New Zealand Society: Recent Episodes
RNZ
Boot Camp has begun for the six young boys cast in the lead roles of Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Billy Elliot the Musical. Aged 10-14, they’ve come together for an intensive, two-week workshop to prepare to play their parts. Tap dancing and ballet lessons in the morning are followed by acting and singing classes in the afternoon. It’s a big ask for the boys and their families but do these obstacles enhance their performances? Justin Gregory went to find out.
As the refugee crisis deepens in Europe, Christchurch children have gained an insight into the plight of the many Syrian families affected.
A Christchurch woman is hoping to provide better role models for her peers. Herstory is an online photographic project that showcases women in a variety of jobs. Now its founder has taken the idea further.
'Buffaloes are beautiful' - that's the motto of Phil Armstrong and Annie Armstrong-Wills who raise a herd of water buffaloes just north of Auckland. They hit upon the unusual idea some years ago while looking for a lifestyle project.
The fructose in sugar is like kryptonite to Maori and Pasifika people so Hastings Girls' High School has begun a healthy food revolution in their community.
A pop-up health clinic for young people in Central Auckland has been saved from closure, just for the moment.
Students in the Hawke's Bay are knitting booties for premature babies, making toast, and planting gardens to make life better for people in the community.
Not every family that leaves a neonatal unit does so with joy. After losing seven babies one woman decided to help grieving families through their loss.
NZ Society heads to Christchurch for some swing - southern style. The city has a new, all girl big band and its members range in age from 17 to the mid-70s.
A $37 million dollar white water rafting park caters to both the enthusiastic amateur and the established pro but it also offers students from low decile schools the chance to learn water safety.
Aucklanders love going to the beach but not all of them love poetry. Is it because they just haven't met each other yet? A poet and calligrapher think the obvious solution is to write giant poems in the sand.
Ethiopian coffee, radio shows, and rappers are part of the daily grind for Constable Rob Stanton. Dubbed an honorary African he’s a crucial outlet for the community to voice their concerns even if they are about the police.
What's a university to do when pigeons invade its campus? In Canterbury, the answer has been to employ a predator to patrol the university, specifically an endangered New Zealand falcon.
Inside vast cement silos, artists from across the country are employing videos, photos, sound and computer simulations to discuss infrastructure, interdependence and the busy hive that is our globalized world.
How much attention do you pay to your feet and what is the cost of wearing bad shoes? Footwear designer Takano Keitaro says he sees more damage today to people's feet than ever before.
One hundred years ago a group of New Zealand soldiers caught up in the Irish Easter Rising of 1916 had the chance to change history when one had a clear shot of the rebel leader James Connolly.
Australian slam poet champ Omar Musa will face off with one of our best, Hip Hop hero King Kapisi. They'll meet in an a capella match up, trading rhymes for an hour in front of a live audience.
Hundreds of Auckland Vegan food lovers have swamped New Lynn’s night market for its first Vegan Village evening.
Wellington's dogs and their owners were out in force for The Big Dog Walk With Lots Of Dogs over the weekend. Daniela Maoate-Cox pawsed to catch up with canines and their humans.
Art and activism merge to create large-scale breath-taking murals around environmental issues that affect the oceans.
To mark 40 years of service to Pacific women, PACIFICA Inc is focusing its efforts on preventing family violence. One woman shares her experience of violence.
For a long time, a lot of flutes have remained silent but Riki Bennett is making sure Taonga pūoro are being heard again.
A woman, a dog and thousands of kilometres of New Zealand road. Leisa McNaughton cycles the country with her canine companion, Indy, to raise awareness of mental illness.
A tiny place with big ideas - vegan cuisine using things from the garden and stuff that’s been foraged.
Ex-marathon runner Bruce Bassett was cycling meters away from his family home when a car door swung open, forcing him to swerve into an oncoming car and a future with paralysis.
Table tennis brings out the competitive streak and these young business people hope to be hitting the right shots in the marketplace soon.
New Zealand's tradition of ocean swimming, starting in pre-European times, is still continued today, whether it's just individuals going for a paddle - or hundreds of people crossing a harbour.
Amelia Nurse hits the beach with Wellington Fringe Festival artists Sarah Tuck and Jess Holly Bates to chat about their sold out Bat's play The Offensive Nipple Show - coming soon to Auckland. We join them on Oriental Beach on closing night.
Interest in the once-popular sport of marching has waned in recent decades, but a dedicated team of girls are still stomping the grounds.
'Every Brilliant Thing' is a UK theatre production that has been referred to as the funniest show you'll ever see about depression.
It's been nearly five years since Christchurch woman, Helen Grice, was paralysed in the February 2011 earthquake. She talks to our disability issues correspondent, Katy Gosset, about life in a wheelchair, changed family dynamics and what she wants from the future.
Pigeons are part and parcel of our urban landscape and there are at least 400 million pigeons worldwide. But how did they come to be in our cities and how do you feel about them? A show in Wellington, 'Hello Pigeons' looks to explore the presence of the humble pigeon in our environment and provide an opportunity for people to have their own personal pigeon encounter.
Amelia Nurse visits children's author Bianca Begovich - along with her monarchs, children, chickens, and bees - to chat about her passion for teaching kids about the environment.
It's easy enough to buy an instrument off the shelf, but how about making one yourself? Dave Gilberd of Goldbeard Guitars left behind a career as an aircraft engineer to pursue the art of guitar making. But sharing his knowledge is also a passion and he relishes the opportunity to teach people how to make their own Ukuleles. Sonia Sly heads along to a workshop held at Wellington High School to find out more.
Hundreds travel to the Cook Islands to compete in its annual paddling competition, Vaka Eiva, but getting the locals onto longer ocean voyages can be more of a challenge.
The Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club is one of the oldest in the country but amongst the first to adopt new technologies. Club patrol captain Matt Wade has spent the summer trialling a surveillance drone in the hope that it will speed up response times and save more lives. Spoken Features producer Justin Gregory joined Matt at the clubhouse on Auckland’s West Coast to see for himself their new set of eyes in the sky.
At University, Martin Wilson studied politics, international relations, anthropology, psychology, geography, development studies, environmental studies, public policy, commercial law, and economics. He's also a musician - but these days he spends most of his time as Events Manager for Capital Productions in Wellington. Following the success of his annual Birdman event, Amelia Nurse went to have a chat with him at his Aro Valley home.
New Zealand could halt the spread of HIV – it would just take some will and a lot of money.
Amelia Nurse goes to Titahi Bay to talk to Nick Mulcahy from Surf Lifesaving NZ about preventing drownings
Farewells are never easy, but after 152 years in business it's time for Kirkcaldie and Stains to say goodbye. It's a store that has maintained many of its traditions, including the reintroduction of a doorman in 1998, Christmas windows and as always, a strong emphasis on quality customer service. Sonia Sly finds out what life has been like for some of the longest standing members of staff and what they'll miss about the iconic Wellington store.
Actor and choirmaster Bert van Dijk believes everyone can sing. He puts his money where his mouth is by conducting the Devonport World Song Choir, a mostly amateur community group. He teaches an uncommonly physical style of singing and achieves remarkable results. Quite a shift for man who spent his early years too scared to even open his mouth.
