The Weekend with Emile Donovan: Recent Episodes
RNZ
Emile Donovan keeps us entertained on Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout the summer break, with great interviews and music.
Email us at: theweekend@rnz.co.nz
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. This weekend we're looking at domestic lives. Nic takes us on a journey to the Riccarton House.
If we say cabaret what does that mean to you? A musical about the growing power of the Nazi Party in the Weimar Republic? It's also a thriving art form with a strong presence in Aotearoa. Emma Vickers is a curator and performer who this year is directing The Living Lounge at Splore festival on the last weekend of February. It's a performance stage, which climaxes with 'The Wide-Awake Club!' cabaret. She joins Emile Donovan to talk the role of the circus tent in a pandemic.
How do you sleep? We getting told we need "full 8 hours", but where does that phrase come from? We're constantly being given advice on how to sleep, apps are geared to "unwind" our minds, you can buy countless books about how to be a more rested you. But we don't always interrogate that advice or look at how our ancestors behaved. Professor Roger Ekirch is a historian at the Virginia Tech. He has spent decades looking at the accepted history of sleep trying to understand how our ancestors slept, and how they viewed the concept of rest.
2021 marked the 90th anniversary of FMC, or the Federated Mountain Clubs. As an organisation it predates the Great Walks, but they've made a lot of huge wanders themselves. To tell us more about the history of the clubs and where they're headed this century Emile spoke to Former editor of the organisation's magazine Backcountry Shaun Barnett, and the current President of the FMC Jan Finlayson.
Liam McIlvanney is one of the most distinguished British crime fiction writers around these days. He also happens to be a Scotsman who lives in Dunedin.After his first novel, All the Colours of the Town in 2009, McIlvanney went on to publish Where The Dead Men Go in 2013, which won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best New Zealand Crime Novel in 2014. In 2018 he published The Quaker, introducing us to DI McCormack, the detective inspector tasked with solving the mystery of a Bible-quoting serial killer stalking the streets of late-60s Glasgow. The Quaker was met with rapturous acclaim and received the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year - an award named after Liam's father, the acclaimed crime writer William McIlvanney, often referred to as the father of Tartan Noir. Liam's fourth novel, the Heretic, the second featuring DI McCormack, which was published this week.
Dr Karam Shaar is an economist, a consultant on Syria and the middle east, a policy adviser and a lecturer on middle eastern politics. He lives in Karori in Wellington, a long way from where he grew up in Aleppo in Syria. Dr Shaar is concerned that world has stopped watching what has happened in Syria and how the members of the Syrian diaspora are being treated around the world.
Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2021 was vaccine, but it could just as easily have been 'misinformation'. This nebulous thing has been front and centre since the dawn of the pandemic; most notably the spread of scientific misinformation, inaccurate or misleading science which can be spread both deliberately and inadvertently, and can really undermine confidence in authorities and health workers. Stemming the flow of misinformation has proved difficult, for governments and particularly for social media companies: do you try to repress it, stop it from spreading - adopt a mitigation approach, as it were? Do you go for an elimination approach, deleting misinformation, pretending it never existed? Do you try to educate people to get better at spotting it - a time-intensive process which might not even yield results? All these questions and more are the focus of a new report from the United Kingdom's Royal Society, which comes to some fascinating conclusions about what works when tackling disinformation and what doesn't. Frank Kelly is a Professor of the Mathematics of Systems at the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and Chair of the report, he spoke to Emile Donovan.
In 1928 Lewis Eady started the first purpose built music store in Queen St, selling sheet music and pianos, and the rest really was history. It was the beginning of a musical dynasty in Auckland which stretches through to now. The shop itself stood for decades and the family business is now dedicated to teaching new generations of musicians with the Chiron music school. To discuss 100 years of musical wrangling in Tamaki Makaurau Emile is joined by the 4th generation owner of the business John Eady.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. This weekend we're looking at domestic lives, beginning in Tauranga with the Brain Watkins House.
Now quick pop quiz. Who said this - Logan Roy from Succession or King Lear? "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!" Well yes, it's King Lear. But they were both played by the same actor. Brian Cox famously wrote a book about playing King Lear titled The Lear Diaries. He's now playing Logan Roy in the smash hit HBO show succession. Shakespeare aficionado Trevor Bell has been teaching drama on the North Shore of Auckland since the early 1980s and he's directing a new production of The Merchant of Venice for Shoreside Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park 2022. He joins Emile to talk about the modern impact of the bard.
Over the summer months we've been taking a few trips around the country with the former Prime Minister, head of the UN's development programme, and tramping enthusiast Helen Clark, who after many years of travelling around the world has put her time in Aotearoa to good use by walking some of the Great Walks. This week we're heading to the Routeburn Track!
There's a pub closing down in County Cork in Ireland and a very special photo has turned up in the process. It appears to be of an All Black visit to the pub in the 1970s. Do you know who is in this photo? To explain the story about the photo and establish what we DO know about it, Emile is joined by the Public Relations Officer for the Castlemagner (Castle-Mayne) Gaelic Athletic Association Paul Gallagher.
It's been a pretty tough time for the performing arts industry over the last two years, but the show must, Covid-19 settings allowing, go on. Actor, singer, performer and director Vanessa Stacey is the Director of the 2022 New Zealand Fringe Festival in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and for her it marks a bit of return to the beginning.
Does the language we speak affect the way we think? The way we act, the way we behave? Can it explain variations in subsets of people? This might seem like an odd question, but it's one with long-standing roots in something called Linguistic Relativity: the extent to which the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition. It's a controversial hypothesis, and one about which Tom Pepinsky has just written an article for Language, a journal of the Linguistic Society of America. Tom is a professor of political science at Cornell University in New York, as well as the director of the University's Southeast Asia programme.
Changes to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) regulations came into effect in December and the headlines this month have been dominated by anecdotal stories of issues they have created for consumers. The changes were put in place to protect borrowers from predatory lending practices, but critics warned even before they came into effect that they would lock people out of an already very difficult housing market. Associate professor Claire Matthews from the Massey University Business school has been keeping an eye on the situation and joins me now.
Tensions have been rising in Ukraine over the last few weeks, and international discussions have been escalating as a result. Russia has gathered 100,000 troops near the Ukranian border but the Russian government denies planning an invasion of any Ukranian territory. It comes on the back of a series of demands that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made to western powers, including that Ukraine should never be allowed to join NATO and that the defensive alliance abandons military activity in eastern Europe. Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science at Behrend College at Penn State University and a contributor to Harvard's Journal of Ukrainian Studies.
Dr Fiona Cross loves spiders. She loves their webs, the mini eyes, their mini legs. She is an arachnologist, that is, as the name might suggest, one who studies spiders. Although as she told Emile Donovan, she had quite a phobia about them when she was younger.
Most people, were you to ask them, would say they love animals. Yet it's also statistically likely those same people, and I include myself in this, also eat the flesh of animals, wear their skin, drink their milk. This seeming contradiction is the topic of a new book - How to Love Animals: In a Human-Shaped World - by the Financial Times' chief features writer, Henry Mance.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. This weekend we're looking at churches and Nic's eye has fallen on a very special one in Burke's Pass.
Tsunami warnings are in place on the north and east coast of the North Island and the Chatham Islands as authorities monitor the impact of the eruption and Cyclone Cody. Dr Emily Lane is a hydrodynamic scientist at Taihoro Nukurangi NIWA who specialises in tsunami, storm surge and flooding inundation.
The pacific region is continuing to assess the impact of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha apai underwater volcano eruption. The Nationall Weather Forecasting Centre in Nadi is reporting the eruption is ongoing and continues to provide updates and forecasts while communication remains down with the whole of Tonga. Steven Meke from the National Weather Forecasting Centre joins Emile to discuss what we know currently.
When you think of central Otago, what do you think? Arid, tussock-covered hills and wilding pines, drenched in sun, rolling into the distance? It was not always thus, according to a fascinating new peer-reviewed study in the Palaeontologia Electronica science journal - the result of self-funded research by Dunedin-born palaeobotanist Mike Pole. Pole paints a distinctly different picture of Aotearoa in antiquity.
News broke earlier this week that A US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig. Doctors in Maryland acknowledged what they were doing was experimental, but the results seem positive so far. It comes after decades of work to get to this point by geneticists, scientists and doctors around the world. One of those people is Dr Paul Tan. Tan has been working in the field for 20 years in several different companies. He's currently the Director of NZeno which is working towards breeding pigs with gene-edited kidneys that could be transplanted into humans. It's complex time consuming work, in a field of science which often isn't well understood.
Scientists are predicting that Tonga's main island, Tongatapu, could be blanketed in ash this morning. Auckland University volcanologist Professor Shane Cronin says the magma type erupted is what's called an intermediate composition - similar to what comes from the Ruapehu volcano.
Communications are still down with Tonga, but the Tongan community in Aotearoa is gathering this morning to send their support to their whānau in the Kingdom. Pakilau Manase Lua is part of the Tonga Auckland group and he joins Emile to discuss the experience for the Tongan community in Aotearoa.
We begin this morning in Tonga, where a massive eruption of the Tonga-Hunga Ha apai underwater volcano has sent dust and debris into the stratosphere. A 1.2 metre-high tsunami struck the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa on the island of Tongatapu yesterday evening, breaching the shoreline and flooding coastal roads and properties. RNZ Pacific's Head of News Susana Lei'ataua joins Emile to discuss what we are learning this morning as the sun comes up over the pacific.
What exactly is counter culture? Were Baby Boomers ever actually cool? Musician, historian and critic Nick Bollinger has been on a mission to find out what the cultural moment of the late 1960s and early 1970s sounded like in Aotearoa. He's got a book coming out later this year on the subject, but he's fresh out of the archive now and ready to play us some hits, from a period of great change.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. This weekend we're looking at churches and Nic's eye has fallen on St Mary's in Tikitiki.
Over the next summer months we'll be taking a few trips around the country with the former Prime Minister, head of the UN's development programme, and tramping enthusiast Helen Clark, who after many years of travelling around the world has put her time in Aotearoa to good use by walking some of the Great Walks around the country. Today we're hiking over Hump Ridge, and we're packing the camp kitchen!
There has been a lot of discussion over the previous year about what role Mātauranga Māori can have in Aotearoa New Zealand. There was the famous letter to the Listener in which 6 academics argued that it wasn't science, and a roaring response from Pakeha and Maori academics alike. In December the Waitangi Tribunal found that "Maori were put at a disproportionate risk of being infected by Delta" and that Government was in breach of the Treaty of Waitangi for what the tribunal referred to as "political convenience". These ideas and disparities have a strong history in Aotearoa New Zealand, and no more so than in the Tohunga suppression act. But what actually was that, and what is it's legacy now? Emile is joined by Ahonuku - Reader in Law at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington Māmari Stephens.
