Here Now

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...

Canterbury-based botanists Dr Julie Barcelona and Pieter Pelser met in the US in the mid 2000s and it was their shared love for plants in tropical jungles that brought them together. What ensued has been years of botanical discovery and adventure - and some peculiar romantic gestures. WATCH A VIDEO ON THIS STORY Canterbury-based botanists Dr Julie Barcelona and Pieter Pelser met in the US and in t...

Leandro Vasquez of Abada Capoeira Auckland joins Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode to talk about celebrating the sense of community, art and camaraderie born out of this art. WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ON THIS EPISODE At a stadium in Auckland, close to a hundred people including a large number from the Brazilian community, have gathered to celebrate a Batizado, a graduation of sorts, of new capoeirist...

For many years, Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing their homes in Myanmar to find refuge here in New Zealand. Rashid Ansorali is one of them. He tells Liz Garton about his journey and why he now helps organise events that bring the Auckland Rohingya community together. Rashid Ansorali arrived in New Zealand as a teenager, fresh from fleeing his home in Myanmar. He's now secretary of the Burme...

Drawing from her Zimbabwean background, mental health nurse Sandra Szvenyika talks about navigating a career in her new adopted home. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

From being a cultural producer and advocate, to a doctoral candidate- Makanaka Tuve has been a bit of an icon in Auckland's African diaspora for several years now. In this third part of the series, she chats about what that journey's been like. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Social constructs, race and identity are topics that are perpetually on Dr Camille Nakhid's radar and in this episode of Here Now, she chats about her lengthy career in New Zealand with research and activism for minority communities. As an indigenous Trinidadian with Lebanese, African and Indian roots, AUT's Dr Camille Nakhid has been a leading voice in studies on Aotearoa's multicultura...

In part one of four conversations, four black women in New Zealand share their experiences of carving out careers for themselves in New Zealand to becoming leaders in their own fields - from medicine to mental health. In this four part series of conversations, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to four black women in Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences across different lines of work from medicine...

Nalini Singh is a best-selling author of a very particular genre - paranormal romance - and she's now finding a creative reset in writing murder mysteries set in New Zealand. It's been quite the adventure for Nalini Singh who decided to give up a career in law in the early 2000s to become a romance writer, with what's now a worldwide cult-like following. Fiji-born Auckland-based Nalini S...

Bringing the best of Pan African cinema to New Zealand each year, the African Film Festival returns this month. From 18 to 26 July at Auckland's Capitol Cinema, the African Film Festival New Zealand deep dives into cinema from across the continent. Boubacar Coulibaly has been part of the team for the past nine years and joins Here Now in this episode to talk about his favourite picks and why...

Zurkhaneh - an ancient Persian system of athletics combines martial arts, music, strength and spiritual devotion and is picking up serious momentum in Canterbury. Zurkhaneh translates to "house of strength" in Persian and is a system of exercise based on combat using equipment that mimic weapons from centuries ago - from wooden clubs and maces, to shields and strips of metal that mimic t...

From having to start afresh as a refugee in New Zealand to adjusting to a whole new life as a new amputee - Naeem Hashemi's life is a remarkable story of grit and faith. Starting life afresh in New Zealand as an Afghan refugee wasn't easy for Naeem Hashemi but within a month of arriving, he was dealt an added challenge - the amputation of his arm. Listen to his remarkable story of grit in thi...