Culture 101

Does an underground still exist? Or is it just one more consumer choice in an ever growing banquet of ticketed events? Testing this may be Tamaki Makarau's biennial Festival of Live Arts (FOLA), at… Read more Audio

Each week Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of the country and we're going a bit more suburban this week to West Auckland - and the suburb of Titirangi. Close to the Waitakere Ranges… Read more Audio

Award-winning UK festival Focus Wales celebrates emerging talent and artists. The festival which has been running for 15 years saw more than 22 thousand attendees, showcased 250 artists across 20… Read more Audio

This month welcomes two contemporary indigenous performing arts festivals which have established themselves as cornerstones of the presentation of new work from Aotearoa and across the Pacific.  Read more Audio

A new digital whodunnit comedy series puts the spotlight on the dangers and growing epidemic of image-based abuse and bullying. Inspired by millennial television shows like Gossip Girl, The Sender is… Read more Audio

If cities can be lonely places no one told artist Sallie Culy. A familiar face on the streets of inner city Poneke Wellington, Sallie counts many people she has met a friend. Its an approach to life… Read more Audio

The shortlist for the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults was announced this week and, among the titles, is a story on the theme of Matariki by journalist and broadcaster… Read more Audio

Arts news for 1 June 2025. Audio

This next fortnight sees the visit of indigenous performers to Aotearoa from across Te Moana Nui a kiwa -the Pacific Ocean. They are presenting works at two established contemporary festivals -… Read more Audio

130 years on, Puccini's La Bohème remains an enduring classic and beloved opera. Read more Audio

Every week in RNZ Culture 101's Regional Wrap we find out about the arts scene in a place beyond our city centres. This week it's a suburb that developed its own sense of identity before travel was… Read more Audio

A competition to see who's best at doing nothing will be one of the highlights at the Melbourne Rising Festival. The Space Out event will last 90 minutes and participants have to excel at doing… Read more Audio