Social entrepreneur Sophie Barclay is cooking up change in her community. She's the founder of Kaitahi, a social feasting initiative teaching people how to cook and as a side dish, building better neighbourhoods. Sophie and her team of volunteers latest effort is a Christmas dinner for those in need. She tells Justin Gregory that Kaitahi began with a simple idea.
A craft chocolate maker has big ideas for cocoa farms in the Pacific including shipping their produce in an environmentally friendly way. To prove it can be done, the Wellington Chocolate Factory has sailed one tonne of Bougainville cocoa beans on a wind and solar powered waka.
Have beards had their day or are they here to stay? A story about beards and the modern man. New Zealand men have wholeheartedly embraced their beards, so much so that beard and moustache competitions have emerged and there's even a New Zealand Beard Appreciation Society page on Facebook that boasts 11,000 members.
The drop in migratory birds numbers in New Zealand may well be given some relief by an increasing interest in conservation among the burgeoning middle class in China.The Bar Tailed Godwit which has just been voted New Zealand Bird of the Year is facing a two percent drop in population each year. David Steemson finds out more at 2.10.
Beaujolais Nouveau – is both a wine and an event. It’s celebrated around the world on the third Thursday in November – and New Zealand is the first in the world to have a taste. The wine is made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region in France and it’s a celebration of the first wine from the year’s harvest. This year was different though, with the French community around the world deeply affected by the recent terror attacks in Paris. Amelia Nurse attended the Wellington Alliance Française event at CQ Hotel where around 100 people gathered to share their stories and taste the new wine.
Personal stories provide a powerful starting point for Otago Polytechnic, Bachelor of Fashion Design students. Fashion provides a means of communicating ideas that are invariably brought to life by the wearer. But behind any collection there must be a cohesive theme or story that feeds into the design process. Sonia Sly speaks to three talented third year students from Otago Polytechnic’s Fashion Design course.
Nikau Hindin is reviving the lost Maori art of making aute, known in other parts of the Pacific as tapa cloth. The Auckland University Fine Arts student recently held a public performance of aute beating in Auckland's Aotea Square.
Berhampore suburb in Wellington has achieved a lot of firsts. Berhampore was the first community in New Zealand to build social housing blocks. The suburb was also ground central for the 1981 Springbok Tour clashes at Athletic Park, which finally closed in 1999. Rumoured to be buried beneath Berhampore's parks are remnants of equipment from the Second World War. Berhampore Primary School turns 100 this year so Lynda Chanwai-Earle is attending the school's special celebrations and book launch to meet the community and the eldest and youngest students of the century.
For 50 years he's travelled to the remotest areas of rural India, now he's gone global. An International Indian Puppeteer and his touring theatre company use simple handmade puppets to bring serious messages to life on social issues such as AIDS, family planning and the environment. Lynda Chanwai-Earle meets the renowned puppet master to learn about his mission and how puppet stories can carry tough messages to the masses.
Since 2010, Rosanna Raymond has been creating art under the name of the SaVAge K'lub, a multi-disciplinary installation and performance vehicle built to discuss ideas of space, hospitality, reciprocity and what it might mean to be a savage in the 21st century. Their latest performance, a tea ceremony at Auckland's St Kevin's Arcade, invited the public to join her and a tribe of artists to share fancy teas, cakes, dancing, poetry and performance of all kinds. In Rosanna's words, the aim was to 'institute the non-cannibalistic cognitive consumption of others.'
For over a decade yachties and wineries in Marlborough have hit the waters to race a bottle of sauvignon blanc across the Cook Strait but this time they are also racing for those in the air.
Orientation Aotearoa is an eight month residential education programme for aspiring change-makers aged 18 to 28. It was founded in part by Lucy Carver and Skye Chadwick and it focuses on leadership, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. The two are finalists for the youth section of Wellingtonian of the Year to be announced next week. Amelia Nurse visits their Shelly Bay campus to find out about how they’re empowering youth to lead change in an increasingly complex world.
Inter-dimensional critters are populating Papakura this month, hiding out in local landmarks and waiting to be found. Called Awhi Creatures, they're actually an augmented reality exhibition designed and produced by Kim Newall and Maggie Buxton. Users download a special app onto their digital device and then follow a series of clues to find creatures' nests. Once located, they watch on their screens as the creatures come to crawling, flapping, squawking life. By taking art lovers and locals on a treasure hunt around the town centre, Kim and Maggie tell RNZ's Justin Gregory they hope to open up a new appreciation for what Papakura has to offer.
Antenatal depression affects at least one in eight mothers according to research undertaken by Auckland University's, 'Growing up in New Zealand' study, while other research suggests that one in six mothers and one in ten fathers will experience postnatal depression. Sonia Sly finds meets some women who have experienced both.
David Steemson scours Auckland's 'Little India' for the secrets behind one of South Asia’s celebrated signature dishes.
International Panda expert Dr Edith MacDonald is looking at whether Wellington Zoo can viably support giant panda bears, while educating children around the country on conservation. Lynda Chanwai-Earle brings you this New Zealand Society story about China's cutest symbol of conservation and Panda's "Big Day" at Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Wellington.
Imagine if your day job involved staking-out rugged coastland waiting to bust "black-gold" paua-poaching rings. Lynda Chanwai-Earle brings us a feature documentary about "black gold" smuggling when she joins Fisheries Officers in a covert operation to bust paua poachers around the wild coastline of Wellington.
Imagine if your day job involved staking-out rugged coastland waiting to bust "black-gold" paua-poaching rings. Lynda Chanwai-Earle brings us a feature documentary about "black gold" smuggling when she joins Fisheries Officers in a covert operation to bust paua poachers around the wild coastline of Wellington.
Retirees, aunties, students, and future police officers are hitting the town together every Saturday night. But instead of racking up a bar tab they're walking Wellington's streets in bright yellow vests as part of New Zealand's first Pasifika Patrol. Daniela Maoate-Cox shadows patrol member Josh Pederson and discovers the fluro vest attracts all types of attention.
On the streets of our bigger cities it's easy to spot the beggars. They wait where the people are, huddling in doorways and lounging on the pavement, shaking cups at passers-by, sometimes loudly demanding but often silently imploring. Some stare directly; others are quite unable to meet the eye of those they ask for help. All have a different story for why they ended up here. And all have their own techniques for obtaining money, food and company. Daniel, as he wants to be known, has been homeless for several years now and regularly needs to supplement his benefit by begging on Auckland's Queen Street. And while he hasn't been doing it for that long, he thinks he's pretty good at it. Daniel doesn't say much when he begs. He tells Spoken Features producer Justin Gregory that instead he lets his sign do the talking.
Puppets are more than simply child's play, according to Jim Richards and Bridgette Murphy who work with community groups, schools and organisations around New Zealand making giant puppets and other structures out of waste materials and renewable resources. They run under the banner of REACT: Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Centre Trust, where the ethos is based on sustainability, community and education.
Space Between is a sustainable zero waste fashion design project run through Massey University. Sonia Sly meets the designers and team behind the project to look at why they're reconstructing discontinued New Zealand Post uniforms to turn them into runway ready garments for the fashion conscious and eco conscious consumer.
The city of Auckland was founded in 1840 in a mix of hope and compromise and the occasion was marked with a suitably pompous ceremony. Just one eyewitness account remains from that day, and it was written by the only Pakeha woman present.
