The Four Five Hundred

On this episode we speak to Whanganui photographer Roberta Thornley whose latest exhibition, A Serious Girl, has just opened at the Sarjeant Gallery. Roberta came to Whanganui in 2015 on residency at Tylee Cottage. She is a graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, where she was born and raised. We spoke to her about her background in photography, her six months in Rwanda and what went into this latest exhibition. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow us on Facebook @thefourfivehundred www.thefourfivehundred.co.nz

Whanganui's beach side suburb Castlecliff is in the middle of a rejuvenation. The suburb suffered decades of decline throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. It was regional decline as happened over much of the country but Castlecliff seemed to be hit hardest. It lost jobs, services, enthusiasm and attention. How many cities turn its back on its beach side suburb? Whanganui did. But that's all changing and at the helm of the turn around are our guests on the podcast this week; Jamie and Ellen Waugh. They're leading the Castlecliff Rejuvenation Project which encompasses everything from roading upgrades to bringing services back to the district. But as this conversation goes on you'll hear Jamie and Ellen want Castlecliff's revival to be part of a much broader social change. www.thefourfivehundred.co.nz

This week on The Four Five Hundred podcast we're back to politics as we continue to interview Whanganui electorate candidates for the upcoming general election. On this episode we speak to Green Party candidate Nicola Patrick about her background and why she is standing. Nicola was elected to Horizons Regional Council last year and we touch on that briefly too. Please subscribe on iTunes and follow us on Facebook here. www.thefourfivehundred.co.nz

Whanganui based street artist Cracked Ink has been developing his distinctive character based style for almost 20 years now. He moved to New Zealand from the UK over a decade ago and his work now features in public spaces all over the country. And in galleries too. Most people will recognise a Cracked Ink work even if they don't know who's behind it. We spoke to him at his Bedford Ave studio about the his own work and the evolution of street art. Please follow us on Facebook and share with your friends. www.thefourfivehundred.co.nz

There's something different about the way Chlöe Swarbrick does politics. During last year's Auckland mayoral campaign she managed to engage people and bring issues to those who perhaps had not often thought about politics before. She exceeded expectations and finished third ahead of more fancied and known rivals. She's fast becoming a political superstar and has since gained a high placing on the Green Party list; high enough to have a good chance of getting a seat at Parliament after this year's general election. Swarbrick was in Whanganui on Saturday where she spoke at Article and spent time at the River Traders' Market. We caught up with her down there. (Excuse the background noise). There's also a clip of her talk at Article at the end of this episode. www.thefourfivehundred.co.nz