Features

Auckland duo and twins Lexxa introduce their song 'I Got Better Friends Now'. Audio

Ben Elms – aka Dr Compost – is a man passionate about the difference between dirt and soil. The key to great yields is 'superhero' soil and for that you'll need compost, he says. Video, Audio, Gallery

Listen again: The National Band of NZ is directed by Nigel Weeks, and recorded in Wellington by RNZ Concert. Audio

Former lawyer Pania Newton's has gone to the UN three times in a fight to preserve Ihumātao, coastal land in Mangere, where the first New Zealanders planted gardens. Video, Audio

Sixties folk-pop group The Seekers broke up 50 years ago now, but they’re far from forgotten. Kirsten Johnstone speakers with former singer Judith Durham and double bass player Athol Guy. Video, Audio

Listen again: Matthias Balzat performs Elgar's Cello Concerto with the National Youth Orchestra conducted by Guy Noble.

When Ken Perkins died, he left behind a collection of more than 80,000 records - some of them worth tens of thousands of dollars.  Audio

Three Porirua College students' rendition of the national anthem has been viewed 275,000 times within 24 hours of being posted on Facebook. Video, Audio

The King of Tonga has officially appointed Losaline Ma'asi as the country's Minister of Internal Affairs and Sports, replacing 'Akosita Lavulavu.

Multi tasking is a myth according to neuroscientist Amishi Jha. She says we need to pay more attention to attention because stress and mind wandering diminish the power of our brains to work at peak performance.  Audio

Russia's non-alcoholic drink of choice, Kvas, which is more popular than Coca-Cola in the country, is now being brewed in Christchurch. Audio

Trevor Reekie catches up with blues aficionado Gary Atkinson, who owns Document Records and plays blues inspired songs from around the world.  Audio

"The first thing that strikes you about Soil, his long-playing debut, is the voice. It’s a fine, weirdly androgynous sound, and it flutters around a lyric that imagines the physical journey his words will take upon leaving him." Audio

Social media is no longer new territory, so why do so many professionals still get it so badly wrong? Charlotte Graham-McLay investigates.

A Wellington trust is hoping its barista training programme at Wellington's Arohata women's prison will change lives and smooth the transition from life on the inside to work on the outside. Audio

Natasha Wilson has made a big impression as Giannetta in Donizetti’s comedic opera Elixir of Love. The NZ Opera Emerging Artist has her sights set on the Lexus Song Quest and further study in San Francisco. Audio

Wellingtonian Paddy Burgin is a luthier by trade. He makes guitars and other stringed instruments, including mandolins and even the odd harp. He's also a fine folk musician and plays some of his songs live in the RNZ studio.  Audio, Gallery

Nese Godinet and Iavana Seuala from the Rewa All Stars hope their Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-inspired hip-hop routine going viral on the internet will help change perceptions of South Auckland.  Video, Audio

The Samoan prime minister, who is also the chair of the Samoa Rugby Union, says he verbally ripped into Manu Samoa players after two losses in the Pacific Nations Cup.

The Pacific Dance Festival in Auckland, now in its third year, attracted international talent for the first time. Audio

A diver operator in Solomon Islands has asked New Zealand's Volunteer Service Abroad to send a yoga instructor.

Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford's fine lace shawl continues a tradition of finely-crafted knitting that goes back to New Zealand's Scottish settlers and a royal birth in 1982.

"Blues, R&B, Elvis, punk rock... it all goes back to these vital, breathtaking recordings," said Jack White of the Document Records collection. Trevor Reekie catches up with its owner, blues aficionado Gary Atkinson. Audio

How do lesbians have sex? What's it like to be asexual? Or polyamorous? And how can a disability affect your sex life? Melody Thomas seeks answers from the people who know best.  Audio