San Francisco
My Current Song: Kiki Rockwell, Left for Dead
Formerly known as the singer and keyboard player for indie band The Leers, rising New Zealand singer-songwriter (and now producer and engineer) Kiki Rockwell's debut solo single, 'Left For Dead' has… Audio
Calling Home: Leone Patterson in Alameda, California
Former Tall Ferns captain Leone Patterson's love affair with California began in the early 1980s. These days, she is based in Alemada, in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has lived for almost 20… Audio, Gallery
Calling Home: Matt Couper in Las Vegas
Las Vegas isn't the first place that springs to mind when you think about artists moving somewhere to seek refuge or inspiration, but it's been a home base for NZ artists Matt Couper and his wife J.K… Audio
Writer Rebecca Solnit on hope, violence and climate change
Writer, activist and historian Rebecca Solnit's latest is Recollections of My Non-Existence, a memoir that describes being a 19-year-old in San Francisco - where she started to forge her voice as a… Video, Audio
The death-defying 'aerial queen' of flying trapeze
Author Catherine Clarke's new book, The Only Living Lady Parachutist, tells the story of mysterious daredevil Lillian, an unmarried mother of two who risked her life for fame and fortune. Catherine is… Audio
The troubling economics of cruise ships
If the cruise industry sinks due to Covid-19, journalist Zachary Crockett will have limited sympathy for the big companies. Crockett decided to dive into the industry and found some questionable facts… Audio
The Kiwi behind the US adult study hall startup
High-flying New Zealander Nodira Khoussainova is the co-founder and CEO of Focused, a Silicon Valley startup that helps people accomplish undistracted work for a couple of hours in a study hall-type… Audio
'The Rolling Stones were never the same band after Altamont'
It's been 50 years since the infamous December 6, 1969 free concert by the Rolling Stones at Altamont. Joel Selvin is the author of the book Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the… Audio
Dr Xand van Tulleken: Stopping Male Suicide
Dr Xand van Tulleken joins the show to discuss his new documentary Stopping Male Suicide and why his brother now regularly calls him to ask if he's thinking about ending his life. Audio
Homeless in Googleville: 'The Intersection'
'The Intersection' camps out on a street corner in Silicon Valley, close to Google's HQ, to meet the tech workers living in camper vans. We play some of 'Homeless in Googleville' from Season 2 of 'The… Audio
Gas line blast in San Francisco ignites buildings
A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighbourhood shot flames into the air for hours and burned five buildings, sending panicked residents and workers fleeing into the streets.
Black Ferns Sevens defend World Cup title
The Black Ferns Sevens team secured a resounding win in yesterday's Rugby World Cup Sevens final in San Francisco. The women's team beat first-time finalists, France, 29-0, to take home the World Cup… Audio
Allbirds - The right amount of nothing
Former World Cup soccer player Tim Brown on finding the right amount of nothing in an overcrowded market and why launching his sustainable footwear label, Allbirds wouldn't have been made possible in… Audio
Residents have their streets sold and have to pay for parking
Jules Older lives in the San Francisco gated community where an outsider has bought all the public roads in it and plans to charge residents. Audio
Marc Taddei
New Zealand conductor Marc Taddei has broken back into the classical music scene in his home country, the United States. He tells Bryan Crump that to get the gig of directing the Vallejo Symphony in… Audio
Novelist Karen McMillan's new novel The Paris of the West
We first met novelist Karen McMillan's Polish characters in Warsaw, the Paris of the East, during the Second World War. In her sequel, the surviving family members who suffered appalling hardships… Audio, Gallery
San Fran Expo 1915
Exploring the Pan Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco with historian Lee Bruno - it was the 100th anniversary of the World Fair and hosted 250,000 visitors celebrating San… Audio
The Importance Of Public Art
Public art advocate and artist Leo Villareal's work, The Bay Lights, is currently lighting up the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which is part of an Illuminate the Arts project that aims "to alter the arc… Audio
Jessica Pratt in Session
Californian Jessica Pratt plays some of her off-kilter folk songs live in the Radio New Zealand studio. Video, Audio
Amin Ghaziani - Sexuality in the City
What is the cultural cost if traditionally gay neighbourhoods become increasingly 'straight' places? With sociologist A.Prof Amin Ghaziani from University of British Columbia, author of the recently… Audio