Episodes
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Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest and largest fraternal societies. It is an organisation of men who strive to live by the fundamental principles of integrity, goodwill and charity. It is a non-profit organisation that is heavily involved in supporting charity and community service. Some people hold the preconceived notion that the Freemasons are an underground cult, like the Stonecutters in The Simpsons, but in fact, the very opposite is true. Freemasonry is inclusive and open to all. WTS producer Gary Farrow had a chat with two Freemasons about their experiences of the society.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Renters United has collaborated with the Lawrence & Gibson publishing collective to produce thousands of copies of the great New Zealand novel Rat King Landlord to share across the country for absolutely free. Go Eco in Kirikiriroa Hamilton will be holding a launch event, and author Murdoch Stephens agreed to speak to us on WTS via Zoom.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
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It’s robot fighting time! Tronbots is Kirikiriroa Hamilton’s very own robots fighting club. On Thursday evenings, they get together at the University of Waikato School of Engineering, for some quality mechanical carnage. Tronbots takes every child's loves of robots and introduces real engineering processes. WTS went to talk to Shannan McPeak, the Tronbots organiser.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
We hear from Patricia Rocha, the owner of Dog Minds NZ, a dog training and owner coaching service based in Kirikiriroa Hamilton. Patricia also hosts the Boozehounds Society educational sessions at her local, Breweaucracy in Te Rapa, on the second Wednesday of each month.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
At the end of pool season, it’s time for the Ngaruawahia Pound Pups Pool Party! Ahead of the event on Saturday the 1st of April, WTS producer Gary Farrow spoke with Zoey Jackson and Tracey Oakes, who work in various roles at Waikato District Council animal control. They brought an adorable little pup along to the interview too.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Award-winning poet and University of Waikato senior lecturer Dr Tracey Slaughter has spent the last nine months reviewing more than 1000 poems for this year’s Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2023: After-burn. WTS producer Gary Farrow visited her at the university to hear about the annual anthology.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Know Your Stuff is a community organisation of volunteers. They are part of Aotearoa’s legal and publicly-funded drug checking programme, to reduce drug-related harm in a non-judgmental way. Emma Carroll is the Waikato regional lead for Know Your Stuff, and she joined producer Gary Farrow on WTS to discuss what the organisation does.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
The Refugee Orientation Centre Trust was opened in Kirikiriroa in 2005, by former refugees for former refugees. To talk about it, Sandya Rajapakshe joins WTS producer Gary Farrow for this episode.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Waikato arborist Pete Assen climbs and prunes trees in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. He's had plenty of work following two cyclones. In this episode, Pete speaks about his years in the trade, and why he's still doing it
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Come fly the friendly skies with the Hamilton Model Aero Club. WTS producer Gary Farrow joined them at their airstrip in the south of Hamilton, and found what a supportive social group it is, as well as enabling the fun hobby of flying safely and freely with radio control planes.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Badminton is a sport on the uptick in the Waikato. WTS producer Gary Farrow went to the Cambridge Badminton Stadium to meet club president Graeme Shaw.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
The New Zealand Christian Community for Meditation held a silent retreat in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, specifically at the Lady Goodfellow Chapel at Waikato University. WTS producer Gary Farrow met with Katherine Houston from the World Christian Community for Meditation at the chapel, to learn more.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior assembled for its annual conference in Rotorua for 2023. A public event was also held called VolcanoFest, where people could meet volcanologists, ask questions, and learn more about what’s going on in the earth under our feet. WTS producer Gary Farrow went along to meet the experts.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
The Hamilton Inline Hockey Club is very unassuming from the outside, but as soon as you walk in, you find it is an international standard inline hockey court. But what they do stretches well beyond hockey. WTS producer Gary Farrow paid the club a visit to meet with president Jan Botha, and to hear about what makes the operation tick, as well as the challenges it faces.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Our backyards are battlefields. Weaponised weevils, shield bugs, and stag beetles are constantly waging war in the quest to reproduce. These invertebrates and many more are of interest to Dr Chrissie Painting, a senior lecturer at the University of Waikato. She joins us on WTS to talk about battles among our local bugs.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Have you ever thought of trying stilt walking in public? The Free Lunch Street Theatre Company started right here in the Waikato in 1999. Among the performances that Free Lunch provides, is stilt walking. They’re in high demand post-Covid, and I had a chat about the art with Free Lunch managing director Sandra Jensen.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Whizz Bang Science brings science to life in exciting shows & hands on activities for kids and those curious at heart. The show currently doing the rounds is called the Unbelieve-a-bubble Show, providing a fun, interactive science experience to help with STEAM learning. Whizz Bang Science is based right here in the Waikato – in Putaruru, to be exact. Its owner, Emma Lucas, joins us on WTS.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
The Mexican Day of the Dead occurs in early November each year, and an event was held to commemorate it in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, run by a group of Mexican people from the community. They created an outstanding altar at the Earth Diverse centre, and brought food, music, and knowledge together. Two women who organised the event spoke to WTS, to tell us all about the Day of the Dead.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
Mike Bain is a Te Awamutu resident who was involved in a cycling accident in July 2022, through no fault of his own. It was a close brush with death. Nearly four months later, Mike’s been through hospital, numerous operations, rehab – and he’s still only at the beginning of his journey to recovery. He joins WTS producer Gary Farrow to share his experience and his road safety philosophy.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. -
It's fireworks season, and in this episode of WTS, we hear from Cathy Balvert at Morrinsville i-Site about how the big Morrinsville Fireworks Extravaganza is carried out safely. Donna Young from New Lives Animal Rescue also gives a perspective on how we can help our animals, in what can be a scary time for them.
Telling the hyperlocal, controversial and quirky stories of the Waikato region under the new normal. - Montre plus
