Culture
Troy Kingi spent a year researching his Taite Award-winning album, then wrote it in two weeks
Troy Kingi has committed to writing ten albums in ten genres in ten years. Fresh off a Taite Music Prize win - one of the most…
Revealed: New Zealand's top five underground rappers, judged by Smoke and Church
Red Bull is searching for the next big thing in New Zealand hip hop. Here's an exclusive look at the five finalists chosen by Church (Church and…
When They Ask You: a new poem by Mohamed Hassan
Journalist and poet Mohamed Hassan performs his poem 'When They Ask You' in this bonus video from Third Culture Minds.
Third Culture Minds is a mental health…
The 'Bob Ross' of Māori carving has become an overnight streaming sensation
Twitch streamer Broxh loves his culture and his art form, and he wants to share it with the world. During lockdown, he started streaming his whakairo…
How to make a beat with SWIDT producer Smokeygotbeatz
Whether it's some snare drums or a packet of Yum Yum noodles, SWIDT producer Smokeygotbeatz knows how to use sounds to create a bouncy, catchy beat.…
Sound Check: HIGH HØØPS on how NZ music can emerge stronger from Covid
The music industry is suffering, but it might emerge from this pandemic stronger than before.
Sound Check: Randa rejects the productivity myth
And they talk gender identity, and dealing with OCD before and during Covid.
Sound Check: Folk singer Holly Arrowsmith is rebuilding a housebus and her dreams
All of Holly's shows for the year are cancelled, so now she's turning an old bus into a house.
Live music's fight to survive Covid-19
It's estimated the NZ live music industry has lost $68 million due to Covid-19. Musicians, venue owners and all those who love music are rallying us…
Sound Check: Indie-pop duo Imugi 이무기
Yery and Carl tell us how they're looking after themselves as the music industry slows down.
Melodownz turned self-affirmations into a catchy hook
During a rough time in his life, Melodownz repeated positive affirmations to himself in the mirror. Then he realised the mantras made a pretty sweet hook.…
Sound Check: Merk carries on
We check in with artists who were on the verge of breakthroughs - before a global pandemic happened.
How Zoë Bell got 37 of the world's most famous women to fight
You might've seen the BOSS BITCH FIGHT CHALLENGE on your social feeds. Zoë Bell tells us how she got a bunch of impressive stuntwomen and celebs…
5 things we learnt about JessB in our IG live chat
It's NZ Music Month and we're having lunchtime chats on the gram with NZ artists! First up, we talk durags from AliExpress and being creative during…
Comedian James Roque teaches us his favourite Filipino eggplant recipe from lockdown
Comedian and writer James Roque shows us how to make a "very traditional/lazy Filipino meal" called tortang talong (eggplant omelette) paired with garlic fried rice. To…
Comedian Johanna Cosgrove teaches us her favourite 2-ingredient recipe from lockdown
For some reason, staying confined to our homes has rendered us all bread makers and comedian Johanna Cosgrove is no exception. She shows us how to…
How burlesque helps break down the rules of gender
"Wearing heels makes my legs bulge and my muscles ripple in ways that they don't in flat shoes. I feel more masculine." We visit burlesque dancer…
Auckland rapper Hans. shows us how to make Korean cocktails | Party Trick
Impress your friends at your next Korean barbecue hang. Auckland rapper Hans. shows us how to whip up yum cocktails that disguise the "ass" taste of…
The Bachelorettes answer your medical and dating questions
The Bachelorettes Lily and Lesina are here to fix your dating problems... and a few of your bodily problems too. Lesina's a doctor so we might…
The dance epidemic that infected an entire town
A dancing plague once overtook Strasbourg during the middle ages. Throughout the city, people were "using dance to get to some transcendent state to get out…
These 'insecurity guards' look out for your emotional safety
The Insecurity Guards patrol music festivals to look after your emotional safety. See them at work at Splore.
Students tell us the meanest thing someone has said to them online
What's the meanest thing someone's ever said to you online? The answers from students at AUT's O Week show us that harmful comments are much too…
Jang Huddle is telling 1.5 generation stories through dance
Cindy Jang is extending the possibilities of what dance can be with her collective Jang Huddle.
Music by Imugi 이무기
Release of the Week: Auckland rapper Hans. takes us into his dreamy $5 music video
This week, Hans. released ‘Getby’, our first peek into his new project Tango Hue.
Hans. has a knack for transforming everyday motifs into something special. In the…
7 questions with The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood
"Some of the states in the United States have gone all the way to Gilead, pretty much." Margaret Atwood was in NZ for a speaking tour,…
The best ever cup of coffee, as proven by science
A team of physicists, mathematicians and baristas have reached a verdict ☕
A Zimbabwean mum, dad and daughter interrogate colonial tools in New Zealand
“The future of countries like Zimbabwe lies in the hands of the diaspora child.”
Amos Muzondiwa reflects with his wife Nyembezi and daughter Takunda on their two…
The intergenerational trauma of war
Mom Meng came to Aotearoa in 1979 as a refugee from Cambodia. After spending two years in a refugee camp, she arrived in New Zealand with…
Being a brown family entering white spaces
The Solomons were a brown family on a predominantly white street in Auckland’s North Shore - “the best street in Birkdale”. There, they experienced the kind…
A Korean mum and daughter talk about divorce
Does getting a divorce mean you failed? For Bokyong Mun, her parents’ divorce made perfect sense, and she’s glad they were brave enough to do it.…