What three things would you want for a prison escape? Would a ouija board, a strong imagination and a credulous captor be on your list? They were key tools in 1916 for two prisoners of war in the First World War who carried out one of the most remarkable escapes in the history of the genre, without breaking a sweat. They're the subject of author and journalist Margalit Fox's latest book 'The Confidence Men'.
Was 2021 the worst year on record? With Covid-19, lockdowns and economic and environmental turmoil, a lot of people have been saying they thought it was a real annus horribilis. Latif Nasser went on a mission to find out.
Foreign affairs commentators are optimistic a combustible situation in Kazakhstan has stabilised. Over the past couple of weeks Al Jazeera reports Kazakh security forces detained almost 10,000 people over the unrest, which descended into violence - at least 164 civilians are dead, including children, as well as 16 police. In an attempt to calm the unrest, the government was dismissed by president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and a state of emergency was declared - but the protest escalated into calls for a change in leadership. Earlier this week it was announced troops would start to leave Kazakhstan after Presidentt Tokayev nominated a new prime minister. But where does this leave oil-rich Kazakhstan, a key geopolitical area between Europe and Asia? Rouben Azizian is the director of Massey University's Centre for Defence and Security Studies - he was a visiting professor at the Kazakhstan State University for eight years between 2006 and 2014.
It feels like every week is a busy one in British politics, but this was an especially full one. Downing Street was forced to apologise to Buckingham Palace for two staff parties in No 10 on the night before Prince Philip's funeral. This comes after weeks of investigations, accusations and revelations about parties, work events and gatherings held by political staff at Number ten Downing St. The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnston has been fending away questions about his involvement, saying he is waiting for the results of an independent inquiry led by Sue Gray. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew's military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen and he will stop using the title His Royal Highness in an official capacity. This comes after a US court ruled that a civil action over sexual assault allegations brought by Virginia Giuffre could go ahead. So, what on earth is going on? Emile is joined by UK correspondent Olly Barratt.
The story of the tennis player, the vaccine mandate and the federal government continues to twist and turn in Victoria. Novak Djokovic is set to be detained by Australian immigration officials again today as his lawyers urgently prepare to fight the cancellation of his visa for a second time. Djokovic has been ordered to attend an interview with immigration officials in Melbourne this morning, after which he will be formally detained, following a late-night court hearing on Friday. Emile is joined by veteran tennis journalist and broadcaster David Luddy who has been watching the case like a hawk.
Chess is the most popular it has ever been in New Zealand new players are picking up the pieces every year. It's hit somewhat of a sweet spot in popular media with the success of Netflix series The Queen's Gambit and with the internet providing a space for any enthusiast group in the world to connect. The New Zealand Chess Federation's 129th NZ Chess Congress is underway right now and the national final is being held later today! It all sounds pretty exciting and we wanted to find out more so we're calling up the President of the NZ Chess Federation Nigel Metge.
Musician, journalist and icon Moana Maniapoto joins Emile to play some of the favourite artists she has joined on stage around the world over her career. No part of the musical globe will be left untrodden!
An initiative aimed at wiping out possums once and for all the Eastern Bay of Plenty is reaching the end of its first year. The Korehaha Whakahau project, run by Te Runanga o Ngati Awa, is Predator Free 2050 Limited's first iwi-led landscape project and is a year into its possum eradication mission. Te Runanga o Ngati Awa Manager Taiao Michal Akurangi says it's a perfect opportunity to show how effective iwi can be on land they know and understand.
Very few people have seen as much news unfold in front of them as journalist, correspondent and editor Jon Sopel. Jon joined the BBC in 1983. He's been the chief political correspondent for BBC News 24, a Paris correspondent and a correspondent from conflicts in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently he's been the BBC's North America editor, a position he held until the end of last year. He took over that role in 2014 and it's fair to say quite a lot has happened in the intervening 7 years! He's also the author of multiple books on news and politics - most recently Un-Presidented - Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others - which came out last year.
New Zealand offers many opportunities for "energising" bush adventures, says Helen Clark. In the second episode of Lady and the Tramp, Clark reflects on her experience walking Marlborough's Queen Charlotte Track.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buldings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. Today we're going to Lawrence!
What happened to all the jokers?, asks writer and columnist John Summers in North and South last year. And he has a point. When my dear-departed great-grandmother Georgie Morrissey was alive every man on the face of the earth was a joker. Some of the young ones were bodgies. Their female accomplices were widgies. John Summers explores this idea of slang - and the death of a particular slang word or phrase dies - in his piece in North and South.
The Omicron variant has cause chaos across the world, plunging many countries who thought they were on the cusp of controlling Covid-19 back into full public health response mode. The transmission rate of the virus has changed the game in Europe, and in the UK in particular. While the virus may not be as deadly as the delta variant, the impact it is having on public health systems is extreme. New Zealander Dr. Gary McLean is a Professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University and a researcher with Imperial College. He joins Emile to discuss entering 2022 in the shadow of Omicron and what Aotearoa needs to be prepared for.
The date January the 6th picked up a new resonance in the United States Capital last year. The demonstration taking place outside the Capitol in Washington DC turned violent quickly and hundreds of people stormed government buildings. 140 police officers were assaulted and $1.5 million in US dollars in damage was caused. It led to something of an existential crisis in the US and the treatment of insurrectionists has been no different. Jeremy Stahl is a senior editor at Slate in Los Angeles and he's been reviewed all 733 criminal cases of those charged with actions relating to the January 6 events have been treated.
Aotearoa has one of the world's richest troves of marine fossils, but we're still just finding out exactly what it is we're sitting on. A recent research project in Canterbury used medical CT imaging to scan plesiosaur fossils collected in New Zealand back in 1872.The scans reveal a new level of detail, confirming that plesiosaurs swam mostly with their heads down, in contrast to the Loch Ness creature, and showing a close link between the New Zealand fossils and South American specimens from 70 million years ago. Paul Scofield is a Senior Curator Natural History at Canterbury Museum and adjunct Professor in Geology at Canterbury University.
Wordle. If you know, you know. For the uninitiated, Wordle is a very simple, brainteaser-style word game. You can only play once per day. Every player is trying to guess a word - the same word, for everyone. They're given six attempts. If one of your guesses has any of the correct letters, the game tells you. It has certainly taken off online - every day hundreds of thousands of people head to the Wordle website to guess the word, to preserve their streak and compete with friends and family. The game was created by New York-based software engineer Josh Wardle , he joins Emile to discuss his simple but viral game.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now! We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There'. It's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is taking us through these amazing buildings over the course of the month. Today we're looking at a brewery in Taihape!
New Zealand offers many opportunities for "energising" bush adventures, says Helen Clark. In the first episode of Lady and the Tramp, Clark reflects on her experience walking Fiordland's Milford Track.
News broke this week that Italy is returning a fragment looted from the Parthenon in Athens to the Greek Government. The piece of marble is part of a carving of a draped figure from the eastern side of the Parthenon's frieze. While the chunk seems small, it's significance in the ongoing global debate about repatriation of stolen artefacts is hard to overstate. Alice Procter is an Australian art historian living in London, a city at the heart of the Parthenon drama. She runs "Uncomfortable Art Tours" at six London cultural institutions and hosts a podcast called The Exhibitionist looking at museum culture. She is also the author of The Whole Picture: The colonial story of the art in our museums & why we need to talk about it, which came out in 2020.
Peter Bogdanovich, the US film director known for films such The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon has died aged 82, his agent confirmed on Thursday. Film critic Dan Slevin joins Emile to discuss the life and work of a Hollywood stalwart.
News broke earlier this morning that cinema legend Sidney Poitier has passed away. Poitier is one of the most important figures in film history. The Bahamian American actor was the first black man to win an Academy Award and he starred in a series of hit films whose resonance is still being assessed today. Professor of history at the University of Memphis Aram Goudsouzian is the author of the biography Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon.
In October last year state and federal officials confirmed vaccinations would be mandatory for any athletes participating in the tournament, leading to speculation the world number one, Novak Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, would be unable to defend the championship. However, in January of this year, Djokovic posted on social media confirming he would be participating, as he had a medical exemption approved by the Victorian health department. After some hefty public backlash the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison confirmed Djokovic's visa had been cancelled and he seemed likely to be deported. But Djokovic has now appealed the decision; at present, he remains in immigration detention at a Melbourne hotel. A legal hearing on whether Djokovic will be allowed to play in the tournament is expected to begin on Monday. Caitlin Thompson is the co-founder and publisher of Racquet Magazine and she joins Emile to discuss the impact of the events in Melbourne on the world of tennis.
David James Shearer .. spent over 20 years working for the UN, managing the provision of aid to countries including Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 2009 to 2016, and of course leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2013. He then left to work for the UN again in South Sudan for four years. He returned a few months back and is mulling his next steps. He catches up with Anna about the last four years and what the future might hold.
New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world! We also have more than twice as many threatened species of seabirds than any other country. Our seabirds are more threatened than our land birds and yet, far more effort goes into the conservation of a few high-profile land birds than all our seabirds put together. Ornithologist and conservationist Kerry-Jayne Wilson recently released book New Zealand Seabirds - a natural history shares her passion for the subject and insights from her 45-year long career.
We're going on a journey into Aotearoa's past now, and a very special hotel. We're continuing our series 'Who Lived There' this morning, it's based on a book of the same name which came out last year. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Today Nic is taking us to The Empire in Dunedin which is now a beautifully restored Edwardian apartment block.
Have you been out in the waves yet this summer? It can often be a real mark of the begining of the summer holiday, that first submerging in freezing ocean water. It's even the case in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington where author, lawyer and columnist Brannavan Gnagalingam has been searching for a perfect sea swim. It's been a big year for Brannavan with the ongoing massive success of his novel Sprigs, including winning the Ngaio Marsh Award for Crime Writing for best novel. So it's about time for a swim!
We're talking gardening now, and specifically the ubiquitous fern. Found all over the country, it is a plant that just loves our temperate climate. In NZ alone we have about 200 species, and around 40% of those are only found in this country. The different types range from 10m high tree ferns, to filmy ferns just 20mm long. Who didn't have a maidenhair in the 70's? it is also our national symbol! What you may not know about the fern.. is that it was at the centre of a craze that swept the world in the 1800's. Anna is joined by Annette Bainbridge, who has been investigating this little known piece of gardening history.