They've come from as far as London and Las Vegas. International and local stars are returning home. They're back to celebrate their high school's 40th anniversary in style with a fund-raising arts festival because they want to give back to the school and the teachers that inspired them. An alumni herself, Lynda Chanwai-Earle heads to Havelock North High School in Hawkes Bay to hear from the old boys and old girls and also the stars in the making - the current students themselves.
Even though she knew her whanau had a history of high blood pressure, it wasn't until the arrival of her new baby two years ago that Valerie Teraitua realised she had to make a change in her own life, in order not to become another statistic. When Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae in Mangere entered the Iron Pasifika event in 2013, she saw an opportunity.
Ayla Hutchinson. She's a 16 year old Taranaki student. And an award winning inventor and business person who's developed a novel new way to chop kindling that's selling world-wide. Amelia Nurse - who incidentally has injured her piano playing fingers two out of three times she's attempted chopping kindling - was very keen to talk to Ayla about her Kindling Cracker. At the family home in Taranaki, Ayla told Amelia how the idea started out as a problem.
New Zealand doesn't have a long history of puppeteering compared to other parts of the world where puppets still continue to serve as storytellers, reinforcing cultural traditions and bringing myths and legends to life. Sonia Sly went to meet some puppeteers to find out how they're keeping the world of puppetry alive in New Zealand ahead of Out of the Suitcase Puppet festival in Wellington.
New Zealand is way behind most other first world countries in road-side electric car chargers, so one man here is leading the charge.
What are the demands of the hairdressing industry today, and what does it mean to diversify in a highly competitive business that relies on bums on seats? Sonia Sly visits Willis York in Wellington to meet award-winning hairdresser Bex Brent.
Once upon a time the Henderson Miniature Motor Racing Club could boast more than a hundred members and two world champions. Meetings were held five nights a week and people of all ages and genders joined in. But since its peak in the 70's the club has scaled down to only one night a week, attended by just a few dedicated members. Club president Stephen Murchison is fighting back. Murch, as he likes to be known, is on a mission to reignite an interest in slot cars among younger people and pass on the love he has for building and racing miniature motorcars. It all starts with club night on a Wednesday where members feel the need for speed.
Ever wondered how a baby and a large green blanket might help combat child abuse? Babies are now the teachers. They're being brought into classrooms to break the intergenerational cycles of domestic violence and child abuse in a simple but genius way. Lynda Chanwai-Earle attends a Roots of Empathy session at Thorndon Primary School in Wellington and meets Canadian founder Mary Gordon, the international guest speaker visiting schools across our country - to learn just how babies are changing the world, child by child.
What does it take to become a digital influencer and how does one set themselves apart in an environment that is fast becoming oversaturated with blogs and Instagram accounts? Sonia Sly meets Katherine and James. K. Lowe, who between them, have amassed a significant online following on Instagram and ex-pat Kiwi Isaac Hindin-Miller shares the secrets to his international blogging success.
In a New Zealand first, design students from AUT are working in-house at Auckland City Hospital to help improve the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors.
Kevin talks about design. He's one of few designers around who doesn't design on the computer.
The Ogo is an electric wheelchair that runs on lithium-ion batteries. Kevin Halsall designed it for his friend Marcus Thompson, a paraplegic since 2003. Amelia Nurse visits his workshop in Otaki to have a look at the Ogo prototype.
A new play called The Black opens this week at Auckland's Basement Theatre. It's playwright Josephine Stewart Tewhiu's take on depression and uses acting, animation and live illustration to tell the tale of a young woman called Cleo who is being stalked by a black horse.
Performer Julia Croft wants a revolution but only if it has dancing. This Auckland actor and writer is mashing up Emma Goldman, Nicki Minaj and Laura Mulvey in a one-woman show overflowing with feminism, film, fun, confetti cannons - and critiques of media stereotypes of women's bodies. She shows Justin Gregory around her rehearsal room and explains why for her, more is more.
Dawn, September 10, 1984. Outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York nearly 100 New Zealanders are waiting. They're there to celebrate the opening of Te Māori exhibition. As the sun rises, a karanga rings out along 84th Street and 5th Avenue. Sir Pita Sharples recalls the opening.
New Zealand Fashion Week kicks off in Auckland from 24-30 August, and this year, Jessica Grubiŝa and Madeleine Harman are showing their label, Harman Grubiŝa for the first time. Sonia Sly caught up with the pair in the lead-up and also chats to Murray Bevan, Director of Showroom 22, about the business of fashion.
New Zealand Society lifts the lid on the history surrounding Auckland's heritage toilets.
Each year, Wellington streets are awash with foodies for two weeks during Wellington on a Plate. But it's not all about entrees and burgers, wine and beer. Amelia Nurse went along to an event at Zibibbo Restaurant with chef Adam Newell that was all about the chicken - and the egg.
The heat is on as designers make a push to complete their A/W 16 collections for New Zealand Fashion Week, 2015. But part of their process is also about finding the right talent to showcase their garments. Sonia Sly takes an inside look at model castings held at Auckland's Aotea Centre to find out who might be tipped as rising stars…
Tom Haitoua is on a mission to help out youngsters from hard up families in working class Mount Wellington. He runs an-after school programme at the suburb's Riverside Community Centre, where one day a week the young ones go to circus class.
New Zealand Fashion Week is only a week and a half away, so in the spirit of the theme, Sonia Sly heads in to the workroom of Wellington's Mandatory Menswear to find out how shopping habits have changed for the average Kiwi guy, and why the label is sticking steadfast to the ethos of providing the perfect fit for every kind of man.
Artist Shannon Novak says there is music in everything. To prove it he has created sound and abstract images in response to the signage and architecture of Auckland's Te Uru Gallery. But there's a catch; for the majority of the galleries visitors these works are silent - and invisible. Justin Gregory reports.
New work by pacific artists is on display right now in a series of pop-up exhibitions in Auckland. The series hopes to literally show both the artists and their work in a different context than before and so they've broken out of the gallery and instead have set up in a barber shop/tattoo studio. Justin Gregory went along to Big Willy Legacy Barber and Tattoo Studio to take in the art and see how the patrons are enjoying it.
Passionate about growing the multi-cultural talents of Auckland's youth - The Young Innovators Collective is led by 20 year old social entrepreneur Kiran Patel. A fundraiser involving youth busking along Queen Street and a photography exhibition open to youth across the country are just some of the projects created by this Indian New Zealander. Lynda Chanwai-Earle follows Kiran on a tour through Auckland's CBD to learn that you don't have to be alone to "sing for your supper".
Lucilla Gray is tipped as hot new talent at New Zealand Fashion Week 2015, but she has already shown a collection at this year's London Fashion Week, with an invitation on the table for Paris. She talks to Sonia Sly about her off-shore experience, designing for the high-end market, the benefits of Instagram, and why she feels it is important to make a name for herself in New Zealand.
Finds out what happens when truck drivers and their managers swap the cab for a bicycle saddle.
Salt, sugar, coconut husks, oatmeal, coffee grounds, apricot kernals - all things that can be used for exfoliating the skin. But increasingly, companies are using microplastics or microbeads. And it's surprising what products they turn up in. Amelia Nurse talks to Sally Gaw, environmental chemist at the University of Canterbury to find out how what we wash our faces with could end up on our dinner plate.
