We also had an awesome chat with Diana about the German Film Festival. Yen and I often talk about the glut of Film Festivals in our fair City- but there are so many interesting, important events running alongside this one- it’s a real stand out. Next week will mark the 20th anniversary since the Berlin Wall came down. Reunification has left a whole lot of powerful, compelling stories to be told (as anyone who’s seen The Lives of Others is sure to agree!) and the German Film Festival is a sure to be a hit. I’m just about to hit the opening now, can’t wait to see a couple of the films Diana mentioned.

This week is also Foster Care Awareness Week. There are some fairly amazing people out there who dedicate their lives to looking after kids who haven’t been treated right. It’s really a chance to say a big thanks Foster Families but in an awesome, positive spin- Child Youth and Family have also held an award ceremony for exceptional young people as part of the celebrations. We caught up with Debbie to find out more.

A charity raffle with a difference!

02:05 Diana about New Zealand's first German Film Festival
18:35 Debbie about Foster Care Awareness Week
29:14 Brook from Men in the City

First, we had award-winning local artist Jane Kellahan talk about an auction event coming up just over the weekend, Molly from Refugee Services tell us about organising a jazz fundraising event for refugees and Sally from Her Business Network who was just brimming with passion about fostering local women entrepreneurs.

It is truly a reflection of the many creative, multi-tasking, bustlingly busy women who live in Wellington. In fact, if you know of one whom you think particularly deserving, quickly scroll to 26:34 to find out how you can nominate her for the Wellington Women in Business Awards!

2:36 Jane Kellahan
14:30 Molly from Refugee Services
26:34 Sally, Her Business Network

In this podcast Ken Duncum, winner of the NZ Post Mansfield Literary Prize, Kirsty from City Gallery on the Yayoi Kusama Mirrored Years Exhibit, plus an interview with Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie about Biography of my Skin.

Yayoi Kusama

Dave from Community Zone Thursday catches up with the one and only Captain Imon Star from Olmecha Supreme. It's a family affair with his two wee kids!

Captain Imon Star

Yenping was scribe and I now have four pages of hastily scribbled notes about my past and future. I’ll be wildly successful by 23 and won’t want for a thing past 27. Ace! Mum will also be pleased to note I may well become a famed hostess and/ or extremely shrewd with my money.

While fortune telling isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it was definitely interesting to see what my palm lines said about my personality. Independent, tick. Sensitive, tick. Loves the underdog, tick. Spirited, eclectic, broadminded- tick, tick, tick. It was wonderfully indulgent to spend an hour hearing someone say nice things about me. Julian comes highly recommended (from me) for people who have never had exposure to anything mystical. He’s great fun, knows heaps of Oscar Wilde quotes and only expects a koha for his work. Go on… Everyone wants to hear they’ve got one true love right?

Also on the programme were two fine young men from the Air Training Corp, the creative forces behind Fiesta sa Wellington and Lachlan popped back for a World March for Peace debrief.

1.55 Anita and Steve from Fiesta sa Wellington
11.10 Ben and Sam from ATC
19.02 Palm reading explained with Julian
33.35 Lachlan from World March for Peace

Or so I thought until a couple of weeks ago- when suddenly everyone started organising and attending events about Climate Change. It was awesome to catch up with Lizzie and Ruby- they’re part of an umbrella organisation which is a collective environmental of student groups at Victoria University. Proving students still have a heart and rebellious fighting spirit, they’ve organised huge marches under their new brand- 10- 20% Pure NZ.

It was also the two year anniversary of the State Terror Raids- Explosive Expression is an incredible, commemorative exhibition- over 60 NZ artists have come on board to help support those grassroots activists who were labelled as terrorists. Robin popped in to tell us more about creative resistance.

Also in was Tony from the Italian Film Festival and Sylvia who’s organising a unique Belly Dancing fundraising event.

350 kiwis form a human kiwi on Global Day of Action for Climate Change

00.05 Robin about Explosive Expression
13.30 Lizzie and Ruby talk student activism
20.00 Robert from the Italian Film Festival
31.35 Sylvia and Belly Dancing

I must mention a special highlight from our show on 6th October 2009, where we found out about the current search for New Zealand's favourite recipe. We learnt about a very healthy muffin recipe, which came with a hilarious rap composition. Check out the summer ragga-muffin rap song

On our show on 29/09/2009, we met with retiring composer Jack Body who spoke about Gong Crazy, chatted about Latin American cinema with Armando from Oye Latino and talked about Pirate of the Sea with Lisa from Sea Shepherd.

6/10/2009 show

On our show on 6/10/2009, we spoke with Kate about Phil Grabsky's classical music docos, Bridgetta from Eugene Onegin and Kathy about the search for New Zealand's favourite recipe.

And then, we had live jazz again, which always gets us excited.  Blackbird, a local jazz trio, was so amazing with their saxophone and guitar combo, the guys listening to the show outside of our studio exclaimed with admiration.  If you like tear-jerking classics like 'What a Wonderful World', you'll really have to catch this segment.  I can't wait for the world to discover how wonderful Blackbird is, really.

1:40 Death by Chocolate

11:36 Blackbird