Arwen Sommer

Release of the week: teen punks Sit Down In Front talk first world problems

Teen punks Sit Down In Front's music will be ringing out across New Zealand with the release of their album Confessions Of A Pie Thief. The…

At Auckland’s gay rugby club for their first training after lockdown

Now that we’re well into Covid alert level 1, we can finally go out and do fun stuff again. This also means the country’s favourite sport…

  • 16 Jun 20

People with obsessive compulsive disorder say lockdown allowed their condition to thrive.

Sam is a typical 23-year-old who works nine to five in an office job. At 14, he was diagnosed with contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has…

Photo gallery: the first night out in town in post-lockdown Christchurch

Last weekend New Zealanders were finally allowed to gather in groups of more than ten people. Arwen Sommer headed out to town on Friday night in…

New Zealanders tell us why they marched with the Black Lives Matter movement

On June 1, New Zealanders marched in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Here's why.

Students with disabilities are hoping online learning wasn't just a Covid phase

University classes start back in-person this week, and students will once again have to drag themselves out of bed to get to class. But those with…

Five young artists tell us what they’ve been making in lockdown

If you're not an essential worker, there's plenty of time to spare while we stay at home. Arwen Sommer talks to five Kiwis who are using…

We asked five people with chronic illnesses for advice on staying home all day

New Zealand may have dropped to alert level 3 but we’re basically still in lockdown, and being able to leave our house to socialise and travel…

Three things you can grow during lockdown without going to a garden centre

Two weeks into the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown people are stuck at home with loads of time but no idea how to use it productively. I decided…

We asked an IT guy what to do if your tech breaks during lockdown

With all the tech repair places closed, many of us are living in fear of our laptops breaking. We wouldn’t be able to work, or even…

One year on: Asim Mukhtar

Muslim New Zealander of the Year Asim Mukhtar was heavily involved in looking after survivors and families of those killed in the March 15th terrorist attack.…

How to stop being afraid of the word 'fat'

Ema Tavola first learnt about BMI when she was at school. “We went around the class. Everyone got weighed, and then we looked at everyone on…