Shepherdess magazine and RNZ collaborate on new podcast Far From Town

In the new six-episode podcast Far From Town, Arpége Taratoa-Rangikura (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rārua) talks with women at the end of windy gravel roads and up remote valleys, sharing warm, intimate stories of real life in rural Aotearoa.

Each episode focuses on one woman, delving into her backstory and talking about the challenges and aspirations of life far from the bustle of town. The podcast showcases their similarities and differences, and some of the universal experiences held by those choosing a rural life.

Shepherdess magazine publisher and Editor-in-Chief Kristy McGregor says Far From Town has been an exciting collaboration with RNZ, and a way to share stories of rural life in a new format.

“Podcasting allows us to share and hear people’s stories in their own voices. The episodes feel like hearing a conversation between friends; intimate, humorous, relatable and heartfelt. The beautiful thing about the stories we have gathered for the series is the depth and openness of the women we visited. And while they are all very different, threads of shared themes – grief, joy, resilience – emerge over the series.

“We hope these stories feel familiar to women living rurally — that they might hear something of themselves, their neighbours or their friends in the episodes. They also offer listeners from cities and towns an insight into the day-to-day lives of women living in rural and remote places around the motu.”

Far From Town was made by the team from Shepherdess magazine in collaboration with RNZ. Episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays from 11 March at rnz.co.nz/farfromtown and on podcast platforms, and broadcast on RNZ National on Sundays from 15 March after the 7am news.