RNZ: Best Of The Week

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 8 March. This week ......being first with the news can sometimes end up being wrong with the news; Census night from two different perspectives; reading the fine print for new changes to house insurance; packaging that's impossible to open; high density housing; the link between the movie Argo and tuatara; celebrating Seaweek; Tongan Morris Dancing and farewelling parts of the Avon Loop in Christchurch

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 1 March. This week ......a new insight on how nearly 50 Japanese prisoners died at Featherston 70 years ago; broadcasters, ratings and social media; remembering artist Ralph Hotere, exercise and education in the treatment of mini-strokes; the irregular art of Hundertwasser; how blue road markings affect the coastal Wellington suburb of Owhiro Bay, Sam Neill's brother tackles King Lear; how big is a scoop of icecream; Blind Sight and looking for love with help.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 22nd February. This week ......the prominence given to weather reporting in in our news media, the issue of maori water rights, we go to a CSI lab at the Wellington Forensic Service centre, the inventor of the bagless vacumn cleaner and air blade hand dryer, singer songwriter Paul Ubana Jones, an exhibition of nudes with a difference, and remebering the " music to schools" radio broadcasts.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 8 February. This week ...... .the NZ First MP Richard Prosser's opinion column in 'Investigate' magazine about Muslims attracts national and international condemnation, how the mainstream media seemed fixated on one person in particular on Waitangi Day, the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles and the law around using them in public or private spaces , An Australian Crime Commission Investigation has found widespread drug use in Australian professional sport, and a chat to the director of the latest Kiwi movie release.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 8 February. This week ...... Gareth Morgan and the media; global match-fixing in the beautiful game; the contrasts of prisons between Scandanavian countries and Aglophone ones; our most successful rugby coach Gordon Tietjens on the seven-aside game; making a living on the road with the gypsy travellers; studying human-dog play; Manawatu kuia healthy baking for their local Kaumafia Kafe; a Kiwi dancer performs for the Maldives at the Venice Biennale; we remember the impact of broadcaster Sir Paul Homes who died on 1 February; and wheelchair stunts not for the faint-hearted.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 1 February. This week ...... behind the scenes at TVNZ before the launch of it's new news show Seven Sharp; studying geology to better predict quakes on the Alpine Fault; teaching the world to read using NZ methods; an insight into the internal conflict in Mali; the man behind historygeek.co.nz; a travelling gnome on a mission to measure the differences in the Earth's gravity; celebrating the man behind McLaren motor-racing, 50 years on; Adam McGrath of the band The Eastern on making music in Christchurch; and Waiheke Island's headland: Sculpture in the Gulf exhibition

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 25 January. This week ...... having fewer natural born killers in NZ; using statistics to manage hospital patients; up close and personal in Syria; the heady world of writing for a Kiwi cop; aero-artist Melissa Pemberton on muscle memory in the air; genetic diversity in our Kiwi populations; language and human evolution; and getting away from it all - from Auckland to Matamata

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 21 December. This week ......Tuhoe's historic settlement with the Crown; The pressure on New Zealand On Air for funding to broadcasting in its various forms; In Festive mood, why is "Snapping" chocolate an indicator of its quality? A film-makers search for her lost childhood friend in Mugabe's Zimbabwe; knowing how to care for your Christmas tree (real ones that is); The UK photojournalist who was severely injured in the shelling of HOMS in Syria in February; And an unsung New Zealand singer/songwriter/entertainer who divides his performing year between the UK and New Zealand

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 14 December. This week ...... the daunting task of completing the final volume of a biography of Winston Churchill after the original author dies, using breath as a diagnostic tool, the detective working to reduce rates of recidivism among paedophiles, All Black captain Richie McCaw on putting his body on the line, does age have a smell, what to do when the Film Industry has no awards - create your own, New Zealanders working on the Hadron Collider, learning to take advantage of your height when its mostly a disadvantage to be 8 ft 6", and our oldest car driver recalls driving across the new Auckland Harbour bridge in 1959.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 7 December. This week ...... not everyone was keen on The Hobbit world premiere party, measuring and assessing innovation, expecting excellence of all students in education no matter what race they are, a world wide gathering of "Dobson's" tour ancestral South Island locations, The Christchurch Fiasco - what is going on with insurance companies post earthquakes, getting touchy feely with art and reggae star Jimmy Cliff on his spiritual life and learnings

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 23 November. This week ...... the red carpet is rolled out in Wellington for the world premier of the first of The Hobbit movies - we hear from Sir Peter Jackson as to why it had to be a trilogy, What's the kick-back for a city that hosts the Olympic Games and other big sports events, and how are small nations going to compete with the funding for elite sports that happens in richer countries? A mission to track down the families of over 100 soldiers who fought in the First World War using some old glass negatives found in an attic cupboard! The life of one of the country's earliest women aviators, and an interview with William Roache who'se about to enter his fifty-third year playing Coronation Street's Ken Barlow

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 23 November. This week ...... media scandals and their reputations at risk, learning self control and fighting impulsive behaviours, a resthome with no fees and no regulations, the children's book The Little Yellow Digger turns 20, fashion designer Lindah Lepou, what keeps Blondie's Debbie Harry on the stage and Lord of the Rings and Spartacus star Craig Parker talks about fantasy, nudity and fox-fur.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 16th November. This week ...... the Prime Minister faces questions about his conduct after the media seized on two recent off-the-cuff comments, a new product called 'night milk' is being trialled to see if it helps insomniacs sleep better, New Zealanders spend about $100 million on apples every year and they're a huge export earner so finding out what consumers like and don't like and breeding those varieties is seriously big business, why tone-deaf folk find it hard to distinguish vocal emotions, and we hear from former Beatle Ringo and his All Starr band whard of a tour downunder next year.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 9 November. This week ... we hear how the Family Court has changed since opening up to the public, Aussie swimming star - the "Thorpedo" Ian Thorpe on his uniqueness, questioning arts funding in our news, a new acting programme in Auckland looks for next year's intake, the often over-looked bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, self defence for young girls, and a rather musical lineup - Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive talks about touring to NZ and meeting Les Paul for the first time, Rikki Morris on his brother Ian, and Barry Gibb on being the last Bee Gee.

Highlights from Radio New Zealand National's programmes for the week ending Friday 2nd November. This week ... A tragic killing which kick-started a campaign to change the law....... why Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf is being prepared for re-release seventy years after publication of the book was banned....Third generation auctioneer Dunbar Sloane talks about unearthing hidden treasures, and how the country's oldest auction house has evolved......a book which gives advice to people thinking about investing in art.....why does freshly brewed coffee never quite tastes as good as it smells? And a book which reveals secrets and insights into Tolkeins 'The Hobbit', which the author hopes everyone will fall in love with again when the new movie arrives.