To be a married couple who are also both artists is to constantly skip between the everyday and the ephemeral. Choreographer Louise Potiki Bryant and musician Paddy Free know that better than most and have put that line between the divine and the mundane at the heart of their new work, In Transit, one of three dances in Lumina, the New Zealand Dance Company's upcoming season of new works. Justin Gregory goes to Louise and Paddy's home to meet them and to talk about how you do art while also doing the dishes.
Sonia Sly speaks to actor and director Paul McLaughlin who reveals why he must avoid fish at all costs, and Dr Robert Winkler talks about the world-wide rise in allergies due to factors including; lifestyle, reactions to common drugs, and abstaining from particular foods during pregnancy.
From fashion to costume design; filmmaking, art installation, music videos, and more. The Design for Stage and Screen course at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is now in its tenth year and producing an array of talented graduates who are shining a light in all areas of design.
Times were tough for the New Zealand Communist Party at the start of the Second World War. They opposed the fight against Adolf Hitler and as a result, their newspaper, People's Voice, was suppressed by the government. So they went underground, quite literally, to a cave in South Auckland, where they could publish in secret. Or so they thought.
You get to know a community really well and they get to know you. Rescuing people along State Highway One, sorting out local domestics, sheep rustling, what's life like for police officers working in remote rural areas around New Zealand? Lynda Chanwai-Earle visits Constable Abu in the township of Taihape in the lower central North Island to learn more.
The exhibits inside MOTAT, the Auckland museum of transport and technology, are all about design and efficiency. Except for their latest acquisition. Joseph Herscher is a kinetic artist who builds Rube Goldberg machines; wonderfully over engineered, incredibly complicated contraptions designed to perform simple tasks. Joseph is filming a web series called Jiwi's Machines at MOTAT and during the day tests his inventions in front of live audiences. Justin Gregory went to meet the man and his machines.
New Zealand Society spends the morning with Good Bitches Baking - a group of Wellingtonians who are spreading some sweetness on the Capital's most deserving.
Siobhan Bulfin is Chief executive of Melon Health (formerly Social Code), a company that's leading the way internationally with their three year old innovative mobile health platform. In June they received the best start up award at the annual Healthtech Week hosted by Callaghan Innovation in Auckland, and after only 12 months they were selected to present at Health 2.0, one of the world's biggest technology and health conferences. Amelia Nurse talks to Siobhan about how her apps work and who uses them, why she started the company - and becoming a pilot.
If you're driving from Dunedin and heading southbound, it is difficult not to be in awe of the beauty that is the Balclutha Road Bridge. The art deco-style bowstring structure, built between 1933 and 1935, is an engineering feat that has become the emblem for a community, and this year, celebrates its 80th birthday.
A giant cave on Auckland's wild West Coast used to be the city's most memorable - and most mysterious - ballroom. Dances were held for more than sixty years at the Great Cave at Whatipu but are now just a memory. Cartoonist Dylan Horrocks captured it all in a billboard commissioned by the Waitakere City Council. He talks to Justin Gregory about the legend of the Whatipu Cave Dances.
Not many people can claim that by breaking a table, it leads them to a unique social and business opportunity. However, that's exactly what happened when Gabriel Acuna-Carvajal sat on a table in a flat he shared with his partner Adriana Avendano Christie. But instead of allowing him to go out and buy another one, Adriana purchased a circular saw and got to work fashioning a new table out of pallets from a construction site. And when a friend asked to purchase it, the seed for a new project - The Pallet Kingdom - was planted.
126,000 people is a lot of mouths to feed over four days. So when Amelia Nurse attended the 44th Annual Fieldays at Mystery Creek outside of Hamilton, she was curious to see what was on offer. And she found much more than hotdogs and burgers!
It's taken twenty years but the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes finally has its own venue solely for the arts. Te Oro Glen Innes Music and Arts Centre wants to bring young people together to, in their words, perform, practice and learn the arts. Facility manager Jenni Heka tells Justin Gregory there's been a need for a place like Te Oro for a long time.
MOTAT is using the latest technology to encourage the younger generation to find out more about the men who trained at New Zealand;s first air training school one hundred years ago.
Take a quick glance and you might be forgiven for thinking that The Godfather Barbers is actually a tattoo parlour with its retro style fit-out, shiny black floor and black and white photographs lining the walls. But look a little closer and you'll spy the small barbers pole on the inside of the shop window, and you'll realise that the rockabilly styled, tattooed master craftsmen on the shop floor are manipulating their blades to execute precision fades-or whatever their clients desire.
The year is 1893, the month November and the people of Onehunga have just done an extraordinary thing. Only three months after New Zealand became the first country to give women the vote, this small Auckland borough elected the empire's first female mayor. Her name was Elizabeth Yates.
An immigrant herself, Lize Immelman wonders why refugees have such a hard time finding work. She talks to three residents of Newtown, Wellington, about their experiences, and to MP Annette King, Andrew Lockhart from Immigration NZ and academic Gradon Diprose about why work is so important to our lives.
After having attended a Conscious Consumer workshop, Amelia Nurse was curious to find out what things she might consider at the grocery store if she wanted to make sustainable choices. Janet Young is a sustainability educator for Sustainability Trust in Wellington and she joined Amelia to tell her some of the things she thinks about on the grocery store floor.
A self-styled sub-Antarctic Islands "nutter" thinks more people should be allowed to visit there.
From home grown vegetables to living walls, rooftop and pop-up gardens, to the humble indoor plant: nature is taking centre stage with gardening enthusiasts happily showing off the fruits of their back yard labour across Facebook and Instagram, and as it turns out, there is a global movement bringing architects and designers together to actively look for ways to incorporate 'green thinking' and the idea of sustainable living into the urban environment.
Hands up who remembers the Crown Lynn swans? Auckland's famous pottery may have closed its doors in 1989 but the fascination with its cups, mug, plates - and yes, the ceramic swans - goes on regardless. Te Toi Uku is a brand new museum dedicated to all things Crown Lynn and it opened earlier this month on the site of the old works. Justin Gregory went out to take a look but first of all, he caught up with enthusiastic collector and trader Alison Reid at her shop in downtown Auckland.
There are many stories literally hidden deep underground in some of our public parks. One such park in Wellington - formerly a rubbish dump - contains machinery and equipment left behind by American Marines during WW2. Today the same park is covered by giant pie-charts painted across the grass; part of an interactive public art work for the community. Lynda Chanwai-Earle attends the opening, a festive picnic titled "Projected Fields" to learn more.
A project to properly remember the 500-plus people buried in Tokanui Cemetery is calling for help from the public.
Amelia Nurse talks to Jerome Chandrahasen, organizer of the event, and finalists Savanna Calton and Joel Hansby.
She's eighty-six years old and looking a bit down at heel. But a group of film makers is hoping they can resurrect Mt Eden's old, if they can only find her a champion.
Raewyn Theobald can barely contain her excitement at the mention of the natural disaster that ended up providing her with a windfall of surplus porcelain: "An earthquake is a mosaic artist's dream, because you get bins and bins, and I did." In her Gisborne studio at the time of the 6.7 magnitude earthquake (2007), she was subsequently delivered a lifetime supply of porcelain, more than enough to create a large artwork.
New Zealand Society meets a Waikato food rescue service that has saved 10 tonnes of food from going to the landfill, in only six months.
