From having to start afresh as a refugee in New Zealand to adjusting to a whole new life as a new amputee - Naeem Hashemi's life is a remarkable story of grit and faith. Starting life afresh in New Zealand as an Afghan refugee wasn't easy for Naeem Hashemi but within a month of arriving, he was dealt an added challenge - the amputation of his arm. Listen to his remarkable story of grit in this week's Here Now episode. This month on Here Now, we are marking World Refugee Day with some special sto...
Jun 24, 2024•12 min•Ep. 189
Twenty-five years ago when the Kosovo war ended, nearly 800,000 Kosavar Albanians were left displaced. Some went to Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and a small number arrived in New Zealand as refugees. https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6354975186112 In March 1999 a brutal war in Kosovo exploded into an international crisis as NATO commenced an air campaign against Yugoslavia. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Slobodan Milošević and...
Jun 16, 2024•14 min•Ep. 188
What's it like for a new refugee to arrive in New Zealand, get resettled and start a new life here? This month we are marking World Refugee Day with 3-part series on stories on refugee resettlement in New Zealand. WATCH this to find out more. Each year, New Zealand accepts about 1500 refugees in about seven intakes. In part one of the three-part series - what determines the makeup of these intakes and which countries our refugees come from? All of June, we're sharing stories of the refugee exper...
Jun 09, 2024•15 min•Ep. 187
The Pacific and Nordic regions couldn't be further from each other but in this episode Phil Vine's out to find discover some uncanny similarities between NZ and Iceland, and where we really are poles apart. Iceeland and Aotearoa - are they twins? Two nations separated at birth? Well, that's the impression you might get from reading travel blogs about our two countries. And true, there are some remarkable similarities. Mountains, snow, fjords, hot pools, geysers, a small population and mind-blowi...
May 26, 2024•14 min•Ep. 186
A year into the civil war, millions of Sudanese have been forcibly displaced while diaspora here are desperately holding on to hope for their family members directly impacted. The conflict in Sudan has caused the forced displacement of over 8 million people and over 15,000 have been killed in fighting across the country. While the world remains focussed on Gaza and Ukraine, Sudan is on the brink of hunger. In this episode Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to Sudanese-American rapper and producer Oddis...
May 19, 2024•13 min•Ep. 185
Tucked away in west Auckland, a bird rescue centre has been attracting people with experience from around the world keen to help rescue injured NZ avians. WATCH BIRDS IN CARE Perched on a hill in West Auckland, BirdCare Aotearoa receives and treats nearly 6000 birds every year - native and non-native species. Of late, the talent BirdCare has been attracting has been increasingly international - from Chile, to South Africa and the UK. In this episode of Here Now, we're looking into what their exp...
May 12, 2024•10 min•Ep. 184
Brain, brawn and technique comes together seamlessly in Kabaddi and Punjabi fans in New Zealand are more hyped than ever for what some call their 'origin sport'. WATCH KABADDI HERE At the Takanini Sikh temple where an intense Kabaddi match is underway, the teams are tussling it out one final time after six weeks of playing matches all around the country. The stands behind the temple are filling up, samosas and chai are being served up generously and the passion's running high. It's bit of a spec...
May 05, 2024•11 min•Ep. 183
The beautiful game became an expression for solidarity through World of Cultures' Football Fest this month bringing players together from several diaspora communities in Auckland. Kadambari Raghukumar spoke to some about their memories of Gaza. Football players from over 26 teams found solidarity through sport at the Football Fest as part of the annual World of Cultures event in Auckland's Walter Massey Park. For Hone Fowler, this is exactly what the game is all about - a shared language and an ...
Apr 28, 2024•11 min•Ep. 182
Indian classical music is alive and well in Auckland and Ruwani Perera gets to discover how the people behind Migrant Heritage Trust keep the tradition thriving in the diaspora. In today's episode of Here Now we meet the couple behind the charity that has been helping new immigrants settle in New Zealand and cushion the culture shock. The Migrant Heritage Trust, run by Prashant Belwalker and his wife Versha helps bridge the cultural gap for Indian diaspora living here by promoting Indian arts. T...
Apr 21, 2024•9 min•Ep. 181
Chef and food creative Sam Low talks about finding virtuosity and his life before and after winning Masterchef 2022. Sam Low was a shy 8-year-old when he arrived from Fiji to Auckland. After winning Masterchef 2022 and challenging cliched notions of Asian-inspired cooking, he's now a household name in Aotearoa. In this episode of Here Now, the food creative and author of Modern Chinese takes a walk through a farmer's market with Kadambari Raghukumar. He chats about what it means to let go of the...
