Here Now

A love for letterpress - Kerry Ann Lee

03 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In her latest work, A Chop that Breathes, printmaker Kerry Ann Lee incorporates letterpress and typographic ornaments that once belonged to artist Guy...

Music therapy - a journey into sound and mental health

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Music, mental health and a real ‘maker’ mentality – key words in everyday life for Carlos Reigelhuapt Landreani, who is exploring new frontiers ...

Cuba - unending embargo

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cuba has been under US trade sanctions since 1962 and the past few months have further challenged the Caribbean nation, with tightened economic block...

Roots that run deep - capris from the Cuccurullos

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week, from RNZ's Country Life, Gianina Schwaneke takes us from from Italy to Wellington's south coast. Growing and eating great food is central t...

Shehan Karunatilaka - a full circle back to New Zealand

22 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Booker Prize winner of 2022, Shehan Karunatilaka is in conversation with Kadambari Raghukumar about his plans after returning to New Zealand.Go to thi...

Starting from ground up

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rajni Kumar landed in New Zealand from small-town Punjab about 20 years ago with zero English and no idea what she would end up doing for work. Over t...

"Sovereignty at stake" - Iran war

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The bombings on Iran come after weeks of negotiations between Iran and US. Iranians living in New Zealand talk to Kadambari Raghukumar about their vi...

Ballet's comeback queen - Mayu Tanigaito

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Born in Japan, Mayu Tangaito traveled across the globe to join the Royal New Zealand Ballet 2012. She’s since become one of the most recognizable fa...

Back to Basics - Esmail Fathi

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Multi-instrumentalist Esmail Fathi grew up during the early years of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, when most music came under a ban. In Christchurch...

Back to Basics - Gold Tooth

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Enhancing aural and oral health in New Zealand is what's been driving selector, curator and DJ GoldTooth after migrating from the UK. In this episode,...

Back to Basics - Henrique Morales

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From Rio Grande Do Sul in southern Brazil, singer and musician Henrique Morales joins Kadambari in this episode of Back to Basics - sounds that he gre...

Back to Basics - Ch!nonso

01 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Back to Basics delves into the foundational music artists grew up with, before moving to New Zealand. In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar is in conv...

2025 Wrapped

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To wrap up the year, some of the conversations on the podcast that took us from Trinidad to Spain and Germany to Zimbabwe - some of our fave Here Now'...

Ankur Bassi - "A good person makes a good player"

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up, Ankur Bassi was certain he would one day play cricket for India, and he worked hard every day to get there. But a freak injury meant it w...

"A hundred years cures everything" - a tale of Dalmatians in Auckland

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Dalmatian community in Auckland has embedded itself in Westie Culture, but it wasn’t always so. The Dallies as they call themselves have faced c...

The Afghanistan Aotearoa Marathon

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A marathon in its second year brings Kiwis and Afghans together - former refugees, community members, and allies—who are crossing the finish line no...

To each, their own outlet

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Self-published children’s author and a keen student of the local Salsa Club, Argentina-born Adriana Litchfield joins Justine Murray to talk about he...

Darfuri diaspora - grief and hope from afar

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 on...

Changing careers, continents and cheese for Nelson.

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 regio...

"A sonic embodiment of cooperation" - 30 years of Gamelan

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Fertility and her future - Shamin Yazdani's deep dive

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmaker Shamin Yazdani tackles a personal dilemma in her latest documentary - to freeze her eggs or not. She chats to Kadambari Raghukumar about the...

Share Kai - towards closer communities in Christchurch

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 detai...

More wiggle room - Home-based care and new migrant mums

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As home-based early childcare picks up in popularity, Barnardos-employed mother and daughter duo Iman and Hanin Taqieh speak about how it helped chang...

Will sanctions work?

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Aucklan...

A matter of Afghan pride - Breaking Bread: Part 4

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Breaking Bread this week features Kadambari Raghukumar in conversation with Agha Naqshbandi and his wife Wahida Niazi, who are mastering with pride, t...

Breaking Bread with pide - "Nothing like woodfire"

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 tr...

"No Injera, no life" - an ode to the Ethiopian staple

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No Ethiopian meal is complete without this fermented staple accompaniment and in today’s podcast, Kadambari Raghukumar is breaking bread with her Et...