Amelia Nurse talking with Juli Hunter who designs eco-friendly clothes and does alterations all from her home studio in Waikanae.
Many of Auckland's volcanic cones may eventually become car, alcohol and cigarette free.
On New Zealand Society, find out how one Kiwi 'chick' flew home to help another on its way.
Another year of WOMAD has come and gone, and Amelia Nurse went along, not just for the music, but to find out what people eat at the World of Music and Dance in New Plymouth.
"Exhilarating and addictive…" that's how UK-born, New Zealand-based Francesca D'Oriano describes the feeling of riding a wave. Based out in Lyall Bay, the yoga instructor and founder of Wellington Ladies Learning to Surf has the ocean right at her doorstep, which provides more than enough motivation when the conditions are right.
One of the country's busiest community law centres is getting bigger, despite its frozen funding. Waitemata Community Law services lower socio economic families, free of charge. It's one of twenty four centres in the country funded by central government.
With low forecast milk prices and tough climactic conditions, New Zealand Society heads to rural Northland to see how farmers are helping each during volatile times.
What you're used to eating - and what you like to eat - will largely depend on where you grew up. And while an increasingly wide variety of foods are available in NZ, African immigrants sometimes can't source traditional ingredients. Amelia Nurse decided to find out what's available here for African New Zealanders. She joins Barika Darboe (who runs the restaurant Afrika) at a grocers in Newtown, Wellington.
One of Auckland's biggest emergency housing suppliers is facing challenges to its own future. The Monte Cecilia Housing Trust says it depends on outside help for much of its income. But costs are outstripping the funding.
Before the 2008 election, a character called Richard Meros had a plan to help the incumbent Labour Government avoid certain defeat. And it was as bold as it was wordy. On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover played to packed houses around the country but failed to prevent a Labour loss. Undeterred, Meros is back with an even bigger dream; in 2015, he wants to save the world.
Tourettes Syndrome is a disabling disorder that can blight people's lives. But it can also make them stronger!
From old-school arcade machines to consoles, PC's and hand-held devices… gaming has changed and it's more accessible than ever, with a multitude of games to cater to every need. If you are a lover of fashion there are styling games that enable players to start up their own boutiques; the strategy game Dota 2 has its audience pegged, with international tournaments providing professional players with the opportunity to compete in large-scale, televised events that turn the players into celebrity super heroes. Yes, the world of gaming has shifted considerably, and the availability of new technology means that games are now at our finger tips-anywhere, anytime.
Happy-go-lucky Briar Lawry laughs when she talks about her perforated bowel, which sent her into the Emergency Department in January this year. She is surprisingly cheery on her first day back at work, after taking a month to recover from major surgery to remove 15-centimeters of her large intestine. But it's not the first time she has had to undergo major surgery-her first operation involved a similar procedure in which she also had a colostomy to give her bowel a rest.
They're busy busting "PBM" or poaching black market with the "black gold" paua-smuggling rings. Lynda Chanwai-Earle spends a day following the men and women working hard to protect our coastlines as Fishery Compliance Officers, to make sure there are enough fish left in the sea for future generations.
With the pressure on to secure that dream flat before semester starts, find out how the University of Auckland is managing students expectations.
Meg Williams, Co-founder of The Slow Reading Club is now relishing an enjoyment of books again. Having been an avid reader, one day she came to the realisation that she hadn't picked up a book for a very long time. "It's become a universal problem," she says. Meg attributes a lack of reading to an increasingly busy lifestyle, with the consumption of digital technology and social media being a constant source of disruption and interruption. Getting back into books and starting a Slow Reading club was her way to reconnect with a love of reading; get some quiet time away from ringing phones and the temptation of the internet; but also, to connect with others who were finding themselves in the same situation.
Fringe Festivals are usually great opportunities for testing new and edgy kinds of art and performance. But this year's Auckland Fringe sees a slightly older avant-garde form making a strong comeback. Standing Room Only's Justin Gregory talks to Stephen Bain of Winning Productions and Fiona McNamara from Binge Culture collective.
Ever heard of the term aquanaut? There are as few as 100 New Zealanders working as aquanauts or saturation divers around the globe, maintaining deep-sea oil wells and pipelines in the most extreme conditions. Lynda Chanwai-Earle investigates the working life of our saturation divers.
It's called 'I Wanna Be Na Nah Na Nah Nah', and it's the title of a new play painting a picture of how the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby used to be. But it's not just any ordinary play where you sit in a theatre watching actors on-stage. It's part of the Auckland's Fringe Festival and is a collaboration between theatre-maker Stephen Bain, personality Dave Fane, and writer and actor Tessa Mitchell. Tessa explains just why this play is so different.
Not far from Auckland's Queen Street is Kelmarna Organic City Farm, growing vegies and grazing cows within sight of the Skytower. But the farm faces an uncertain future.
Amelia Nurse heads out onto Wellington Harbour to find out about quite a novel water activity - stand up paddle board (SUP) yoga with instructor Megan Sety.
Artist Paula Schaafhausen uses the materials and traditions of her Samoan home to talk about the threat climate change poses to Pacific nations. In her new exhibition, Ebbing Tagaloa at Otara's Fresh Gallery, she's crafted a series of small statues of the ocean god Tagaloa from the everyday items of island life. But like the low-lying islands they symbolise, each of the statues is a fragile thing that needs to be protected.
Many New Zealanders are getting old, and they're being told it's time to make New Zealand homes easier to live in.
What does it take to make a robot? Well, Lee Bennett, founder of Wellington Makerspace is the very man to tell you what's involved. With a background in robotics and aircraft engineering, he has also worked for Weta Workshop and later went on to build WW1 aircraft for Peter Jackson's aircraft factory. Keen to develop his own projects, he decided to set up his own studio three years ago. Currently self-run with a small core staff, Wellington Makerspace holds monthly workshops on robotics. Here, kids will learn creative problem solving, 3-D laser printing, group work and yes, how to programme robots.
Peter Hardy has an odd uniform - a full Edwardian costume which he dons daily to impersonate Alexander Hatrick, who amongst other pursuits owned a fleet of boats on the Whanganui River and was mayor for a stint. Amelia Nurse joins him aboard NZ's only paddle steamer, the fully restored Waimarie, to find out more about the boat, and the man.
Its been six months since a Christchurch woman started helping the local homeless community with food and clothing. Today the people she's helped talk about the difference it's made.
Emma Hudson- Doyle is a self-confessed fabric hoarder who loves to pick up gems found at fabric swaps, markets and travels abroad. Her obsession has led her to start her own group in Wellington called The Fabric Hoarders. But it isn't just about hoarding fabric. Emma founded the group after arriving in New Zealand from the UK, and unable to find a sewing group to join, she set up her own as a means to create a community of like-minded people who love to sew and collect fabric. The once a month Sunday gathering is a relaxing day which provides people with the space and time to put the final touches on a garment, cut out a pattern or get involved in some 'problem solving' with knowledgeable sewers close-to-hand. There are 15 power points available for sewers of all ages and the only prerequisite is that people must bring their own sewing machine and book in advance of the meet-up date to guarantee their spot at a table.
Imagine that you are learning to drive for the first time in your life and you are a woman, a former refugee. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is along for the ride with a woman from Afghanistan to learn about volunteer driving lessons that are changing some women's lives in extraordinary ways.
