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 ecologist and is deeply concerned with the state of world when it comes to climate change. Growing food, rice, particularly, is an extension of her consciousness around the topic

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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 Argentinian win the hearts and minds of chess fanatics here in New Zealand?

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

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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-born scientist Nicolette Neiman in Hawkes Bay. We may be well out of apple picking season but there's no dearth of the fruit when it comes to our tables even in the thick of winter – here or overseas through exports for that matter. For plant physiologists like Nicolette the thrill is in finding ways to make that possible – delivering to the world, a crunchy fruit fix practically anytime of the year.

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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 studio.

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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.

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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 bombardment has killed 28 in Israel. In this episode, we're taking a break from the ongoing series Back to Basics, to speak to two Iranian New Zealanders who've spent the last few weeks in despair and worry about the fate of their families in Iran and that of their homeland.

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In our second part to this series, we dive into another sonic universe - the fascinating connection between ancient Indian musical tradition and the more modern sounds of Indian film and folk music. While Bollywood and Bhangra are an inextricable and now cliched part of the modern Indian music experience, the real bedrock upon which all that is built really is classical Indian music.

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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 good stuff. Some of these sounds come from places of struggle and solidarity and in this first part of Back to Basics, Leandro Vasques talks about the history behind some genres, his musical influences and what life as a Brazilian muso in Auckland is like for him.

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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 genomics to optimize our performance. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

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