Podcasts about Wairarapa

A Wairarapa couple is working tirelessly to preserve the heritage of wheelwrighting - the traditional craft of making wooden wagon wheels and building carriages. Greg Lang spoke to John Campbell.

A Wellington amalgamation could potentially go wider than expected to the Kāpiti Coast, Wairarapa and Horowhenua after a mayoral meeting last Friday disclosed by the Wellington City Mayor on the show today. Nick chats to Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow, who is on her way back from a meeting with Horowhenua Mayor Wanden. Mayor Holborow shares how talks have been going with the other councils and if this merger could be a reality. The logistics of a Wellington wide one appear to be disadvantageous at this point to Kāpiti, but they are open to conversations that could prove otherwise. Could the amalgamation just be between Horowhenua and Kapiti? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A teenager paralysed from the chest down in an accident early this year says he's focussing on the positives and working hard to regain his independence as he comes to grips with his new life. Sixteen year old Noah Berkeley hit a sand bank as he dove into a wave while swimming between the flags on Wairarapa's Riversdale beach just after New year. Bill Hickman reports.

Piers discusses the importance of a new maintenance depot in Masterton in improving Wairarapa's train service, the possibility of local council amalgamation.

It's time for Mayoral minutes, where we speak with a local mayor about the challenges they're facing, how they're working to solve them and what makes their community special. This week we're heading to the South Wairarapa District, from where Mayor Fran Wilde joins Jesse.

Catch up with Katie and Coops’ chat with Jane Ross, director of Te Waiwhakaata Wairarapa Film Festival and Michael Wilson, manager of community access radio station Arrow FM about a special screening of Annie Goldson’s 2023 doco Red Mole: A Romance on May 2. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Film Festival’s … More Annie Goldson’s doco Red Mole screens at Wairarapa Festival

Devastating storms that smashed Wellington on Monday moved to Wairarapa, bringing down trees, flooding farmland and closing roads. Both regions are under heavy rain warnings, until 6pm in Wellington and 9pm in Wairarapa and a state of emergency. The main route connecting the two regions, the Remutaka Hill Road, is closed until further notice because of damage to a bridge. John Gerritsen reports.

Assurance MetService gave the most notice possible before yesterday's flash flooding in Wellington. The record breaking 77-millilitre an hour deluge inundated the Capital from about 4am. Wellington, Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay south of Tutira still sit under an Orange heavy rain warning until later tonight. A slip's burst a wastewater pipe in Vogeltown - forcing a household to evacuate. Victoria University professor James Renwick says MetService uses the best forecasting technology. He says it's a bit like earthquakes, which are unpredictable, but can be detected as they happen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wellington Region is under a state of emergency after being hit with torrential rain this morning. Residents in low lying and flood prone areas are being warned to go somewhere else for the next 24 hours. Wellington and Wairarapa have also been upgraded to a red heavy rain warning, with extreme conditions posing a potential threat to life. Metservice duty forecaster Lewis Ferris spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Wellington region is under a state of emergency after being hit with torrential rain. Residents in low-lying and flood prone areas are being warned to go somewhere else for the next 24 hours, with the region - alongside Wairarapa - under a red heavy rain warning. The warnings are in place well into tomorrow night. Dan Neely, regional manager at the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office, spoke with Lisa Owen.

Parts of the lower North Island are under an orange heavy rain warning, and as you will have heard in the news, rain has already caused some chaos in Wellington. Already today Wellington's Fire and Emergency has responded to over 180 call outs, the interisland ferry service is cancelled, and one person is reported missing. But it's not just the capital that is under alert .. the warning covers Wairarapa, Tararua area and Kaikoura Coast & North Canterbury east of Lake Sumner. RNZ Senior Journalist Ellen O'Dwyer has been out and about in Wellington since 6:30 this morning, she updates Jesse on the latest.