We tend to associate the Middle Ages with plagues and pestilence. Author and historian Dr Eleanor Janega lectures on medieval history at London School of Economics at the University of London and has just written a book called The Middle Ages: A Graphic History and it busts the myth of the 'Dark Ages' which sheds light on the medieval period's present-day relevance.
First up this morning we're heading the the UK. to speak to ABC News correspondent Marcus Moore. Wherever there's a disaster Marcus is not far away. He was in Haiti a few months back after the assassination of the Haitian President and the subsequent hostage drama, he's covered Historic flooding in Germany, Hurricanes, the refugee crisis, the Black Lives Matter protests and so much more. He joins Anna to discuss how to cover a disaster and whether there are more now or if it just feels like it.
While many of us aren't going overseas this summer, lots of kiwis are looking for places to explore closer to home. More and more, we're doing that on two wheels on our bikes! There are now 22 "great Rides" around the country and the government has poured over 103 million dollars into creating them. South Island journalists and cyclers Tracy Neal and Jill heron have been exploring how that money has been spent in Te Wai Pounamu.
We're taking a little jaunt back to the 1980s. Have you noticed a bit of a renaissance of the music of the time? Some of those great hits are being re-mixed and getting lots of play in the clubs and pubs. Anna noticed even at her daughters 21st this year. Why are young people gravitating to NZ music of the 80s? We explore the question and play some hits from the period.
The displacement of traditional beef and sheep farms in favour of dairy has led to social disintegration in New Zealand's farming communities, says rural support advocate Dianne Milne. She was made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to the rural community in the New Years Honours List.
For celebrity chef and activist Rob Oliver, the revolution will be televised. The Pacific food revolution, that is. Oliver was recognised for his services to the food industry and Pacific communities in the New Years Honours List.
Comedic actress Betty White, who capped a career of more than 80 years by becoming America's geriatric sweetheart after Emmy-winning roles on television sitcoms "The Golden Girls" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has died, less than three weeks shy of her 100th birthday. Biographer Ray Richmond who has just published Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life talks about her legacy.
Have you ever stood in front of a building wondered what its story is? Today we're starting a series on New Zealand architecture which will run every day on the weekend, throughout January. It's called 'Who Lived There' and is based on a book of the same name. Jane King took the photographs and Nic McCloy researched and wrote down the stories of dozens of significant buildings and places. Nic is sharing some of them with us this summer and today we're beginning with one of the oldest sights in the book... Horeke.
Our next guest is someone who has dedicated her working life to helping women in need. Dr Ang Jury has become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to victims of family and sexual violence. Anna speaks to Dr Jury about the enduring need for support in New Zealand communities.
Samoan-New Zealand academic Fa'afetai Sopoaga is on a mission to encourage young Pacific people to see cultural challenges as opportunities, not barriers. She was recently made a Companion of the NZ Order of Merit for her efforts to improve Pacific health and encourage more Pacific people into tertiary education.
Beloved actress and comedian Betty White has died, just a few weeks short of her 100th birthday. A pioneer of early television and with a career spanning over nine decades, Betty White was a remarkable woman and true Golden Girl. Writer and tv critic Jane Bowron joins Anna Thomas to discuss the life and times of the iconic actor.
Up until recently Sir Chris Farrelly headed the Auckland City Mission, prior to that served the Northland, Te Tai Tokerau region setting up partnerships between Maori Health providers, local hapu and General Practitioners. Thanks to him, thousands of people are living in healthy homes up north, he's fought for health equity, and campaigned against discrimination. He speaks to Anna about the work he's done and what is needed now.
Robert Gillies has been awarded the Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit For services to Maori and war commemoration. He is the last remaining member of the 28th Maori Battalion and served in B Company during World War 2 from 1942 to 1945, across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and primarily in Italy. Sir Gillies is a reluctant recipient of the honour, but says he has accepted it on behalf of all the members of the battalion. Sir Rob Gillies spoke to media at Ohinemutu marae in Rotorua earlier this week.
The New Years honours list was announced yesterday. Among the recipients is New Zealand's most successful Olympian Lisa Carrington. She's won six Olympic medals, was awarded Sportswoman of the Decade in 2021, Sportswoman of the year and the Supreme Award in 2016 along with many other medals, awards and accolades.
In the face of rising rates of the Omicron variant in its community the Israeli Government has approved a fourth vaccine dose for covid-19. It is one of the first countries in the world to do so and it marks a new phase for a country which was originally held up as a gold standard for management of the virus. It's also a bit of a test. Will another round of boosters have a profound effect against Omicron or not? Sebastian Usher is a middle east analyst and editor for the BBC World Service.
Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Prince Tui Teka to Snow Patrol, think six degrees of separation.
Being is the indie-pop project helmed by Auckland-based musician and poet Jasmine Balmer. Being will be performing at the Auckland Folk Festival alongside the likes of Troy Kingi, The Eastern, Delaney Davidson, Barry Saunders and other top-notch talent at the Kumeu Showgrounds next weekend.
New Zealanders are among the biggest consumers of ice cream in the world - each eating an incredible 23 litres per annum on average. And we have a surprisingly long relationship with ice cream in this country too - dating all the back to the 1800s. .
A first-of-its-kind study is being conducted by two University of Canterbury research institutes to see how the Kiwi accent changes during childhood.
Taewa - the umbrella term for Māori potatoes - have been a staple food crop in Aotearoa for over 200 years. They are an easy vegetable to grow and cook, says ethnobotanist Dr Nick Roskruge of Tāhuri Whenua (the National Māori Vegetable Growers Collective).
Christchurch actor and producer Nomi Cohen has created a quiz with a musical twist for this year's Bread and Circus buskers festival. She joins The Weekend to tell us more about it, and put our music knowledge to the test.
Most of us are familiar with buzzy bees, jandals and hokey pokey icecream as signifiers of our national identity. But is kiwiana outdated?
Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Shona Laing to Siouxsie and the Banshees, think six degrees of separation.
Sifting about in the mud on the edge of the River Thames might not be everyone's idea of fun, but Lara Maiklem has been doing it for nearly 20 years. Lara joins Karyn Hay to trade tales of the Thames and the treasure on its shores.
One of New Zealand's most feted musicians Shona Laing is the subject of an exhibition which opens next week at the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum '50 Years Later, Shona Laing: A Pictorial Journey Through A Life of Music'.
On The Weekend we've been chatting to people from museums around the country, and this weekend we are visiting the Charlotte Museum in New Lynn.
Veranoa Hetet has weaving in her DNA. Hailing from Waiwhetu in Lower Hutt, Veranoa comes from a long line of weavers and has a lifetime's experience in crafting intricate Maori cloaks, garments and kete.
Listening is like breathing, it's something we do without even thinking. But if we really want to dive into a piece of music, we can practice 'Deep Listening' - a way of hearing every possible element and better understanding the intent of the composer.
Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Francisca Griffin to Nina Simone, think six degrees of separation.
The K Road Chronicles is a webseries that delves into what it is like to be homeless on the streets of inner city Auckland. Now in its second season, the show is hosted by Six - who knows the experience of homelessness firsthand, having lived on the streets for six years.
A 72-year old vegetable gardener from Oxford is an unlikely Twitter star, but Gerald Stratford found online fame earlier this year when he started tweeting about his wonderful produce amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
Invercargill man Tom Conroy - who alongside Mayor Tim Shadbolt - holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Television Interview.
Robert Oliver is the creator and global executive director for the Pacific Island Food Revolution, and he joins The Weekend to tell us more about it, as well as share a simple raw fish recipe.
Alison Breese - who also goes by the name the 'Loo Lady' - is an archivist with a special interest in underground toilets of Dunedin and their historical importance. She joins The Weekend to discuss.
This year's NZ Surf championships took place at Piha Beach during the week, and wrapped up yesterday. 19-year-old Saffi Vette took out the Women's Open for the first time. Saffi joins The Weekend to tell us what the win means to her.
Chris Impey is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona and has penned eight popular science books, and he has even taught cosmology to Tibetan monks. He joins The Weekend to discuss UFOs and the possibility of alien life on Earth.
Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Womb to Massive Attack, think six degrees of separation.
With the Prada Cup underway as a precursor to the America's Cup Race next month, it's a great time to reflect on some of the nautical history that's cemented New Zealand as a sailing nation. Author Matt Elliott has collected some of those stories in his latest book, 'With The Wind Behind Us'.
Abe Gray founded the Whakamana Cannabis Museum in Dunedin in 2013, and it has followed him around ever since. Now the museum is stepping into its fourth iteration in the capital city.
Most of us are guilty of using filler words like "um" or "you know" when speaking, but is it really a problem? Jane Sheffield from Effective Speaking guides us through some ways to make our communication more clear and impactful.
Right now over 300 New Zealanders are writing to pen pals in prison. They've connected with the inmates via Prisoner Correspondence Network Aotearoa (PNCA). The organisation, which launched in 2016, was initially for trans people who experience the worst isolation in prison but is now available to any inmate, founder Ti Lamusse tells Karyn Hay.
With just days until Biden's Inguration, we get an update on the latest news coming out of the United States with Washington correspondent Simon Marks.
Author and travel guide guru Peter Janssen has a popular series of books that are perfect for people who want to explore the nooks and crannies of the country. He joins Karyn in the studio to share some top spots for us to discover.
Kathryn Nevatt is has consistently ranked as one of the world's best competitive freedivers for more than 10 years, and has a best breath holding time of 7minutes and 45 seonds. She joins The Weekend to tell us how she does it.
On The Weekend we are meeting some of the country's Guiness World Record holders to hear the story behind their record. Last week we met Blair Williamson, who had the record for most Rubik's cubes solved while running a marathon. Today, we are meeting Anna Cochrane, who holds the record for 'Highest Static Trapeze Act'.
We all know the garden is a wonderful place to spend your summer days, and they can be great places for our pets too. Landscape architect Renee Davies has some tips for us on how to make our backyards the perfect place for pooches.
Last year was enough to test the best of us and, for some, the occasional drink became a daily coping mechanism. Claire Robbie is the founder of No Beers Who Cares, she joins The Weekend to share some thoughts on how to approach life without alcohol.
Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Emily Edrosa to The Cure, think six degrees of separation.
Fish and chips are a great kiwi summer treat but where to get the good ones? To the rescue comes Whanganui man Brandon Sayring and his fish and chip review blog Here's the Scoop!
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Founder Jimmy Wales joins The Weekend to talk about Wikipedia and its impact on the world.
There is increasing pressure to have Trump impeached before the end of his term, and speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to block his access to nuclear launch codes. Washington correspondent Simon Marks gives us the latest on the happenings in the US.
