Media Releases

Monthly highlights: July

Released at 8:33 am on 26 June 2025

25 June 2025

Coming soon to RNZ

The Lodge | Podcast
Friday 27 June

Wellness, Society & Culture 

What began as a promising sanctuary for healing in one of New Zealand’s most beautiful locations became the epicentre of a double tragedy, a cautionary tale that goes straight to the heart of the modern wellness industry.  Join award-winning RNZ journalist Phil Vine as he reopens the file on a mysterious cult operating from a hunting lodge near Te Anau. Episodes releasing weekly on Tuesdays & Fridays on rnz.co.nz/podcasts and on podcast apps. 

Bird's Eye View | Video series
Monday 30 June

Tamariki

Animated series Bird's Eye View is new on RNZ's video hub. Who doesn’t love a bit of people watching? New Zealand’s native birds entertain themselves by observing the absurd behaviours of everyday human beings, and they’ve got a lot to say about it. Meet Tūī, Kererū, Pīwakawaka and Pūkeko. These four feathered friends love to ponder and debate the weird and bizarre behaviours of humans in their natural habitat. Every day, they kōrero about all sorts of theories, trying to understand what these humans are getting up to and they always come up with off-the-wall conclusions. Bird’s Eye View turns the table on the traditional concept of birdwatching. This series and more programmes for tamariki on rnz.co.nz/video. Made with support from NZ On Air.

The Haka Party Incident | Film
Monday 7 July

NZ History

Initially screened as part of the Whānau Mārama NZIFF 2024 selection, The Haka Party Incident will be available on rnz.co.nz/video on Monday 7 July. The documentary explores the last New Zealand war which happened in 1979, lasting three minutes. On May 1st, 1979, a group of young Māori and Pasifika activists, He Taua, confronted a gathering of University of Auckland engineering students as they rehearsed their ‘mock’ haka. The fracas that followed prompted the nation to confront systemic racism and make change for a better and more equal partnership between Pākehā and Māori – changing the relationship between Māori and Pākehā in Aotearoa forever. 

This is Wheel Life S2 | Video series
Friday 18 July

Society & Culture

This is Wheel Life is back for season two. This series digs into the wild, raw lives of Soph, a 20-something quadriplegic, and her choice-as cousin Indy, her carer and ally. Fast forward two years and, apart from longer hair and slightly deeper emotional scars, not much has changed… or has it? In season two, Soph is on the brink of becoming a real-life lawyer (yes, objections and all), and Indy has ditched the stage for the whiteboard, pursuing a career in teaching. But before they dive into adulthood with matching tote bags and professional burnout, they're still in their final study stretch, still flatting, still bickering, and still proving that disability doesn't get in the way of a big life... just adds more snacks, sarcasm, and sideways glances to the mix. Available from 18 July on the TAHI YouTube channel and rnz.co.nz/video.

Hi Vis Manaaki | Podcast
Wednesday 23 July

Society & Culture 

A māori and a migrant explore the heart, history and future of Māori Wardens – Aotearoa’s hi-vis kaitiaki of aroha, manaaki, and mana motuhake. Presented and produced by Murdoch Ngahau and Dr. Amber Hammill in partnership with RNZ. Hi Vis Manaaki will be available on rnz.co.nz/podcasts and on podcast apps from Wednesday 23 July.

Thrift S5 | Podcast
Tuesday 29 July 

Society & Culture 

Thrift is back and celebrating season five with a thrifty road trip. Host Katy Gosset travels around parts of the South Island, staying with friends and meeting some seasoned travellers who've gone a long way on a shoestring. She looks at how to prioritise your money, not outstay your welcome and why you should always offer to do the dishes. She also meets students in Dunedin, learning how to set up a student flat on the cheap and visits lads who’ve built an award winning vege garden. Katy also explores what thrifty tips we can learn from our older community members, and how does being sociable make your money go further? She takes a peek in an 80 year old's freezer and looks through his diary - spoiler alert: he's got a better social life than Katy! Available from Tuesday 29 July on rnz.co.nz/podcasts and podcast apps and on RNZ National on Tuesdays at 3:30pm.