Curator Daniel Michael Satele wants us all to think more about water. So he's put together an exhibition of works about water and called it The Drowned World. Named for novelist JG Ballard's dystopian sixties classic, the exhibition is an online, interactive experience which will hopefully make us question our understanding of this most precious resource. Because, Daniel suspects, we might be getting it all wrong.
Sharing emotions but not as you know it. Katy Gosset finds out about the latest use for wearable technology.
This year's theme is "Zero Discrimination". There are about two thousand people in New Zealand living with HIV.An estimated five hundred are women. Globally, 35 million people have died of AIDS .… but these days around the world almost the same number with HIV continue to live.
Every year, Kapiti Coast artists throw open their doors for the annual Kapiti Arts Trail. This year, 62 artists from Paekakariki to Otaki will welcome the public into their studios to view and discuss their work. Some will be working on new works, while others will be displaying finished items. Amelia Nurse visits Kate Elder in Paraparaumu Beach.
Lisa Thompson takes a tour of the Sea Shepherd vessel The Sam Simon, as its crew prepare for protest action in the Southern Ocean this summer.
Rejection makes you stop in your tracks. No sooner do your eyes trace over the words: I am writing to inform you… Then your heart sinks, your eyes well with tears, the piece of paper falls to the floor and you curl up into a little ball because rejection S.T.I.N.G.S. In the name of rejection, editors Emma Barnes and Pip Adam have collated an online exhibition 'Rejectamenta' which features writing which has been rejected for publication, along with imagined and creatively written rejection letters. The works are being showcased as part of 'LitCrawl' , a spoken word festival taking place on the 15th November in Wellington. Sonia Sly reports.
From swotting to the speedway. Katy Gosset meets the Canterbury University students who have built a race car.
Parts of West Auckland may be getting a bad name with its teenagers. But one organisation is doing something about it.
It's taken two years to build but Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery is now open. Justin Gregory went to see the West Auckland gallery a year ago when it was just beginning to take shape and to hear about the ambitious plans director Andrew Clifford had for it. Justin met Andrew again recently to take a tour of the Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery and talk about whether those plans had become reality.
Previously isolated, former refugees from the Burmese community are now Home Based Educators, trained by the Pacifica community in Porirua. The Pacifica and Burmese communities have teamed up under a programme called Etu Ao Homebased Learning and they are operating in Porirua under the guidance of He Whanau Manaaki, Wellington Kindergartens.
Wellington-based Jessie Larsen says the most important factor for her in finding the right Au Pair really came down to whether or not the person loved children. They now have their second Au Pair, Franziska Paenke living with the family, and through initial discussions via Skype they were able to determine whether or not it was 'the right fit.' For Jessie, having a natural connection and some similar interests helps too.
Together, father and son architects Pip and Nat Cheshire direct a small team of 25, many of whom are straight out of architecture school. Their fresh eyes and perspectives are valued, alongside those who have honed their skills and plied their trade through decades of experience in the industry. The creative brief expands well beyond designing buildings alone; they have a vision that encompasses design in its totality; from industrial and interior design, through to creating websites, branding and even helping new restaurants to come up with a menu Cheshire Architects.
Michael and Lucy Law opened The Village Meats in Raumati Beach six months ago with the goal in mind to fill what they saw as a gap in the market. They talk with Amelia Nurse.
Michael and Lucy Law opened The Village Meats in Raumati Beach six months ago with the goal in mind to fill what they saw as a gap in the market.
Michael and Lucy Law opened The Village Meats in Raumati Beach six months ago with the goal in mind to fill what they saw as a gap in the market: someplace where you could get free range meats with organic principles or certification, no chemicals or growth hormones and naturally fed. But they wanted to also sell at prices people could afford. Amelia Nurse visits to find out how business is going, and how to cut up a pig.
For a more complete picture of the wildlife of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, what would you do? You'd take to the sky. And that's just what scientists have done.
Thirty years of lonely figures in unsettling landscapes have come together in one exhibition of the work of artist Euan Macleod. The Painter in the Painting is the title of a major survey show that has just opened at Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga. To celebrate, Euan MacLeod has created a special work for their foyer, a six meter high oil painting of two figures in a boat, contemplating White Island. It's easily his largest and as he tells Justin Gregory, one of his most challenging.
Seventy years after they arrived in this unknown country, a group of Polish refugees reflect on their lives in New Zealand. Katy Gosset meets some of those original "Children of Pahiatua". Archival audio in this programme was supplied by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Lauren Dunningham, aka B-girl Legend, and Jody Stewart, aka B-girl Nossy, know a thing or two about battling it out on the dance floor. Their dance style of choice is "breaking", or breakdancing and although B-boy culture here is still fairly small, it's definitely on the rise.
Why we shouldn't be spamming people across too many social networking sites and why cropping is an instagrammers best friend.
Ever wondered what a blow torch and chainsaw sounded like underwater? It's dangerous work and often in very dirty conditions. Commercial divers maintain and build our ports and waterways every day of the year. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is on Wellington's waterfront to chat (via special communications) to these divers at work in their element.
The Tempo Dance Festival in Auckland sees the return of one of our more interesting artists. Expat Alexa Wilson is a dancer and choreographer, a performance artist and a theorist who, in her own words, "likes to get naked a lot on stage and wield weapons". Justin Gregory sat down to chat with her about multidisciplinary work and expanding the territory of contemporary dance.
A lettuce head can produce up to 30 000 seeds - roughly one for every person on the Kapiti Coast. The Kapiti Seedbank acts as a community chest of seeds with an emphasis on finding varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers that are specifically suited to the local climate. Amelia Nurse visits Anna Butterfield for a korero about Kapiti Seed cultivation and preservation.
Anna Butterfield sees seeds as cultural artefacts, each bean or basil seed carrying the story of its cultivation. And when you consider there are 300 000 edible plants in the world - and we only eat around 2000 of those - AND over 75% of that is restricted to a mere 12 plant varieties worldwide - maybe there's room for growth, especially in our own back gardens. Amelia Nurse joins Anna Butterfield from the Kapiti Seed Bank in her kitchen with a cup of freshly brewed tea to discuss seeds.
This school holiday, Capital E are presenting a Book Bazaar as a way to get children excited about storytelling through words and pictures. To help them along, authors from Gecko Press are leading workshops to encourage children to develop their ideas.
Christchurch creatives and inventors are investing their energies in a new arts hub: The Exchange. Katy Gosset pays a visit.
How do you turn stressed middle aged men into happier individuals? An Auckland yoga teacher has come up with an idea.
For more than fifty years, Janus Press in the United States has been turning out highly-designed, handmade editions that are more like sculptures than books. They've published several Kiwi authors works too and Objectspace Gallery in Auckland is staging an exhibition of some privately owned examples. Justin Gregory went to see the books before they go on display.
Beauty is only skin deep, and competitions such as the newly rebranded Miss Universe New Zealand is testament that personality and brains go a long way too. Streamed live via the web last night, the finals saw 25 contestants between the ages of 18-27 compete in front of a packed auditorium at Sky City.
Pule-tasi or niqab? Like the diversity of our cultures, New Zealand's dress code is changing all the time. These days you can wear your hijab to work without question, Lynda Chanwai-Earle decided to visit a Church, Mosque and a Sikh Temple to learn about our changing dress sense.