MetService is defending the lack of warning in Wellington, before it was battered by torrential rain and flash flooding early today. Karori man Philip Sutton hasn't been found since his home flooded. Wairarapa and Wellington - excluding Porirua - now sit under a rare red warning until late tomorrow. A State of Emergency's been declared, with warnings to evacuate from low-lying areas. MetService's Heather Keats says limited warning's possible for localised thunderstorms - because they develop so quickly. "You could be 40 kilometres up the road and have no rainfall recorded at all, and then you could be underneath it and then receive 80 millimetres in an hour." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They're damned if they do and damned if they don't, aren't they? Last week people were castigating MetService for overhyping the incoming storm. And I would argue it wasn't MetService who were overhyping it, it was the media making an absolute meal out of it. Today, people are calling out MetService for not getting enough warning about the life-threatening rain and winds that are slamming Wellington and the Wairarapa district as we speak. Whatever happened to looking after yourself? Gathering the information, you need and making decisions based on that? We seem to have descended into a national state of learned helplessness. Were we like that before Covid? Were we getting to that level before Covid or has it been exacerbated because of Covid? People with brains, people with rational capability, just sitting there like inert dummies waiting to be told what to do and when to do it. That is no way to live life. Perhaps it's a rural-city divide. If you are living somewhere where help is not a 111 call away, where you know that if you need help, you're going to have to help yourself and then you're going to have to help your mates. You're not waiting to be told what to do. Last weekend I knew that the storm was coming, you could hardly avoid it if you were listening to the radio or watching the television. So that was helpful. You know, I knew it was coming, I knew what time it was expected to hit the Far North, and I knew the Far North was in the firing line. So you get prepared. I knew the power would go off, the power goes off all the time, so that means no cooking, no water, so I made sure I had enough drinking water to last a week, that there was gas for the barbecue. I ran the bath the night before the storm was due to land so there was water to flush the loo. The torch had batteries, a good heavy duty powerful torch, waterproof torch, and I had a grab bag in case the stream on the property flooded or there was a landslide, those were the two risks that I identified on the property. I knew where the nearest community centre was in case I needed help or in case I could give help. And I made sure there were very few perishable foods left in the fridge, don't you worry about that, we did not go hungry. I could have probably, like a camel, lasted a couple of weeks. So, you know, you get prepared. And then I turned off the radio because I didn't need to hear breathless stories on the hour every hour, and again that's not MetService's fault, that's the media hyping it up. And I made the most of the beautiful lovely calm sunny day. And I knew it wouldn't last. I'd checked the forecast, I knew the weather would change and when I came inside and saw the barometer had absolutely plummeted, I brought in the outdoor furniture, made sure that everything was tied down and nothing could go flying and settled in for the evening. And sure enough at ten that evening the power went off, and I knew it would and I was ready. The power stayed off until the next afternoon. Around about 4pm it came back on and thank you very much to the Northpower team for working in nasty conditions on a Sunday restoring power to the Hokianga. And I don't have that much common sense. Nobody would ever, if I had to be summed up at my funeral, say, “Well, there was a girl with common sense." I don't have that much of it, and you don't actually need that much to get yourself ready. I don't want to be helpless, and I don't want to be dependent on other people. I was up there on my own so I made sure that I could look after myself to the best of my ability. It takes very little money, very little effort, very little time, and as it turns out, not that much common sense to be prepared. Am I the last person in the world to use a barometer? I really think every home should have one because if you're not listening to the radio or you're not watching the television news or the cellphone towers go down and you can't look at the apps on your phone, then you've got the barometer. They've been around since 1645 and have been accurate since then and still are today. And when you look at that barometer plummeting down, you know that the weather is going to change for the worse, so you get yourself ready. I really think we need to drive home the message that it's not MetService's fault if you are flooded out of your home. They didn't cause the deluge, they cannot predict which house in which street will be flooded, that's unfair to expect them to do that. There are so many ways we can keep ourselves informed, even the good old-fashioned barometer which I absolutely swear by. Do not just sit there waiting for people to tell you what to do and when to do it. Use the brains and the common sense that the good gods gave you and stop blaming other people for natural events that can't possibly be pinpointed to your personal address. