Music

Performances, interviews, and docos across Aotearoa's rich musical landscape.

Music series and films

Michal Bush, in all pink, plays a guitar in her music room. The text above reads: "Music with Michal."

Music with Michal

New episode
Learn Music with Michal -- sing, dance, laugh, and play.
5 episodes
9m
Against a black background, a group of opera singers sing. The green text reads: "Toiere."

Toiere

Toiere reimagines opera through the lense of Aotearoa's rich cultural tapestry.
Film
1h 21m
Six seperate images arranged in two rows of three, content of the photos include, a man playing a trumpet, graffiti, a group shot of four men. Text across the middle reads, "Marauders".

MARAUDERS

Glorious handycam footage from the Fat Freddy's Drop 2003 debut European tour.
4 seasons/28 episodes
9m
A man standing with his arms crossed looking at the camera, he has visible tattoos on both forearms. He's highlighted with a blue light. Text reads, "NZ Hip Hop Stand Up" in neon green and pink.

NZ Hip Hop Stand Up

The stories behind some of the most influential tracks in Aotearoa hip hop.
2 seasons/14 episodes
9m
Three figures from different original images have been edited so that they're all standing next to each other and are of varying sizes. All three people are in the midst of performing. The background in a flat bright red colour. Text in the style of graffiti reads, "The Collective". A spray painted illustration of a crown appears above the 'e' in 'Collective'.

The Collective

Six young musicians on a powerful journey of self-discovery.
8 episodes
16m
Person on purple background resting their head in their hand. Only their head and chest is visible. Purple text along bottom of image reads, "AMPLIFIED".

Amplified

Spotlights artists who use music to embrace and explore their cultural roots.
5 episodes
15m
The back of a woman walking down a path, she's wearing white pants and a silver shiny top with silver tassels coming off the back and arms. Her arms are outstretched. Text reads, "Inside Splore".

Inside Splore

We meet five local acts as they take centre stage at Splore Festival.
5 episodes
5m
Two people holding microphones and singing into them, another person stands behind playing a keyboard piano. The scene is lit with a purple hued light. Text reads, "The Barber Shop Sessions".

The Barber Shop Sessions

Celebrating waiata Māori & the talented new wave of grassroots musical artists.
6 episodes
6m
The side profile of a man holding a guitar with a microphone on a stand in front of him. Text reads, "Legacy: Katchafire" and has a boarder around the perimeter of the frame.

Katchafire: Legacy

Katchafire's journey through creative differences & a changing music landscape.
Film
53m
A bagpipe band stand in a field ready to perform. The text reads: "12,000 Miles from NZ to the Green."

12,000 Miles

Follow the Kiwis taking on the world at the World Pipe Band Champs in Scotland.
3 episodes
36m
A person sitting on a stool, they're looking down. The image has been edited so that there's a strong orange toned light covering the image, obscuring the figures face. The text reads, "The Outliers".

The Outliers

Youth from minority communities who are standing out from their peers.
24 episodes
7m
Side profile of a persons face, silhouetted against a setting sun out of frame. Text reads, "Imposter".

Imposter

Māori musicians growing in their confidence, music, culture, and identity.
5 episodes
9m

More to watch

If you are interested in Music you might also want to check out some of our other series and films.

  • Tamariki6

    Series for children, featuring some very well-known New Zealanders.

    Michal Bush, in all pink, plays a guitar in her music room. The text above reads: "Music with Michal."
    A yellow graphic with two blue penguins dancing. Below them is the text: "Bigsies and Littles."
    In an animated graphic, the top of a man's face is seen in front of fence, above which are a collection of native New Zealand birds. In the middle of the image, in the middle of the birds, is the text: "BIRD'S EYE VIEW 2."

  • Hidden gems10

    A collection of some of the best bits you might have missed on RNZ Video.

    One young woman sits on another who is in a wheelchair in a zany candid moment. Text reads "This is Wheel Life with Soph and Indy"
    Whitney Steel & Nathan Taare sit at a table and smell samples of a perfume. White text below them reads: "JOURNEY OF SCENT."
    Eight seperate images edited into two rows of four, each showing different images of people and art. Text reads, "Marauders".

  • Comedy12

    Docos and drama with a healthy dose of humour.

