Culture
The best ever cup of coffee, as proven by science
A team of physicists, mathematicians and baristas have reached a verdict ☕
Honest Conversations With Our Mums
“I hate it when people don’t know I’m brown,” says Saraid de Silva Cameron, who has both Sri Lankan and Pākehā heritage. Conversely, her mum Karenza…
A Zimbabwean mum, dad and daughter interrogate colonial tools in New Zealand
“The future of countries like Zimbabwe lies in the hands of the diaspora child.”
Amos Muzondiwa reflects with his wife Nyembezi and daughter Takunda on their two…
The intergenerational trauma of war
Mom Meng came to Aotearoa in 1979 as a refugee from Cambodia. After spending two years in a refugee camp, she arrived in New Zealand with…
Being a brown family entering white spaces
The Solomons were a brown family on a predominantly white street in Auckland’s North Shore - “the best street in Birkdale”. There, they experienced the kind…
A Korean mum and daughter talk about divorce
Does getting a divorce mean you failed? For Bokyong Mun, her parents’ divorce made perfect sense, and she’s glad they were brave enough to do it.…
What We Learn When We Talk With Our Immigrant Parents
The creators behind Conversations With My Immigrant Parents got to sit in on funny, moving, and poignant conversations between parents and children throughout Aotearoa. What did…
How a mum and son live out their Muslim faith in New Zealand
As a Muslim kid, how do you deal when one of your friends makes a “terrorist” joke? 13 year old Aliyaan says, “Just because I’m Muslim…
A family discusses their "white-passing" immigrant experiences
Francisco Blaha is as immigrant as they get. "I jump off a boat, literally," he says. He grew up amongst street violence in Argentina, with expectations…
Being gay, Filipino and going to Catholic church in the Hawke's Bay
"There are so many gay Filipinos in church," says Joseph Trinidad. He and his family immigrated to New Zealand more than a decade ago, and have helped…
A mum and daughter ask: what does it mean to be a "proper Tongan girl"?
"Our girls, we have to make sure they stay a virgin." Kesaia's mum Liliani wanted to raise her in New Zealand as a "proper Tongan girl".…
Re:hearsal Room: Mazbou Q
Mazbou Q (formerly Unchained XL) talks tapping into Pan-Africanism in his music, being united against imperialism and, really, just being a dope rapper.
What's with our love of astrology?
Astrology has seen a resurgence in recent years. What's up with that? Is it just memes and fun, or are people getting genuine direction from investigating…
What's with our love of homemade?
Sauerkraut and bread are some of the things that more and more people seem to be spending time to make themselves nowadays. Are they just fads,…
Farewell to Auckland’s creepy Santa
It's the end of an era. Aucklanders say farewell to 'Creepy Santa', that giant icon with the rather unsettling winking eye.
What's with our love of pop culture tattoos?
Tattoos can be a marker to everyone else of who you are, and a reminder to yourself of the things you love.
The mystery of the cannabis plant growing in downtown Auckland
In 1986, the Auckland City Council kindly planted some greenery on Vulcan Lane. And among the shrubs was a lone, humble cannabis plant... ?♀️
A cartoon about Samoa with love
"As a Samoan, I feel what happens to other Samoans." Comic artist Michel Mulipola talks about the illustration he's created to process the Samoan measles epidemic.
Re:hearsal Room: Swizl Jager
Swizl Jager is all about using as much te reo in his music as he can. He talks about "keeping it reo" and the joys of…
NZ's best new filmmaker of the year shares her top 5 films of all time
Matasila Freshwater, winner of the 2019 SPADA (Screen Production and Development Association) award for New Filmmaker of the Year, sat down with Re: to share her…
Re:hearsal Room: Raiza Biza
What's it like to move to NZ and feel the pressure to fulfill the classic immigrant's tale? That is: get educated, make lots of money and…
Stupid Robot Fighting
Stupid Robot Fighting is even more amazing than it sounds. There's no good explanation for it so you really just have to see this NZ invented…
“Righteous and Confident”: Being 18 in New Zealand Today
Classic coming-of-age tales used to include some combination of driving, sex, first loves, alcohol and arguing with your parents. But what would the story motifs be…
NZ Music Awards: Breaking Down the Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Stylist to the stars Sammy Salsa takes us through a night at the Vodafone NZ Music Awards following the nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year…
Illustrator Ruby Jones on Going Viral and the Power of Drawing Kindness
After the Christchurch terror attacks, Ruby Jones illustrated two people hugging with the words, "This is your home and you should have been safe here." The…
New Zealand police show us their tattoos
We get tattoos for all sorts of reasons - to carry our loved ones with us, to symbolise our heritage and to express who we are.…
Crafting a cartoon: Tales of Nai Nai
The new animated show Tales of Nai Nai needed over 400 mouth shapes to be digitally drawn, and most of them appear on their characters face…
The writer of the book that inspired Jojo Rabbit
Christine Leunens is the author of Caging Skies, the book that was adapted into the movie Jojo Rabbit by director Taika Waititi. She tells us about…
The Manor
On October 6, a Dunedin house party ended in the death of second year university student Sophia Crestani. Natasha, a fellow university student at the party,…
Re:hearsal Room: Bobandii
Bobandii can only cry when he's making music - and he thinks maybe that's why he's a musician. He talks self-exploration, putting out music as a…