Lynn Freeman
A Christchurch festival of reusable materials used in the city
Dozens of unwanted cardboard carpet cores are being suspended to create pavillion and cinematic screen. It's for Christchurch's Festival of Transitional Architecture event - a celebration, the… Audio
Novel about legendary race-horse Phar Lap
Decades after his mysterious death - was it colic or arsenic poisoning? - champion racehorse Phar Lap hasn't been forgotten in either country which claim him - New Zealand and Australia. The huge… Audio
Philanthropy's place in funding the arts
Funding the arts is always a contentious subject. If government funding, or corporate sponsorship dries up, the next step is towards private philanthropists. But if arts institutions are too… Audio
Dunedin collector champions classic plastics
Plastic was once exotic and novel, now it's everywhere, but Dunedin collector Janet de Wagt loves it so much she's got thousands of historic plastic objects tucked away in boxes. Right now she's… Audio
Playwright Jamie McCaskill has created a new play
Prejudices that Maori living in rural New Zealand encounter everyday are challenged in a new play by Jamie McCaskill. The Wellington award-winning playwright, producer and director is tapping into his… Audio
A live orchestral salute to video game Final Fantasy
It's an unlikely idea - to stage an orchestral concert devoted to video-game music, but it seems to have taken the world by storm. When the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra announced they were playing… Audio
The Auckland Fringe goes it alone
It's always bad news when an arts organisation suddenly loses its funding. And this week the hammer came down on the Auckland Festival's feisty little sibling the Auckland Fringe. No funding for 2017… Audio
Uncovering the lost murals of E Mervyn Taylor
This is a story of lost - and hopefully found. For months now, a team's been trying to uncover traces of a mural by E. Mervyn Taylor under layers of whitewash on an old wall in Taita, north of… Audio
Art from bronze and iron
Three artists who've made their names sculpting metals, but in very different ways, are putting on solo shows in the same venue for Artweek Auckland. Jeff Thomson encourages us to look at corrugated… Audio
Linda Olsson's The Blackbird Sings at Dusk
Imagine that a new neighbour in your apartment block hardly ever emerges from their room. They seem more shadow than human. Do you dare to knock on their door, or respect their clear desire for… Audio
Sargam Fusion combine the classical music of India and the West
East meets West in Sargam Fusion - and the Auckland-based Indian group are about to push the boundaries even further. For the upcoming 15th Auckland Diwali Festival, classical Indian musicians will… Audio, Gallery
British actor Christopher Eccleston and The A Word
British actor Christopher Eccleston famously abandoned the coveted lead role in Dr Who after just one series, despite it being a hugely popular reboot of the scifi show. Christopher may be fussy about… Audio
Featherston's Grand Old Lady
The ANZAC Hall in Featherston was built to give the thousands of World War I soldiers camped nearby a place to relax - a 'home away from home' - before they went to war. Since then, the building has… Audio, Gallery
Maverick art club in Tonga wins over critics
The Se-le-ka Club started in Nuku'alofa back in 2008. It's now turned into a safe haven for vulnerable young people, and a place for young artists to experiment with techniques and materials. Audio
Thriller set during the famous waterfront dispute of 1951
The thriller brings together a private detective, Johnny Molloy, an ambitious journalist and some shady politicians and unionists. Audio
Literary copyright in the age of the internet
Michael Wolfe tells Lynn Freeman the last decade has changed everything for writers. Audio
Cabaret star Sheridan Harbridge
Songs for the Fallen is coming to New Zealand as part of an Internationl Cabaret Season. Sheridan Harbridge tells Lynn Freeman cabaret is hard to define. Audio
10 years of Toi Whakaari costumes
Lynn Freeman asks Toi Whakaari Head of Costume Kaarin Macaulay, and aspiring costume-maker Monique Bartosh how the industry's changed over the past decade. Audio, Gallery
New Zealanders on the Western Front
Lynn Freeman talks to Military historian Dr McGibbon, and also to 92-year-old Hilary Haylock, whose father's letters home made up some of the book. Dr Ian McGibbon's New Zealand's Western Front… Audio
The Great Depression and 'the broken decade'
Swaggers, sugarbags, special constables and the Queen Street Riots - The Depression of the 1930s were grim years in our history, remembered in a comprehensive new book. Malcolm McKinnon takes us back… Audio