    A man looking into the camera with his mouth slightly open. His left eye is bugged out in a comically over the top way. Text reads, "A Place Called Te Awamutu".
    Piripi is wearing a shirt and a cap and looks into the camera smiling. He is leaning against the side of a vehicle. Text reads, "Oe, The Adventures of of Piripi Kaiwaru AKA Phillip! Narrated by his Mother" There is a small illustration of a truck under the text, as well as illustrations of deer horns and a kangaroo.
    Against a yellow-and-orange background, the cyan-coloured text reads: "the All Goods Race."

  • New in 202533

    New series and films as well as the latest from our ongoing shows.

    Michal Bush, in all pink, plays a guitar in her music room. The text above reads: "Music with Michal."
    A yellow graphic with two blue penguins dancing. Below them is the text: "Bigsies and Littles."
    On a dark-brown background, the light-brown text reads: "MATA REPORTS."
Young man with soot on his face looking into the camera, in his left hand he's holding a Patu (weapon). Text reads, "NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana".
An animated graphic of green trees and leaves in a forest, along with a red flower. The text in front reads "What Will I Be Today?"
A large group of smiling young performers in traditional Polynesian attire pose together outdoors. They wear orange and yellow garments, necklaces made of white spikes, and have black markings on their faces. Above them, on a yellow banner, bold black text reads “SEVEN WEEKS,” with the subtitle “JOURNEY TO POLYFEST” in italics.
A mixed crowd with people standing among police officers wearing helmets and masks. The image has a black background with the white title 'Boiling Point, March 2nd'.
A close up of a video game controller, the lighting makes it look slightly pink and blue. Text reads, "Game Change".
In an animated graphic, the top of a man's face is seen in front of fence, above which are a collection of native New Zealand birds. In the middle of the image, in the middle of the birds, is the text: "BIRD'S EYE VIEW 2."
Dark purple background with text, "Art Stories in Aotearoa".
A man is wearing a suit and tie and smiling at the camera with his head slightly tilted to the left. He has a thick moustache, behind him the room is dark but seems to be an office. Text reads, "The Citizen's Handbook" in light pink.
A group of penguins walk in a line along the Antarctic ice. At the top of the image, the text reads: "ANTARCTICA IN A WARMING WORLD."
Troy Kingi wearing a traditional red poncho sits in the rocky Californian desert beneath a light blue sky. The text reads "Troy Kingi's Desert Hīkoi"
A person sitting on a stool, they're looking down. The image has been edited so that there's a strong orange toned light covering the image, obscuring the figures face. The text reads, "The Outliers".
A blue graphic with a collection of drawings of items including a flag, a guitar, a dog, and skiis. The yellow text reads: "SIGHT UNSEEN."
Host Guyon Espiner standing and looking at the camera, with a background composed of sliced images. To his right, the title reads 'GUYON ESPINER: WASTED'.
A white pick-up truck drives up a winding country road, surrounded by dry New Zealand farmland. The text reads "The Turning Point"
A group of people performing a haka outside amongst the trees. The person at the front is in focus and doing a pukana. Text reads, "NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka".
A man with their back towards the camera, they're looking on onto an ocean. The image is in grey scale. Text reads, "The Art of War".
Text reads, "Treaty Talks Aotearoa, Hosted by Kara Rickard". Surrounding the text is an image of a version of the Coat of Arms, the 'Crown' figure is holding a Māori flag.
In a graphic made up of differently coloured brown tiles, the two main hosts of Whakamāori season three pose. Behind them is text reading: "WHAKAMĀORI."
A hillside is draped with a large Māori flag, on the ridge line stands a single figure and another Māori flag. Text in a painted font reads "Ake Ake Ake"
Whitney Steel & Nathan Taare sit at a table and smell samples of a perfume. White text below them reads: "JOURNEY OF SCENT."
A sepia toned photograph laying on a table. The photograph is of a man looking over his shoulder at the camera, he is wearing headphones and sitting in from of a switch board. Text reads, "Coast Watchers Operation Pacific".
A sand dune with the ocean behind it in a cove, everything shadowy and violet in the twilight. The text reads "Whitiki! Whītī! Whītī! E!"
A Muslim man in a blue shirt stands in a mosque. The text reads "This Is Us"
Six people standing in a row wearing indoor netball bibs. The person in the centre is holding a netball and smiling that the camera, everyone else looks curious or fed up. Text reads, "Here If You Need".