If you've got some time up your sleeve this summer you might want to try your hand at penning haiku. Poet Doc Drumheller joins The Weekend to share some pointers on writing your own verse.
This summer we are talking to the people who run weird and wonderful museums around the country, and today we speak to KD Wasley, who runs the Elvis Museum in Hawera.
NIWA's flagship research vessel Tangaroa has departed for a six-week voyage to Antarctica, where scientists will be undertaking one of the few full scientific projects on the continent since the global outbreak of Covid-19.
In this installment of The Through Line, Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Citizen Band to The Clash. Think six-degrees of separation.
Mike Seawright went from being an investment banker to setting up an humanitarian organisation that helps families affected by the brutal civil war inside Syria. In 2020, his organisation ReliefAid had their busiest year to date, supplying displaced families with shelter and hygiene kits to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Dr Catherine Wall is a registered dietitian and a lecturer at Otago University's Department of Human Nutrition shares some advice to get your gut microbiomes back on track.
Chef Marcus Poa is based in Sydney where he launched Mussel Hustle Co, supplying New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels to Australia.
Envisage the soft peacefulness of the pastoral life, augmented with floral print cushions and sourdough baking. New York architect and designer Kate Reggev has written about the Cottagecore movement, and joins the show to explain.
New Zealand has its fair share of Guinness World Record holders, and his summer we are meeting some of them, starting with personal trainer Blair Williamson, who holds the record for the most Rubik's cubes completed during a marathon.
Former CEO of Consumer Sue Chetwin has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to consumer rights.
In this first installment of The Through Line, Karyn takes us on a musical journey from Tall Dwarfs to Bowie. Think six-degrees of separation.
Blue seems to be all around us, we see it in the sky and we see it in the ocean - but the word blue was missing from our lexicon until relatively recently. Professor Jules Davidoff has been researching colour recognition for many decades, he joins The Weekend to discuss.
Over the summer we're featuring some of the quirkier museums around the country, and we start the series with the Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery.
Keen to try your hand at making your own tea blends? Emma Heke from Nelson-based company Heke Homemade Herbals gives us some tips and tricks for foraging, proportioning and brewing tea in your own kitchen.
As part of the New Year's Honour list for 2021, iconic music Dave Dobbyn was knighted for services to music. He speaks to Karyn about his incredible career.
If you've never run before - or at least, not for awhile - where's the best place to start? Dr Kelly Sheerin is a senior lecturer at AUT's School of Sport and Recreation, and has some good tips to get you on track.
Since visiting the Nepal in August for RNZ, Lynn Freeman has been reflecting on an eventful and sometimes stressful three weeks in this remarkable country. So having got most of the documentaries to air now she decided to make a programme about what went into gathering dozens of interviews in the far north and west and in the deep south of Nepal. Many many hours on the road, several canoe trips across rivers frequented by crocodiles, and far too many leech bites.
Yesterday we were talking books in Twizel - today we're slightly further north but still in Canterbury - speaking to Kit from Scorpio Books in Christchurch.
Dunedin students as young as four are working together to first clean up then restore Dunedin's historic Town Belt. The 202 hectare green space was unloved and run down until the launch of the Town Belt Kaitiaki education programme. It's a partnership between students, teachers and the community. The timing is perfect, with kaka and other birds now starting to fly out of the nearby Orokonui Ecosanctuary and needing a safe place to rest and nest. Fourteen schools and early childhood centres are involved.
Our next story takes us on a trip around the beaches of New Zealand - and some abroad, as portrayed in art. Te Papa Museum curator Lizzie Bisley met The Weekend producer Laura Dooney at Island Bay beach in Wellington, to talk about the summer scenes in the museum's collection.
Roses are still a staple in bouquets, but some of the rose species first brought to New Zealand by colonial settlers are disappearing. For a number of reasons, fewer people are growing roses at home – less time to garden, less land, and perhaps a wish to plant native plants instead Heritage Roses NZ is offering free advice to people or organisations with spare land who are interested in bringing New Zealand's oldest roses back into bloom.
The race is on in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, where storms and sea swells are threatening an important Maori archaeological site on Otata in the Noises Group of islands. The landowners and local Ngai Tai ki Tamaki are working together to excavate the land to recover information before coastal erosion destroys it. The Noises lie to the north of Rakino and since the 1920s have been owned by the Neureuter family.
Expat Kiwi journalist Thomas Heaton is helping the Kathmandu Post in Nepal to embrace the online opportunities now available to newspapers. Officially he's the Deputy culture and arts editor but he's also heavily involved in reporting on Travel and food. Travel is also a big issue for the small landlocked nation, and this being the year of the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign means he's in for a very busy year assessing if the expensive promotional campaign meets its target of doubling the number of tourists.
Dunedin's Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding site of this magnificent bird so there is a lot at stake come breeding season. The first of this year's eggs has just hatched. But the news of the first chick broke at the same time as distressing news of a dead juvenile toroa/southern royal albatross with a stomach full of plastic - including a whole plastic bottle.
Neville Blackmore is senior search and rescuce officer and watch leader at the Rescue Coordination Centre. The centre takes care of all major maritime and aviation search and rescue missions, and land-based rescues were a distress beacon is activated. The scope of the organisation spans from the tropics in the pacific, down to the cold depths of the South Pacific.
Lead poisoning is one of the biggest threats to New Zealand's ultra curious alpine parrot which is now nationally endangered with only an estimated 5,000 left. One of the Clown of the Alps' main champions is Queenstown's Tasmin Orr-Walker, co-founder of the Kea Conservation Trust.
Cecilia Bembibre is on a mission to save a part of our heritage that is often forgotten, or not thought of - the smell of things. That delicious smell of an old book through to the scent of a person, a building or even a town - she's intent on finding culturally significant smells, and capturing them.
We return to Nepal now - last week Lynn Freeman was on safari, this time she's exploring some of the increasing number of accommodation options available to visitors. Not the increasing number of high end 5-star international hotel chains that are building in Kathmandu, but the more interesting ones like community homestays in rural villages or eco-lodges that reject plastic, TVs and even air conditioning. This year, the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign aims to double the number of tourists to around 2 million. When I was there in the off season, mid-August, Monsoon time, so I had no problem finding places to stay. Some were a heck of a lot easier to get to than others.
For today's independent bookseller we're heading to a tiny shop in a tiny town in the Mackenzie District of Canterbury.
Self-described 'bird nerd' Elizabeth Werner is working to eradicate predators in her Wellington neighbourhood.
She beat the odds of not only making the New Zealand team but defying a badly injured knee to take home a bronze medal at the 2018 Gold coast Commonwealth Games. Now women's boxer Troy Garton has her heart set on representing this country at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Dog agility - it's a sport that sees dogs of all shapes and sizes zooming around a course - that's described by those in the know as being like a 'doggy amusement park'.
It is without doubt one of the most haunting of our bird calls - that of the North Island kokako, less poetically also known as the blue-wattled crow. Ecologist and kokako specialist Dave Bryden is heavily involved in recent translocations in Taranaki and after several years he's able to assess if it's succeeding in establishing viable populations.
After a breakdown eight years ago, Frank Jansen decided he'd never work in an office again. He now creates gardens for people with mobility or sensory issues and is head gardener at Katherine Mansfield House.
A kea with lead poisoning, seven owls and just as many kereru, a baby kingfisher and an underweight spoonbill are among the summer patients at Christchurch's Wildlife Hospital, during its busiest time of the year with it being breeding season. The Wildlife Veterinary Trust opened the hospital in December 2014 and since then has taken in hundreds of sick and injured animals - primarily but not exclusively native species. It's staffed by volunteers many of them taking patients home to treat them there especially when they need frequent feeds and medical care.
Today for our series on lifesavers we're talking to Myles Taylor from Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Myles is the principal rural fire officer in Northland - where a total fire ban was put in place just this week due to tinder-dry conditions. Mr Taylor also helped fight fires in New South Wales in November, just as the fire season took off far earlier, and more seriously, than usual.
After the death of UK backpacker Grace Millane in 2018, award-winning investigative reporter Kirsty Johnson expressed her anger for the first time. Becoming better acquainted with grief makes crime reporting more challenging as time goes by, Johnson tells Lynn Freeman, but experience has given her increased awareness and confidence.
We speak to RNZ Pacific reporter Jamie Tahana about the impact of the storm, and where it's headed next.
The 2010s have been declared the decade of leggings. That was coined by US fashion writer Maya Singer in which she says about half of New York women seem to be wearing them out and about not just in the gym.
For today's trip around booksellers of the country, we head to Nelson, to Volume and speak to Stella Chrystostomou.
New Zealand Summer Olympic karate hopeful Andrea Anacan learnt the martial art in part to save herself if she was kidnapped when her family was still living in the Phillippines.
They make fishbones out of toothpicks, potato chips from the seeds of capsicums - can turn almost any object into something that can be used in the tiny worlds they create. Miniature makers are people who create incredibly life like objects at a fraction of their usual size. The Lower Hutt Miniature Makers are a group of about 25 people who meet regularly to learn how to and create tiny objects, to create tiny scenes. Laura Dooney went to meet four of the club members, Rio Cox, Gay Buchanan, Irene James and Christine Kiddey, to talk all things tiny.
Now to our music feature, and this time we're crossing the ditch to Australia to speak to a ska band with a difference - namely its sheer size.
Samantha Hughes is a young designer who's identified a need in the healthcare system for a new approach to designing equipment that's often impractical.
Lynn Freeman talks to members of the Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group, who are working to protect endangered wildlife living on the braided river.
Our lifesavers series continues with to a member of the St John ambulance team. Leisa Tocknell is Lakes Territory Manager, and area which covers Murupara, Reporoa, Taupo, Turangi and Omori.
Watching three Afghani mothers kissing their childrens' graves was almost too much for Paula Penfold, after more than two decades of investigative reporting. The Stuff Circuit journalist added New Zealand Television Awards Reporter of the Year to what must be a bulging cabinet, after working on some of the highest profile stories of recent years. The Teina Pora case, where his wrongful conviction for the murder of Susan Burdett saw the young man spend 21 years in jail, Paula has described as "the hardest but most rewarding story" she's done so far.
Dr Peter Petchey and Professor Hallie Buckley from the University of Otago have worked with the communities, family descendants and local runaka as they've excavated the Milton's St. John's Anglican Cemetery, and at the Ardrossan and Gabriel Street Cemeteries in Lawrence.
The JOIDES Resolution is a research ship that drills into the ocean floor, taking samples then studying those sampes to see what secrets they reveal.
Animals fleeing the devastating Australian bushfires were like a tsunami, a New Zealand volunteer rescuing wildlife in New South Wales says.
