Features

Picton man Ronald Ragen says it's a "buzz" to share Dogalong with Kiwi pet-owners. Audio

This is Wheel Life - Soph goes on a first date while Indy takes a nap in the car. Some may think painting on a first date is a bold move for someone with no hand function, but we think you’ll change your mind.

Film festivals are a great opportunity to get outside your viewing comfort zone, writes Nik Dirga.

William Dart treats our ears to some singular and sometimes downright snazzy sounds - all taken from recent local releases featuring Pickle Darling, Maxine Funke, Extra Virgin Orchestra, Finn Andrews and the Veils along with the irresistibly danceable Geoff Ong. Audio

The Auckland-based Handel Quire gets this week’s programme off to a great start with Isaac Watts’ hymn Lord of the worlds above. Audio

Tony Stamp reviews a new album from Ōtautahi bedroom-pop musician Lukas Mayo on The Sampler. Audio

With crop fields, solar panels and a few hundred Wagyu beef cattle, Ryan Cockburn is transforming the landscape on his grandparents' traditional Canterbury farm. Audio

Can defendants get a fair trial if they’re not given access to information about them held by police? Does this problem undermine the entire criminal justice system?

The Flash sees a super-hero go back in time to save his mother, and runs into the usual time-travel, alternate realities problem. Starring Ezra Miller and both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as two conflicting Batmen. Video, Audio

Chef and local councillor Martin Bosley shares a great family recipe that's easy to make.

"There's a level of connection you find [with a place] when you're not just seeing the sights" - Nathan James Thomas. Audio

Mindset coach Brittany Farrant-Smith gets real about eating disorder recovery in her new book Living Full. Audio

Black Sheep - In the 1910s, Hjelmar Dannevill wowed Wellington high society with gripping tales of adventure as a medical researcher and journalist. Audio

More than 6500 coral eating crown-of-thorns starfish have been removed from Cook Islands' reefs since 2020 when the latest outbreak was first detected. Audio

Hamilton is humming with activity as the Chiefs' home gets ready to host the sold out Super Rugby Pacific final, writes Leonard Powell. Audio

Experience the rage, fury and opium-addled love of French composer Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique - the original anthem to sex, drugs and rock and roll. Here it is paired with it's sequel Lelio, devised for an invisible orchestra!

You Hurt My Feelings asks what do people want to hear: the truth or a comforting white lie? Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, it's a brilliant modern comedy of manners, writes Simon Morris. Video, Audio

This is Wheel Life - in episode 4, Soph and Indy go shopping at Storm to find wheelchair-friendly outfits. How does one look fashionable with so many things to consider? Wheelchair, catheter, binder... the list goes on.

Our Changing World - Here in Aotearoa, it's the winter solstice: the shortest day (and longest night) of the year. We're marking the occasion with an episode celebrating the starry night sky. Audio

Rēwena baker George Jackson is making bread from a starter that’s been alive since the middle of the 19^th century. Audio

Pianist Sylvia Jiang makes her debut with the Auckland Philharmonia in Liszt's Second Piano Concerto. The orchestra rounds out the programme with music by Stravinsky and Brahms. Giordano Bellincampi conducts.

Opinion - The Green Party made waves recently when it proposed to tax net wealth over $2 million for individuals and $4m for couples, Susan St John writes .

RNZ Concert host and promoter of classical music for younger people, Leah Thomas is leaving for New York City to study a Master of Arts Management. Audio

Hold onto your knives and watch your back: it’s peak pumpkin season. This is great news for lovers of roast pumpkin and all the iterations of pumpkin soup, but a risky business for the untrained home cook.