Gut instinct, intuition, and accessing the belly of creativity may sound a bit abstract, but according to Dutch contemporary jeweller Ruudt Peters it is here that the creative process begins. He has been paired up to mentor Wellington-based jeweller, Amelia Pascoe as part of Hand Shake Two, an online mentorship programme where selected mentees can develop their practice. So how does the online process work, and how valuable is mentorship in the development of our emerging artists? Sonia Sly investigates.
It's not news that New Zealand has a problem with damp houses and the associated health issues - and that many people can't afford to take steps to fix the problem. That's where the Curtain Bank comes in. Run by Sustainability Trust, the bank provides curtains to low income families in the Greater Wellington region. Amelia Nurse talks to Megan Hubscher at the Curtain Bank about how they source the curtains, what else Sustainability Trust is involved with, and the difference they make in peoples' lives.
Aucklanders are being encouraged to create their own pollen hotels to help 160,000 hungry honey bees currently foraging for food in the CBD.
Auckland's visual artists are turning to dance as their medium of choice. In an exhibition called Welcome, the D.A.N.C.E. art club collective is attempting to break a Guinness World Record for dancing for a really, really long time. And artist/DJ Dan James wants you to get interactive with his dancing robot at the Aotearoa Digital Arts Network symposium. Justin Gregory talked to Dan curator Ahilapalapa Rands about high concept booty-shaking and why absolutely everyone is welcome to join in.
Christchurch is gearing up for its first Laughter Wellness Conference. Katy Gosset talks to the organisers and hits the streets to ask Cantabrians what makes them laugh.
Changes are afoot in the way some of Auckland's volcanoes and islands are administered.
It's a troubling time right now for Māori carvers. Only a small number of young artists are being trained and a lack of work sees many of them leaving the country and older carvers simply giving up. For Auckland carver Rewi Spraggon the situation came to a head last year when he spotted an adze for sale at a local market.
Brian Scadden's passion is old-school craft photography on cameras dating as early as the mid-19th century - some of which he designs and builds himself. These cameras, which can weigh up to 60kgs, predate film - and the images are captured instead on a plate of glass. Amelia Nurse visits him at his portable workshop in the Wairarapa for a demonstration.
Why did New Zealand troops serve in Afghanistan? How much do we know about this war? An award winning documentary is now being taught as part of the NCEA curriculum within secondary schools across our country. Lynda Chanwai-Earle hears from students, teachers and the filmmakers themselves about the importance of editorial independence and our democratic right to enquiry.
Nerd Nites take place in more than 80 cities worldwide and the Wellington event run by Aimee Whitcroft has seen past talks ranging from trapdoors, Angry Birds, ninja's and medical words; if you will, it's an informal, free, public education version of a Ted Talk (Technology , Entertainment and Design) . Sonia Sly headed along to the event to find out more.
Jerome Cvitanovich looks at the phenomenon of car sales from public roads including the risks and moves by local councils to ban or regulate it.
Survivor Poetry is a reality TV/poetry slam mash up which will form part of this month's Christchurch Word Writers and Readers Festival. Katy Gosset braves the auditions.
Te Reo Maori may be on an international endangered list, but in a new teaching scheme in Auckland, six thousand North Shore children are now learning to speak it.
Gosia Piatek doesn't feel very 'Kiwi,' especially where her work ethic and hunger are concerned. On the communication-front she is also very direct-a trait she readily puts down to her 'European' roots and mentality.
A Chinese organisation in Auckland is trying to do its bit to improve the lives of its community. And they want to do it by offering people unlimited love. Ivan Yeo tells Justin Gregory that the title of the project is a little bit misleading.
The lives of eight Auckland accessible rental tenants and their families are being changed for the better with help from a "small but mighty" Northland housing trust. The Whangarei Accessible Housing Trust has just built its first set of accessible homes in Takanini. The homes are purpose built to accommodate people with disabilities, including blogger and university student Jan Butterworth, who has been on the hunt for a suitable property for four years. Lisa Thompson paid a visit to Jan a few days before her move and discovered why her new home is set to transform her life.
Sidewalk astronomy has hit Christchurch. Katy Gosset finds out more with the help of a solar telescope.
Life in any of this country's hospital Intensive Care units must be tense and busy enough, without having to deal with patients who don't speak English. One emergency care doctor has come up with a solution.
There's fresh blood in Canterbury's civil defence ranks. Katy Gosset is at an emergency training exercise as new recuits turn out to do their bit for the community.
It's nice to be cosy in bed on a winter's night isn't it? Spare a thought for some kids who might not manage that. In South Auckland people're trying to do something about that.
The Christchurch Mayoral Daimler will be sold this week - Katy Gosset takes a look at the car's rich history.
Katy Gosset meets Gary Oliver, 11 times winner of the New Zealand National Billiards Championship as he prepares to defend his title.
Do you know much about Campbell Island? It's a chilly place on the way to the Antarctica with amazing birds and plants and some valuable archaeological stuff.
Highwic is one of New Zealand's finest Carpenter Gothic houses built by Alfred and Eliza Buckland more than 150 years ago. Located in Auckland's Newmarket, the house remained in the Buckland family for 116 years, and today, although it has seen many refurbishments, the décor and surrounds remain in-keeping with the original details and style of the era.
Nurse Isobel Thompson worked for CORSO from 1947-50 during China's brutal civil war, helping orphaned children. She was there because of an appeal to NZ from Madame Sun Yat-sen for qualified staff to work in the Peace Hospitals. Lynda hears from the Consul General of China and broadcaster George Andrews about why Nurse Isobel Thompson is considered a household name in China.
Katy Gosset attends the Ministry of Awesome's Coffee and Jam session, which has becoema hub for the city's entrepreneurs.
North Island snow bunnies are hoping for a good start to the ski season on Mount Ruapehu, due to open at the end of this month.
Last year around 27,000 new mothers had contact with the New Zealand La Leche League, a non-profit, volunteer organisation that supports breastfeeding. Monthly meetings give women a chance to share their experiences in a safe, non-judgmental environment. La Leche League leader Janet McClean says there are 49 groups located across the country, holding meetings which also cover broader topics associated with breastfeeding and parenting.
Constable Paula Tanuvasa makes history as the first woman to join the Wellington Police Maritime Unit. Rescuing boaties, catching poachers and patrolling the wild waters of the Cook Strait are all in a day's work. Lynda Chanwai-Earle goes to sea with Paula and the Maritime Unit.
Willy Bennett and Roger Delamere Dansey recall the horrifying night of 10 June 1886, when the eruption of Mount Tarawera killed up to 150 people and destroyed many settlements.
Katy Gosset meets up and coming Canterbury musician, Katie Thompson, who is performing a cover a day as part of New Zealand Music Month.
Katy Gosset meets up and coming Canterbury musician, Katie Thompson, who is performing a cover a day as part of New Zealand Music Month.
The cleaning industry is getting better trained to cope with clearing away the toxic mess left by secret P Labs.
Judge Ajit Swaran Singh: He was the first Fiji-born Indian Judge to be appointed to the District Court bench in New Zealand, serving in Manukau, our country's third largest city holding the most diverse ethnic communities, but this man started life with very humble beginnings. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Christchurch to learn more.