Nepal rivals India when it comes to wildlife, though it's neighbour has been in the safari business for much longer and has a much bigger profile. Lynn Freeman went on safari in Nepal in August, with the help of a grant from the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Over the summer we've been around the country looking at all kinds of community conservation initiatives. Today we're in Auckland to find out about the Kaipatiki Project that for 21 years has inspired people to restore New Zealand's native plants, birds, bugs and fish. This not for profit organisation is based in north Auckland, there's a thriving native plant nursery and they encourage ecosystem restoration initiatives, including planting and weeding days, stream care and pest control management.
Musicologist Jared Mackley-Crump is here to talk about summer songs from around the world, bringing you a global taste of summer, from as far away as South Africa - to Cameroon and India.
Hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Now she has her heart set on a medal at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Gillian Candler is a writer who takes her love of nature and conservation to create children's books that teach kids about native wildlife, and how to help protect it. She's released a new book - Nature Heroes. It takes some of New Zealand's most dedicated conservationists and tells their story, from the 'grandfather' of conservation, Richard Henry, to children in schools now, taking up the mantle. Alongside their stories, are activities for the next generation of nature lovers to engage with the natural world. Laura Dooney went to Pukerua Bay, on Wellington's Kapiti Coast, to meet Gillian, and watch young Gabriel Hay, 10, Fred Hay, 8 and their friends Holly and Ryan Flanagan, 8 and 10 respectively - look for and discover sea creatures in the rock pools.
Sarah the Gardener, aka writer and blogger Sarah O'Neil, has three books to her name and gardens on a windswept area of land on Auckland's West Coast. Today Sarah O'Neil is sharing her practical tips on brassicas, a genus of plants in the mustard family including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower through to bok choy and daikon.
Charlotte Yates has enlisted 12 of the country's top names put Katherine Mansfield's writing, to music. There's jazz and pop through to soul to alt country, with artists including Lawrence Arabia, Anna Coddington, Julia Deans and The Bats.
For the past ten years photographer Stuart Macdonald has traveled around the country on his trusty motorbike, taking pictures of New Zealand that aren't traditional picture-postcard fare.
Today in our lifesavers series we're go to the popular beach area of Mt Maunganui, with surf lifeguards Kent Jarman, and Adriana Bird.
The National Library has set a team involved in web harvesting, collecting online material from websites to blogs and social media posts and even emails before they disappear into the cyber ether.
We continue our literary journey around the regions, chatting to Lesley Stead from Paige's Book Gallery in Whanganui about what's being read next to the river this summer.
A public art installation that allows children, and adults for that matter, to use the sun and turn lots of wheels to create rainbows, won a team of three young architects a coveted Purple Pin from Design Institute New Zealand (DINZ) .
Debbie Mair has spent the past two years monitoring the several creeks that run through the fast growing centre of Whitby, north of Wellington.
Friends Mark Warren and Nathan Addis have set up a Facebook page calling for New Zealanders to show the Anzac spirit and offer a place to stay for those affected by the Australian bushfires.
Kiwi Vicki Farslow has made several trips to Nepal to work with local people on practical projects, like ensuring water supplies for remote villages.
Ariana Tikao is a musician who's an integral part of the revitalisation of traditional Maori instruments, and is one of the curators of the Pukana exhibition - which is on at the National Library in Wellington. She demonstrates the instruments in the exhibition space at the library.
Our summer series on lifesavers continues - in this episode we learn about cave rescues, which is highly specialised and involves a huge amount of training.
Kerranne Evans tells Lynn about the joys of working on New Zealand's longest running TV show Country Calendar.
Historian Rory Sweetman has uncovered a connection between New Zealand soldiers and the Easter Week Irish Rising, an incident that he says threatened Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College Dublin.
Archaelogical investigations of Pa sites on Waikato wetlands are about to start, using Maori traditional knowledge of the area and the latest Western technology to establish when and how the settlements were built.
We cross to New York Times middle east correspondent Ben Hubbard to get talk about the impact of Soleimani's assassination by the United States on Iran, and the region.
We continue our book journey around the country - this time crossing live to Louise Ward from Wardini Books in Hawke's Bay.
Wellington artist Paul Forrest is aiming to create a kaleidoscope of butterflies around the country. From the backyard of his home in Newtown, Paul makes huge but incredibly lifelike butterflies destined for a life either inside or outside.
Students at New Plymouth Girls' High School researching sustainable energy generation have found that solar panels become less efficient once the temperature goes over 25 degrees....the opposite of what they'd expected. They talk to Lynn Freeman about their discovery.
Lynn Freeman went to the forest in northern Finland last May, camera in hand, and hit out in a wooden hut, waiting for brown bears, wolves and wolverines to go by. Here, she tells that story.
Gordie Tentrees, a Canadian troubadour who's performed 750 concerts in 11 countries in just four years, is making is first trip to New Zealand to perform at the Auckland Folk Festival. He speaks to Lynn Freeman about his music ahead of his visit here.
Over the summer we're profiling some of our Olympic hopefuls in less well known sports. Today it's the turn of BMX rider Jessie Smith, whose mentor and sponsor is London Olympic BMX silver medallist, Sarah Walker.
Travel writer Heather Hapeta has an allotment at Tanera Park in Wellington, within an organic garden there. For an apartment dweller like herself, the gardens give her a chance to get some fresh air, while growing her own food.
Thunderbirds, Gerry and Silvia Anderson's popular futuristic puppet sci-fi puppet TV series only had two series, on air from 1964 to 1966. The Dinky die-cast merchandise based on the characters and the vehicles were just as popular - and still are with collectors. As well as Thunderbirds craft models were cast for other Anderson shows like Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Space 1999. Aucklander Hamish Coney talks to Lynn Freeman about his collection.
Our series on lifesavers continues with the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue's senior rescue pilot and operations manager Stuart Farquhar. Over his 20 years on the job, Stuart Farquhar has no shortage of stories about callouts that resulted in lives being saved.
Auckland designer Haydn Jack graduated in 2016, and has already taken out six New Zealand Best Design Awards. He talks to Lynn Freeman about what he's working on.
Wildlife photographer Bill Morris has, for more than a decade, worked for NHNZ and other companies, filming the seabirds and sea lions of New Zealand's sub Antarctic Islands for TVNZs Our Big Blue Backyard.
We cross to the MetService to get the latest on today's weather, and how the weekend is looking.
Fires burning on the east coast of Australia are expected to get worse today - with officials saying it is expected to be a very dangerous day. East Gippsland Shire Councillor, Mark Reeves, and journalist Rebekah Holt talk to Lynn Freeman.
Yesterday we spoke to a bookseller in the Wairarapa town of Carterton - and today we're heading about 30 kilometres south to another spot in the region - Martinborough. And we're speaking to Deborah Coddington, an author, journalist and MP ... turned bookseller.
Glow in the dark collars are proving to be an effective way of helping birds to evade cats. It's one of the findings of the CatMap project in New Plymouth, where GPS units attached to cat harnesses have helped researchers and school students track the movements of domestic cats. Lynn Freeman speaks to the main CatMap project co-ordinator Josephine Fitness, and to its leader Elise Smith. [gallery:5921]
Auckland's prized Hauraki Gulf islands are under seige from the sea setting archaeologists in a race against time to save important historic sites. One is Auckland council Specialist Archaeologist Rebecca Ramsay.
Theo Papouis is a young chef who, just over two years ago, opened up a restaurant in Strathmore after being inspired by the way food is served overseas, in particular, Cyprus.
Play it Strange is a charity that allows students to write and play music. It is the brainchild of Mike Chunn of Split Enz fame. He joins Lynn Freeman to play a selection of songs from this year's song writing competition.
New Zealand pro surfer Billy Stairmand never dreamed of representing New Zealand at the Olympic games growing up because it wasn't an Olympic sport. But it will be in next year's Summer Olympic Games, and Billy, who's based at Raglan, has provisionally qualified to compete at the games. He says the waves in Japan suit his style of surfing, and talks about the inclusion of surfing at the Olympics.
Ahead of the Summer Olympics in Japan in 2020, Lynn Freeman chats to the Olympic team's all important Chef de Mission, Rob Waddell.
We talk to Peter Newport - editor of Queenstown based online news outlet - Crux that he started around 18 months ago. Peter talks to Lynn Freeman about the big plans he has for Crux in 2020.
We continue our series on lifesavers, lifeguards Malcolm McClurg and Toni Cranko join us to talk about the beaches they patrol.
Environmental historian Dr Jonathan West, who's received a $12,000 New Zealand History Trust Fund Award talks to Lynn Freeman about how lakes can tell the story of what's happened in their catchment.
Moera speaks to Lynn about the wider effect the cyclone could have on Fiji, and the wider Pacific.
We cross to the Ellie van Baaren from the Red Cross to get the latest on the cyclone in Fiji.
Over the summer we'll be talking to people who've made books their livelihood - crossing to them to ask about their shop's place in the community, and what's been popular over the holiday break. Today Lynn Freeman talks to Sue Laurence, from Almo Books in Carterton, Wairarapa.
The Weekend Host Lynn Freeman takes us to Helsinki, where she spent a few days in May, 2019.
Our next story looks at a man who's translating classic children's texts into te reo Maori - he says mostly for his own fun! Associate Professor Tom Roa from Waikato University translated Alice in Wonderland into Ko Nga Takahanga I a Arihi I Te Ao Miharo. Parts of his translation have been used at a new exhibition at Te Papa - Wonderland. Laura Dooney met Tom Roa at the opening of the exhibition, and spoke to him about translating Alice, and his next project - doing the same with JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Simon Sweetman looks at a trilogy of albums by Dave Dobbyn that saw him make his name as more than an 'anthem-writer', by exploring deep, dark, personal issues.
If you’re catching up with some gardening this summer over the holidays and are curious about growing some herbs, expert Jane Wrigglesworth says it’s all quite easy and shares her pro tips.
Athol McCredie is a man who knows a good breakfast, and has started a website called The Muesli Review. On it, he not only reviews muesli across Wellington, but gives a history of the dish.
Professor Christopher Breward is a man who likes a good suit. He has one designed by Alexander McQueen which was crafted for him by Savile Row tailors.
Ski champion Jesse Teat speaks to Lynn Freeman about heading the support team for 20 young Olympians heading to the Youth Winter Olympics.
Volunteers have now bedded in around 20,000 plants along the Opotiki Dunes Trail as part of an ambitious environmental restoration programme.
As part of our series on lifesavers, Lynn Freeman talks to Auckland rescue helicopter senior pilot James Tayler.
