Features

Ours: Treasures from Te Papa. The 1981 Springbok tour woke and divided New Zealand, this week's object, a humble scooter helmet, symbolises New Zealand's history of activism. Audio

The WOMAD festival is in its 14th year at New Plymouth’s Bowl of Brooklands and it’s set to be a very special weekend. Trevor Reekie gives us the lowdown. Video, Audio

Nick Bollinger caught the profound musicality and eclectic songbook of visiting American jazz diva Cécile McLorin Salvant this week.

The summer’s marine heatwave has left Southern Alps glaciers in “sad shape”. Audio

Literate lyrics and memorable melodies define the second album by 22-year-old North American Lucy Dacus. Nick Bollinger discusses. Audio

On tonight's show Mark plays new sounds from Delaney Davidson, Joan Baez and the Hanging Stars, spins classic country from the Louvin Brothers, a song from the Bads' Taite Music Prize nominated album and some lightning blues from Otis Rush. Audio

Daniel Ellsberg, best known for leaking the Pentagon Papers, has revealed his life as a nuclear war planner in his memoir The Doomsday Machine, and says US war policy is “insane”. Audio

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The Grammy Award winning jazz singer performed at the New Zealand Festival on Tuesday night. Nick Bollinger went along. Audio

Alex Pressman is turning an invasive marine pest into a business. His company takes wakame and turns it into fertiliser, food and even bee food. Audio

Nick Bollinger reviews a jazz guitar album - with hints of folk tunes, spirituals and early rock'n'roll - from accomplished fretsman Julian Lage. Audio

Close to 100,000 people are expected to attend the largest secondary school Polynesian festival on the planet this week in Auckland.

The conventional wisdom that slumping leads to back pain is being questioned – along with the idea that there’s one ‘good’ posture for everyone. Audio

Milking a rhino, giraffe or a bat wouldn’t be an easy job – so the Australian company making ‘baby food’ for the young of all these, and more, is in demand. Audio, Gallery

Star Wars fans flocked to the capital to see the NZSO perform the score of Star Wars A New Hope, with the film playing on a big screen. So did it live up to the hype? Audio

Jonathon Green’s slang dictionary has about 800 words for madness, 1700 for having sex and 4500 for getting drunk. Audio

Star Wars fans flocked to Wellington's TSB Arena to watch Star Wars: A New Hope accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing the score live. RNZ Concert's resident Star Wars fan Hadyn Green gives his verdict. Audio

Nick Bollinger discusses the mad, hook-filled debut of a trans-national eight-piece pop conglomerate - with a lot of New Zealanders in it. Audio

Master satirist Armando Iannucci's latest film, The Death of Stalin, is a comedy about the power struggle immediately following the death of the Soviet dictator in 1953. Video, Audio

Gareth Farr still has what it takes, but acknowledges the pressure of living up to his own reputation. "The terrifying thing is I think most artists start the day [thinking] ‘I hope I can still do this.'" Video, Audio

Nick Bollinger discusses the mad, hook-filled debut of a trans-national eight-piece pop conglomerate - with a lot of New Zealanders in it. Audio

The cabbage tree is still fighting back from the ‘sudden decline’ disease, and remains one of the most widely cultivated trees in New Zealand, but what are its prospects? Audio

The genre-agnostic Grammy-winning musical chameleon that is Beck sits down for a frank exploration of his humble beginnings and his musical legacy. Video, Audio

Isiah Tour’s critically acclaimed animated documentary A Life Like This about his father surviving the Khmer Rouge, has won attention back in Cambodia and is now heading ‘home’. Video, Audio, Gallery

Every year, across the globe, cyclones, typhoons or hurricanes with human names  - Pam, Katrina, Bob, Winston - cause immeasurable damage.  The Wireless looks at how the end up with the names they're given.