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flood-affected Wellington and Wairarapa are continuing to be hit by yet more heavy rain. A Red Rain Warning is in effect until 6pm, with many schools and facilities closed, and people in low-lying areas being advised to leave their homes. A search for missing Karori man Philip Sutton has been suspended overnight due to dangerous conditions. Victoria University Emeritus Professor of Public Policy Jonathan Boston told Ryan Bridge he's concerned about the growing number of people who are uninsured or can't get insurance. He says becoming less resilient as a society, because more people can't insure their properties, that will be damaging to everyone. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency Management Minister, Mark Mitchell, says Cyclone Vaianu could've been much worse - and Kiwis prepared well. Gisborne and some other East Coast communities are still cut off with sections of State Highways 2 and 35 closed, due to fallen trees, flooding and slips. The last of MetService's strong wind warnings and watches for Wairarapa and the Tararua District are set to ease at 7 this morning. Mark Mitchell told Ryan Bridge several thousand houses were evacuated across the North Island. He says some of them have flooded, but a lot were precautionary evacuations - which was the right thing to do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this week's Politics Thursday Nick is joined by National MP for Wairarapa and newly appointed Minister for Land Information Mike Butterick, and Labour MP and Spokesperson for Education and Police Ginny Andersen. With the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran, Nick asks our politicians how this will affect NZ and their thoughts on what has unfolded these last few days. Also, how fuel is being impacted - and why is the price of diesel hitting $4 if we still have 51 days left of supply. And how is Luxon coping with the pressure of leadership? During Butterick's minister appointment ceremony, he and Cameron Brewer were mistaken for ushers. Hours after Luxon appeared on Breakfast and stumbled around how many Māori MPs were in his cabinet - forgetting Tama Potaka. They dissect his performance as Prime Minister - and how he is coping with the conflict. New Zealand is seeing a huge surge in drug imports at the border. In the first 4 months of 2025 at Auckland Airport the amount of drugs seized was more than the total from all NZ airports the year prior. What will our politicians do to solve this issue, where do the problems lie? And the RBNZ has decided to keep OCR 2.25%, what does this mean for our economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid a growing eat local movement, durum wheat is being grown and turned into pasta by an artisan food producer and a group of Wairarapa farmers. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.Find out more about the Wairarapa Grains Collective here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Pakistan: 6/10 Mystery of the week. Did they host talks? Were there any talks? What's the talks v BS ratio? Oil: 7/10 Specifically, the Government's handling. Tickets, swaps, deals, and unsolicited offers – this looks and feels like it's in the hands of adults. Labour and India: 3/10 This is why we can be grateful they are not in office for the war. They do little but stall and carp. The day you are against free trade you are basically not a New Zealander. Booze: 7/10 Nice one Kieran, as the kid from the Wairarapa brings the modern world to Easter. Allbirds: 3/10 It's a sad story of a dream that was destined for a troubled end. Shoes are about fashion, not feels, and style, not vibes. Only a very small percentage of people are ever prepared to look rude while saving the planet. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ Cricket Blackcaps Great Ross Taylor joins the show to chat about getting dialysis treatment to the Wairarapa, how and why he is taking up the initiative, state of cricket around the country & more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The largest known earthquake in New Zealand was a magnitude 8.2 quake in Wellington and Wairarapa, that would change the shape of the capital city forever. In places the Wairarapa fault land lifted as much as six metres - with the shore of the harbour rising by 2 metres. Historian Jock Phillips discusses the repercussions of the earthquake with Kathryn.