In the first survey of shark life along the Otago coastline since the 1990s, people in and on the water this summer are being asked to keep an eye out for the many species that venture there.
Maine Andrew was born on the island paradise of Aitutaki, Cook Islands, where recipes are handed down from generation to generation. She regularly hosts the Cook Islands health show on Auckland station Planet FM, but today she drops by RNZ with family recipes for Rukau, Cook Islands Poke, and Fish with coconut cream.
Chelsea Jade is a New Zealand pop musician based in Los Angeles, whose first full-length album, Personal Best, was released last July. She is a Silver Scrolls finalist for her song Laugh it Off (included on Personal Best) and previously recorded under the name Watercolours. Chelsea Jade chooses Canadian indie musician Feist, who has been something of a guiding star, as her musical obsession.
Eric Asimov is the chief wine critic for the New York Times. He began his career at The New York Times in 1984, first writing about food, and later becoming a wine critic. Eric wrote the book How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto, and in the 1990s, conceived and wrote a column for the Times dedicated to "restaurants where people can eat lavishly for $25 and under."
In a live televised address, the US President set out new plans on his Mexican wall project to try to end a partial government shutdown lasting more than four weeks. One of Donald Trump's "compromises" was on giving more rights to so-called Dreamers - who entered the US illegally when young. He still wants $5.7 billion to fund the wall, which he is now describing as more of a see-through barrier. Democrats have refused to fund it and ahead of the speech had already rejected the expected concessions. The shutdown, the longest in history, has affected 800,000 federal workers. Josh Gerstein, the White House correspondent for Politico, provides analysis.
Eve Simmons is the deputy health editor for the Mail on Sunday, a survivor of anorexia, and co-founder of the website Not Plant Based, in which she and her co-writer, Laura Dennison, scathingly pick apart dieting scams and food-and-health-obsessed culture. In a new book, Feel The Fear And Eat It Anyway, Eve, along with Laura, tackles a social media culture of #fitspo and clean eating, debunk misinformation about food with the health of experts and studies, and replace it with a simple principle: eat what you like and don't worry about it so much.
Scaachi Koul is a Canadian journalist whose first collection of essays, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, observes the world in a wry, irreverent, moving, and laugh-out-loud funny series of tales. At its heart, the collection tells her story of growing up the daughter of Indian immigrants to Canada, but it also tackles self-image, body hair, drinking, anxiety, and working on the internet while female. She is a senior culture writerfor BuzzFeed News, and previously worked in publishing.
Dr Elspeth McRae is chief innovation and science officer at the Crown Research Institute, Scion, which is working on alternatives to petroleum-based plastic. Dr McRae is on the board of the Packaging Council and leads a project with Callaghan Innovation designing new plastic alternatives with 3D & 4D printing. She also represents New Zealand on global bioeconomy forums. This interview is a companion to Erin Rhoads' story of her personal quest to reduce plastic waste.
Police in Zimbabwe this week rounded up hundreds after violent protests over high fuel prices; human rights groups say 12 have been killed, and beatings widely reported. The demonstrations were triggered by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's decision to steeply increase fuel prices last week. He had promised to repair the struggling economy after he replaced long-time leader Robert Mugabe following a coup in November 2017. Tendai Marima, a freelance journalist and researcher based in Zimbabwe, provides analysis.
Noha Ibrahim moved to New Zealand with her family from Egypt in 2016. She brings recipes for Sahlab, an Egyptian winter drink; Mediterranean Squid Tagine; and Qatayef, a Middle Eastern dessert.
Comedian James Nokise is a veteran performer in both New Zealand and overseas, and the host of Eating Fried Chicken In The Shower, an RNZ podcast in which he interviews people about their mental health and talks about his own sobriety. James brings the music of the the R&B legend D'Angelo to the party.
Bernadette Vine is a Research Fellow on the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project in the school of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University. She collects and analyses data about the way people communicate at work. She also publishes research on humour at work and leadership. Bernadette is currently working on a textbook on language in the workplace for Cambridge University Press.
Nigerian-American author Tomi Adeyemi's debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone, is the first in her young adult fantasy trilogy. It's tale infused with west African mythology, magic and power struggles, as well as racial tension and persecution that mirrors Tomi's anxiety around growing up black in the United States. The book is a New York Times bestseller, and a film adaptation is in the works. The second book in the Orïsha Legacy trilogy, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, is due for release on March the 5th.
Dr Paul Morland is associate research fellow at Birkbeck College, University of London and a renowned authority on demography. In his book, The Human Tide, Dr. Morland explains the influences of demographic change on almost all of the major global shifts and events of the last two centuries, arguing that the ebb and flow of a country's population is an overlooked factor that can explain more of history than we might have realised.
2019 marks 150 years since construction began of the periodic table of chemical elements by the Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev. Just 62 chemical elements were known then, but scientists have since increased that number to 118. University of Canterbury associate professor Sarah Masters is the President of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, and will be leading events in New Zealand to mark the United Nations' International Year of the Periodic Table.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, says all countries around the world should be concerned about the death sentence handed to a Canadian national accused of drug smuggling in China. Also this week, Rahaf Mohammed, the Saudi Arabian teenager who fled her family - fearing they would kill her - and was given asylum in Canada, gave her first interview. Laura McQuillan, a New Zealand journalist with Canada's CBC News, has been covering both stories.
After the defeat of her Brexit withdrawal deal in the House of Commons this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May has until Monday to come up with a "Plan B" for Britain's exit from the European Union. But with cross-party talks faltering, and the legally binding date for Brexit fast approaching, confusion reigns about what Mrs May will propose and whether she will have the political will to get it over the line in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Rob Watson, the BBC World Service's UK political correspondent, provides analysis.
Timena Apa is a director and editor, including for Coconet TV, New Zealand's largest hub for Pacific content. She loves cooking Samoan food, and brings recipes for Sapasui (Chop Suey), Oka (Raw fish with coconut cream), and Pineapple Pie.
Poet and essayist Ashleigh Young was the first New Zealander to win Yale University's Windham Campbell Prize for Non Fiction. Her second book, Can You Tolerate This? , is an acclaimed collection of essays about isolation and coming of age in heartland New Zealand. Ashleigh works as an editor at Victoria University Press, and in 2019 will edit The Friday Poem for The Spinoff Review of Books. Her poetry and essays have been widely published, and she blogs at eyelashroaming.com.
Welsh music journalist Simon Price wrote the definitive book on iconic Welsh rock act Manic Street Preachers. He joins Charlotte Graham-McLay to discuss the band and choose some of his favourite songs.
Far from being defeated, as President Trump recently stated, ISIS has 20,000 to 30,000 fighters still alive and taking part in the jihad, a New York Times correspondent says.
Mobile phones in schools are being accused of derailing learning and causing bitter squabbles between teachers and students as they try to police every ding, vibration and social media notification. When students in France return to school after the northern Summer break phones will be banned in their school by law. Insight's reporter Teresa Cowie has been asking students here what they think about phone bans.
Craig Richard is the founder of ASMR University, author of the book Brain Tingles, and professor of biopharmaceutical sciences at Shenandoah University, in Virginia. He studies the curious online phenomenon of ASMR, in which viewers use videos of people whispering or making soft sounds as a tool for relaxation, or even getting to sleep. Dr. Richard, who uses ASMR as a relaxation aide himself, explores whether the scientific evidence on the trend stacks up - and whether it matters.
Raqi Syed is a leading figure in developing New Zealand's virtual reality film industry. She is a Sundance New Frontier Story Lab Fellow, and is developing a short film that will be part of Sundance's New Frontier programme in 2020, in which viewers can experience the story as both a spectator and as a main character. Raqi has worked on numerous Weta Digital films and teaches design technology at Victoria University.
The withdrawal agreement Theresa May has negotiated with the European Union faces a crunch vote in the British House of Commons this week. The British Prime Minister has been speaking to Labour MPs and union leaders in a bid to try to get her deal through the Commons, where scores of her own Conservative MPs oppose it. Five days of debate are underway over the withdrawal agreement, but lawmakers have brought greater pressure on May to come up with a "Plan B" if she loses the vote, and the risks of a "no-deal Brexit" loom on the horizon. Providing analysis is Lisa O'Carroll, the Guardian's Brexit correspondent.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects one in seven people. Melbourne teacher Elle Joy was diagnosed in 2013 and found, like many others with the condition, that a diet low in FODMAPs – short-chain carbohydrates naturally occurring in many foods which aren't properly absorbed in the gut keeps her symptoms under control. She's created the website FODMAPHealth.com and an eBook of certified low-FODMAP, gluten-free recipes. She shares with us her recipes for Zucchini Pasta, Rainbow Lean Beef Sesame Stir-Fry and Lime, Ginger & Coconut Balls.
Eamonn Marra is a Wellington writer and comedian best known for his comedy about anxiety and mental illness. He has performed in the New Zealand International Comedy Festival and the New Zealand Fringe Festival, among many others, and has an essay in the book Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety. Eamonn's musical obsession is Christchurch band The Renderers, whose latest album was reviewed for RNZ Nick Bollinger.
Dr John Cryan, a neuropharmacologist and microbiome expert from the University College Cork, researches the interactions between the brain and the collection of microbes in the gut, and how that relationship affects stress, psychiatric health, and immune-related disorders. In his latest book, The Psychobiotic Revolution, Professor Cryan and colleague Ted Dinan write about research showing that beneficial microbes can improve mood.
Anthony Cabraal is a member of Enspiral, a collective of businesses and freelancers that aims to support people who want to spend their lives changing the world. He is co-editor of the book Better Work Together, which discusses harnessing the "power of community" to transform businesses. He is interested in helping communities of people approach governance of companies, profits, leadership, staff retention, and other structural issues that make workplaces dysfunctional, in new and innovative ways.
Dov Alfon is an Israeli investigative journalist and former editor of the newspaper Haaretz, to which he still contributes from his home in Paris. Dov was formerly an intelligence officer in Unit 8200, the most secretive arm of the Israeli military, and in his first work of fiction, A Long Night in Paris, he lays bare Israel's secretive world of intelligence gathering. He received a Peace Through Media prize in 2011.
Erin Rhoads has been living zero-waste since 2013. She runs the popular Australian eco-lifestyle website The Rogue Ginger and is the author of the 2018 book Waste Not.
Canada has accepted the asylum request of an 18-year-old Saudi Arabian woman, Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, after she successfully resisted - through a Twitter campaign - being deported from Thailand back to the conservative kingdom. She had fled an abusive family situation at home, and the UNHCR ruled she was a refugee. The case has drawn attention to the plight of women in Saudi Arabia, many of whom are forced to live under a guardianship system where male relatives make all significant decisions for women. Providing analysis from Beirut is Heba Kanso, the Middle East correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who has been writing about the case.
