RNZ: Saturday Morning

Comedian Heta Dawson runs a unique comedy club - out of his garage in South Auckland.

Known for her ability to turn everyday Kiwi life into music, at 82 Linn Lorkin is still performing weekly around Tāmaki Makaurau. 

Purple Wiggle - John Pearce - also known as Big Strong John talks about the group's latest venture and what pulling on the purple jersey means to him.

 A modern ghost story, in Went Up The Hill features Stranger Things Dacre Montgomery as Jack who travels to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother.

Long-time Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper and his Palestinian counterpart, Issa Amro, have been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. 

In 2021 the WHO considered classifing old age as a disease. Someone who challenged that classification is geriatric psychiatrist, Dr Kiran Rabheru.  

Pacific people make up 4.4% of the tech industry, something that the founders of Fibre Fale are working to improve. 

The controversy over the authenticity of Raynor Winn's The Salt Path has given rise to a broader discussion about the nature and prevalence of literary hoaxes. 

CatVideoFest has proved so popular, the 75-minute, family-friendly compilation of the internet's best cat content has been extended across the country. 

The New Zealand hop Nectaron has been ranked 5th most desirable in the U.S market with its unique tropical flavour. 

New research from Otago University has found that when we're asleep, stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off about once every hour. 

From 2027 it'll be compulsory for students from year 1 to 10 to be taught financial literacy. A new report shows most of us think we're "average" with money. 

Former broadcaster, Oriini Kaipara explains why she decided to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election for Te Pāti Māori.

There's a big shake up coming to the way we pay for our roads. The government wants to replace the petrol tax with electronic road user charges. 

In a major escalation, Israel's security council has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City. 

When our Poet Laureate Chris Tse had his term extended, he embraced it as a gift of extra time, something all writers welcome. His tenure is just about to end with a final event at Word Christchurch, called Love At First Line: A Poetry Dating Show, where for one night only dating apps are ditched and poets woo with just their words. Luckily Chris is a hopeless romantic, perfect in the quest as matchmaker to help one lucky contestant find the poet of their dreams. Chris' critically acclaimed collections include How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, HE'S SO MASC, and Super Model Minority.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, with celebratory events in England and now a French rom-com. 

It was the first ever blockbuster, capturing an entire generation, becoming a cultural phenomenon and turning 50 this year! Jaws continues to enthrall audiences along with that iconic menacing soundtrack. Steven Spielberg was just 27 when he directed Jaws and changed the course of cinema with a mechanical shark. New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson has written about how Jaws changed the course of cinema, why it endures and whether the film would be made today. She speaks with Perlina Lau.

We all have an innate need to be desired and loved. But what if you don't fit the popular culture stereotypes of what "desirable" looks or feels like? 

A new intimate two-part documentary delves into the transformative journeys of three wahine Maori as they prepare to leave prison.

The Prosecutor is the remarkable true story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew who survived the Nazis and sought to hold his countrymen to account. 

New Zealanders have withdrawn more than $1.3 billion from KiwiSaver for hardship in the past five years. 

We use imagination constantly in our day to day life, as we reminisce, anticipate, daydream, and read. We live in the here and now much less than we tend to think.

It will probably come as no surprise that beer is still the most popular alcoholic drink in Aotearoa. But who brews the best of the best? 

Restaurant Month has kicked off in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland and this year marks the 15th anniversary. 

Dr Elise Waghorn on parental screentime - could those countless moments spent swiping, watching or shopping be robbing your child of more than just your time? 

The tsunami threat following this week's earthquake is mostly gone but NEMA is warning there could still be strong and unusual currents until Monday.

This week New Zealand signed a fresh joint statement with 14 other countries expressing a willingness to recognise a Palestian State. 

The National Party Conference will kick off later today in Christchurch off the back of bad news for exporters with U.S imposition of a 15% trade tariff. 

Chef Del Holland shares her tips for turning scraps into snacks, reducing food waste in the kitchen and making delicious fuss-free food.

Arts and culture can help revitalise a once prosperous town - Featherston, Aotearoa's only Booktown and one of 23 worldwide, is the living proof. 

Maori Wardens have a long and proud history in Aotearoa providing advice, support and aroha to the communities they don't just serve - but help to build. 

Where we come from, who we are now, and who we are becoming as a nation are pretty deep questions. They're being asked in a never before seen collaboration between the Royal New Zealand Ballet and The New Zealand Dance Company, in a production called Home, Land & Sea, combining 6 dancers from each company.

Leading British physicist Professor Dame Athene Donald discusses the factors that drive women to give up on a career in science. 

Stats across Australia and New Zealand reveal that autistic people are being left behind in the workplace - either not being used to their full capacity or simply struggling to be hired at all.

What's going on in our soggy backyards this time of the year? Our resident gardener Hannah Zwartz explains soil-biology and why she's been converted to no-dig gardening.

A mash-up of memoir, science writing and cultural critique, Casey Johnson's new book is a take-down of diet culture. 

After decades of writing novels, bestselling author Niall Williams has turned his hand to the screen, adapting his first novel into a star-studded movie. 

Award-winning architect Amanda Sturgeon doesn't just design buildings, but rather sustainable spaces that connect people with nature.

The Government has proposed an overhaul of NZ's electoral laws. It wants to get rid of same-day enrolments and for voters to be registered 13 days ahead of the ballot day. 

AI has been revolutionising the fields of medicine and science, but now, it's also helping to decode animal communication.

At just 55, former Black Fern Cheryl Waaka is facing a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis. She's too young to have been screened and the drug she needs is not funded.