A Wairarapa man's love for the art of chocolate has won his brand 14 medals at an international competition. Johnty Tatham from Lucid Chocolatier scooped the medals at the Academy of Chocolate Awards. It's been a real journey for the bean-to-chocolate maker who started off in the kitchen of his family farm. Johnty is with Jesse.

On today's First Up pod with Melissa Chan-Green: a former U.S diplomat overseeing Iran talks about what and when is the offramp to this war; a huge donation of vintage treasures at a Wairarapa op shop and very personal stories of grief, joy and resilience are shared on a new podcast, Far From Town First Up - Voice of the Nathan.

Wairarapa farmer, the new chair of Growing Future Farmers, and the man behind the Greytown Health Centre. He comments on the Wairarapa season and a great weekend for the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flood-hit residents on Wairarapa's south coast are demanding action after a creek burst its banks during torrential rain. They want the council to open the creek up to the sea so it can drain during heavy rain, but the council says it's not its responsibility. Homes in Whangaimoana Beach were inundated when a severe storm swept across the lower North Island last month, closing roads, cutting power to thousands, and severing communities. Locals say heartache could've been avoided, if the stream bordering their properties had been dug out. Mary Argue reports.

Residents of the storm smashed southern Wairarapa are assessing the damage after their homes and properties were inundated with floodwater. Torrential rain earlier this week caused widespread havoc across the lower North Island, knocking out power and cutting off access to rural and coastal settlements. Hundreds in the south of Wairarapa have been isolated after raging floodwaters took out two bridges, but one reopened last night, and the other just an hour ago. Mary Argue was there.

Some isolated Wairarapa residents are gutted they're cut off from their livelihoods and emergency services after a destructive storm ripped through the region on Sunday and Monday. Torrential rain and widespread flooding has washed out the Lake Ferry Road bridge over the Turangaui River - cutting off settlements in Ngawi, Lake Ferry and Cape Palliser. Meanwhile, thousands of homes are still without power across the Wairarapa region, as well as in Wellington. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

Families in a Wairarapa community have been split and residents forced to scramble for supplies because their only access road has been washed away. Mary Argue reports.

Several Wairarapa coastal settlements are still cut off, after a single lane bridge was washed away during this week's widespread flooding. Rural Support Trust coordinator, Sarah Donaldson, has been working alongside emergency response teams and spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Communities in South Wairarapa remain cut off this morning, after torrential rain and galeforce winds downed trees, cut power to thousands, and closed roads across the North Island. South Wairarapa mayor Fran Wilde spoke to Corin Dann.

South Wairarapa weather update from Pirinoa Station's Guy Didsbury.

Piers discusses how the scrapping of the RMA could threaten Wairarapa's Dark Sky Reserve, the subscription based driver service that cold be a world first, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo on a safe life in Masterton and Greytown debuts a cocktail festival.

Making the most of the locally grown wheat was the driving force behind Monty and Sons, which uses duram wheat grown by the Wairarapa Grains Collective.

Former Wairarapa-Bush rugby CEO Tony Hargood is currently walking the length of the country to raise awareness and a few dollars for the NZ Rugby Foundation. The foundation provides holistic support to players whose lives have been changed by serious injury, and while they do run more standard fundraisers, Hargood decided to take a more unique approach. He's stopping at every Provincial Union home ground along the way and taking a kick at goal, with a plan to auction those balls off to raise money. Hargood told Piney there's probably easier ways to do this, but walking is all part of the fun and the journey. Follow his journey here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Everything to keep you guys safe": New CEO of Air NZ comments on mass cancellations In the North Island, Red Wind Warnings are in place for Wellington and southern Wairarapa. There are extensive public transport and flight cancellations. Air New Zealand says it's already cancelled almost 100 flights today. CEO Nikhil Ravishankar says told Mike Hosking that it will only operate flights if it's safe to do so. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A compilation of songs for you to jam to over the festive season, featuring our 'Waiata o te wiki' from Eps 224 — 232. Track Listing: 00:00 - Taringa Are Are - Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (feat Big Hā & Annette Tūnoho) 03:00 - Ngā iwi o Muriwhenua - Muriwhenua Kapa Haka 1 at Te Rarawa Summit 2012 06:00 - Maranga Ake Ai - Aotearoa 09:24 - Pīki Whara - Panekeritanga group 2014 14:34 - Hiwa-i-te-rangi - Maisey Rika 18:33 - Taku manu mea - Te Rangiura o Wairarapa (2019 Matatini performance) 21:40 - Te Rina (Choral) - Ngāti Rangiwewehi - NZ Polynesian Festival 1981 24:33 - Tōku Wairua Tūturu Nei - Ranea Aperahama 28:29 - Whakaaria Mai - Maisey Rika 32:59 - Te Reo Hā - Te Reotakiwa Dunn

