Communism
Nicola Saker: Why my Dad became an 'enemy of the state'
The current issue of North and South magazine tells the fascinating story - under the headline "Enemies of the State?" - of Dorian Saker and some of his classmates falling under suspicion as suspected… Audio
Journalist Kati Marton on the legacy of Angela Merkel
After 31 years in politics - 16 of them as Germany's leader - Angela Merkel's successor finally took over the country last week. It ended quite a swan song for Merkel, who announced back in 2018 that… Audio, Gallery
Author Suzanne McCourt on her husband's escape from Poland
Australian author Suzanne McCourt, found inspiration for her latest novel from a diary sent to her husband in the post. It had come from his Uncle Kazimierz in Poland, and contained the details of his… Audio
Why happiness doesn't cost any money at all
A new study out of McGill University shows that people in societies where money plays a minimal role can have a level of happiness comparable to Scandinavian countries which typically rate highest in… Audio
Michael Wood: 'China is the greatest civilisation on earth'
Historian, author and documentary maker Michael Wood has travelled the length and breadth of China, the world's oldest continuous civilisation and longest lasting state, to compile a stunning new… Audio
Chairman Xi driven in quest to 'make China great again'
China's leader Xi Jinping has accelerated his ambition to put Covid-19 behind it and 'make China great again'. Macquarie University Prof. of Asia-Pacific Security Studies and long-time China-watcher… Audio
Arsonist: the story of Cyrus Haley
It's 1871 and the city of Auckland is being terrorised by a string of major fires. Fears are raised that a gang of anarchist fanatics could be responsible but the real culprit turns out to be a well… Audio
Xi Jinping given same status as Mao Zedong
China's Communist Party has voted to enshrine the ideology of its chairmain Xi Jinping in its constitution, elevating him to the same level as founder Mao Zedong.
Kingi Taurua - The Cold War
Between the late 1950s and early 1970s New Zealanders fought in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam. These wars were part of the Cold War, a long drawn out conflict between Western nations and Communist… Audio, Gallery
Obituary - Cuba's Fidel Castro made revolutionary mark on history
The son of a wealthy landowner, Fidel Castro turned his back on a life of privilege to lead a left-wing revolution in Cuba that endured for decades.
A family divided by the Berlin Wall
What is it like to live in a world split in two? Nina Willner a former US Army Intelligence Officer, traces her family's incredible history on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Her mother Hanna was just… Audio, Gallery
Book Review - Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
Robert Patman reviews 'Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets' by Svetlana Alexievich (translated by Bela Shayevich), published by Text Publishing Audio
Our Own Odysseys - Student Exchange to China
Wellingtonian John Chan took up the opportunity to visit China in 1977 with the NZ University Students Association. Audio
Cult leader allegedly raped, beat women
A communist cult leader in London has gone on trial, accused of sexually assaulting two women and imprisoning his own daughter for 30 years.
Communists in Caves
Times were tough for the New Zealand Communist Party at the start of the Second World War. They opposed the fight against Adolf Hitler and as a result, their newspaper, People's Voice, was suppressed… Audio
Martin Edmond: notable emigrants
New Zealand author of over 30 publications and screenplays, who has been awarded 2015's $100,000 Michael King Writer's Fellowship, to research and write a biographical study of four largely unknown… Audio
Kenia Serrano: Cuba in the 21st Century
Kenia Serrano is the president of the Cuba Institute for Friendship with the Peoples and an MP in the communist state's parliament. Audio
Death and Forgiveness
Jindra Tichá moved to New Zealand from the Czech Republic, and she's incorporated both countries in her novel, Death and Forgiveness. In it, Anna and her husband flee the turmoil in Czechoslovakia in… Audio
Playing Favourites with Tayo Aluko
Nigerian-born, UK-based writer and performer of Call Mr Robeson: a Life with Songs, based on the musical career and political activism of the US singer Paul Robeson.
You can also listen to a 1998… Audio
Ideas for 8 September 2013 - Communism
In the latest of our occasional Lived Philosophies series we're taking a look at communism. Dr Kerry Taylor will tell us about the history of revolutionary socialism in New Zealand; and Max Wilkinson… Audio