RNZ: Saturday Morning

Matariki is a great time of year to slow down, reflect, and take stock of the different areas of our lives, and for some, it might be a good time to get into the garden. 

If you're looking for something to do to pass the winter blues by, look no further than the Brew of Islands Festival taking place next weekend in Kerikeri. 

Mother of Chooks is a joyful short documentary which follows Australian woman Elaine James who has become a minor celebrity - all because she keeps pet chickens. It was after losing her sister, that Elaine found companionship in a rescue chicken named Flapper - who she takes with her to cafes, parks, and has even toilet trained. Elaine has become a local legend - known as the Mother of Chooks. The short documentary film Mother of Chooks is showing at the nationwide Doc Edge Festival starting later this month. Susie speaks to co-director Jesse Leaman about this heartwarming story and what it was like to work alongside his mum who was also involved in the project.

Anyone who has or knows someone with ME, chronic syndrome fatigue or long covid knows that being believed is one of the toughest parts of having the condition. 

New York Times bestselling author, historian and White House correspondent Lynne Olson's new book The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück tells of defiance in a notorious women-only Nazi concentration camp. 

Voted one of America's best photographers, Colorado-based Kirsten Lewis spent 15 years capturing the complex yet fulfilling roller-coaster ride of parenting. 

When you think of bellringing in an old cathedral, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn't today's youth.

Professor Natalie Waran has been recognised for her lifetime's research into improving the lives of horses. 

For some of us, a day or an hour disappears in the blink of an eye. For others it might feel much longer. But why? 

One of people who had a hand in deciding when we mark Matariki is Māori astronomer Victoria Campbell and she's had a busy year from partnering with Minecraft to creating unique stamps with NZ Post. 

For schools delivering the lunches themselves, there have been serious cost pressures. But one Taranaki high school says they've managed to have small surplus operating under the $4 per lunch budget.

The Prime Minister has wrapped up a whirlwind three-day trip in China. Jason Young, the director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre dissects it.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has slammed New Zealand for what he calls a "patronising" approach over its China deal. This week it was revealed that nearly $20m of New Zealand funding to the Cook Islands is on ice. 

President Trump has said he will decide if the US will get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next fortnight. 

The recent upsurge in conflict between Israel and Iran continues to build. European foreign ministers have been holding talks with Iran to try to restore a diplomatic path over its nuclear programme. 

A question everyone must ask themselves at some point: what does a life well lived look like? Tyler J. VanderWeele is co-director of the five-year Global Flourishing Study.

Legendary author Witi Ihimaera is the man behind Whale Rider and Pounamu Pounamu. Already a celebrated master of the pen, at the age of 80 he felt a yearning to master something new and learn te reo Māori.

On discovering indigenous groups world-wide have traditionally derived 30-80 percent of their calories from saturated fat, Kay Baxter found it impossible not to question her existing assumptions. 

The real-life stranger-than-fiction story of serial killer Reg Christie rocked London in the 1950s. 

Issa Amro is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year for his decades of work advocating for peaceful resistance against settlements, which are illegal under international law, advocacy which has seen him become a target. 

Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist and author of New York Times bestseller The Outlaw Ocean, Ian Urbina is director of non-profit The Outlaw Ocean Project based in Washington D.C., investigating human rights, environment and labour concerns. 

Next week the GDP figures will be released, providing a snapshot of the performance of the economy, so what are experts predicting? 

Most people fit into one of two categories when it comes to the great debate of the best time to shower. But science is adding fuel to the debate.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris's 2024 documentary Separated explores the US government's family separation policy at the southern border during the first Trump administration, when an estimated 5,500 children were separated from their parents.

Award-winning artist Julia Holden has invited pets and pet lovers to her exhibition, Best in Show 2025, showing in Auckland. 

A charitable trust is partnering with schools to support neurodiverse students in our country's growing Asian population. 

Protests over President Donald Trump's immigration raids have spread from California to other US cities, with hundreds of nationwide demonstrations planned for Saturday. 

From gumboots to tractors to camo, Fieldays has had it all - including multiple government announcements and political parties of all stripes. 

Earlier in the week New Zealand joined several countries including the UK in imposing a travel ban on two Israeli politicians. 

Iran has accused Israel of initiating a war and said it will not be allowed to do "hit and run" attacks without grave consequences. ‎This comes after blasts and smoke can be seen rising from Tel Aviv early this morning. Israel attacked Iran's nuclear sites on Friday, killing the chief of Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

Chef, TV presenter and proud champion of Kiwi kai, Ben Bayly is back on our screens tonight with the fourth season of A New Zealand Food Story. The series has taken him all around the motu on a mission to answer the question "what is New Zealand food?".

Kate de Goldi is a novelist, children's writer, Arts Foundation Laureate, and the brand-new Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador. 

Weaving comedy and truth through her new collection of short stories, award-winning writer and journalist Michelle Duff's new novel Surplus Women explores power and patriarchy through women set in past, present and future Aotearoa.

Director Rob Sarkies' new film Pike River tells the story of the fight for justice after one of the worst mining disasters in New Zealand's history. 

Matariki is just around the corner, and flying in for the event is renowned NASA science communicator Dr Michelle Thaller. 

Multi award-winning Irish author John Boyne is famed for the global phenomenon The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, which sold more than 11 million copies. His latest is an interlinked quartet of novellas based around the elements. 

Auckland's Cabaret Festival is on at The Civic until next Friday. The final show will be Songs from the Factory directed by Anapela Polata'ivao.

An extraordinary public feud has erupted between President Donald Trump and his former ally Elon Musk. Simon Marks is our correspondent in Washington DC and speaks with Mihi.

Mines, guided missiles, satellites and more recently drones, are just some of the military tech that have been developed over the last few hundred years.  A new book The Hand Behind Unmanned explores the factors and beliefs that led to the contemporary American arsenal and asks where it's headed in the future. 

Fieldays is back for another year, kicking off next week at Hamilton's Mystery Creek. It's the Southern Hemisphere's largest agricultural event and is well known for launching cutting edge technology in the farming sector. 

House insurance is something all homeowners need. It's meant to provide peace of mind, yet rising premiums are making it increasingly difficult to access. 

It's common knowledge that exercise is good for us, but for the first time, a study has found that exercise can reduce the risk of cancer patients dying by a third.