Wellington writer John Summers delves into old-school New Zealandness in his new essay collection The Commercial Hotel.

The inability to visualise mental images - a condition called aphantasia - affects around 2-5 percent of the population, but very little is known about it. Aphantasia comes in different shapes and sizes - with some reporting a reduced ability to remember the past, imagine the future, or even dream

A leading jewellery artist known for his subversive punk approach to valuable materials, Karl Fritsch exhibits as much in Europe and the United States as he does New Zealand - but the pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works.

The relationship between mothers and daughters has been a central theme of much of the work by Asian-American writer Amy Tan. The best-selling author, whose books include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and Where The Past Begins, is the focus of a new documentary which not only examines Tan's relationship with her own mother, but also traces her path to success as she questions her identity and the source of her creativity.

Next month, a group of young activists will be in the Court of Appeal arguing that the current voting age is discriminatory under the Bill of Rights. Make It 16 members Ella Flavell and Lily Lewis join the show to discuss their campaign.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony took place overnight Friday, kicking off a games that has faced countless challenges amid a global pandemic.  Professor Ian Culpan, co-director of the NZ Centre for Olympic Studies, says it's astonishing the games are going ahead. He believes the decision goes against the International Olympic Committee's code of ethics, and counters the reason the games actually exist.

Saturday Morning Feedback

Doug Wilson  discussing approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the first new drug for Alzheimer's disease in 18 years and the creation of a new vaccine against malaria that is hoped to be more effective than current vaccine, Mosquirix.

Many families have a tale of an adventurous ancestor - but some are far more interesting than others. Harrison Christian's ancestor, Fletcher Christian, was a seaman in the late 1700s who rebelled against his commander Lieutenant William Bligh, and cast him adrift in the Tongan Islands. Fletcher and his followers took the ship the Bounty, and ended up hiding from the British navy on Pitcairn Island.

When Juanita Nielsen disappeared from Sydney’s King Cross in July 1975 the story received intense public interest. Nielsen was a journalist, socialite, model and heiress of the Mark Foy family. She was also known for her anti-gentrification activism.