Here Now

in 2022's first episode of Voices, writer Shriya Bhagwat talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about exploring patriarchy and challenging stereotypes through her debut play, Kamasutra Chronicles, stalled twice before it finally premiered this month. "There's a lot of misunderstanding around what it actually is! " Writer Shriya Bhagwat talking about the ancient Indian manuscript, the Kamasut...

2021 was yet another year riddled with Covid-19 lockdowns, endless queues for MIQ spots and families separated by border closures. As the year draws to an end, we look at what this year has meant for immigrants in Aotearoa. 2021 was yet another year riddled with Covid-19 lockdowns, endless queues for MIQ spots and families separated by border closures. As the year draws to an end, we look at what...

Auckland's diversity found a new space in the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum this year. Kadambari chats to the people involved in making this a dynamic, community-driven space. FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public and iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Auckland has the world's fourth highest foreign-born population and a new space at Tāmaki P...

Bringing Africa to Aotearoa, a film at a time - AFFNZ 2021 From 10 December through to 7 January 2022, the African Film Festival New Zealand deep dives into cinema from across the continent. Some of the team behind the festival spoke to Voices this week. Listen to the full interview here: The African Film Festival New Zealand (AFFNZ) was founded seven years ago by Mali-born New Zealander Boubacar...

Two weeks after moving up from Raglan to Auckland to get busier with his music, Muroki speaks to Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode, about his journey so far as a musician. Muroki is just 20 and things have happened fast for the young Kenyan-Kiwi musician. Moving up to Auckland from Raglan a couple of weeks ago seemed a natural progression, he tells Voices. Listen to the interview FOLLOW Voices...

In this episode, Auckland-based pianist Ben Fernandez, speaks to Kadambari Raghukumar about his journey growing up a very musical family in Mumbai, to arriving in New Zealand to study jazz. After years of climbing the corporate ladder in Mumbai and Goa, India, Ben Fernandez traded it all in for a career in making music instead. "Everyone thought I was cuckoo" he says. He spoke to Voices...

What was life in the Fijian town of Levuka like for two young girls from the Indo-Fijian community? Two elders reflect in a casual conversation switching effortlessly between Hindi, Fijian and English. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar Two elderly Auckland-based Indo-Fijian ladies, Hajira Khan,78, and Shamsun Naidu, 83, have been having their casual conversations recorded for posterity as they refl...

As Sudan goes through a coup and the dissolving of the transitional government, how does diaspora in Aotearoa feel as two years of hopes for democracy in their home country seem dashed? Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar On 25 October this year, the Sudanese army dissolved the country's transitional civilian government and arrested key leaders. The coup sparked protests across several cities wi...

Everyday New Zealanders will soon be given the chance play a bigger role helping new refugees settle in, thanks to a new Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship (CORS) scheme that will soon be rolled out. A pilot settlement scheme which allows community groups to sponsor refugees has proved so successful, an extended programme will soon be rolled out. Hisham Al-Zarzour recommends the Community...

Film festival programmer Vicci Ho explains why a career watching movies is harder than it seems and how she picks films to reflect a culture. Vicci Ho kind of fell into film festival programming but has since arranged the line ups for festivals all around the world, from Toronto to Zurich. Now she's based in Wellington and a key part of the New Zealand International Film Festival which launch...

In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to the Minister for Ethnic Communities, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, along with the Green and National party spokespeople for ethnic communities - Golriz Ghahraman and Melissa Lee respectively. What is the road map ahead for refugee intakes, international students and the Royal Commission huis? Subscribe to Voices for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher...

For 165,000 people waiting to become New Zealanders, the government's recent decision to fast-track visas has come just in the nick of time. But what about those who've spent years here working and studying, but still don't qualify? For Devdeep Singh, the government's announcement of a new fast-track residency visa came just in time. "I was almost gone to Canada" said the 27-year-ol...

