Lynn Freeman
From Wales to Pike River
The 50th anniversary of a mining disaster in Wales, is about to have its New Zealand premiere. Sir Karl Jenkins wrote Cantata Memoria - For the Children of Aberfan. That's where a dislodged mountain… Audio
Nothing up their sleeves - the fascination with stage magic
Lynn Freeman talks to the producer of The Magicians stage show, magician Nopera Whitley who also owns this country's biggest magic shop and to Scottish mind-reader Colin Cloud from Scotland. Audio
The return of the notorious Burgess Gang
The play Maungatapu is about to premiere in Nelson, where the gang members were tried and hanged. The play explores the relationships between gang members Burgess, Kelly, Levy and Sullivan, from… Audio
Lynley Dodd: The return of Hairy McLary's nemesis.
Be very afraid - New Zealand's most famous ferocious feline is back. Lynley Dodd's Scarface Claw has scared and delighted kids for decades now. Usually Hairy MacLary takes centre stage in the… Audio
Rosanna Raymond - Pasifika artist in New York
Rosanna Raymond is an artist, curator, researcher, and founder of the SaVAge K'lub and is a long time member of the art collective Pacific Sisters. For the past few months Rosanna's been far from… Audio
Bird Words
From moa to chickens - there's a new anthology of New Zealand writing about native and introduced birds. Elisabeth Easther has researched historic books and poetry collections as well as asking… Audio
Shared Lines - art after an earthquake
Wellington's about to host a symposium called Shared Lines, inviting artists from Japan, Kaikoura and Christchurch to talk about their experiences and their art. Audio
The rise of art crime
Associate Professor Linda Tyler from the University of Auckland is one of the guest speakers at the Art Crime Symposium in Wellington. She's particularly interested in counterfeit Chinese porcelain in… Audio
Brannavan Gnanalingam's Sodden Downstream
In Tamil-New Zealander Brannavan Gnanalingam's latest novel, a refugee is desperate to get to Wellington City from the Hutt Valley, despite a 'once-in-a-century' flood. The roads are blocked and… Audio
The powerful miniatures of Lina Marsh
In October 2019, we will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first contact between tangata whenua and Captain James Cooks' Endeavour at Te Tairawhiti. Gisborne commemorates that meeting with… Audio, Gallery
Gavin Bishop's Biggest Picture Book Ever?
New Zealand's history, present and possible future is told in Christchurch illustrator and writer Gavin Bishop's most ambitious children's book yet. Aotearoa The New Zealand Story starts 65 million… Audio
The multi-faceted Mardo El-Noor
Artist and designer Mardo El-Noor collaborates just as naturally with music groups like Opshop and the Modern Maori Quartet as he does with cartoonists like Tom Scott. He's made short films and music… Audio
Cat Ruka and a fiery dance collective called Coven
For 14 years the Tempo Dance Festival in Auckland has reflected the New Zealand dance scene, bringing together emerging and mid-career dancers in every conceivable dance genre. Choreographer and… Audio
Making a century-old war relevant today
Auckland War Memorial Museum is about to unveil its new gallery, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. Pou Kanohi New Zealand at War is making history. It's the first… Audio, Gallery
Protecting our heritage buildings
Efforts to save our heritage buildings over the years - successful and unsuccessful - are being researched by the winner of one of the biggest non-fiction prizes for New Zealand writers. Wellington… Audio
Anahera, Snothead and a boat called Baby
Cynthia steals money from her father to pay for a boat called Baby, a sanctuary for her, her dog Snothead and Anahera, her fitness instructor and the woman of her dreams. But the reality of their life… Audio
Artist Derek Lardelli is inspired by three women
Senior Rongowhakaata artist Professor Derek Lardelli has carved three giant pou that tell the story of three women with a very special place in the history of his Gisborne iwi. Te Papa commissioned… Audio
The long - very long - shots of photographer Peter Latham
Few photographers get to see their work blown up to be 28 metres long, but that's one of the biggest commissions so far for New Zealand landscape photographer Peter Latham. The alpine scene mural now… Audio
Unearthing and cataloguing buried treasure
Artist Alex Monteith is behind a push to catalogue hundreds of boxes of material excavated from Fiordland back in the late 1960s and early 70s.The material, mainly from maori sites, has been stored at… Audio
Company of potters - the Nodsdale kilns
At a North Shore property in the 1970s and 80s, some of this country's top potters honed their skills using home made kilns powered by a wing,a prayer - and occasionally a vacuum cleaner. Ian and… Audio
