Here Now

Today, in Darfur, we are seeing history tragically repeat itself as the RSF carries out atrocities across the region. From afar in NZ, families who once escaped the violence of 2003, share a sense of grief and hope over the current conflict in Sudan. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A Nelson makes cheese the way their family would - in Italy. Flavia and Flavio Spena made a career shift along to bring Italian tradition to the region and have successfully turned their artisan cheese brand into a local hit. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

30 years ago a set of instruments from Bali were brought to University of Canterbury and formed the first Gamelan ensemble in Christchurch, under the guidance of Professor Elaine Dobson. Three decades on, after a short period of disuse the ensemble was reestablished in 2017 under Justin DeHart and celebrates a milestone this month.  The podcast features Prof Justin DeHart and I Made Kartawan who's...

Filmmaker Shamin Yazdani tackles a personal dilemma in her latest documentary - to freeze her eggs or not. She chats to Kadambari Raghukumar about the journey she went on as she explores the topic through conversation with some close ones. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A collective of former refugee women come together in Christchurch to share stories, kai and community. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As home-based early childcare picks up in popularity, Barnardos-employed mother and daughter duo Iman and Hanin Taqieh speak about how it helped change their lives as new mums. Making shifts in their careers to become homebased educators was a decision that gave them flexibility and purpose after their family moved here from Jordan. Hanin Taqieh is community coordinator with Barnardos where she le...

Last week, New Zealand upped its ante by lowering the cap on Russian crude oil as part of its sanctions, while about 20,000 people rallied in Auckland calling for sanctions against Israel. In this episode, what's the sentiment on the ground when it comes to sanctions against Israel and Russia? Kadambari Raghukumar talks to Alex Kirichuk, Taimor Hazou, Katrina Mitchell Kouttab and Juliet Moses. Go...

Breaking Bread this week features Kadambari Raghukumar in conversation with Agha Naqshbandi and his wife Wahida Niazi, who are mastering with pride, their Afghan skills of breadmaking in the South Island. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The humble pide, is a historic staple from Anatolia and at this bakery in West Auckland, Mustafa Suphy and Anil Ozbal sing praises of their Turkish traditions of baking while enjoying a fresh pide, washing it down with a Turkish coffee. Credits: Video and images: DOP/Editor - Craig Gladding Director/ Producer - Ka Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

No Ethiopian meal is complete without this fermented staple accompaniment and in today’s podcast, Kadambari Raghukumar is breaking bread with her Ethiopian friends in West Auckland at Goju, with injera. Credits: Video and images: DOP/Editor - Craig Gladding Director/ Producer - Kadambari Raghukumar Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This one's for the carb connoisseurs amongst us - Breaking Bread features our community's beloved bakers and in this first part, master baker Meinolf Kraeling is in conversation with Kadambari Raghukumar, about his deeply ingrained German love for bread. Credits: Video and images: DOP/Editor - Craig Gladding Director/ Producer - Kadambari Raghukumar Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

What started out an a backyard experiment for Nelson-based Yuki Fukuda, her patch of rice paddy is now showing promise of growing further. Yuki’s an ecologist and is deeply concerned with the state of world when it comes to climate change. Growing food, rice, particularly, is an extension of her consciousness around the topic Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Rami Riachi's love for chess is creating a generation of players in Nelson through his workshops and classes throughout the region. How did the Argentinian win the hearts and minds of chess fanatics here in New Zealand? Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Dr Phoebe Li and Cameron Sang talk to Kadambari Raghukumar about their contribution toward constructing a more nuanced picture of how New Zealand's Chinese community grew beyond goldfields. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We all love a good crunchy apple – but how do they stay like that for months after being picked? Find out in this episode featuring South African-born scientist Nicolette Neiman in Hawkes Bay. We may be well out of apple picking season but there's no dearth of the fruit when it comes to our tables even in the thick of winter – here or overseas through exports for that matter. For plant physiologis...

In our final part to the series, Leandro Vasques (cavaco), Jay Moyo (bass) and Manjit Singh (tabla) meet for the first time for a session in RNZ's studio. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

For so many of us in the diaspora the music we grew up immersed in and for some, trained in, remains a bedrock to our lives here in New Zealand. Whether its Samba, gospel or Hindustani classical music, the sounds of our childhood continue in ways to inform choices, stir up memories and for many help actually make new tracks in a new home. Jabulani a.k.a Jay Moyo, talks about his musical upbringing...

In what’s being called the 12 Day War, 627 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes and nearly 5000 injured, and Iran's retaliatory bombardment has killed 28 in Israel. In this episode, we're taking a break from the ongoing series Back to Basics, to speak to two Iranian New Zealanders who've spent the last few weeks in despair and worry about the fate of their families in Iran and that o...

In our second part to this series, we dive into another sonic universe - the fascinating connection between ancient Indian musical tradition and the more modern sounds of Indian film and folk music. While Bollywood and Bhangra are an inextricable and now cliched part of the modern Indian music experience, the real bedrock upon which all that is built really is classical Indian music. Join Manjit S...

The unmistakable sounds of Brazil, even to the untrained ear are an instant invitation into the world of carnival and caipirinhas – but that’s the good stuff. Some of these sounds come from places of struggle and solidarity and in this first part of Back to Basics, Leandro Vasques talks about the history behind some genres, his musical influences and what life as a Brazilian muso in Auckland is li...

With his latest book, globally renowned skin cancer surgeon Dr Sharad Paul, reflects on habits and tweaks that may just allow us to hack into genomics to optimize our performance. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Pepa Torre first came to New Zealand in the mid 90s. In her recent multimedia art installation called "23, 24, 25…Life U-Turns...Fate?", Torre looks back at 25 years of exploring time and experiences that define her idea of self. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In our final episode of Accidental Comics - We're with guests Sameena Zehra and Eddy Rodriguez both of whom stepped into the world of comedy after coming to New Zealand. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

This week, Scotland to Auckland was a circuitous route for comic David Stuart who came seeking love and a laugh - he's gets there in the end. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In part two of our series with funny folk, we're joined by Summer Xia and Annie Guo who found comedy through chance in New Zealand. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. When Summer Xia and Annie Guo came to New Zealand, performing in front of a crowd was certainly nowhere on their model minority dreams. Not taking themselves too seriously helped with their Kiwi orientation. Roasting friends, family a...