1984 | Documentary

Coming soon
History

New documentary series 1984 takes a closer look at the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh Massacre and the journey of several members of the Sikh community who immigrated to New Zealand to rebuild their lives after facing enormous tragedy. For years there was tension between the Indian Government and those wanting more rights for the State of Punjab. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards became a turning point in India's history. What followed was three days of brutal targeting and killing of Sikhs in Delhi and beyond. The documentary engages with individuals who were directly involved, offering a firsthand portrayal of their experience and what the repercussions of this tragic event has had on the Sikh community. The aftermath meant that many no longer felt safe within India and sought asylum around the world. Made with support from NZ On Air and available on rnz.co.nz/video.

Radio updates

RNZ National

Jesse Mulligan celebrates 10 Years on Afternoons
In July, Jesse Mulligan celebrates 10 years of hosting lifestyle & entertainment show, Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan. An upbeat mix of the curious and the compelling, ranging from the stories of the day to the great questions of our time and a live music session every Friday. Listen to Afternoons from 1-4pm, Monday-Friday on RNZ National.

RNZ Concert

National Brass Band Championships 2025
With 37 bands taking part including five bands from Australia, an estimated 1,500 competitors will make this the biggest brass band gathering for 34 years. RNZ Concert Mornings host Andrew Clark is the MC for the competition, with highlights on RNZ Concert.
Christchurch Town Hall, Wednesday 2-6 July.

NZSO: Firebird
Ravel & Stravinsky
 Featuring Stravinsky's suite from The Firebird ballet, conducted by the exciting young Finnish conductor Emilia Hoving making her debut with the NZSO. Spanish pianist Javier Perianes performs in two works - Ravel’s Piano Concerto and De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain. The concert opens with local composer John Ritchie’s colourful overture capturing the bustle and vitality of Papanui Road, one of Christchurch’s busiest arteries. Broadcast live from Michael Fowler Centre on RNZ Concert 17 July, 8pm

Out now

The Panel

The Panel with Wallace Chapman has been extended an extra 25 minutes. Wallace hosts a combination of audience feedback via texts and calls, a bonus guest and live discussions with Emile Donovan and others from RNZ. The news headlines start at 7:25pm then a refreshed roster of factual, talk content will follow, Monday to Thursday. From 8pm through to 9:45pm every weekday the Nights programme feeds seamlessly into Pacific Waves, The Detail and The Reading. Listen on RNZ National, Monday – Thursday, 6-7.25pm.

Witi Underwater | Podcast
Out now

Māori, Arts & Culture

In 2024, Witi Ihimaera is doing something that surprises even himself – studying te reo Māori in a fulltime immersion class for the entire year. He’s Aotearoa’s most famous Māori kaituhi, but he has never been a fluent speaker. He now plans to put that right. In the five-part bilingual podcast Witi Underwater, Eugene Bingham (Pākehā, Ngāpuhi) and Adam Dudding (Pākehā) follow Papa Witi all year, tracking the struggles and triumphs of him and his hoa tauira. Fly-on- the-wall reporting is interwoven with vignettes and anecdotes from Witi’s life, his fiction and his memoirs. Made by Te Pūrongo Productions, with the support of Te Māngai Pāho. Available now at rnz.co.nz/podcasts or on podcast platforms.

I Am a Dark River | Film
Out now

Arts & Culture

Typographer, printer, publisher, poet, artist, radical, binder, teacher, political activist, host extraordinaire, husband and father, sexual adventurer, rule breaker, raconteur, champion of free speech and human magnet for the disenfranchised and revolutionary. Bob Lowry was many things but nearly 60 years after his tragic suicide he remains one of the most pivotal and influential individuals in New Zealand’s rich literary history. Available on rnz.co.nz/video.This film comes to rnz after a cinema release. Made with the support of Creative New Zealand.

ENDS