Good News: Stories that cheered us up for the week 4 - 10 November

Sick of bad news? An accountant who became an artist, an 88-year-old who ran a marathon and tuatara who found a new home are all are among this week's feel-good stories from RNZ.

'I didn't even know what a canvas was' - From accountant to accidental artist

Malaysia-born, Iwen Yong moved to New Zealand with his family at age six. He decided to study commercial law and accounting - it wasn't his passion, but it was a "solid career." "No one in my family, not even my relatives in Malaysia had any creative backgrounds," says Yong. His family home didn't even have paintings on the walls. But one day, while doodling at work, a colleague gave Yong her oil paints. A 2016 trip to John Crump's Gallery and then a 10 day painting trip with the artist went on to change his life. He's since sold hundreds of paintings.

Kiwi Garth Barfoot, 88, completes New York marathon

It defeated him last year but octogenarian Garth Barfoot was determined to finish this year's New York marathon. As the oldest competitor among his age group of 80 year olds, he ran the race with his daughter Kiri, and running pal Lay Cunningham - herself 73, with 52 marathons under her belt. He finished in 11 hours, 29 minutes and 49 seconds. After moving into a retirement home, he found that entering a marathon helped regain a routine in his daily life. "I don't know whether I do it for ego or not, but it's a mixture I suppose," he said.

Poet uses te reo Māori to inspire rangatahi to chase their dreams

Brooklyn Opetaia (Te Whānau-a-Kai) founded 'Words to Heal You' in 2021, originally as an Instagram account and a safe space to share her mental health journey through poetry. Since then, it has grown into something much larger: a safe space, a dream, and a movement. This year, collaborating with Manawa Māori, she's released a hoodie, with the words 'Mei kore ake koe, e pai ai tēnei ao' meaning: 'The world is better with you in it'. Opetaia hopes these words will inspire young Māori to chase down their dreams.

'The way we could make real change was to buy the team'

The BNZ Kāhu basketball team was recently bought by five women. Their first aim as Aotearoa's first all-female owned and coached basketball team is pushing for pay parity.

Co-owner Dani Marshall said the team was trying to set an example for the industry. "It's the first sports team in the world that is, as we believe it to be, solely owned, managed and coached by women, which is really special and only really in New Zealand would you have that kind of opportunity," she says. This season, Kāhu has also attracted five players from overseas.

Dozens of tuatara to be released at sanctuary in Nelson

In the first mainland translocation of the reptiles in the top of the South Island, tuatara have been released at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson. Operations manager Nick Robson said 56 tuatara will find a new home inside the 3.7 hectare mouse-free enclosure within the sanctuary. Staff and volunteers had spent the last year preparing for the release, working closely with Ngāti Koata. The iwi are kaitiaki of the species due to their ancestral links to Takapourewa in the Marlborough Sounds, which is home to the world's largest tuatara colony.

The advances in MRI coming out of Gisborne

Dr Samantha Holdsworth is a graduate of the prestigious Stanford University in California, where she studied MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), investigating new ways to make it faster and more efficient. After 11 years of advancing MRI techniques, she returned home to her native Gisborne with big plans. She's now the research director and chief executive of the not-for-profit Mātai Medical Research Institute. Her team is pioneering a new ultra-high contrast MRI technique that for the first time has allowed the possibility of being able to 'see' concussion.