Features

According to a recent Treasury report, New Zealand is ill-prepared for the pressures an aging population will bring. Audio

Eve de Castro-Robinson, Peter Scholes and John Rimmer serve up some interesting sounds and textures including a piece inspired by the Pacific Rim of Fire, in this week's sampling from the back-catalogue of New Zealand music.

Great Divide by The Narcs, who formed in Christchurch in 1980, is the focus of this edition of Great New Zealand Albums. Audio

Nick Bollinger assesses a 20^th anniversary supplement to Gillian Welch’s timeless debut, Revival. Audio

Fat people face ridicule and discrimination every day, but this prejudice is based on a simplistic understanding of health, a fat activist says. Audio

The magnitude 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake triggered a massive underwater landslide that swept down the offshore canyon system and was still flowing more than 300 km away. Audio

Music reviewer Russell Baillie talks about The Monkees concert, Ray Columbus, and the new Rolling Stones album. Audio

William Dart takes a listen to new releases from two English folk musicians - Shirley Collins, 81, who has just released her first new album in 38 years, and Fay Hield brings one out after a gap of only four. Audio

This week Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard as spies fighting Nazis in Allied, Terence Davies' adaption of Sunset Song and Michael Keaton in The Founder. Video, Audio

Our new free monthly classical podcast is Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Bryan Cranston had a long and successful career as an actor on stage and screen before the role of Walter White in Breaking Bad came along. Audio

The war on drugs has been a ‘failure’, international experts say. Is it time for New Zealand to move away from strict policies that simply aren't working? Audio

Ray Columbus, OBE, who died Tuesday age 74, was the first and biggest New Zealand star of the beat group era, and is best remembered as the leader of Ray Columbus and the Invaders.

The hilly territory around Kaikōura hit by the recent earthquakes has long had a reputation for being difficult country to traverse. Video, Audio, Gallery

After bemoaning the demise of the neighbourhood video store, Dan Slevin from RNZ‘s Widescreen has tips for accessing the good stuff streaming sites just don’t have. Audio

Based on an old English folk-song, this month's free classical download is played by harp and strings of the Auckland Philharmonia.

The Black Caps don't care about Tim Southee's batting, Matt Richens says, so why should we?

A long-forgotten antiseptic, used in World War One, could help make people more resistant to disease spread during a pandemic. Audio

Oscar Laven will be traveling to Saturn, Uranus and Neptune while providing planetary ambiance with his heckelphone during Orchestra Wellington's performance of Holst’s The Planets. Audio

Nineteen year old Mahaani Maiava has just taken part in a music mentoring programme as part of Auckland Museum's Volume exhibition. He performs his song 'Give Thanks'. Audio

Nick Tipping celebrates Bennie Moten's 100th birthday, and offers up a Reuben sandwich: jazz by three Reubens and a Rubén, and in the middle - an Eric (although his bass player's name is Reuben). Audio

New music from Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers and classics from Chuck Berry and Tom Waits. Gary 'US' Bonds covers Dylan and Ella Fitzgerald's amazing take on the Beatles' Savoy Truffle! Audio

Nick Bollinger discusses a concept album from South-East London spoken-word artist Kate Tempest. Audio

Spider orchids that smell like mushrooms are fooling fungus gnats into pollinating them, and on scientist wants to know more about this botanical trickery. Video, Audio