Features

The RNZ Music Team of Alex Behan, Kirsten Johnstone, Tony Stamp, Danielle Street and Yadana Saw bring dancefloor bangers and warm fluffies to their mid-Winter play and tell.  Video, Audio

Dunedin musician Dudley Benson is a caster of spells and weaver of dreams. His new album Zealandia proves he's one of the best we have, says William Dart. Video, Audio

Katy Gosset pays tribute to Baden Nolan Norris — a beloved Lyttelton historian and Antarctic adventurer who died this week at 91. Audio

It's been an eight-year wait for Dudley Benson's new album Zealandia. William Dart shares its extravagance, finery, and its very special revelations. Video, Audio

The new action comedy film — starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon — delivers pretty much what it says on the wrapper, says Simon Morris. Video, Audio

Listen / Read - 1950s New Zealand was a watershed era, and a charmed time to be a child: We didn't have to go to war, no one was very rich or very poor, and we didn’t have to endure a depression, says John Bluck. 

'Queen of Soul' Aretha Franklin gets the 'Respect' she deserves from four of New Zealand's best soul singers: Annie Crummer, Bella Kalolo, Esther Stephens and Aaradhna. Audio

Opinion - The law curbing foreign purchases of existing New Zealand homes is rushed policy-making and is likely to have an imperceptible impact on the housing crisis, Shamubeel Eaqub writes. 

At a time when Norway was asserting its cultural and political freedom, Grieg was able to grasp these historical aspirations and give them artistic expression through his music. Audio

Listen: New Zealand musicians perform the songs of Aretha Franklin in 'Respect', part of the Auckland Arts Festival 2017. Featuring Annie Crummer, Aaradhna, Bella Kalolo and Esther Stephens. Audio

It's just a little effort that's required to curb the health hazards of sitting down for long periods of time, a University of Otago researcher says, but getting people to change their habits is tricky. Audio

Father and son Neil and Liam Finn talk to Kim Hill about their new album Lightsleeper, which is out on August 24th. The pair also perform the album's first single 'Back To Life' live in studio. Video, Audio

In a Prom special, the London Contemporary Orchestra leads a late-night tribute to the legacy of these pioneers of experimental electronic music, featuring Daphne Oram’s groundbreaking 'Still Point' and music by Radiophonic Workshop stalwart Delia Derbyshire.

Tony and Afsaneh Howey come from farming families in South Canterbury and Iran, respectively. The hard-working couple now produce organic blackcurrants near Timaru for the ViBERi range of snacks and supplements. Audio

A dawn-to-dusk climbing trip in the Bavarian mountains is depicted in An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Indra Hughes discovers there are also other levels of meaning here. Audio

Kiwi rock band Dragon was formed in 1972 by the bass player Todd Hunter, who brought in his charismatic brother Marc Hunter on vocals.  Audio

This week Nick features Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, along with Lena Horne, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Sidney Bechet. Audio

Opinion - It's been a pretty relaxed build up to the Bledisloe Cup this week in Sydney, but compared to last year, anything would be, Jamie Wall writes.  Video

Upheaval and protest marked 1968, when the first baby boomers saw the world they were inheriting and grew angry. It's now 50 years on, as we dive into Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision archives to relive it.  Audio

We talk to two veteran players returning to the Silver Ferns' squad, our rugby experts discuss the opening Bledisloe Cup clash and the new Black Caps cricket coach outlines his plan for the future.  Audio

As the Quartet is setting out on a new national tour, here they play works by Haydn, Gareth Farr, Schubert and Dvořák .

Enjoy Aaradhna, Annie Crummer, Bella Kalolo and Esther Stephens performing Aretha Franklin classics at the 2017 Auckland Arts Festival. Audio

We pay tribute to Aretha Franklin; Chelsea Jade is back from LA and joins us for a chat; we talk to Tom Scott about his new jazz album; Local Americana musician Emily Farlight performs live ahead of her album release tour; and Hamilton rockers Devilskin join us for the Mixtape.

Father and son Neil and Liam Finn talk to Kim Hill about their new album Lightsleeper, which is out on August 24th. The pair also perform the album's first single 'Back To Life' live in studio. Video, Audio