Berlin-based New Zealand artist Simon Denny likes to explore and play with the intersections of art, power and new technology. He represented New Zealand at the 2015 Venice Biennale with "Secret Power" inspired by the fallout from Edward Snowden's NSA leaks and Five Eyes surveillance technology. His 2018 exhibition "The Founder's Paradox", used the language and logic of board games to highlight competing utopian political visions for New Zealand's future. Denny's latest work "Optimism" is currently on view at Auckland Art Gallery. It consists of two hanging megastructures which are enlarged 3D-printed models of patent diagrams of rocket engine parts by Rocket Lab.

Not far down the BBC's list of 100 Women for 2023 is 31 year old Christchurch-based indigenous rights and disability advocate Kera Sherwood-O'Regan (Kai Tahu). Kera is the co-founder of Activate, a social impact agency intent on climate justice and creating social change. Kera's practice is grounded in a Te Ao Maori approach to the mainstream climate conversation. She argues minorities are most affected by climate change but can make a big difference in the fight against it.

An inquest hearing in the UK has heard how 27 year old Maeve Boothby-O'Neill died from complications relating to ME, following years of inadequate care from the National Health Service. At least 25-thousand people live with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome in New Zealand. The real number is likely higher, due to the nature of it being an 'invisible illness'. Maeve's father Sean O'Neill is a Times correspondent. He is joined by leading researcher in ME/CFS in New Zealand, University of Otago Emeritus Professor Warren Tate.

Leo Vardiashvili arrived in London as a 13 year old refugee from Georgia. His family was forced to flee after their country descended into civil war after breaking away from the Soviet Union. Hard by a Great Forest, his debut novel, draws on this experience, and is winning high praise from reviewers.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes pays tribute to a fellow legend in his new biography Lawrence of Arabia. A former SAS officer, Fiennes says he feels a lot of affinity for archaeologist and adventurer Thomas Edward Lawrence, who made a gruelling 300-mile journey through blistering desert heat during the 1916 Arab Revolt. No shirker himself, Fiennes was first to reach both Poles, first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Ocean and first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis. He climbed Everest age 65.

Brother and sister duo Sam and Ellie Studd's new book The Best Things In Life Are Cheese, aims to help us understand and appreciate cheese in all its many forms. They're about as close to cheese royalty as you get, their father is legendary expert Will Studd. As cheese guides they cover basics like how to pick a good one, tips for Christmas platters, plus recipes for cheesy treats.

What can mammals genome reveal about how the human genome works? Professor Elinor Karlsson co-leads the Zoonomia Project, which uses comparative genomics to shed light on how certain species achieve extraordinary feats, and to better understand parts of the human genome. Prof Karlsson is also well known for her Darwin's dogs citizen science genetics project- a collaboration between scientists and dog owners looking at the relationship between genetics and behaviour. She was in New Zealand for the Annual Meeting of Genomics Aotearoa.

As wars continue in Gaza and Ukraine, and other parts of the world, a new book questions whether New Zealand ought to have a military force at all. Professor Richard Jackson, Griffin Leonard and Joseph Llwellyn of The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, at the University of Otago, are co-authors of Abolishing the Military - Arguments and Alternatives. So how could New Zealand ensure its security and promote international peace in alternative, non-violent ways?

A soulmate is someone who pushes you to discover your own potential, says actor and filmmaker Greg Sestero. For him, that's Tommy Wiseau, the "eccentric" friend who directed him in a 2003 film widely regarded as the worst ever made – The Room.

Writer Danyl McLauchlan joins Susie to tackle life's big questions, ideas and thinkers. Today's he's looking at Swedish academic and environmental activist Andreas Malm, author of the book How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Malm argues that climate change activists need to become more radical if they want to get results.