Breaking Bread with Meinolf Kraeling: "Old bread is not hard, having no bread is."

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Of grains and gods - Yuki Fukuda's trials with rice

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

A square at a time - moving pieces from Argentina to the South Island

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Argent...

Beyond goldfields - documenting the history of early Chinese settlers

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Phoebe Li and Cameron Sang talk to Kadambari Raghukumar about their contribution toward constructing a more nuanced picture of how New Zealand's Ch...

Keeping it crisp - NZ apples to the world

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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-bo...

Studio Sessions with Back to Basics

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 stu...

Zimbabwe to Auckland - Back to Basics with Jay Moyo

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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. Whet...

Holding on to hope after the 12 Day War - Iranians in New Zealand

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 bombar...

Beyond Bhangra and Bollywood - Back to Basics with Manjit Singh and Kooshna Gupta

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our second part to this series, we dive into another sonic universe - the fascinating connection between ancient Indian musical tradition and the m...

Back to Basics - the sounds of Brazil with Leandro Vasques

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Health span versus life span -Dr Sharad Paul on 'biohacking our genes'

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 genomic...

Pepa Torre - Digging into definitions of self

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Accidental Comics - Sameena Zehra and Eddy Rodriguez

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 com...

Accidental Comics - David Stuart

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Accidental Comics - Annie Guo and Summer Xia

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Kadamb...

Accidental Comics - Edd Rivera

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Javier Murcia's sculpture - a question of matter and time

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 hum...

Protoje - Keeping an even keel

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Trinidad to Taranaki - Queen Omega's humble heights

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

A space for connection - centre in Queenstown built on community

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Looking back at a year - Women's Day

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, medic...

"We need a solution soon" - conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over 7000 people have been killed since January this year in the conflict that's ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kadambari Raghukumar tal...

Nadia Freeman's "The Girmit"

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Artist Nadia Freeman's performance, The Girmit, explores a slightly unconventional approach to telling the story of how Indians came to be taken to Fi...

Exploring Solidarity through CARE (Part 2)

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does culture-centred communication look like in a suburb of Palmerston North trying to shift narratives around it's reputation? Professor Mohan D...

Exploring Solidarity through CARE (Part 1)

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Exploring cultural communication around sex and health, Fullbright scholar at Massey University Prof Angela Cooke-Jackson talks to Kadambari Raghukuma...

A Mixtape for Maladies

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Tech is where it's at - the NZ India bilateral link

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

"The diaspora is political" - Reflections on 2024

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 epi...

Forging Futures on Foreign Soil

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Per...

The price for polished tips

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Valle - reflections on Papua New Guinea, barbering and songwriting

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Musician Vallé talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about rediscovering his connection to Papua New Guinea, his music and running his barbershop alongside ...

Changing period care for good

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

COP16 - an urgent call to invest resources in nature conservation

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and sustaining food systems of the world were top of the agenda at the COP16 in Cali, Colombia. In t...

Canterbury's early Polish settlers

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 histo...

Mother Tongue

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two young Sri Lankans talk to Phil Vine about a film-making voyage of discovery in their homeland - telling stories of farming hardship and investigat...

"A starting point for other conversations" - marking the Dawn Raids

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 Raghukum...

Arts in the capital this month

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 podcas...

What's it like to finally become a New Zealand citizen?

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

Wellington's Hidden Chinatown

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fragment...

"Some genius thought it up, some thrifty genius"

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 episod...

"Plants don't know borders" - a tropical obsession from Canterbury

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 jun...

Capoeira - taking the art beyond Brazil

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leandro Vasquez of Abada Capoeira Auckland joins Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode to talk about celebrating the sense of community, art and camara...

Making a home away from Myanmar - Rohingya in Auckland

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

"I am because of my people" - BIPOC women in New Zealand (Part 4)

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Drawing from her Zimbabwean background, mental health nurse Sandra Szvenyika talks about navigating a career in her new adopted home.Go to this episod...

"The personal is political" - BIPOC women in New Zealand (Part 3)

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sever...

"Words have power" - BIPOC women on their careers in New Zealand (Part 2)

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

"A hard-won love" - BIPOC women on their careers in New Zealand (Part 1)

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 bec...

Nalini Singh -"A stillness and depth in reading"

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 myste...

