Features

Smart Talk - Economist Stephen Hickson explains how inflation arises, why it's bad for us and how we got rid of it. Audio

Curling is a 500-year-old sport first played here by Scottish gold miners killing time while the ground was frozen. Audio, Gallery

Country Life meets land activist Hera Ngata-Gibson on a tour of cyclone-ravaged Tairāwhiti. Audio

No stone is being left unturned as our national netball team gears up for the first World Cup on African soil.

William Dart takes us into The Beach Boys' archives once again, thanks to more releases that reveal some of Brian Wilson's studio secrets of the early 1970s. Audio

Brass bands and hymns – it’s a combination that’s hard to beat! In this week’s programme you can hear an arrangement of Abide with me, played by Woolston Brass. Audio

Pickle Darling (aka lo-fi artist and producer Lukas Mayo) brings their guitar and drum machine into our Christchurch studio for a live session. Video, Audio

In 1935, a series of newspaper articles claimed an Auckland backyard inventor was trying to build a Death Ray for the New Zealand government. Were these claims true? Audio

Young pianist Lixin Zhang has founded a boutique music academy which aims to promote musical excellence in New Zealand. Video, Audio

The RNZ digital journalist who inserted Russian propaganda into news stories weaponised the trust that was placed in them, says Harvard media expert Dr Joan Donovan. Audio

A dark, sticky slice of gingerbread is the ultimate afternoon-tea treat.

Alexander Bisley shows how to curate your own film festival - for free.

Taking care of a family member with dementia is not only hard on the heart – it's also hard to get our heads around, Audio

It's beautiful that we're redefining what it means to be a man but the change process is leaving many young men vulnerable, says psychiatrist Dr Kieran Kennedy. Audio

At a time when many in the movie business are wondering whether they are finally on their way out - a new book, Hollywood: The Oral History, comes along to remind us just why we love them.  Audio

When Halcombe builder David Lyttle answers a knock on his door in March 2014, he’s drawn into a shadowy organisation with promises of wealth and friendship. Audio

Long-distance relationships can be difficult, but theatre collaborators Penny Ashton and Robbie Ellis have made it work. Audio

A giant pūriri tree in a Northland forest inspired Ben Hoadley's Double Bass Concerto. It gets its premiere this weekend. Audio

Dan Slevin reviews the long-awaited sequel to the animated smash hit superhero film from 2018, it's certainly "the most" film of the year, he says. Video, Audio

Have you ever felt the need to get off the beaten track and get lost once in a while? So did Cat MacNaughtan, so much in fact that she made a game out of it, and it's been a huge success. Audio

Cut all your streaming services to offset other rising household costs and now worried that you’ve got nothing to watch? Fear not, there are some gems out there in the world of free TV, writes Alexander Bisley.

Soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia, the American flutist will perform the concerto written especially for her by composer and friend Kaija Saariaho. Video, Audio

Our Changing World - Rats giggle. Dogs wag their tail. How do other animals express joy? You can't ask them, so researchers have to find other sneaky ways of figuring out animal emotions. Audio

As a review of Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) is currently underway, a New Zealand-based Fijian academic warns people must first understand the cultural significance of the council and the need for its existence in modern Fiji before criticising it and calling for changes to its focus.