Here Now
Episodes
Making films from South India to the South Island
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Voices, producer Karthic SS talks to Siddharth Nambiar, a wildlife filmmaker based in Dunedin. In this episode of Voices we talk to...
"Everthing's gone, except the band members"
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A fire gutted an Auckland sports club and took with it all the instruments of a Caribbean steelpan orchestra that also used the space. In this episode...
The best of two worlds
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New Zealand has one of the world's biggest export-driven wine industries - that attraction is huge for people from overseas who arrive here exploring...
Thousands across NZ continue to rally calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
05 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk to members from Palestinian and Jewish communities in New Zealand about the attacks on Gaza by Israel. In these past few weeks...
Space technology for climate change
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, a New Zealand social enterprise runs a space research incubator to help explore space-related technologies for climate change. Kadambari Ra...
"It would be a foolish move" - Community organizations speak up against closing ministries
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
ACT Party wants to close demographic ministries like the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, and in this episode we're talking to community organizations...
"A way of making people move" - Coaxing veggie gardens in Christchurch
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It takes a bit of grit to grow veges in the Christchurch winter, but a group of Fijian families are rising to the challenge via a University of Canter...
'Is this your Grandfather?' A quest to join the dots
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wellington woman Lalita Kasanji is on a mission to identify the pioneering Indian immigrants depicted in a collection of studio portraits taken on Cub...
A design to the rescue - lifejackets for use in India
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Floods in India claimed hundreds of lives this monsoon season, but an Indian expat in New Zealand is hoping his new invention will help bring the toll...
How to get salmon out of hot water
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists are looking for ways to adapt salmon fisheries for climate change. In this episode we talk to UK-born Dr Jane Symonds about how to save the...
"It opens people's eyes to what's possible" - Takaka cohousing
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Using natural build techniques, a group of Takaka-based social entrepreneurs are excited about getting closer to the finish line of their cohousing pr...
'This is not the image we want to put out' - claims of exploitation by migrant workers on Accredited Employers Work Visa scheme
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A group of South American migrants spoke out recently about allegedly misleading job contracts they signed with the Auckland construction company Buil...
Home for a bit - RSE workers in Matapihi
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Supporting their families back home in Samoa is the main drive of a group of ten young men. Some of them feature in this episode of Voices, produced b...
World Press Photo Exhibition returns to NZ
13 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a three-year absence, the most powerful images from professional photojournalists across the globe are now showing in Auckland at the World Pres...
'You have to experience it live' - Steven Logan on the APO
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Timpanist Steven Logan chats with Voices about his love for classical music, growing up in the US and joining the APO seven years ago.Timpanist Steven...
'Sport needs to have an existential conversation with itself' - Sheila Nguyen
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sheila Nguyen talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about the focus on sustainability in this FIFA Women's World Cup. United States forward Megan Rapinoe in...
The Elephant in the Yoga Studio - Part 2
23 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yoga - when does appreciation become appropriation? In this two-part series, Voices talk to New Zealand practitioners about the commodification of anc...
The Elephant in the Yoga Studio - Part 1
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yoga - when does appreciation become appropriation? In this two-part series, Voices talk to New Zealand practitioners about the commodification of anc...
Marking five decades of Mexico-New Zealand relations
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mexico and New Zealand first began bilateral relations in 1973. 50 years on, what does this connection mean to both the diaspora living here in New Ze...
Finding comic relief - Jess Karamjeet
02 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jess Karamjeet talks to Kadambari Raghukumar on finding comedy through her time in New Zealand.In this episode of Voices, UK born standup comic and sc...
Critical spaces - green areas and urban planning
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in Germany, researcher Mirjam Schindler always had an interest in how green spaces shape the way people interact with each other and spaces...
"We got there in the end" - Vukan Cavor on life in Montenegro
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the events in the early 1990s after the collapse of Yugoslavia Vukan Cavor's family to fled to Aotearoa. In this Voices episode we meet Vukan about...
'It's all just static' - Uyghurs and Kazakhs detained in Xinjiang
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Xinjiang, more than a million Uyghurs and Kazakhs have been arbitrarily held in "re-education" camps. In this episode of Voices, Kadambari Raghukum...
'Aotearoa and Bharat' - new manuscript on historical Indian-Maori links
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look back at the historical ties between tangata whenua and Indian settlers in New Zealand, through NZOM Professor Edwina Pio's la...
