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Against a backdrop of arts and culture funding cuts, a looming election and the India NZ FTA taking effect, the first Indian Film Festival of New Zealand kicks off this week, orgsnized by Petrina D'Rozario. In this episode, what's it like for advocates pushing for representation in our screen sector at a time like this? Featuring Dr Shuchi Kothari, Petrina D'Rozario (TIFFNZ) and programme curatori Namrata Joshi. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Originating in colonial America as a freeze-distilled cider brandy, this heritage drop is making a comeback. Thanks to Nelson’s famous orchards and small-batch craftsmanship, local distillers—like the team behind Elsewhen—are turning local apples into a smooth spirit. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

University of Canterbury researchers are using Christchurch’s earthquake-affected Red Zone as a "living laboratory" to test eco-friendly soil restoration. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Berries are booming on the global stage - and NZ punches above its weight when it comes to production of blueberries and boysenberries. Behind the winning varieties of the fruit, are scientists like France-born Pauline Keribiro, bringing a wealth of global experience to keep NZ competing on the global stage. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Inside Lincoln’s Allan Herbarium lies a vault of over 800,000 dried plants—a living history of Aotearoa’s flora. In this episode, collection manager Dr. Ines Schönberger unlocks the cabinets to reveal how century-old pressings, rare species, and modern plant taxonomy safeguard New Zealand’s biodiversity. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Coffee is something of a staple here in New Zealand, but China has traditionally been better known for its tea drinkers. Liz Garton meets a couple of coffee aficionados and learns about China's expanding coffee culture and the kiwi crossover. Find out more about The MQ Coffee tour to its farm in Yunnan China via its instagram page @mqcoffeelab. And if you’re keen to know more about homegrown coffee, check out this Country Life story. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A selection of award-winning films comes to New Zealand this month, showcasing contemporary Latin American and Spanish cinema at the 24th Latin American Film Festival of New Zealand. Colombia's Ambassador to New Zealand, Isaura Duarte Rodríguez, and Massey University's Professor Leonel Alvarado join us in this episode to talk about the golden age of Latin American cinema, a reflection of life in the continent and touring the festival around New Zealand. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Pushing through challenges in the sport and the industry in New Zealand, martial arts clubs like Kings Academy continue to support up and coming fighters to pursue their dreams of making it to international MMA rings. In this episode we go behind club doors to chat about strategy, gym culture, and what it takes to train champions with coach Vahid Unesi, and fighters Mose Afoa and Arshia Ebadi. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Every year, swimmers gather in Alexandra, South Island, united in sheer mental grit. No wetsuit. No neoprene. Just a standard swimsuit, a cap, and a ton of endurance. Laetitia Berten, director of the Ice Swimming Championships joins us in this episode to talk about how she got into the sport - and why. This episode was made by Claire Concannon and Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

North of Auckland, Warkworth has seen an influx of people from a specific Pacific nation –all there for a very particular reason. A community built from scratch thanks to one man and his vision. Phil Vine with this episode. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Since forming in 2017, food redistribution charity EKTA has had more volunteers join and has seen steady growth - but the queues of people it serves has almost doubled. Keeping it all going in the face of a cost crisis, are it's reliable force of volunteers, often made of a mix of people - new migrants, refugees, retirees to former beneficiaries of the charity's help. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Often when diaspora or indigenous communities interact with civic spaces—hospitals, libraries, universities—the architecture itself can sometimes either signal belonging or a sense of alienation. Three Resene Student Design Award winners want to shift this by centering more Pasifika values and concepts into built environments and housing in New Zealand, to reflect the diversity of people that inhabit them. This episode features Mila Makasini, Amelia Lee Chee and Sarah McLeod-Venu in conversation with Kadambari Raghukumar. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Samantha Krieg went from chef de partie at one of Canada’s top restaurants by age 20, to a doctoral research in structural engineering and earthquake resilience, at the University of Canterbury. Underpinning in all, was a feminist passion for shifting gender bias and breaking barriers for women at the workplace. The Order of the White Rose scholarship recipient, joins Kadambari Raghukumar in this episode. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

L'Aurore a bilingual French English class has been seeing an growing interest in Christchurch with some parents wanting to raise their children in full immersion of the language. Rachel Graham went to check out how it all works. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Professor Alex Tan's entire life's work has centred around creating 'sophisticated citizenry' when it comes to global issues and awareness, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. He spoke to Rachel Graham in this episode. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details