Conversations With Wāhine

Harita and Haley interview Wellington filmmaker Isabel Corfiatis ahead of the Doc Edge Film Festival 2026 about her debut feature documentary "Music and the Mystical Experience", screening in Auckland from 24 June to 12 July and Wellington from 15 to 26 July. The film follows musician and sound engineer Michael Sutherland and a collective of more than twenty New Zealand artists collabora...

What role can museums play in inspiring the next generation of innovators, scientists, and creative thinkers? In this episode, Laura is joined by Elizabeth Cotton and Julie Baker from MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology) in Auckland. Together, they explore the power of curiosity, hands-on learning, and the important role museums play in connecting people with science, technology, and his...

Harita interviews Dillon Jo. Dillon Jo are a queer, female-fronted four-piece creating dreamy, genre-blurring indie rock inspired by dream pop, shoegaze, folk and alt-rock. Formed in Wellington by Betty Smith and Georgie Levien in early 2025, the band has quickly made waves with a string of local performances, supporting acts including The Rions, Foley, Wet Denim, Hemi Hemingway and Coast Arcade,...

Lindy Hume is an Australian opera and festival director, who has worked throughout Australia and internationally.  She was born in Sydney. Her father taught primary school and also worked as a film censor. Her mother was a psychologist at the University of Sydney. Lindy was Artistic Director of West Australian Opera (1992–1996), OzOpera and Victorian State Opera (1996–2001), and Director of the Pe...

Harita interviews Erika Grant. Erika is an artist primarily working in the areas of music and costume, but loves to dabble in all sorts of different mediums. Beginning with music when she was just a wee bairn playing in orchestras and classical ensembles, since she’s become a grown up she’s played in all sorts of bands, acts and groups, including but not limited to “Orchestra of Spheres”, “Cookie...

Harita and her friend Jelisha were lucky enough to get an interview with British pop boyband, 5IVE, ahead of the NZ concert in May. If you haven't heard of them before, they were famous all over the world in the late 90's- early 2000's and all 5 members recently reunited for a world tour. Huge thanks to Nancy from BlackOut Music for organising this interview!

Caught in the legislative machinery of “move-on” orders, Connie, a young wahine Māori - finds herself in a police holding cell where everything is in question: her freedom, her future, and whether survival is even possible in today’s political landscape. Witnessing the inequity of Connie’s experience, her friend Peyton begins to realise what a Tangata Tiriti partnership really means, while Grayson...

Anita Lowry (Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa , Ngāti Porou) is the Chief Executive of RespectEd Aotearoa, a charitable trust dedicated to an Aotearoa free from sexual violence and its harm. She has a background in union advocacy in pay equity and has contributed to kaupapa Māori and feminist organisations including Te Whare Rokiroki Māori Women’s Refuge and the Board of Wellington Rape Crisis. Anita...

Paige Tapara is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and key team member at Play It Strange, a trust facilitating youth songwriting, where she works in marketing, operations, and mentorship. Known for her own pop success, she now helps run national songwriting competitions, judges projects, and mentors students in the music industry.

In recognition of May - Menstrual Awareness Month, join us for a conversation with Ragnar Anderson, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa. Ragnar’s work and research explore sexuality, wellbeing, and parent-child communication around bodies, relationships, and reproductive health. Among other things, we chat about the Wheel of Fertility and the importance of early menstru...

A few of our co-hosts interview some 2026 Newtown festival-goers!

Harita interviews Kristin Paulse. Kristin Paulse is a South African–born, Auckland–raised performer now based in Melbourne. She  is deeply grateful and incredibly proud to be returning home to join the New Zealand company of  &Juliet . After spending the past three years working and touring extensively across Australia, this homecoming holds special significance as she steps onto New Zealand s...

"Wellington's best kept secret" Joana Joy has rapidly established herself as a formidable presence as a comedian and MC in Antipodean comedy. With a background as a professional dancer and cabaret performer, she brings physical comedy, easy charm and witty authenticity to every room. With over 12 years industry experience, JJ has performed at large scale events such as WOMAD (NZ), T...