Apr 14, 2024•12 min•Ep. 180
Extolling the virtues of his home country in this episode, Jamaican Honorary Consul Dave Phillips talks about his love for his island in this episode. When Dave Phillips first came to the South Island it was a lack of limes for his rum punch that essentially set him on a journey to become a purveyor of all things critically Jamaican, hot sauce included. In this episode of Here Now, he chats with Kadambari Raghukumar about how along the way he's also picked up the voluntary role of Honorary Consu...
Apr 07, 2024•13 min•Ep. 179
Singers from across the world found common ground through their journeys, convening at WOMAD this month. Kadambari Raghukumar speaks to Lady Shaka and Pongo in this episode of Here Now. In this episode of the podcast Kadambari Raghukumar goes behind the scenes at WOMAD to talk to two performers about pushing their craft and cultures through their music - DJ Lady Shaka of Pasikifa, Maori and Cape Verdian heritage and Pongo, Portugal-based Angolan kuduro singer. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for...
Mar 24, 2024•10 min•Ep. 178
Tarik Rahim grew up drawing from a rich pool of cultures and finding expression through surf and music. In this episode, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to him about calling NZ home, for a short while. Tarik Rahim's 26 and he's been in Mount Maunganui for about a year now - mainly going between the surf, studios, making the the odd surfboard once in a while thanks to learning tricks from his shaper father, and working the odd job around the place. Tarik's music traverses a few different areas too - p...
Mar 17, 2024•15 min•Ep. 177
Artham Dance Company want to shake up both an ancient text and a revered dance tradition. The company founders tell Justin Gregory they are not afraid of a challenge. Auckland's Artham Dance Company are promising a revolution in their new show, Yānum - Fragments of Femininity. Founded by choreographer and dancer Dr Bhuvana Kannan and creative producer Padma Akula, Artham offer a contemporary take on the Bharatanatyam classical dance tradition of southern India. Bharatanatyam is known for its for...
Mar 10, 2024•13 min•Ep. 176
The latest Outward Bound programme saw a whole cross-section of New Zealanders take part and this week we're featuring some of them on Here Now. Luis Perez left Colombia with his family as a 10 year as refugees, and made it to New Zealand as a 19-year old, exactly 10 years ago. A chance to participate in the challenging 21-day Outward Bound Southern Cross programme this year came at a time when he was ready to reflect and consider his next steps in his resettlement journey. Listen to the full co...
Mar 03, 2024•10 min•Ep. 175
Earlier this month, Here Now went live in front of an audience at the Podfest at Q. Producer and host Kadambari Raghukumar spoke to thespians Jacob Rajan and Pedro Ilgenfritz all about the magic of masks. In the first ever live podcast Here Now had a live audience at Q Theatre earlier this month as part of Podfest at Q. This week Here Now features excerpts from the conversation with incredible thespian and mask enthusiast Pedro Ilgenfritz and Jacob Rajan. Pedro Ilgenfritz went from counting to c...
Feb 25, 2024•28 min•Ep. 174
MIXIT in Tāmaki Makarau uses drama and dance to help young refugees gain confidence and in this Here Now episode, Phil Vine talks to former graduate Izadine Ahmed Abdallah about his story. Izadine Ahmed Abdallah was 13 and in a refugee camp in Chad when he learnt that his family had been offered a refugee placement in New Zealand, a country he'd never heard of. Now 24, Izzy has found purpose and fulfilment by helping a new generation of displaced people find their feet and their voices at MIXIT,...
Feb 18, 2024•13 min•Ep. 173
In this third part of the conversation around stereotypes, we're chatting about Mexico. Here Now is produced and presented by Kadambari Raghukumar. This week on Here Now, we're continuing the conversation around cultural cliches - this time, with Mexico. What do Auckland-based Mexicans make of the stereotypes they're faced with here in New Zealand? From tacos to mariachi, to tropes around fiery Latinas, it's all part of this episode of Here Now with Kadambari Raghukumar where she's talking to mu...
Feb 11, 2024•14 min•Ep. 172
In part two of a series around cultural stereotypes, Kadambari Raghukumar talks South America through the eyes Auckland-based Colombians. Not everything in Colombia ends and begins with salsa. In part two of our conversations around cultural stereotypes, Kadambari Raghukumar unpacks some of those classic Colombian cliches with Ana Ruiz and Marlon Ortiz. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details...
Feb 04, 2024•15 min•Ep. 171
Here Now's first episode for 2024 is all about creatives drawing from or away from cultural stereotypes. Join Kadambari Raghukumar as she talks about some Indian tropes around Mumbai and Delhi. In this episode we're talking to Auckland-based filmmaker Shreya Bhagwat and theatre director Sananda Chatterjee about the classic old cliches around India, and how as diaspora creatives they draw or dispel them. Listen to the full conversation on Here Now FOLLOW Here Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHear...
