Here Now

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

As New Zealand courts India seeking deeper bilateral ties, what does the ideal relationship look like and what's in it for us? Sunit Prakash talks to Kadambari Raghukumar on his views as a tech consultant going between the two countries. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As the year comes to an end, five activists in the diaspora reflect on the wars in Palestine, Sudan and Lebanon and how it has affected them. This episode features Eva Maria, Avigail Allan, Rana Hamida, Ala Farah and Fatima Sanussi. This week, we hear the personal reflections of 5 women who this past year have organized or participated in activism over crisis and conflict far from Aotearoa. How ha...

Finally getting to forge their futures on New Zealand soil is a long-awaited moment for so many would-be Kiwis at the citizenship ceremony. Ruwani Periera went to one to find out what that is all about. Finally getting to forge their futures on New Zealand soil is a long-awaited moment for so many would-be Kiwis at the citizenship ceremony. Ruwani Periera went to one to find out what it's all...

The nail salon industry is booming but still largely unregulated. Vietnamese couple Tri Phung and Ngi Dinh are trying to challenge the status quo by turning their focus on the health and safety of both, client and their nail techs. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Musician Vallé talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about rediscovering his connection to Papua New Guinea, his music and running his barbershop alongside everything else. WATCH A VIDEO ON THIS STORY HERE Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Christine Keller was the Head of Textiles at the Otago Polytechnic for 5 years, but things changed in 2010 when her role was made redundant. Turns out it was the perfect time to chase her aim to find sustainable alternatives to period care and started Sew On Period Care to involve the community and make reusable sanitary pads. Karthic SS chats to her in this episode. Go to this episode on rnz.co.n...

Combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and sustaining food systems of the world were top of the agenda at the COP16 in Cali, Colombia. In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar was in Colombia to talk to two New Zealanders attending the world's largest biodiversity conference with the aim to bring a Kiwi perspective to some of the planet's biggest challenges. A couple of weeks ago delegates...

Canterbury's Polish history goes back over a century and in this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar sits down with two of the community's most active history enthusiasts to learn about how bogs became fertile vegetable gardens thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of early Polish settlers. Polish settlers Christchurch Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Two young Sri Lankans talk to Phil Vine about a film-making voyage of discovery in their homeland - telling stories of farming hardship and investigating where our food really comes from. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In Wellington this month and next, a series of public programmes mark the 50th year of the Dawn Raids. In this episode of Here Now Kadambari Raghukumar talks to artist Liana Leiataua and Pacific historian Rachel Yates Pohulu around their thoughts and experiences of events of the 70s that inform their work.  In Wellington this month and next, a series of public programmes mark the 50th year of the...

This week on Here Now, Kadambari Raghukumar checks out some arts and culture events lined up in the capital for the next few weeks ahead. The podcast features chats with musicians performing at Wellington Jazz Festival - Alda Rezende and Seth Boy; and Abhi Chinniah about her photography on display in the NZ Portrait Gallery. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

What's a New Zealand citizenship ceremony really like? For hundreds of new citizens each year, this is a long-awaited milestone event - one of which producer Ruwani Pereira attends in this episode, alongside would-be Kiwis about to forge their future on New Zealand soil. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A hundred years ago Haining and Frederick Streets in central Wellington were the heart of the capital's Chinese quarter. Today, all but a few fragments are gone. Wellington Chinese Historian Lynette Shum takes producer William Ray on a tour of the Wellington's long lost Chinatown. A hundred years ago Haining and Frederick Streets in central Wellington were the heart of the capital's Chinese q...

As the cost of living hits home, what practical, money-saving tips can we learn from some of New Zealand's diverse cultures? In this cross-over episode with RNZ's money saving podcast, Thrift, Katy Gosset joins a cooking class at Canterbury's Refugee Resettlement and Resources Centre. A cross-over episode with RNZ's money saving podcast, Thrift. For more cost-cutting tips follow and listen to...