Best of Storytime

Best of Storytime comes from Radio New Zealand and offers something you won't find in most English-language kids' podcasts: stories and songs rooted in Aotearoa -- New Zealand's own literary and cultural traditions. The show collects the best entries from RNZ's broader Storytime library, featuring professional narration by voice actors like Matt Whelan, Calvin Tuteao, Helen Pearse Otene, and Jasmine Wiki. Episodes are short, typically 5 to 15 minutes, and cover a surprising range of tones and topics. You might hear a whimsical tale about Oscar the cat one day and a more emotionally complex story about loss aimed at older children the next. What sets this podcast apart is the bilingual dimension. Many episodes incorporate te reo Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, weaving it naturally into the storytelling rather than treating it as a separate educational segment. For families outside New Zealand, it's a genuinely refreshing change from the North American perspective that dominates kids' audio. The stories introduce children to kauri trees, kereru birds, traditional kites, and other elements of New Zealand culture that most young listeners have never encountered. The show ran from 2019 to 2023 with 133 episodes, so the catalog is complete. Professional narrators deliver each story with care and personality, and the production values reflect RNZ's broadcast standards. It's a smaller show -- only a handful of ratings on Apple Podcasts -- but the content quality is strong, and the cultural perspective makes it a valuable addition to any family's podcast rotation.