Jan 28, 2024•16 min•Ep. 170
Djs Banty and Nadine talk to Kadambari Raghukumar in this latest Voices episode on bringing African music to the club scene in Auckland. In this episode, we're talking to DJs Banty and Nadine about their journeys to New Zealand to make a life for themselves that revolves around advocating for music from Africa. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dec 17, 2023•14 min•Ep. 169
Breaking down the background to the idea of 'wokeness' are Ira Munn and Andreea Calude, in this episode of Voices. With its roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), the phrase 'staying woke' was born out of racial justice and popped up around 1938 as part of a song by a protest blues singer Lead Belly in which he refers to the need to 'stay woke' in the light of racially motivated threats and attacks. In his song Scottsbro Boys, he refers to nine Black teenagers and young men accused...
Dec 10, 2023•14 min•Ep. 168
Voices this week looks at some December events to look forward to from the south Asian and African diaspora in Auckland. This month, Prayas Theatre puts on their rendition of Mricchakatika, The Little Claycart, a Sanskrit play written in 5th century BC. We're talking to people behind the theatre production by Prayas. Also in this episode, Kadambari talks to Thabani Gapara, music director of Jingle Beatz - a first-of-it's-kind Christmas concert with musicians and singers from the African diaspora...
Dec 01, 2023•9 min•Ep. 167
In this episode of Voices, producer Karthic SS talks to Siddharth Nambiar, a wildlife filmmaker based in Dunedin. In this episode of Voices we talk to Siddharth Nambiar, an wildlife filmmaker based in Dunedin. Over the years he's gathered an impressive list of credits having worked on documentaries for broadcasters like National Geographic, Animal Planet, and Discovery. In this podcast Sid shares his story of living in Aotearoa New Zealand thousands of miles away from his home in Kerala, India a...
Nov 26, 2023•15 min•Ep. 166
A fire gutted an Auckland sports club and took with it all the instruments of a Caribbean steelpan orchestra that also used the space. In this episode we chat to Camille Nakhid about what next for the 18-year-old cultural group? The Caribbean Southern Stars, a steelpan orchestra that used the Marist Rugby league clubrooms in Mt Albert as a rehearsal space and to store their instruments, have lost a crucial part of their cultural group to a fire last week. The blaze entirely gutted the club rooms...
Nov 19, 2023•11 min•Ep. 165
New Zealand has one of the world's biggest export-driven wine industries - that attraction is huge for people from overseas who arrive here exploring opportunities in the industry. In this episode we're talking to two wine professionals from India and France who now call New Zealand home. In this episode we're meeting two people who moved to New Zealand in the pursuit of their love for winemaking. Aman Chowfin, vineyard manager at Villa Maria in Blenheim, began his journey working in tea estates...
Nov 12, 2023•13 min•Ep. 164
In this episode we talk to members from Palestinian and Jewish communities in New Zealand about the attacks on Gaza by Israel. In these past few weeks across cities in New Zealand, thousands have been showing up to rallies and marches to condemn the bombings of civilians in Gaza and demand an immediate ceasefire. In this episode we're talking to Ahmed Saadeh, national coordinator for Palestinians in New Zealand - who's been helping organize rallies and vigils across the country, Louis Frayse of ...
Nov 05, 2023•15 min•Ep. 163
Each year, a New Zealand social enterprise runs a space research incubator to help explore space-related technologies for climate change. Kadambari Raghukumar talks to the founders of Spacebase. Each year, the New Zealand social enterprise SpaceBase runs a research incubator to help explore space-related technologies for climate change. In this episode of Voices, Kadambari Raghukumar talks to the co-founders of SpaceBase Eric Dahlstrom and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom. Phillipines-born Emeline and US-...
Oct 15, 2023•11 min•Ep. 162
ACT Party wants to close demographic ministries like the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, and in this episode we're talking to community organizations who are concerned about this possibility and it's potential impact. The ACT Party intends to shut down demographic ministries, and this week on Voices we're out in the community talking to groups with concerns around how this policy could possibly impact them. The Ministry for Ethnic Communities administers funding of about $4.2 million through th...
Oct 08, 2023•10 min•Ep. 161
It takes a bit of grit to grow veges in the Christchurch winter, but a group of Fijian families are rising to the challenge via a University of Canterbury-led project. It takes a bit of grit to grow veges in the Christchurch winter, but a group of Fijian families are rising to the challenge via a University of Canterbury-led project. The project, which has established 20 backyard vegetable gardens, is led by PhD student, Dr Esala Vakamacawai, a former medical professional in Fiji. As a surgeon i...
Oct 01, 2023•12 min•Ep. 160
