Features

Our Changing World - The King Country population of the highly threatened Archey's frog is thriving, thanks to years of rat control. Audio

Douglas Lilburn's Aotearoa was submitted for performance in  the New Zealand Centennial Matinée Concert held in London in 1940 to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Researchers at the University of Canterbury are mapping rip tides on Muriwai beach using GPS "drifters" which could predict rips and make sea swimming safer. Video, Audio

Wiebe Wakker has just driven an electric vehicle from Holland to Australia. It's taken him two years and his journey has taken him through 33 countries. Audio

While the definition of natural wine is slightly nebulous, it's basically wine made with minimal intervention and it is growing in popularity. Audio

Refugees who could be building a better Australia are having the best years of their lives wasted in detention on Manus Island, an artist says.

Gareth Farr's composition commemorates the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's landing in Aotearoa, and more specifically, Governor William Hobson's greeting to the Māori chiefs as they came forward to sign the Treaty of Waitangi – “He iwi tahi tātou – we are all one people.”

KiwiBuild has come in for a lot of flak lately, but housing expert Bill McKay says it was inevitable the program would come up against the realities of the New Zealand housing market. Audio

The RNZ Concert team are busily Marie Kondo-ing their office this week. Here's the music that's helping them get in the mood – or at least 'sparking joy'.

There is a wealth of music by NZ composers for solo instruments with orchestra. Create a playlist from this Collection to listen to some stimulating, original music by some of our kiwi creatives.

Michael Houstoun begins his journey through the 48 Preludes and Fugues by JS Bach.

The globotics upheaval – a combination of globalisation and robotics – is coming, and it's taking jobs with it, but an economist says there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of work.  Audio

Commerce Commission lawyers have told the High Court in Auckland that the controversial ticket reseller Viagogo is the most complained about trader it has ever faced.

Last night, veteran British drummer, songwriter, and singer and Phil Collins performed the first of two NZ shows as part of his Not Dead Yet tour. James Dann was there.

Voices - In this episode Latin American celebrations could be the next big drawcard for the Auckland region, writes Sara Vui-Talitu. Audio

Efforts to focus international attention on the West Papua independence cause surged in the past week.

Kirsten Johnstone talks about hot new music with Radio Active's Breakfast host Maggie Tweedie, RNZ music producer Tony Stamp and Jana Whitta from Girls Rock! Aotearoa. Video, Audio

Christchurch lo-fi pop musician Pickle Darling is being lauded internationally for his debut full-length Bigness. 
Not bad for an album recorded with one microphone in various flats Lukas describes as “moldy” and “cursed”. Video, Audio

Ahead of his performances of the complete Well-Tempered Clavier by JS Bach, Michael Houstoun talks to Tim Dodd about what this means to him, about the technical challenges, about the demands on a pianist's imagination, and about the work's perfection. Video, Audio

Auckland's So Pop festival promises to be "the ultimate throwback pop experience", with acts including Aqua, Vengaboys, and Lou Bega. Jack Barlow looks forward to one of the biggest and silliest expressions of musical nostalgia NZ has seen.

Student flats in Dunedin have long had colourful and creative names, some of which are unfit to print. A new book looks at these flats’ rich histories which dates back to the 1930s. Audio, Gallery

Oamaru artisans Rod and Sue McLean weave tartan and tweed, mostly from locally sourced wool, on three power-pedalled looms that were brought to New Zealand in the 1940s. Audio

Last night, veteran British drummer, songwriter, and singer and Phil Collins performed the first of two NZ shows as part of his Not Dead Yet tour. James Dann was there.

Orkney used to be a study in how to use energy unsustainably. The archipelago off the northern tip of Scotland bought and imported all its power from coal and gas plants on the Scottish mainland. Audio