Reconciling worlds - vocalist Briar Prastiti
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, composer and vocalist Briar Prastiti talks about bridging her two worlds through her music - Greece and New Zealand. Briar Prastiti i...
'Into it to win it' - Ibrahim Omer MP on the Wellington Central seat
07 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Labour's Ibrahim Omer talks to Kadambari Raghukumar on what the nomination to contest for Wellington Central means for him. In March ...
'It's just beyond description' - NZ diaspora desperate to evacuate family members from Sudan conflict
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, as the conflict in Sudan is driving thousands of people to cross borders, diaspora in New Zealand are trying their level best to help...
NZ on Air leads 'a cultural shift' with new music fund for Pan-Asian artists
23 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Voices, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to arts practitioners about the latest New Zealand on Air music fund to support pan-Asian artist...
Race Unity Speech Awards marks 21 years
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, hundreds of high school students compete in New Zealand's Race Unity Speech Awards. For many past winners, the awards have been a career sp...
"To live within the dissonance of yourself" - Hweiling Ow
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Voices, Filmmaker Hweling Ow talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about her latest play "Not Woman Enough" directed by Sananda Chatterjee....
'There is no logic' - former Afghan refugee on ban on women's education
26 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nowroz Ali first spoke to Voices from Kabul in 2021, while he waited for one of the evacuation flights operated by New Zealand Defence Force. In this ...
"We all dream of going to Banaba" - Phosphate plunders from the Pacific and a forgotten community
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The forgotten community of Banaba who were displaced from their homes to the Pacific island of Rabi in 1945, are seeking justice and restoration of th...
"We're just doing this out of our own hearts" - Hawkes Bay relief volunteers
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this Voices episode, we're talking to volunteers coming together to help the Hawkes Bay's community back on its feet again after Cyclone Gabrielle....
'A social science perspective is needed'- Bruce Glavovic on climate change
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Bruce Glavovic talks to Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode about natural disasters and why not just a scientific, but a social science per...
"It began with wanting to know how things work"- Kartikay Lal on curiosity, and robots
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we hear about how a Massey University electronics engineer took his love for robotics to school students in Rotorua. Produced by Kada...
Loan words and linguistics - "Children are drivers of change"
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do te reo Maori words find their way in to children's speech in New Zealand and what context do they signify? In a With a new Marsden research gra...
Celebrating seabirds - from the Mediterranean to the Pacific
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gaia Dell'Arriccia left the south of France to research seabirds on Auckland's coastal islands. When Kadambari Raghukumar visits, it's peak breeding ...
Decolonising design as a practice of care
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of 2 episodes on design and decolonization, we speak to Kerry Ann Lee. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. How do you create culturally respec...
'Design is political' - looking beyond Frida Kahlo's pop icon status
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 1 of 2 episodes on design, decoloniality and culturally safe practices, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to Dr Diana Albarran Gonzalez on Mexican d...
'No estamos solas' - Latin feminists in Auckland
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, Latin American feminists in Auckland spoke to Kadambari Raghukumar about the issues ...
It's not something we think of - 'where do you fit in?'
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Witnessing a powhiri for some of the Bay of Plenty's newest residents is a pretty special occasion. Justine Murray was part of it all, in this weeks V...
'Rumba is the soul of Cuban music' - Vivio Ramos
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Exactly 20 years ago this month, Vivio Ramos decided to make a life in New Zealand bringing with him his infectious love for Cuban dance. He speaks to...
Misko Cubrinovski - Right time, right place for quake research
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, UC Research Medal awardee Misko Cubrinovski talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about all things seismic, and a journey of studying quakes ...
"If you're not seen, you're missed" - Wellington charity EKTA
06 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Almost 40 percent of New Zealand households experience food insecurity, while 19 percent of children live in households that experience food insecurit...
Bringing Pacific values into New Zealand classrooms
30 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are Pacific values and how can they be incorporated into the classroom to help Pacific students thrive? iIn this Voices episide, Kadambari Raghuk...
Po' Boys and Oysters - a hearty serving of Afro-queer in Aotearoa
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Caribbean-Kiwi playwright Estelle Chout's confronting and comedic new play Po' Boys and Oysters wrapped on a high last week. Kadambari Raghukumar spea...
