Features

It's not Christmas without a performance of Handel's seasonal favourite. The NZSO and soloists are conducted by Graham Abbott tonight at 7pm on RNZ Concert.

What's it really like to be an Uber driver? Simon Morton went undercover to find out.

Paul is a green fairy or ‘a provider of alternative medicines’. In the last six months, at least five of his fellow medicinal cannabis suppliers have been arrested.

Sol3 Mio give an audience at RNZ an early Christmas present – three tunes from their new album A Very Merry Christmas. Video, Audio

A heart scare reduces rising shot put star Jacko Gill to fishing and gardening, the Black Ferns run rings around the All Blacks at the rugby awards, Raelene Castle scales the heights of Australian Rugby and more. Audio

Hundreds of years after its creation, Handel’s ‘Messiah’ is still a treasured part of the annual musical calendar. Clarissa Dunn explores some of the many ways Handel’s masterpiece has been performed from its triumphant Dublin premiere to a Grammy Award-winning gospel reinterpretation. Audio

Jeremy Taylor waxes lyrical about Paul McCartney's solo career before his show this Saturday at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium.

Chris Cree Brown composed a sweeping Viola Concerto for fellow Christchurch musician Serenity Thurlow. She performs it with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Audio

From KJ Apa’s ascent to glory via ginger dye job to Hilary Barry praising Women’s Day for not airbrushing her wrinkles... The Wireless counts down 10 Kiwis ending the year victorious.

Children need limits and should not be top dog in the family, education consultant Joseph Driessen says. He gives practical advice for working with your child to break a cycle of disobedience. Audio

Nick Bollinger reviews a mythological sci-fi love saga from Northland artist Troy Kingi. Audio

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Medals were shared round on the final day of athletics at the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu.

Grant Smithies is left a little giddy by the new album from Auckland trio, The Roulettes. He chats with the band and waxes lyrical about Venus Burns. Video, Audio

Calling them stupid and selfish won’t change their minds, writes Mava Enoka on The Wireless.

Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam have been sharing advice on how to host the perfect dinner party on a podcast for NPR in America - and they are no fans of the ubiquitous brunch. Audio

Simon Morris looks back on 2017 – a year of two Star Wars films, two Lego films, two films mostly about Dunkirk and a delightful NZ documentary No Ordinary Sheila.  Audio

Lincoln University’s head of sport suggests dividing people by height, body mass and aerobic capacity instead.

Fifty years after his first album, Yusuf Islam – formerly Cat Stevens – brings his career full circle with The Laughing Apple. Islam speaks to Bryan Crump about the new album, his eventful life and his influences over the years. Audio

William Dart drills into some newish American folkie releases from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Deer Tick, and Ages and Ages. Audio

Zoë George meets some Arohata Women’s Prison inmates learning life lessons through dance. Video, Audio

Hollie Fullbrook – aka Tiny Ruins – is supporting US band Fleet Foxes for their two NZ concerts this summer. She chats to Jesse Mulligan and plays a song from her upcoming album. Video, Audio

Hollie Fullbrook – aka Tiny Ruins – plays an unreleased song from her upcoming album. She chats to Jesse Mulligan about supporting US band Fleet Foxes for their summer shows in NZ. Video, Audio

It's very difficult to tell when you're too drunk to drive and even a low blood alcohol level makes driving unsafe, according to new research from Waikato University. Audio

The Wireless gets the lowdown on these psychedelic soul brothers' latest collaboration.