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Otago Daily Times
06-08-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
New show to explore Pacific voices, culture
Iree Chow hosts Pacifically Speaking on OAR FM. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Pacific communities in Dunedin can expect to hear more of their own stories on-air and online, thanks to the efforts of local woman Iree Chow. Ms Chow launches her radio show and podcast Pacifically Speaking on OAR FM today. A "proud Chuukese" from the Federated States of Micronesia and Chinese Solomon Islander, she relocated to Dunedin with her husband in 2023. After contributing to the radio station's coverage of Solomon Islands Language Week last year, Ms Chow saw the opportunity to develop a show that considered the wider experience of communities of Pacific people in Dunedin. "I really hope we can explore the vibrant diversity of the Pacific through personal narratives, cultural insights and conversations that uplift Pacific voices. "I'm really excited to platform some of communities we often don't get to hear from, across Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. They have such powerful stories," Ms Chow said. She hopes the programme will appeal to anyone wishing to learn about other cultures, including those with a shared experience of relocating to Dunedin from other countries. Pacifically Speaking is broadcast on Thursdays at 9am on 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from and other major platforms. A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at By Jeff Harford, Community liaison, OAR FM
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
World travels shared in podcast
"That Blind Woman" Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin host The World in 360 Minutes on OAR FM. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Though Julie Woods and husband Ron Esplin have seen the world through different eyes, they bring a shared vision to a new radio show and podcast series on OAR FM. The World in 360 Minutes is a 36-part exploration of the couple's globetrotting adventures. Each group of 10-minute episodes in the series is connected through a common theme, starting with "Around the World in 80 Minutes", which focuses on Ron's eight decades of international travel. By the age of 10, Ron had been around the world one and a-half times by ship, crossing the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. By age 80, the tally of countries Ron has visited is 80, many with Julie, who is blind, as his travel companion. Travelling by land, sea and air, Ron recorded his impressions of the sights he saw through watercolour paintings, some of which feature in the couple's recently published book Around the World in 80 Years. Julie's travel tales are informed by sound, smell, touch and taste. Her plan is to have brought her own tourist tally to 60 countries before her 60th birthday in January, 2026. The radio and podcast series features the pair in lively conversation about their experiences. The World in 360 Minutes airs on Saturdays at 10am on 105.4FM and 1575AM. Podcasts are available from and other major platforms. A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at By Jeff Harford, Community liaison, OAR FM