'You need a hundred eyes to see it' - International winner WOW 2022
09 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The WOW Awards are back this year in Wellington - so what's it been like for the host of international designers who finally got to attend and show th...
Afghan rugby team - "The sport has always been there for us"
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Voices, Afghan rugby players Bilal Slaimankhel and Mohammed Safi speak to Kadambari Raghukumar on what the game has come to mean to...
Breaking the stigma - South Asians and mental health
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Voices, in the run up to Mental Health Awareness week we talk to South Asian mental health advocate about the gaps and challenges t...
A Type of Font Fascination - celebrating 'Kaishu'
11 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wellington poet Ya-Wen Ho tells Voices why a collection of lead typefaces are so precious to the New Zealand Chinese community.Wellington poet Ya-Wen ...
Food to fix the world
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Pacific Food Lab is a organisation aiming to change the way we think about, create and consume food with the hopes of improving our health and the...
Return of international students marks new era for sector
28 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
International education has been forever changed by the pandemic. Now that borders have fully reopened, we hear from two students about their experien...
"We have a lot to learn and the world has a lot to learn from us"- marine ecologist Deanna Clement
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Marine mammals suffer several direct impacts of coastal development, in particular the development of ports. America-born scientist Deanna Clement's r...
Reading into Margaret Mahy's writings
14 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yuanyuan Liang's fascination with young adult literature took her down a very niche path of study - following one very celebrated Kiwi writers fantast...
Unpacking The Mysteries of English Grammar
07 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two linguists delve into the mysteries of English grammar with their new book on more than just misplaced apostrophes - asking fundamental questions l...
Ulumate - revitalizing a Fijian tradition
31 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Daren Kamali's hair over a period of 25 years has now been woven into a traditional Ulumate, to be preserved for many years to come.Voices talks to th...
In the Driver's Seat
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A Canterbury refugee centre is starting up its own driving programme, taught in the native language of migrants. It's another step towards breaking do...
"The goal is still the same" - Ali Mashal
17 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a two year hiatus recovering from an injury, Wellingtonian and former-refugee Ali Mashal is back to chasing his dream of professional boxing.Fig...
Tuning into their beat - Nelson scientist's research on paua
10 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With rising sea temperatures affecting our fisheries and marine ecosystem, how does Cawthron Institute's Dr Norman Ragg see research helping understan...
Krishnan's Dairy - 'It was a simpler time'
03 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, writer and performer Jacob Rajan talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about his journey starting in 1997 with his debut, Krishnan's Dairy. &...
Shifting the narrative - One conversation at a time
26 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Helping shift the refugee and immigrant experience one conversation at a time, is Tanya Nock and her space - Cultural Conversations. In this last Voic...
Threads that bind - Kayan weavers 12 years on
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On World Refugee Day, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to the first family of Kayan refugees to ever arrive in Nelson, back in 2008. How has life changed f...
Taking flight with Takraw
12 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sepak Takraw has helped some former refugees tap into a taste of home despite challenges to keep the sport going in Auckland. Produced by Kadambari Ra...
APO concertmaster Andrew Beer to premiere major New Zealand work
29 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From Vancouver to Auckland: violinist Andrew Beer prepares to debut a major new work in his adopted home.FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sti...
Getting into the game - Oasis AR
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At 22, David Huang founded his first AR startup called Oasis AR, continuing the 20-year-old lineage of such startups from University of Canterbury's H...
Girls That Invest - on friendships and finance
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two best friends who started a finance podcast at the start of the pandemic look back two years later. Simran Kaur and Sonya Guptham talk to Kadambari...
Chasing stormwater from Ireland to New Zealand
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in Ireland with a fascination with stormwater, set Aisling O'Sullivan on a lifelong mission to keep waterways free from pollutants, even he...
Behind the mask - Pedro Ilgenfritz on his growing collection
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How did Pedro Ilgenfritz go from accounting to clowning? He talks to Voices producer and presenter Kadambari Raghukumar about his love for acting - an...
Healing wounds - Hussam Razzaq on his time in Iraq to working with bioplastics in Canterbury
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How did a stint in the army lead Canterbury scientist Hussam Razzaq to wanting to change lives through research? He spoke to Kadambari in this week's ...
