Language

The Māori word of the week is: maranga - get up. E oho. Maranga! Wake up. Get up! Audio

The Catapult Cowboy, Messenger Mick, Simple Simon Green, The Skycop, all were heroes in comic books with names like 'Young Men of Great Britain', 'Beano' and 'Dandy'. From the late 19 century till… Audio

Franco-British indie pop outfit François & the Atlas Mountains, led by Brussels-based François Marry, are currently in the country to play a handful of shows and squeeze in as many swims and walks in… Audio

Pecha Kucha events involve short, power point presentations by speakers with all kinds of stories to share. You don't need to be famous, just interesting and succinct. Christchurch teacher Regan… Audio

Dame Anne Salmond explores the radical nature of the settlement between the Whanganui River iwi and the Government signed in August 2014, recognising the river as a legal person in its own right. This… Audio

New research that shows dogs can understand what we say, not just how we say it. Victoria Ratcliffe is a graduate student at the University of Sussex in the UK who conducted the study. Audio

The phrase "conscious uncoupling" has topped the list for this year's worst words and phrases. Audio

The Māori word of the week is: whakatā - rest. Mutu ana te Kirihimete, ka whakatā te nuinga. After Christmas many people take [their] holidays Audio

Opening with the encounter between Hongi Hika and King George IV in London in 1820, Dame Anne Salmond traces the themes of rangatiratanga and sovereignty from then through the Declaration of… Audio

Member of the Waitangi Tribunal, lecturer in history at the University of Auckland, and co-author with Judith Binney and Atholl Anderson of Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History. Audio, Gallery

The word 'culture' has been named the 2014 word of the year. Merriam-Webster based its pick on significant increases in lookups this year on its website Merriam-Webster.com. Peter Sokolowski is the… Audio

The Māori word of the week is: kaukau - swim. E mōhio ana koe ki te kaukau? Do you know how to swim? Audio

Poet Leonel Alvarado was born in Honduras, lived in the US and now calls New Zealand home. He moved here more than a decade ago to lecture at Massey University in Palmerston North. Now he's published… Audio

Poet, painter, curator and writer discussing the highlights in New Zealand poetry for 2014. Audio

Melbourne-based New Zealand lyricist and vocalist with the groups HomeBrew and @Peace, and member of the Young Gifted and Broke collective of artists. Audio

The Wanganui District Council has this evening rejected adding the letter H to the spelling of its name. Audio

The Māori word of the week is: rā whānau - birhday. Hei ti Hakihea taku rā whānau. My birthday's in December. Audio

Tamati Waaka says that for many marae across Aotearoa there is always that funny whanau member that can tell a good story, whether it's an uncle or aunty, it's always that person who can tell a… Audio

The plain English movement has been going for some years now - Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the Plain English Awards it's aim: To get organisations to commuicate in clear easily… Audio

It's time to throw away the jargon and celebrate plain English. The 2014 Plain English Awards are on tomorrow night. They aim to celebrate clear communication and shame the use of meaningless drivel… Audio