Summer Weekends Podcast Options

8:25 AM.The Predator Free New Zealand campaign is now a few weeks old. Few would disagree with the idea, especially with so many endemic species under threat from a long list of introduced predators. But can… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.The radical muslim cleric Abu Hamza who masterminded the kidnapping of a New Zealander and 15 other tourists in Yemen in 1998 has been sentenced to life in prison. Audio

8:11 AM.Two brothers suspected of killing 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris have been shot dead after a dramatic siege north of Paris. A police source said at least four other hostages… Read more Audio

11:45 AM.Pecha Kucha events involve short, power point presentations by speakers with all kinds of stories to share. You don't need to be famous, just interesting and succinct. Christchurch teacher Regan… Read more Audio

11:30 AM.Richard Parsons is considered to be one of the pioneers of eco-tourism in Ecuador. Back in 1991 he and his wife Gloria set up the Bellavista Lodge Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge, two hours north of the… Read more Audio

11:07 AM.Animal behaviourist Dr Elsa Flint explains why dogs become so anxious when their owners are away, especially at this time of year when they can be separated for some time. Elsa runs Animals with… Read more Audio

10:52 AM.New Knights and Dames tend to get most of the media coverage when the New Year's Honours list is published. But we've gone to the pages nearer the end of the release to find someone who has… Read more Audio

10:30 AM.Sam Manzanza is a Congolese musician who has been playing gigs in New Zealand since the eighties, and fronts Sam Manzanza's Afrobeat Band. His jazz trained son Myele has played with many, many groups… Read more Audio

10:07 AM.Getting Council consents for renovations or a new building can be one of the most harrowing and frustrating parts of the project. We talk to two people with cautionary tales before finding out how… Read more Audio

9:35 AM.Who are sports officials, why do they do it, what makes a good one and how can they stand all that flack? Lynn Freeman talks to Rugby Union referee and former Black Fern Nicky Inwood, Netball New… Read more Audio

9:07 AM.Previously on The Weekend we looked at the future for the New Zealand film Industry. This time it's the turn of New Zealand documentary makers. We talk to two of the best in this difficult business -… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Tauranga is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, with big pressure on housing. This is just one of many issues facing the region this year and beyond. Radio New Zealand's Tauranga reporter… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.The place of women in STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - has received a lot of media coverage in the past couple of years. A 2011 report by the New Zealand Association of Women… Read more Audio

11:48 AM.Archaeologist Mary O'Keeffe has unearthed some surprising clues to our country's pre-colonial history while working on Kapiti's MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway project. Audio

11:47 AM.Audio geek Shaun D Wilson recommends some of his favourite podcasts. Shaun's picks are Radio Lab, Sunday Night Safran, John Safran's True Crime, Serial, and The Witching Hours. Read more Audio

11:35 AM.Parque Condor is a bird sanctuary and rescue centre perched on a hill high above Otavalo, Ecuador. It is home to raptors, owls, eagles and vultures and some of the country's endangered condors. The… Read more Audio

11:07 AM.Going on holiday can mean cramming in so much that you dash from one tourist hotspot to another, without really getting a feeling for the country you're in. Going on a walking holiday gives you time… Read more Audio

10:25 AM.Suzanne and Andy Lynch are a mother and son who have made their mark musically. Suzanne first with her sister Judy in their duo The Chicks, then as a solo performer. She has performed on numerous… Read more Audio

10:07 AM.Kai o Te Aro in Wellington is a great example of a community garden. Built on the site of an old University carpark, it's been transformed into a productive garden which feeds the community and… Read more Audio

9:35 AM.Good fences make good neighbours, as the saying goes. Fences are one of the issues most likely to cause friction between neighbours. Lynn Freeman walks around a suburban property with six neighbours… Read more Audio

9:10 AM.In the first of a three part health series that will go on to include a look at food and environmental allergies, The Weekend investigates coeliac disease. Ceoliac disease affects approximately one in… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Housing, employment, tourism, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and the dairy downturn - each region has its own story to tell. Radio New Zealand's long-time Northland reporter Lois Williams, and Lynn… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.Since 2003 Daniel Franklin, the Executive Editor of The Economist, has stuck his neck out to predict the big trends and events internationally for the magazine's annual publication, The World in… Read more Audio

11:35 AM.Unlike many other sanctuaries in Ecuador, fee paying tourists aren't invited to the remote Merazonia Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, but volunteers who cover food costs for themselves and the… Read more Audio

11:07 AM.Lynn Freeman learns first hand what's involved with fostering kittens for the SPCA and manages to break several of the cardinal rules within the first week. She's joined by her foster buddy Lisa… Read more Audio