African Film Festival returns to New Zealand for the ninth year

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Persian Zurkhaneh alive and kicking in Canterbury

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zurkhaneh - an ancient Persian system of athletics combines martial arts, music, strength and spiritual devotion and is picking up serious momentum in...

"I had to find a way" - Naeem Hashemi

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

From a brutal Balkan conflict to the Pacific - Kosovar refugees mark 25 years

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-five years ago when the Kosovo war ended, nearly 800,000 Kosavar Albanians were left displaced. Some went to Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and...

"Nothing harder" - Refugee resettlement

09 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What's it like for a new refugee to arrive in New Zealand, get resettled and start a new life here? This month we are marking World Refugee Day with 3...

“Iceland: Same, Same, Different”

26 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Pacific and Nordic regions couldn't be further from each other but in this episode Phil Vine's out to find discover some uncanny similarities betw...

Sudan - a year on and 8 million displaced

19 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A year into the civil war, millions of Sudanese have been forcibly displaced while diaspora here are desperately holding on to hope for their family m...

"Only the best for our birds" - rescue centre's credo

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tucked away in west Auckland, a bird rescue centre has been attracting people with experience from around the world keen to help rescue injured NZ avi...

"It's like the hype around rugby" - Kabaddi's loyal following

05 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brain, brawn and technique comes together seamlessly in Kabaddi and Punjabi fans in New Zealand are more hyped than ever for what some call their 'ori...

'A key foundation' - memories of football in Gaza

28 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The beautiful game became an expression for solidarity through World of Cultures' Football Fest this month bringing players together from several dias...

Cushioning the culture shock

21 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Indian classical music is alive and well in Auckland and Ruwani Perera gets to discover how the people behind Migrant Heritage Trust keep the traditio...

Leaning into virtuosity with Sam Low

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chef and food creative Sam Low talks about finding virtuosity and his life before and after winning Masterchef 2022. Sam Low was a shy 8-year-old when...

"For a small country, it packs a punch" - Dave Phillips on Jamaica

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Extolling the virtues of his home country in this episode, Jamaican Honorary Consul Dave Phillips talks about his love for his island in this episode....

Sharing Common Ground at WOMAD

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Singers from across the world found common ground through their journeys, convening at WOMAD this month. Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to Lady Shaka and...

Tarik Rahim - Making the Mount home for a while

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tarik Rahim grew up drawing from a rich pool of cultures and finding expression through surf and music. In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to...

Yānum - Fragments of Femininity

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artham Dance Company want to shake up both an ancient text and a revered dance tradition. The company founders tell Justin Gregory they are not afraid...

Reflections from Anakiwa - Outward Bound

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Outward Bound programme saw a whole cross-section of New Zealanders take part and this week we're featuring some of them on Here Now. Luis ...

The Magic of Masks - Live podcast from Q Theatre

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this month, Here Now went live in front of an audience at the Podfest at Q. Producer and host Kadambari Raghukumar spoke to thespians Jacob R...

Shy Boy - Izzy Abdallah mixing it up

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

MIXIT in Tāmaki Makarau uses drama and dance to help young refugees gain confidence and in this Here Now episode, Phil Vine talks to former graduate ...

Tacos, mariachi and other tropes - Mexico

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this third part of the conversation around stereotypes, we're chatting about Mexico. Here Now is produced and presented by Kadambari Raghukumar.Thi...

Cartels, clichés and salsa - Colombians on their cultural stereotypes

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of a series around cultural stereotypes, Kadambari Raghukumar talks South America through the eyes Auckland-based Colombians. Not everythi...

"Stereotypes are my toolkit" - diaspora creatives on cultural tropes

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here Now's first episode for 2024 is all about creatives drawing from or away from cultural stereotypes. Join Kadambari Raghukumar as she talks about ...

Going beyond Afrobeats in Auckland with Dj Banty and Orikol

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Djs Banty and Nadine talk to Kadambari Raghukumar in this latest Voices episode on bringing African music to the club scene in Auckland. In this episo...

Being 'woke' and how it became a catchall phrase

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Breaking down the background to the idea of 'wokeness' are Ira Munn and Andreea Calude, in this episode of Voices. With its roots in African-America...

The Little Clay Cart and NZ's first Afro-Kiwi Xmas concert

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Voices this week looks at some December events to look forward to from the south Asian and African diaspora in Auckland.This month, Prayas Theatre put...