based on her bestselling book, Ruby shares her deeply personal journey trying everything she can to help manage her mental health and subsequent breakdown.
- Andrew Darby's ancient tree odyssey2025/03/08
Prize-winning nature writer Andrew Darby takes us on an island odyssey to discover the world's oldest surviving trees in his latest book The Ancients.
- Nigel Marchant: Lockerbie: A Search for Truth2025/03/08
Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning producer Nigel Marchant (Downton Abbey) is back with his latest mini-series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth starring Colin Firth leading a dogged investigation after Britain's worst terrorist attack, the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people.
- Waka 'most important' find of all time in New Zealand2025/03/08
A waka discovered on Rekohu / Chatham Islands has been described by one expert as the most important discovery in New Zealand, possibly Polynesian archeology.
- The Gene Technology Bill2025/03/08
RNZ's explainer editor Katie Kenny explains what's been happening with the new gene technology legislation, announced by Judith Collins last year.
- The latest on Ukraine2025/03/08
This week European leaders scrambled to respond to unprecedented moves by the new administration of US President Donald Trump.
- School lunches and potential further cuts2025/03/08
An apology and the launch of a nationwide investigation were needed this week after a child received second degree burns from an over-heated school lunch.
- Hamas rejects Trumps threats over hostages2025/03/08
Hamas has rejected threats by Trump - saying it will only free hostages in return for a lasting truce. The BBC Middle East correspondent Sebastian Usher explains.
- Cyclone Alfred makes landfall2025/03/08
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is bearing down on Moreton Island just off Brisbane, with gale force winds are now lashing the area and up to 800 millimetres of rain expected.
- Te Matatini finals2025/03/01
Julian Wilcox and Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira join us from finals day at Te Matatini o Te Kahui Maunga, from the Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth.
- Wildfoods Festival serving up snails, locusts and huhu grubs2025/03/01
Snails, locusts and huhu grubs are just some of the delicacies that will be available at next weekend's Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika.
- How to be Wrong: a crash course in startup success2025/03/01
Veteran investor Rowan Simpson's new book How to be Wrong: A crash course in startup success draws on two decades at the heart of New Zealand's most successful technology companies, to create a masterclass on embracing uncertainty and transforming mistakes into fuel for success.
- In Sir Ed's Vertical Footsteps: Alexander Hillary2025/03/01
In March the Himalayan Trust holds one of its biggest fundraisers for Himalayan people: The Summit Challenge. Sir Edmund Hillary's grandson, Alexander Hillary, is the General Manager of the Himalayan Trust, as well as an adventurer in his own right.
- Lynne Peeples: Resetting the Body Clock2025/03/01
Getting your circadian rhythm right can help you sleep better, feel happier and improve your overall health. Science journalist Lynne Peeples shares her findings.
- Róisín Owens: The brain-gut connection2025/03/01
We often think of bacteria as germs that can make us sick, but there are trillions of different bacteria in our gut producing molecules that help us.
- Maggie Beer: Serve them well2025/03/01
Australian chef, food author, restaurateur, and food manufacturer, Maggie Beer has made it her life's mission to raise the bar for food in aged care across Australia.
- NZ's growing ties with South Korea2025/03/01
On the foreign affairs agenda again this week, Chinese ships in the Tasman and the Cooks' deal with China. RNZ Morning Report presenter Corin Dann explains.
- The discovery of a feminist Iron Age society2025/03/01
A rare discovery in the UK, an Iron Age burial site in southern England has revealed that the ancient community was centered around the female line.
- Boot camps: learning from America's incarcerated youth2025/03/01
Frankie Guzman is the Senior Director at the National Center for Youth Law in California where he leads a team of attorneys, policy advocates, and community organisers to transform the youth justice system.
- Manu World Champs: Splashing to victory2025/03/01
After travelling the country to find the best of the best, Aotearoa's finest have one last showdown in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, before the new winners are crowned.
- Menopause advocate calls for awareness2025/03/01
A menopause awareness advocate says women need to be better informed and GPs better trained to treat menopause.
- Study finds link between ADHD and paracetamol in pregnancy2025/03/01
A study of over 300 women in the US is adding to research suggesting a link between pregnant women who take paracetamol and the prevalence of ADHD in their children.
- South Africa feeling brunt of 'America First' approach2025/03/01
On Thursday this week the Trump administration cut its HIV programme. South Africa, where almost eight-million people live with the condition, was the biggest beneficiary.
- Waipoua blaze: Up to 100 firefighters on the ground2025/03/01
Up to 100 firefighters will be on the ground today - about double the number yesterday. Fire and Emergency says it will be a significant day for firefighting efforts.
- Trump accuses Zelensky of 'gambling with World War 3'2025/03/01
Donald Trump has publicly scolded Ukraine's leader at the White House, telling him he needs to be thankful and accusing him of gambling with World War 3.
