Features

...played an instrumental (excuse the pun) role in the city's culture. Someone at the very heart of it all in the 80s is musician, artist and stonemason Stephen Kilroy, who shares some of his stories with us. Audio

A rare D Class historic steam locomotive is being restored to its former glory and is back in Southland after more than a century away.

Tongan athlete and Olympian Pita Taufatofua is still waiting to hear from his family in Ha’apai. Taufatofua is currently living and training in Brisbane, Australia and is co-ordinating a relief effort from there. Audio

Opinion - An army of past and present Black Ferns have been invited to contribute to what's being called an independent review into the "culture of the team environment'.' Hamish Bidwell has his doubts.

Music 101 has taken a deep dive into Peter Jackson's 8-hour documentary Get Back about the making of the album and film Let It Be in 1969. Listen back the story in 5 parts here. Audio

Analysis - The eruption is akin to a weapons-grade chemical explosion, and there could be several weeks or even years of major volcanic unrest to follow, writes professor Shane Cronin.

When it comes to meeting someone who shares your interests, Gall of South Auckland knows the struggle is real. Audio

A top secret World War II operation involving New Zealanders and aimed at disrupting the occupying Japanese Army is now detailed in a new book.

Zane Wedding lay awake for three nights, troubled by an ear that seemed to be blocked with water. It was actually a cockroach. Audio

The stories that surround a modest New Zealand house and its inhabitants weave into a Forest-Gump-like saga of war and music, espionage and persecution, the search for identity and a place to call home.

When Madeleine Chapman returned home to Samoa for Christmas - "the most reliable place to see a lot of jandals" - the Spinoff editor saw not one pair. Audio

Jonathan Pascoe tells the extraordinary story of losing a silver cigarette letter on a Fox Glacier mountaintop in 1967 and reclaiming it 35 years later. Audio

Keep your ears out for a melancholic and 'flutey' birdcall if you're heading for the Heaphy Track this summer. Video, Audio

"It’s such a cool environment and everyone looks out for each other and they help you out with anything you might need” - Jorja Miller.

A morning hymn, an evening hymn and a hymn from the Scottish Psalter – just some of the listener requests in this week’s Hymns on Sunday. Audio

In the final episode, what began as The Beatles rehearsing for a live TV performance turns into an album and a movie. Audio

This week Nick continues his Summer Songbook Series with two hours of great tunes by Rodgers & Hart. Audio

"If you go down with the wave and go in, it's lovely. It doesn't hurt or anything. You just go floating in" - Nancy Meherne Audio

People who suffer brain injuries are further suffering because the condition they have is so poorly understood, says Tim Giles, host of the podcast How To Be Concussed. Audio

Teresa Ramakers is a leadlight artist living in the Manawatu. She mostly creates leadlight window commissions, but has created a wide range of items including large glass mosaic nudes, pal tiya sculptures, garden art and oil paintings. Audio

The infamous Mount Mauler is back and busy nipping at beachgoers this month, as it does every January. But mystery still surrounds this tricky little creature Audio

A beloved kayak business was destroyed last weekend when a fire ripped through a Matamata factory. Viking Kayaks owner, Grant Montague says the business which he established 20 years ago had been completely destroyed. Audio

Explainer - The roll out of Pfizer's paediatric Covid-19 vaccine for children is beginning on 17 January and those aged five to 11 will have a chance to get a dose and reduce the risks of the virus.

Opinion - The case taken by two high-profile academics against their university goes to the heart of what it means to be a 'critic and conscience of society', writes professor Jack Heinemann.