On the Air - Mā runga iarere

12:15 Mercia Dawn-Yates on Matariki drone show

Kara and Mark kick off the special with a kōrero with Mercia Dawn-Yates.

As part of Matariki celebrations the aronui arts festival is putting on a drone light, the show in Rotorua it blends cutting-edge technology with te ao Māori storytelling, lighting up the night sky with a uniquely Rotorua vision of the Māori New Year.

A respected figure associated with Māori performing arts and cultural advocacy, Dawn-Yates is renowned for her mahi in the spheres of community empowerment and indigenous storytelling.

12:40 What is a planetarium? with Ben Bradford

Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, next too Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill in Auckland, is a beloved public astronomy centre.

The observatory opened in 1967, with the planetarium added in 1997.

Featuring New Zealand’s most advanced 11m digital dome theatre, hands-on galleries weaving Western science and Māori mātauranga and evening telescope viewings beneath the Southern skies.

Kara and Mark have a kōrero with Stardome’s Head of Programming about the astronomy centre’s history.

13:10 Cooking hāngī and much more with chef Kia Kanuta

Kara and Mark catch up with Auckland’s Most Outstanding Chef.

Kanuta began as a dishwasher at the Avondale RSA. 20 years later, he’s Tāmaki Makaurau’s ‘Outstanding Chef’, having won the title at the 2024 Lewisham Awards.

Kanuta is the head chef Grey Lynn’s Ada Restaurant. He champions Māori ingredients, innovative hāngī techniques and mentors an empathetic kitchen culture.

13:40 Dave Dobbyn: A magic Matariki performance

Kara and Mark listen back to a special performance by Dave Dobbyn recorded in 2022.

Accompanied by long time drummer and friend Ross Burge, Dave delivers a magical performance from his amazing catalogue of songs including ‘It Dawned on Me, Kingdom Come’ and his first live rendition of ‘Standing on the Outside’ for over 20 years.

14:10 Olympic sailor Blair Tuke on protecting the oceans

Blair Tuke is an Olympic and America’s Cup champion sailor.

Tuke is the co‑founder of the Live Ocean conservation charity and Live Ocean Racing, using his significant sailing platform to champion marine science, support seabird and kelp restoration, advocate for expanded marine reserves (like in the Hauraki Gulf) and raise awareness of invasive species and ocean health.

14:35 DMC World Champion: DJ Spell

DJ Spell is a DMC World Champion beatmaker from Aotearoa. He is known for his sharp sampling skills and genre-bending approach on the turntables.

He captivates live audiences with raw, hardware-based sets built around the SP-404 drum machine.

15:10 Dark Side of the Moon designer Aubrey Powell on iconic album art

Kara and Mark have a kōrero with Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell, the co-founder of the iconic design group Hipgnosis.

The group are responsible for the prism cover for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. They’ve also collaborated with names such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Paul McCartney.

Through his ongoing mahi and collaborations in the realm of live visual storytelling, Powell has brought immersive planetarium experiences to life, including The Dark Side of the Moon’s 50th anniversary dome show.

15:35 Geneva AM on her debut album Pikipiki

Kara and Mark have a kōrero with Geneva Alexander-Marsters, AKA Geneva AM, award-winning producer, vocalist, beatmaker and billingual songwriter of Ngāti Kahungunu Aitutaki heritage.

The singer also premieres waiata ‘Toitū Te Tiriti’ (featuring the Ngā Whetu Ensemble) off her forthcoming album, Pikipiki.

To celebrate the release of Alexander-Marsters’ new single ‘Urban Planning’, she played a show at Auckland’s Goblin Bar to coincide with Matariki.

16:10 Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Ruban Nielson on new EP Curse

Kara and Mark catch up with Ruban Nielson, the frontman of psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

The band has just released EP Curse, a six-track exploration of ’70s-’80s Italian horror-inspired psychedelia featuring lead single ‘BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES’.

16:25 DJ and ‘Minister of Vibes’ Gene Rivers

Gene Rivers is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based DJ, community music programmer and Auckland Council Arts and Culture programmer.

Rivers curated Stardome’s 2025 Matariki event, Matariki on the Move, blending contemporary Māori music and DJ sets as part of the city’s celebration.

Gene joins Kara and Mark with some bangers in his kete.

Songs Played: 

12pm-1pm

• The Circling Sun – Mizu

• Beastie Boys – Intergalactic

• He Waka Kōtuia – Huia Te Aroha

• Mara TK – Moon Song

• David Bowie – Moonage Daydream

• Clear Path Ensemble – Black Sand

1pm-2pm

• The Circling Sun – Constellation

• Rose Royce – Wishing on a Star

• Dam Native – Behold My Kool Style
• Che Fu – Hoodies
• Prince Tui Teka – Mum
• Idris Muhammed – Could Heaven Ever Be Like This
• DJ Spell – Spells Theme

2pm-3pm

• Sly Stone – Everybody Is A Star
• Shapeshifter – One
• The Who – Who Are You
• Micronism – Rainbow City

3pm-4pm

• Pink Floyd – Any Colour You Like [Instrumental]

• AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

• Geneva AM – Urban Planning

• Geneva AM – Toitū Te Tiriti (feat. Ngā Whetu Ensemble)

• Bob James – Take Me to the Mardi Gras

4pm-5pm

• Unknown Mortal Orchestra – BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES

• Unknown Mortal Orchestra – DEATH COMES FROM THE SKY

DJ Gene Rivers’ Selection

• Shapeshifter (feat. Ladi6) – Move With Me
• @peace – Gravity
• VoltageCtrlRtv – Flame Language
• Electric Wire Hustle – Buy Some Land, Put A House On It
• Nightmares On Wax – Stars