Here Now

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...

In this four-part series, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to folks with jokes -  people from overseas who’ve ended up as stand-up comics out of chance - their comedy, an outcome of coming to New Zealand. Edd Rivera came to New Zealand thinking it was somewhere in Europe. True story and he’s been here eight years on. Comedy by chance, comedy to cope with moving countries. Produced by Kadambari Raghukuma...

Javier Murcia's got his hands full rather literally. The sculptor is a master at casting in clay and bronze, the intricacies and subtleties of the human form. In this episode, he chats with Kadambari Raghukumar about his explorations in form and beyond. Hearing Javier Murcia talk about his process as he breaks down each step of making from clay, a human figure, sounds like a class in anatomy. It&#...

Reggae artist Protoje who graced The Bowl stage at WOMAD Aotearoa this year, speaks to Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode on all things from patties to performances.  The world’s awash with so many mixed messages about Jamaica but what makes the intrigue endure is this incessant stream of positivity, upfulness and the calibre of music that the country puts out. One of Jamaica's reigning reg...

This year's WOMAD Aotearoa saw reggae icon Queen Omega draw crowds - she spoke to Kadambari Raghukumar about how it began for her. One of the hottest female reggae artists on the scene right now, born Jenelle Osbourne,Queen Omega, chats to Kadambari Raghukumar in this Here Now episode at WOMAD Aotearoa. While the carnival in Trinidad And Tobago may have been and gone earlier in March, she came fly...

Making that settling-in process a little easier, the small and welcoming Happiness House has been making an big impact on several lives in Queenstown. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Here Now looks back at some the conversations we had with women this past year on the series across all sorts of topics - Colombian stereotypes, medicine, comedy and academics. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Over 7000 people have been killed since January this year in the conflict that's ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kadambari Raghukumar talks about the impact of the war with Congolese with family members in the east of the country. Congoloese diaspora in Auckland gathered at a rally last month to bring attention to ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where since Ja...

Artist Nadia Freeman's performance, The Girmit, explores a slightly unconventional approach to telling the story of how Indians came to be taken to Fiji in the 1800s. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

What does culture-centred communication look like in a suburb of Palmerston North trying to shift narratives around it's reputation? Professor Mohan Dutta and Venessa Pokaia join Kadambari Raghukumar in this second part to the conversation on CARE's work. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Exploring cultural communication around sex and health, Fullbright scholar at Massey University Prof Angela Cooke-Jackson talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about her experiences as an academic working with Black and indigenous communities. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Ahilan Karunaharan returns with his final in a trilogy of plays - A Mixtape for Maladies with Ambika GKR in a leading role. Kadambari Raghukumar talks to them about the making of the play that premieres at the Auckland Arts Festival this March. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details