The Country Life team take you all over the motu to hear the extraordinary stories of every day rural New Zealand.
Latest episodes
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50 min
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 23 October 2026
Country Life hops in the cab of a stock truck moving cattle, joins a crew planting a food forest in Canterbury and takes a tour of the country's largest wool scouring factory.You c…
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18 min
Ride along: Ninety years helping drive Hawke's Bay's economy
Gianina takes a drive through remote parts of Hawke's Bay with Stephenson Transport, a multi-generation family run business still going strong. You can find photos and read more ab…
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16 min
Future-focussed food forests
A supermarket in forest form - Anisha joins researchers at Lincoln University to see how fruits, veggies and medicinal plants can coexist in a food forest. You can find photos and…
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8 min
Fleeces fly again at Napier's WoolWorks
After devastating cyclone damage, WoolWorks' Napier plant is humming again, transforming fleece from hill country shearing sheds into the clean, dry, pressed, product ready for car…
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7 min
Rural News Wrap for 23 October 2026
A wrap of news from RNZ's rural newsdesk. You can find more from RNZ's rural news team, here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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51 min
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 16 October 2026
Country Life checks in with the Electoral Commission about rural voting enrolments and turnout, gets stuck into a spring tidy of Gianina's garden, and visits pubs around the lower…
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20 min
What it takes to run a country pub
How are pubs across the central South Island faring in 2026 - and what do their futures look like?You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage…
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15 min
Garden Diaries: Spring has sprung
The warmer weather means it's time to turn my attention back to the garden, bringing in the crops ready for harvest and preparing my seedlings for the coming season too. You can fi…
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8 min
The state of the rural vote
Electoral Commision chief executive Karl Le Quesne chats about rural voters, and how they can turn out to the polls in October.You can find photos and read more about the stories i…
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6 min
Rural News Wrap for 16 October 2026
A wrap of news from RNZ's rural newsdesk.You can find more from RNZ's rural news team, here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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49 min
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 9 October 2026
Country Life meets a New Zealander looking after rescue bears in rural Germany and visits an orchid farm in Taranaki.You can find photos and read more about the stories in this epi…
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13 min
An eye for an orchid
Eric Lander has grown cymbidium orchids for nearly half a century. His blooms can be found in vases from Dubai to New York, carefully bred and nurtured from large greenhouses on an…
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19 min
From the Archives: Striding out on Te Aratipi Station
Set on the coast of Hawke's Bay, Te Aratipi Station offers walkers on the farm views across the bay, from the Māhia Peninsula right around to Mt Ruapehu on a clear day. You can fin…
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8 min
The Kiwi among bears in Bavaria
John Pickard chats to Country Life from the German countryside where the New Zealander has an unusual job helping rescued bears learn to hibernate and regain some of their freedom.…
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7 min
Rural News Wrap for 9 October 2026
A wrap of news from RNZ's rural newsdesk.You can find more from RNZ's rural news team, here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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49 min
FULL SHOW: Country Life for 2 October 2026
This week Country Life gets some tips for the coming season from drought-hardened farmers, meets a flower grower turning blooms into bouquets and balms and heads to the Clash of th…
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18 min
Lessons from the dry years as El Niño gathers force
As farmers prepare for the impacts of the intense El Niño weather pattern, drought veterans, younger farmers and rural support specialists compare plans, share hard-earned lessons…
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13 min
A clash-course in agriculture
Motorbikes, fencing and gumboot throwing - the Canterbury Clash of the Colleges has it all. You can find photos and read more about the stories in this episode on our webpage, here…
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7 min
The Potion Room: 'Therapeutic flowers'
A Nūhaka teacher turns flowers and plants grown in her garden into budget bouquets, balms and healing treatments in her at home Potion Room. You can find photos and read more about…
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8 min
Rural News Wrap for 2 October 2026
A wrap of news from RNZ's rural newsdesk.You can find more from RNZ's rural news team, here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details