Nilufar Allayarova and her daughter Hanifa Kodirova came to New Zealand from Uzbekistan when Hanifa was four (now she's 18 and about to head off to university). They explain how Uzbeks prepare and celebrate food, bringing recipes for a dish of celebration and peace, Uzbek Plov, as well as Uzbek Manti (steamed dumplings) and Uzbek Somsa (Buttery Pastry filled with either meat or vegetables)
Angella Dravid took home the Billy T. James award at the 2017 New Zealand International Comedy Festival, and her gentle, awkward brand of comedy has also featured on Funny Girls, Jono and Ben, and The Spinoff. She introduces listeners to P. D. Q. Bach - a fictional classical composer invented by musical satirist Peter Schickele - who is billed as a forgotten relation of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Adrian Sutherland runs a Facebook page called One Minute Gardening, where he gives tips to readers from his home in Gisborne. He is also a talented artist. Send in your questions for Adrian to answer about simple, stripped-back gardening and growing your own kai: text 2101, or email theweekend@rnz.co.nz.
Piers Steel is one of the world's leading thinkers on the science of motivation and procrastination. His book, The Procrastination Equation lays out a toolkit for "how to stop putting things off and start getting stuff done".
With the UK having appointed a Minister for Loneliness in 2018, Insight investigates what can be done in New Zealand to address the problem, which will likely balloon as the population ages.
The Chinese government sees the women's movement as a threat so it's a huge triumph that feminism is on the rise there, says academic Leta Hong Fincher. Her latest book is Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China.
Eddie Beetham is an Auckland University wave scientist who has co-designed a simple calculation that predicts when and where Pacific Islands will be inundated by the ocean. The calculation was developed to be accessible for inhabitants of the islands to use themselves.
As a Democratic majority took charge of the U.S. Congress this week, President Donald Trump dug in his heels over a partial federal government shutdown that has lasted a fortnight so far. While Congress passed bills to reopen the government Friday, it did not include funding for President Trump's border wall with Mexico, and the Senate has indicated it would not pass any legislation the President does not support. Providing analysis is Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times. He has covered four presidents, previously reported for The Washington Post, and has written five books.
Wellington food writer Laura Vincent brings us recipes for toasted sunflower seed and garlic dip, black salted caramel ripple ice cream, and almond butter toffee.
Shihad frontman Jon Toogood , who also leads The Adults , has been obsessed with "fearless" creator David Bowie since he was a Wellington high school kid. After Bowie's death, he collaborated on performances that brought together popular New Zealand musicians, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra , and the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra to play the songs of David Bowie. He is performing solo acoustic shows around New Zealand in February.
Film aficionado and journalist Kim Choe reviews four new movies – including contenders for the big awards of 2019 – and previews some coming up.
Ada Calhoun is a New York-based writer whose latest book Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give, an essay collection about her own marriage, attempts to answer the questions: why get married at all? And when things get tough, why stay? Her first writings on the subject, To Stay Married, Embrace Change, were published as a viral Modern Love essay in the New York Times. She is also the author of St. Marks is Dead, a social and cultural history of St. Mark's Place in East Village, Manhattan.
Olivia Pinnock is a London-based fashion writer who also lectures on fashion communication at universities in London and in Norwich. As well as her fashion journalism , Olivia also runs The Fashion Debates , a series of panel discussions exploring pressing topics such as sweatshop labour, racism, environmental pollution and the health of models.
New Zealand's education system is failing Māori students by continuing to marginalise their culture, says Waikato University professor Mere Berryman, a 2017 New Zealander of the Year finalist.
Chris Anderson is a British-American entrepreneur, the founder of Geekdad, chief executive of drone software platform 3DR, and a former Editor-in-Chief of Wired. His five kids, aged 10-21, all live by his 12 Rules For Kids and Screens. Chris wrote the books The Long Tail, Free, and Makers: The New Industrial Revolution.
Brazil's newly sworn-in president, Jair Bolsonaro, was a political outsider who swept to power on promises to crack down on corruption and violence. But even before taking office this week, he had been already directed the beginnings of radical change in the country; it looks to include an increase in guns, closer ties to the United States, more deforestation of the Amazon, and a more conservative approach to gender and sexuality - especially in schools. Ernesto Londoño is the New York Times' Brazil bureau chief , based in Rio de Janeiro.
Ishna Iftikar's family moved from Sri Lanka to Canada when she was young, and she later came to New Zealand to study. She shares Sri Lankan Muslim cuisine, including an eggplant stirfry, Kaliya; a wheat, rice and coconut-based porridge, Kanji; and a dessert called Watalappam.
Chris Tse is a Wellington-based poet whose latest book is titled He's So MASC; his debut collection, How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, won the Best First Book of Poetry prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Chris' poetry, short fiction and non-fiction has been published in Best New Zealand Poems, Pantograph Punch, Turbine, The Listener, Fishhead and Landfall. He plays a selection of music from the eclectic Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, actress, record producer, and DJ, Björk.
Dr. Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith completed a PhD thesis on representations of sex workers in the New Zealand news media, aiming to find out which sex workers were presented by journalists as acceptable and what conditions were attached to that acceptability. They have taught at Massey and Victoria Universities.
Jasper Fforde is a fantasy, science-fiction, comedy and crime (usually all at once!) novelist who lives in Wales. His latest book, Early Riser, is a dark, and very funny, tale of a world in which humans have always hibernated. Jasper's Thursday Next series and his Dragonslayer and Shades of Grey books have won him ardent fans, many of whom gather for a regular convention in his honour - which he also attends - called the Fforde Ffiesta; held in the English city of Swindon, it celebrates the absurd in Jasper's work.
It's thought there could be several thousand New Zealand babies born every year with brains damaged in the womb by alcohol after their mothers drank while pregnant. Insight investigates what is being done for those coping with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Loving your body is an unattainable goal for most people, so work on simply accepting what you have without guilt or shame, says body liberation activist and writer Jes Baker.
Dr. Reuben Steff lectures at the Institute of Security and Crime Science at Waikato University. He was a speaker and organiser for this year's Waikato Dialogue, a symposium of experts who examined the implications of emerging disruptive technologies for international security and New Zealand. Dr. Steff believes New Zealand's military is not prepared for the speed of change that is going to be necessary to adopt artificial intelligence in the years to come.
New Zealand's government plans to make indicators of wellbeing - such as poverty and mental health - the centrepiece of its 2019 budget, as part of a move towards focusing on wellbeing-centred policy over traditional economic growth markers. Augusto Lopez-Claros is a World Bank economist currently on a fellowship with Georgetown University, and a former chief economist of the World Economic Forum. His latest book, Equality for Women = Prosperity for All draws a relationship between women's empowerment and poverty reduction across the globe.
If you live in Auckland and like eating Pasifika food chances are you've already eaten at the popular Eight Roses cafe and buffet in Otahūhū. Owner and chef Freddy Tu'akalau shares with us his recipes for Lu Pulu (corn beef in taro leaves), Pacific ceviche and lime and mango cheesecake.
Jacky Smith has run the Official International Queen Fan Club since 1982, and still coordinates the band's magazine, fan conventions, and ticket deals for members to see Queen in concert. As the band experiences a resurgence of interest with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody, Jacky plays her favourite tunes and tells stories from her time with Queen.
Dr Judy Bowen, a senior lecturer in computer studies at the University of Waikato, studies wearable technology and health trackers. Her research looks at the impact of personal data collection and its cultural, commercial and ethical value - including privacy implications.
[image_crop:71425:full] Daniel Mallory Ortberg is an American author and humourist, and the current voice behind Dear Prudence, Slate's wildly popular online advice column, which has been written by a number of Prudences since 1997. Before taking on the role, Mr. Ortberg co-founded, edited and wrote for the feminist humour website The Toast; he now runs a newsletter called The Shatner Chatner. He has written the books The Merry Spinster and Texts from Jane Eyre.
[gallery:4931] Waikato University engineering student Nicc Moeono Alaiasa wants to help Samoa meet its goal of taking all of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025, by creating a system that alternately draws on hydro and solar energy. He is also the founder of Waikato University's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Pasifika and Maori club.
New York Times opinion writer and editor Bari Weiss recently published a groundbreaking article about the Australian actor Yael Stone, in which the Orange is the New Black star detailed sexual harassment allegations against Geoffrey Rush. The story pulled back the curtain on the nuances and consequences of telling #MeToo stories. Bari Weiss was previously an op-ed and book review editor at The Wall Street Journal, and also worked at Tablet, the online magazine of Jewish politics and culture.
Perfectionism, fostered by the results-focused education system, is on the rise and leading to disastrous mental health outcomes among younger generations, University of Bath psychology lecturer Thomas Curran says.
Red Cross aid worker Rosemarie North is in the Banten province of Java where authorities have lifted the alert level for the Anak Krakatau volcano to its second-highest level. She has worked on and off for the Red Cross since 2003 in all kinds of situations, including post-conflict in Sierra Leone, landslides in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, refugee camps in Chad, earthquakes in Nepal and Christchurch, and tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Samoa. [image_crop:72149:full]
Henry Boyle is combining his interested in virtual reality technology, with his love of spending time suspended in float tanks, with warm epsom salt filled water. Russell Golding, meanwhile, is a young entrepreneur with a completely different project on the go. He's working with Conscious Consumers, an organisation connecting consumers with businesses that share their values. The Wellington-born social enterprise has developed a free mobile app allowing users to find businesses near them that are making positive changes, learn about their practices, and gain loyalty rewards for spending with them. In May 2016, they raised over $600,000 in equity from investors in only a few weeks. This year, they're aiming to further develop their technology, bringing consumers more purchasing choices and delivering tailored services to businesses wanting to gain better access to this steadily growing sector of the market.
Musician Jesse Sheehan in session performing songs. He and singer Ny Oh have just finished a tour around New Zealand promoting his Neil Finn produced debut album Drinking With The Birds, and soon play the Kapiti Coast's Coastella Festival.
Would you eat steak grown in a lab? With the supply of fossil fuels used for fertilisers dwindling, the question is once again being posed: how do we make sure we have have enough food to feed the world's growing population? Ecologist Mike Joy looks at some current - and quite radical - suggestions of ways to produce food sustainably.
The average age of a start up is 26, but recent research suggests some of our most successful entrepreneurs are actually 55 plus. They have life experience, skills, connections and possibly some money in the bank too. Jude Benedict the founder of Kiwi Klips, founder of global domain name register I Want My Name Paul Spence, and Julia Charity the force behind Kiwi accommodation network Look After Me - all demonstrate it's never too late to get started.