In the spirit of hope
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How does being a master distiller and Honorary Consul come together when your country is being ravaged by war? Kadambari Raghukumar talks to Oleksandr...
Tackling 'isms' and intra-ethnic prejudice
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inter-ethnic prejudice and discrimination were the subjects on the table at a recent online hui attended by a collective of New Zealand creatives and ...
Esther's Expo: "You eat with your eyes first"
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nigerian-born Aucklander Esther Olatunbosun has taken her sweet tooth to the Dubai World Expo. One of just three young chefs chosen to represent New Z...
The Griot's Path - Thabani Gapara on telling stories through jazz
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zimbabwe-born saxophonist Thabani Gapara talks to Voices producer and presenter, Kadambari Raghukumar, about his journey over the years and how storyt...
"It's ironic, not inclusive" - Footballers on the foreign-player regulation
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're talking football, inclusivity, visas and the opportunities to play in an amateur league when you're an immigrant in New Zealand...
'Several countries could benefit from our research here'- Emmanuel Chakwizira
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in a farming family in Zimbabwe, scientist Emmanuel Chakwizira talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about the differences in crop culture literall...
Building resilience - a former refugee on using architecture to change lives
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Myint Aung San talks to Kadambari Raghukumar in this Voices episode about his dreams to change the refugee experience in camps by changing the way the...
An eye for detail - Yumiko Baba
13 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this Voices podcast, botanist and associate curator at the Auckland Museum, Yumiko Baba, shares her long-standing love for a particular native tree...
Third time lucky - Kamasutra Chronicles
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
in 2022's first episode of Voices, writer Shriya Bhagwat talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about exploring patriarchy and challenging stereotypes through ...
2021 wrapped
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Te Taunga - a hub at Auckland Museum
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
Bringing Africa to Aotearoa, a film at a time - AFFNZ 2021
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bringing Africa to Aotearoa, a film at a time - AFFNZ 2021From 10 December through to 7 January 2022, the African Film Festival New Zealand deep dives...
Muroki - on moving to Auckland, lessons learnt on tour and more
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 journ...
Ben Fernandez - The Music Never Stopped
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Auckland-based pianist Ben Fernandez, speaks to Kadambari Raghukumar about his journey growing up a very musical family in Mumbai, to...
Looking back at Levuka
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 switch...
"There's no going back now": NZ diaspora on moving toward democracy in Sudan
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
New refugee sponsorship programme soon to be rolled out
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everyday New Zealanders will soon be given the chance play a bigger role helping new refugees settle in, thanks to a new Community Organisation Refuge...
Reflecting cultures through film
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
What lies on the road ahead for New Zealand's ethnic communities?
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to the Minister for Ethnic Communities, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, along with the Green and National party sp...
The government 'has ignored us': Those excluded from residency fast-track speak out
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
"It's worse in the provinces" - Writer on workplace bullying
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace Bullying - The Beat Up, Anendra Singh's debut novel, was published earlier this year. During Mental Health Awareness Week, he spoke to Kadam...
Restoring a link
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Are Women's Rights Unravelling in Afghanistan?
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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.Vid...
Waiting in limbo for an evacuation from Afghanistan
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of stories from Afghanistan, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to one Afghan waiting in Kabul for evacuation to New Zealand, and one woma...
'This is a humanitarian crisis. New Zealand has the capacity to accommodate more' - Afghans in Aotearoa
05 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kadambari Raghukumar talks to Zahra Hussaini and Mahsheed Mahjor both originally from Kabul and now live in Christchurch - how has the Taliban takeove...
From poverty to helping trace Covid-19
29 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
'What's meant for you will come' - Hayellom Tesfay on kickboxing
22 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part to the story of Auckland's Kings Academy martial arts club, Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to rising star kickboxer, Ethiopia-born Hay...
We train like family - Vahid Unesi on his martial arts club
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A city-centre gym prolifically training rising stars in the kickboxing scene, prides itself on training as one large mixed family. Kadambari Raghukuma...
Plotting the Palestinian timeline
08 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Voices, a group of young activists get together to present an interactive timeline on the history of Palestine. Produced by Kadambari Rag...
Windows of Opportunity - the Story of Sky
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
"They don't see an end to this" : Businesses on ongoing worker shortage
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Voices today, several businesses in South Auckand serving mainly Indian diaspora clients are struggling to find workers of the right profile to hel...