Top left: Judge Singh speaks at EthnicA Conference 2014 Top right: Judge Singh on panel discussion at EthnicA Conference, 2014 alongside Lynda, Jax Hamilton and Deborah Lam Bottom left: Judge Singh recieves the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest civilian award bestowed on persons of Indian origin, 2012, photo courtesy Judge Singh Bottom right: Judge Singh with his wife, 2012
Amelia Nurse talks with Richard Newcombe about supertasters and what that means for those who experience it.
The sentiment 'all great things come from small beginnings' could easily have been written about Emeline Afeaki-Mafile'o. Determined to pursue a love for helping others, Emeline established a support services agency at the age of 25, run from a two-bedroom unit in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe. A decade on more than 5,000 South Auckland students have passed through the many mentoring programmes her agency, Affirming Works, helps run. And late last year in recognition for her hard work, Emeline won the inaugural Women of Influence award for Community Service and Social Enterprise. Lisa Thompson meets Emeline and finds out why she has been labelled as a 'woman to watch' by her peers. Gallery: Small beginnings
Emeline Afeaki Mafile'o
Katy Gosset is at Canterbury's Godley Head as the military returns to the historic defence battery.
Trainees on Burnham Army Camp's Limited Service Volunteer Course at Godley Head
A slice of history for trainee soldiers as the military returns to Christchurch's defence battery at Godley Head.
David Steemson goes to Muriwai to record gannet calls. Radio New Zealand has just recorded the gannet colony at Muriwai Beach and the sound will soon be broadcast 12 hours a day on Rotoroa Island. Auckland Zoo and the Rotoroa Island Trust have joined forces to establish a new wildlife sanctuary on the island. As well as the gannets, the zoo will bring in saddleback birds, lizards, weta and kiwi. Zoo workers have been building gannet nests on the island, and will set up decoy gannet models. Once the bird noises are switched on, it's hoped the gannets will come. Gallery: Gannets for Rotorua Island
Decoy gannet birds
Dare-devil cinematographer with a long career in our film-making industry, Simon Baumfield is also becoming an urban legend with his camera drones that can film in extraordinary situations. Lynda Chanwai-Earle meets Simon and checks out his latest "flying camera" creations. Gallery: Sky Hook and Octi-copter
Jess Charlton and Simon Baumfield in the secret workshop with Octi-coptor and drone creations
David Steemson talks to a farming couple who use unconventional methods to maintain the health of their cows and pasture.
Katy Gosset is at one of the longest-running gigs in town - still pulling the punters in its new home.
Poverty is a global issue. A group of visionary home grown charity organisations are getting together with our littlest superheroes to get a message across on how to make a real change. Lynda Chanwai-Earle's in Wellington to attend the launch of a video campaign from the One Percent Collective and to hear from the children making a difference, the little superheroes themselves. Gallery: Little Super Heroes
Amelia Nurse looks back on the history of men's underwear in NZ, especially the introduction of Jockey y-fronts in 1940.
An emergency housing programme in East Auckland was due to shut its doors this month because of a lack of funding. However the Tamaki community has other ideas.
Marching New Zealand was first established in the 1930's during the Depression era, as a way for young women to maintain health and fitness. It became a popular and accessible sport for young girls and women who would compete in National and local competitions, and it was also common to see teams performing in community events and parades. Training usually took place in the outdoors (preferably grassy fields). Sonia Sly takes an inside look at what it takes to become a Marching Girl beyond the sweaty boots, headache-inducing head gear and military precision when she heads to the 2014 Marching Competitions in Porirua City.
Katy Gosset visits the Inconvenience Store, a Christchurch emporium that sells goods money can't buy.
Below the footpaths in the heart of Wellington's busiest streets an ancient stream still bubbles under the surface. Once a sacred Pa site, the Kumototo is now relegated to a concrete commuters pipe, but not for long. Lynda Chanwai Earle meets artist Kedron Parker to find out how she's bringing back nature to stressed-out office workers in the CBD.
Three days of celebrations begin in Kimbolton as the community celebrates its 125-year jubilee. There's a fair at the Kimbolton Showgrounds, a tug of war competition, a gala dinner and it all starts with a hair-raising event. The winner of the beard competition will be determined. Rodney Wilson is the Organising Committee chairman.
Amelia Nurse visits Power Plant, one of the more unusual shows in the festival. It's a hugely popular sound and light installation by Five UK artists in Wellington's Botanic Gardens.
Five hundred young robot builders from throughout New Zealand have just spent three days doing battle in the National Robot Championships or "Kiwibots" as they're called. This year the event's been immortalised in a three minute video created by a group of South Auckland youngsters. David Steemson was there to see the action.
Lisa Thompson pays a visit to one of the first Partnership schools to open in New Zealand, to find out why it believes it has a justified place in New Zealand's education system.
Amelia Nurse visits an exhibition on at the National Library in Wellington. It's called Leading Edge and it's on innovation in New Zealand - past and present. Curator and designer Liane McGee talks her through some of the highlights, including a street light system run by chickens. Gallery: Leading Edge
What's worrying our 11 year olds ? Katy Gosset visits a unique counselling service for young people.
A weekend safe area in downtown Auckland where volunteers watch over those who have over indulged in alcohol or drugs, will now continue to operate until at least March.
Top: Red Frogs volunteers with Auckland Councillor Cathy Casey and St John officers at the CBD Safe Zone; and volunteers in action handing out water and of course Red Frog lollies! Bottom: producer Lisa Thompson interviewing Red Frogs volunteer Roshni Vastrad. Photographs courtesy of Cathy Casey.
In her late seventies she'd take her rubber dinghy out and sail leeward of the wind, swim with dolphins or fight to protect the natural environment of Wellington. Lynda Chanwai-Earle catches up with her sprightly neighbour, Owhiro Bay resident and natural historian Sheila Natusch. Now in her late eighties, she has some tales to tell about the last six decades on the coast.
Do you know what you're eating and what the labels on the food you buy mean for your health? Recent studies show that even if you think you do, you may not be making healthy decions. Amelia Nurse talks to two experts on food labels, what types are more effective and why. We also find out more about an Australian anti-obesity programme that NZ will be rolling out over the coming years.
A seaplane service has returned to Auckland skies after an absence of nearly quarter of a century. Lisa Thompson takes to the skies for a different view of the Queen City.
David Steemson pays a visit to Middlemore Hospital's Obstetric Unit where surgeons-in-training are learning new skills fast, using the latest technology.
Doug Barclay and Richard Pole.
Weathering the wild waters of the Cook Strait, catching paua-smugglers or rescuing boaters in trouble, it's dangerous, exciting and their chosen profession. Lynda Chanwai-Earle investigates Wellington's southern coastline with the Police Maritime Unit. Gallery: Wild Water – The Police Maritime Unit
Maritime Unit Senior Launch Masters Richard Kennedy and Peter Comer.
Catherine Wood is serious about biking, whether it's a gruelling mountain bike track or a leisurely outing with her family on one of Nelson's ever increasing network of trails. She even works for Heart of Biking, a Cycle Trail Trust. Amelia Nurse joins her to test ride a section of the Great Taste Trail, which links up many of the regions wineries and cafes. We join them in Mapua at the wharf loading their “Gentle Cycles” onto the ferry.
People who have to use a small South Auckland food bank to survive hope the improving economy will produce jobs for them this year. The Mercy Missions in Papakura has fed thousands since it was started over 20 years ago by Barbara and Rex Stone.