Workplace Bullying - The Beat Up, Anendra Singh's debut novel, was published earlier this year. During Mental Health Awareness Week, he spoke to Kadambari Raghukumar about what more needs to be done to combat New Zealand's high rates of workplace bullying. FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Listener discretion advised - this story has re...

After her first year of being in New Zealand, Somali former refugee Fatema Mohamed, now considers started a process that could help her restore a long-lost link. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Last year as New Zealand went into lockdown in March, Fatema Mohamed Sugule was only just beginning to slowly adjust to her new life in Auckland. During this year's lockdown she feels more ready to s...

Women's rights have come a long way in Afghanistan over the last 20 years. Will the recent Taliban takeover unravel all that hard work - and worse. Video of the Deputy Head of Taliban's Cultural Commission saying women would not be allowed to play cricket or other sports where they are exposed has sent alarm bells ringing. Listen to Voices on women's rights in Afghanistan FOLLOW Voices o...

In the second part of stories from Afghanistan, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to one Afghan waiting in Kabul for evacuation to New Zealand, and one woman who recently arrived in Auckland from Afghanistan in the first week of the Taliban's takeover. Last month as the Taliban took over control of Afghanistan district by district, Nowrozali and his family have been on the move, desperately been trying...

Kadambari Raghukumar talks to Zahra Hussaini and Mahsheed Mahjor both originally from Kabul and now live in Christchurch - how has the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan affected the lives of their family and friends living there? Empty streets almost devoid of traffic except for Taliban vehicles, paint an eerie picture of how Kabul has changed dramatically in recent weeks. It's the kind of quie...

Tough lessons in survival and strategy led Alan Chew to become a leader in innovation and philanthropy. The 66-year-old's now garnering applause for his role in helping New Zealand combat Covid-19. Amidst profound deprivation, Alan Chew's illiterate parents raised him to become a leader in innovation and helping those in need. Listen to Alan Chew's full story FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podca...

In the second part to the story of Auckland's Kings Academy martial arts club, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to rising star kickboxer, Ethiopia-born Hayellom Tesfay. Hayellom Tesfay starting training when he was 18. At 22, he's one of the rising stars of kickboxing from Kings Academy. LISTEN to Hayellom's full inteview on the Voices podcast: FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart...

A city-centre gym prolifically training rising stars in the kickboxing scene, prides itself on training as one large mixed family. Kadambari Raghukumar spoke to the Iran-born director, Vahid Unesi. Vahid Unesi looks proudly around his inner-city Auckland gym and breathes in the smell of linament. "We have almost 50 different nationalities here in the gym." And that's no exaggeration...

This week on Voices, a group of young activists get together to present an interactive timeline on the history of Palestine. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. A group of young activists produced an interactive walk-through exhibit telling the history of Palestine for an exhibition at Auckland's Corban Estate. FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to you...

One of Auckland's orginal squeegee stars, Sky, talks to Kadambari Raghukumar reflecting on his life growing up in the States to arriving in Auckland in the early 90s. "I can honestly say to this day, joining the US Marines was the best decision I ever made" says Sky, as he empties the bucket of soapy water he's just cleaned an Auckland cafe's windows with. "That's how...

In Voices today, several businesses in South Auckand serving mainly Indian diaspora clients are struggling to find workers of the right profile to help at their shops. Navtej Randhawa runs Radio Spice, a Punjabi radio station, along with running his family business - a grocery store that's been here at Hunters Corner for several years - acutely understaffed these days. "This are is uniqu...

Going between painting, installation and sculpture, Korea-born artist Seung Yul Oh talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about his practice. Going between painting, installation and sculpture, Korea-born artist Seung Yul Oh talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about his practice. FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Seung Yul Oh is known for his public a...

A new report paints a pretty detailed picture on youth well-being amongst East and South Asian students - and some of the stats are not pretty. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. A new report, Youth19, is the latest in the Youth2000 survey series which asks more than 7000 students about everything from fa...