Harita interviews Imogen Stone. Born and raised in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, New Zealand, Imogen Stone is a multi-disciplinary performing artist, aerialist, creator, director & producer. Over the past 13 years her career has taken her all over the world, performing within some of the largest Arts Festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury Festival.  Closer to home, her bro...

Eleonora interviews Rachel Macindoe Baker. Rachel is the creator of Chrysalis, is an artist and animator based in Wellington. She studied Media Design at Victoria University of Wellington, where she loved experimenting with mixed media in her projects and finding new ways to tell stories visually. Rachel started her career in 2021 as an animator at Wētā FX. While her professional background is roo...

Harita interviews Anji Kreft. Long time Kiwi, but originally from England, Anji has been performing since she was a kid. As an adult, she’s performed in London's West End, national & international T.V – Director, TV & Radio Presenter, Vocalist, Voice Over Artist, Actress, Comedienne. You may have seen her in Coronation Street back in 2006 or when she was a childrens TV presenter.  She...

In this episode, Laura and Sophie chat with Melissa Hannan. From the workshop floor to empowering women across New Zealand, Melissa shares how she’s breaking barriers in the automotive world through Girls ’N’ Gasoline, creating a supportive, no-judgement space where women can learn, build confidence, and take control of their vehicles.

Harita chats to musician, Georgia Knight. Banished Music proudly welcomes Georgia Knight back to Aotearoa, following her standout solo performance at The Others Way. After captivating audiences with a spellbinding set that lingered long after the final note, Georgia brings her singular world of sound back to New Zealand stages, expanded, immersive, and more powerful than ever, this time with her f...

Harita and Eleonora interview Jacqueline Coats and Fifi Colston. Jacqueline directs, and Fifi is doing the costumes and design for, a new children's play, HELP! A Monster Ate My Story, which is heading to Wellington’s Circa Theatre from 7 to 19 April.  Fifi is a multi-disciplinary artist, costumier, novelist, and children's book illustrator, with over 50 published and award-winning title...

In this episode, Laura is joined by Nadine Tereora, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Automobile Association.  They explore her career journey, the defining traits of impactful leadership, and the realities of women stepping into C-suite roles. Nadine also shares candid insights on staying grounded, protecting your energy, and building a career that doesn’t come at the expense of your lif...

#LadiesKickBrass! The Hoot'n'Annies, Wellington’s all-wāhine second line band, bring New Orleans jazz, funk, and bold pop covers to CubaDupa. Their dynamic blend of brass and percussion will ignite the streets, sparking dance and joy. Join the party - feel the beat, feel the power! In their seventh year of playing, the Hoot'n'Annies are a collective of non-professional musician...

Author, Aisling Ní Bhaldraithe and Illustrator, Bex Falconer sit down with your hosts, Eleonora and Haley Rachel Rolls for a refreshing, and at times, hilarious chat. Aisling and Bex have created a picture book that’s playful on the surface but grounded in bigger ideas about identity, confidence, and representation in children’s media. Peter the Colourful Panda; He doesn’t look the way he’s expect...

Eleonora and Laura talk to Sara Dore, Director of Empower Physio & Pilates on the Kāpiti Coast, and one of New Zealand’s most experienced DMA Clinical Pilates clinicians. With over 30 years in physiotherapy, Sara has spent nearly two decades teaching physios across New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. She specialises in pelvic health, breathing retraining, and rehabilitation, and...

Harita chats to South African comedian and actor, Schalk Bezuidenhout, ahead of his NZ tour, about his life as a comedian who tours the world, and what growing up in South Africa was like. You can follow him on IG here: Instagram He will be performing his latest show, Hey Hey Divorce, in Wellington on 11 March and Auckland on 13 March as part of the NZ comedy festival.  You can buy your tickets he...

Join Laura and Eleonora for a beautiful kōrero with Te Ataahia Hurihanganui . We explored the responsibilities that come with cultural visibility, as a māmā first and foremost, but also through her growing consulting business, and her recent mahi with the NZ Festival of the Arts….but especially through the fear of unintentionally sparking a “fashion” of moko kauae in a tiny fishing village in Sici...