Language

Female genital mutilation (FGM): It's illegal in NZ but there are varying types of FGM that range from type 1 to type 3 and many women may regard this practice as part of their culture. Lynda… Video, Audio

The Māori word of the week is: Tāwhirimātea - god of the wind. Ngā Tohu a Tāwhirimātea. The signs of Tāwhirimātea. Audio

The Māori word of the week is: wahine - woman. He kaiako tērā wahine. That woman is a teacher. Audio

Dr Arik Kershenbaum explains the new research that looks at animal communication and the link to human language - at the moment no one knows how language has evolved. Audio

Professor of English literature and intellectual history at the University of Cambridge, visiting New Zealand as the Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the School of Humanities at the University of… Audio

Author of the book, Give Us This Day: a Memoir of Family and Exile, which tells the story of her father, one of the exiled Polish children offered refuge in New Zealand in 1944. Audio

She's outrageously outspoken and passionate about our history. Lynda Chanwai-Earle hears from the New Zealand Chinese author Mee-mee Phipps about her second historical novel Destinies Divided, a book… Audio

The Māori word of the week is: kaiko - teacher. Hoatu te āporo ki te kaiako. Give the apple to the teacher. Audio

Painter, poet, curator and writer Gregory O'Brien is the author of a number of books, most recently the collection Beauties of the Octagonal Pool (AUP, 2012). He will discuss Puna Wai Korero: an… Audio

Founder and singer of Moana and the Tribe, and member of electronic duo Pitch Black (respectively), who have collaborated on the Tribe's fifth album, Rima. Audio

St Jerome is the patron saint of translators. On Tuesday, St Jerome's day, expert translator John Jamieson will put his skills to the test before a live audience as part of 'The Transparent… Audio

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright discusses vocabulary development in children - why it's so important, what factors impact on language development, and what parents can do. Audio

Are you a parent and new to the country? Do your toddlers speak only Punjabi? For some new migrants, this crèche is a godsend. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland joining playtime with the children of… Audio

He aha ōu moemoea mo te kawanatanga e tu mai nei? What issues are important to you for the impending government? Justine Murray asks this question to a group of māori language students. Audio

The Māori word of the week is: awa. Ka whakawhiti tātou i te awa i te wāhi whāiti. We'll cross the river at the narrow part. Audio

Kate reviews two books for older teenage readers: Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat by Francis Lia Block and Razorhurst by Justine Larabestier. Audio

The Māori word of the week is: pahi. Kei mahue koe i te pahi. You might miss the bus. Audio

Founder and director of theatre company Little Dog Barking, whose production of Duck, Death and the Tulip, won an Outstanding Theatre award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Audio