The wetlands and surrounding forests of Te Awarua o Porirua, or Porirua Harbour, were once rich food baskets for Ngāti Toa Rangatira. But decades of development throughout the catchment - large-scale deforestation, road and rail building and urban growth - have brought sediment and pollution into the harbour, damaging the habitat. Veronika Meduna meets some of the team working to restore the harbour to its former plenty.Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Julian Wilcox recently spoke to artists Jasmine Arthur and Te Rauparaha Horomona about Ngati Toa in Porirua and the opening of a new exhibition Mutumutu ki Mukukai Freshwater to Salt Water.Ngāti Toa Rangatira celebrated the return of their sacred maunga, Whitireia, to iwi ownership earlier this year.Alison Ballance visited both Porirua and Wairarapa in 2018 to explore how environmental impacts travel from the hills to the sea and what communities are willing to do to make their waterways cleaner and healthier again.Guests:Kaumatua Te Taku Parai, Ashleigh Sagar, Robert McLean and Jaida Howard of Ngāti Toa RangatiraBrian Thomas, Porirua City CouncilBryce and Jacqueline WatkinsLisa Casasanto and Jon Bluemel, Kahotea stream Restoration GroupJohn McKoy and Simon Glover, Guardians of Pauatahanui InletGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Wairarapa farmer and one of NZ’s leading sheep breeders. Today, he ponders the state of farming and our economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wairarapa sheep farmer Paul Crick is one of hundreds out collecting poo samples from his flock as part of a national study testing for the presence of spores which cause facial eczema in sheep.You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.You can find more about the trial, here.With thanks to:Paul Crick, Sarah Riddy and Cara BrosnahanGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Piers discusses three accidental or unexpected deaths in the region over the weekend, one of Wairarapa's most successful businesses, Tranzit, marks 100 years.

In this story for the long-running programme Spectrum, first broadcast in 1972, Jack Perkins joins a Wairarapa shearing gang, on a farm near Masterton. It starts at the beginning of a day's shearing, with sounds of sheep in the yards, dogs barking and shepherd's whistling.You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Strong gusts of wind are felling trees and posing big challenges for farmers in south Wairarapa this afternoon. One of them, Mike McCreary, was out checking paddocks in his ute when he spoke with our rural reporter Sally Wenley.

The prospect of more ferocious winds has Wairarapa locals on the verge of tears on the eve of one of their biggest holiday weekends. A rare red-level wind warning has been issued tomorrow for Wellington and Wairarapa south of Carteron. It comes after the death of a man in Mount Victoria on Tuesday, who was struck by a falling tree and widespread damage causing power outages in communities across the region. Riversdale's coastal community is one of them. Mary Argue reports.

Mary Argue is in Featherston and spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Wairarapa high school has the good oil on olive growing, turning its crop into an award winning product. Wairarapa college took out silver at this year New Zealand Olive oil awards. Students are involved in the process; garden to table with the end product in high demand.

A woman who found a man lying unconscious on a popular Wellington walking track has described the horrific scene that confronted her today. The man later died of wounds suffered when a branch fell on him as gales howled through the capital, and Wairarapa. The wild winds have brought down trees, cut power to thousands of homes, cancelled flights, and torn roofs off buildings. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

For centuries durum wheat has been recognised as the gold standard of wheats for making great pasta and bread. Much like the rest of our wheat supplies, almost all of it is imported. But, thanks to four families in the Wairarapa, that's beginning to change. Mick Williams from the Wairarapa Grain Collective talks to Jesse.

Earthquake strengthening on buildings in rural areas, the demolition of Masterton's town hall  and a  bumper year for wine production.  

Stargazers can now head to a new observatory in Wairarapa and take photos of far away galaxies and stars. 

Around the motu: Piers Fuller reports from the Wairarapa

In this episode of the AgCulture Podcast, Lisa Portas, a 2025 Nuffield Scholar and agribusiness director from New Zealand, explores the shifting economics of strong wool. She unpacks why synthetic fibers disrupted the market, what makes value-added wool promising again, and how infrastructure and accreditation could transform the sector. Discover how global travel is shaping her thinking on regenerative farming and supply chain reinvention. Listen now on all major platforms!Meet the guest: Lisa Portas is a director, former farm operator, and a 2025 Nuffield Scholar based in New Zealand's Wairarapa region. With over a decade of leadership in agribusiness diversification, she focuses on value chains, wool innovation, and export development. Her current research explores how strong wool producers can regain profitability through direct supply chains, farm-level practices, and global accreditation strategies.What you will learn: (00:00) Introduction(04:48) Strong wool economics(07:00) Infrastructure decline(10:12) Wool market innovation(14:09) Government policy shifts(18:20) Merino vs. strong wool(24:04) Closing thoughtsDiscover the world of agriculture with the "Ag Culture Podcast".  This podcast will be a gateway for those passionate about agriculture to explore its global perspectives and innovative practices.Join Paul as he shares his experiences in the agricultural industry, his travels and encounters with important figures around the world.Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.agculturepodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and keep an eye out for future episodes, bringing insights and stories from the vibrant world of agriculture.