The World Buskers Festival is underway in Christchurch and one of the headling acts is UK ventriloquist Nina Conti. She's performed around the world, appeared on Live At The Apollo, and her and her puppet Monkey were in the cast of the Christopher Guest mockumentary series Family Tree. As well as having a host of characters she regularly returns to, she somehow manages to persuade audience members to get involved and become her living ventriloquist dummies.
Dan Kois and his family are moving around the world, three months at a time to write a book provisionally titled How To Be A Family. Dan has recently kicked off his world tour with New Zealand.
Not every athlete is like Richie McCaw and gets to fly helicopters when they retire. The final in our series looking at the realities at key stages in a sporting life brings us to the other end of a sporting career - when you retire and the hard transition out of sport. Lynn Freeman speaks to Chief Executive of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association - whose personal development programme focusses heavily on coping with retirement, Heath Mills, and Chris Jackson, who was part of the All Whites squad though the nineties until 2003, including as Captain. Chris has been quite open about depression in retired athletes.
On Joint Jukebox are Darian Woods and Lucy Botting who as Wet Wings perform The Weekend's musical theme - 'Willow Peak'. Lucy and Darian talk to Shaun D Wilson about the Christchurch music scene of ten years ago, the joy of mixtapes, and spin the tunes that define their relationship - for good or for bad. They'll be performing gigs in Lucy's new project Girl Boss at Cassette 9 in Auckland, Caroline in Wellington, and Newtown Festival.
Ben Galloway set up Trash Footwear a few years ago in Auckland. He fashions shoes from junk and leftover materials.
2017 is an election year. Will it be a goldmine for our political journalists, or a big yawn? Did John Key's resignation late last year really stir things up? Will New Zealanders bother to vote or can the media shake off voter apathy? Our panellists Tracy Watkins (Political Editor of the Dominion Post), columnist Toby Manhire, RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson, and Mediawatch's Colin Peacock, ponder these questions.
Almost a media magnate, Neil Wilson co-owns the Golden Bay Weekly. He also owns the Geraldine News - who The Weekend heard from a few weeks back with Jan Finlayson. But it is to Golden Bay we are headed now, to Pohara in fact, where Neil joins me for our very last regional spotlight for our season.
1.5 million New Zealanders will be aged over 65 by 2061, and if you're planning on retiring in the next twenty years you might have to wait until you're 67 to claim superannuation. The retirement commissioner Diane Maxwell made this recommendation in her 3-yearly review of retirement income policy, which was handed over to the government just before Christmas. It was also announced that if you have moved to New Zealand from another country you need to be here 25 years before you can qualify for super.
The South Island is in for another battering today, as the storm that saw power cut to thousands of Auckland homes overnight, heads its way.
What's been heralded as the biggest protest rally in American history will take place place in Washington. The Women's March on Washington is a shot across the bow to the newly sworn in President Trump.
Tagi Fiu will be working on a food stall at the capital's annual Pasifika Festival on 23 January as the sights, sounds and flavours of the Pacific Islands go on show.
Writer and gourmande Anne Else talks about seasonal eating, top tips and her food philosophy.
Lynn Freeman heads out on safari in central and north-western India, joining the hundreds of thousands of people who hope to see rare one-horned rhinos, leopards and especially tigers in the wild.
New Zealand didn't come out well when our adherence to the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, was assessed. What more can and must be done to protect the rights of Kiwi kids?
Carolyn Press-McKenzie from the animal welfare organisation HUHA on what to do when your pet is playing up, how to choose the right pet for your family, and where you should get them from.
Carolyn Press-McKenzie, from the animal welfare organisation HUHA on what to do when your pet is playing up, how to choose the right pet for your family, and where you should get them from.
Tauranga musician Luke Thompson is of the finalists for Folk Album of the Year for his fifth album Hosts. It's a nice surprise for the well travelled musician, who's shared the stage with many artists over the years including Passenger, Toto, and Avalanche City.
The Weekend concludes its series on the The Great Outdoors with one of the most demanding and rewarding outdoor activities.
Orchids are a species of flower that can seem just too hard to cultivate for most of us. But orchid devotees Roy and Lee Neale believe there's an orchid out there for everyone.
For the last of The Weekend's North Island regional spotlights this season; we head to Whanganui to talk to Mark Dawson, editor at the Wanganui Chronicle.
New Zealand dines out on the fact that it was the first country to give women the vote back in 1893. Why haven't we built on this legacy?
The Māori Side Steps are a musical comedy group that riffs off past bands like The Howard Morrison Quartet, but takes the genre in a new direction. They've got their own webseries and are playing the Gardens Magic concert series at Wellington Botanic Gardens.
For new migrants just getting a job is hard enough. But once they do, they also need to quickly get a grip on our metaphors, euphamisms, sayings and workplace culture. Lynn Freeman visited Victoria University's English Language Institute which runs a course on workplace language for skilled migrants.
The Weekend speaks to some young people who took the leap of faith and become entrepreneurs at a tender age.
What makes a spinoff good, bad, or just blah? Can you build something new and glorious around a fan favourite character or will they lose what makes them special, if they take a starring role?
Over the summer on The Weekend we've been talking to recyclers and upcyclers, people who like the Wombles, are making good use of the things that they find, things that the everyday folks leave behind. This is true of Christchurch builder, artist and furniture maker, Tim McGurk. He says he works with whatever junk and materials he can find. Tim crafted several items from the materials salvaged from an earthquake damaged Christchurch house, as part of the Whole House Reuse project. He also made the news when he made a Star Wars inspired X-wing sculpture/lamp out of salvaged rimu.
Contrary to what you might believe, the life of professional footballer is uncertain, poorly paid and short.
Herald columnist and former Rip It Up editor Karl Puschman and NZME image handler Mat Riot talk about the music that made their friendship.
Hannah Payne is designing a high heeled shoe for women who are expected to wear them in the workplace – but aren't happy about it.
Donna Chisholm has been fighting the good fight for 40 years. Donna is editor-at-large of North & South and a staff writer for the Listener, with specialist areas including health, social issues, science and crime. She made the headlines herself after campaigning for David Dougherty who'd been wrongfully imprisoned for rape. She supported him through his retrial and during his long fight for compensation. But there are just too many significant and insightful stories she's produced to list here.
A South Island regional spotlight, and we're checking in with Lee Scanlon who is Chief Reporter at the Westport News. It's a balance sheet of gains and losses at the top of the West Coast.
Misleading advertisements - don't you just hate them? The Commerce Commission has been taking court action against companies that try it on with consumers. A whole bunch of other issues we as consumers need to care about also come under the Commission's brief. Lynn Freeman met Commissioner Anna Rawlings to talk about consumer law - its strengths and weaknesses.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright is coming to the end of 10 years in the role. What have the highlights been, what's still to do, and has she done enough?
Think of the strong men in the old fashion circuses, with their twirly moustaches, striped outfits and bulging muscles. That's pretty much what you get with Canadian busker Mike Johns, who is in the country for Christchurch's World Buskers Festival. At the moment though he's working the streets of Wellington, with his sledgehammer and bowling balls. Lynn Freeman saw Mighty Mike's act and invited him onto The Weekend - not just because of his daring feats, but because he mentioned his former life as an insurance man.
Making the world a better place one cake at a time, is the catchphrase of the baking charity Good Bitches Baking. It's now a nationwide movement.
India is a land of contrasts. In most parts of this vast country, you can't escape the heat, but head way up north, to Ladarkh, and you're in Himalayan territory.
At the New Zealand Cricket Museum, there are boxes of items with question marks hanging over them. We're asking if you can help answer one of them.
There were some great finalists in Play It Strange's last songwriting competition, but one that stood out to us was Ianetta Solomon-Brown from Baradene College in Auckland.
Steampunk has become a Thames tourist attraction, spearheaded by Baroness Ditzy von Karbon and Lady Lavinia Laudanum-Swoon.
Separation anxiety can be a huge issue for pets and pet owners at this time of year. What should you look out for when you're reunited?
Dunedin musician Abigail Knudson is a classically trained performer, who grew up in choirs. She's just released her first full length album; the lushly produced Nicotine, which comes off the back of her Religion EP.
Conservationist, forager, angler and former fisheries observer Peter Langlands talks about the many threats to our lakes and waterways. Lynn Freeman asked the Cantabrian how the earthquakes affected Christchurch birds, as there was talk that they left the city.
The health of your soil is crucial to the success of your garden. Philippa Jamieson, the editor of Organic NZ magazine, joins The Weekend with some ideas on how to get the best out of your soil.
The Regional Spotlight falls on Whakatane. The Weekend checks in with Ngati Awa iwi radio station Tumeke FM, which covers Whakatane, west to Tauranga, out east towards Te Whanau Apanui, south towards Murupara, covering the Tuhoe area. Tumeke FM's operations coordinator and host Tracey Eparaima says they've have been having a good summer.
Could pom poms soon be on the podium? There's been a mixed reaction to the possibility of cheerleading being included in the Olympics.
What should happen when a patient can't explicity consent to medical research being carried out on them? Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill discusses the issue of informed consent in a high-stakes environment.
Lynn Freeman spoke to talented Wellington singer-songwriter and high school student Daisy van Wel.
Dunedin principal Heidi Hayward created a huge stir late last month when she wrote an open letter to four government ministers highlighting areas of deep concern. She says she wrote the letter out of a sense of "hopelessness", claiming some of her pupils are living in homes where drugs are used and dealt. The Dunedin North Intermediate principal wrote: "There was a time when I took solace in the belief that while I could not educate some of the at risk children, I could at least provide comfort, safety and security for them five days a week" Heidi Hayward and YouthLaw Aotearoa solicitor Kenton Starr join me for a conversation about what more needs to be done to support 'at risk' school students.
New Year's Eve, only a blurry week ago now. Some of us might be inspired by the start of another year to take a risk and give oxygen to that entrepreneurial idea that's been smoldering away for a while now. But how do you turn that dream on the back of an envelope into a reality? Founder and Editor of NZ Entrepreneur magazine, Richard Liew, and CEO of business growth specialists The Icehouse Andy Hamilton on what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
In case you hadn’t noticed Enid Blyton’s Famous Five are now all grown up and featuring in a series of new satirical novels.
Sarah Lancaster is a woman who offers people around the country the chance to have a go at sewing. She has kitted out Cecil the campervan with solar panels and sewing machines and materials, and this summer they're both back out on the road. Sew Love is what Sarah calls her mission to encourage people to be more creative while cutting down on waste.
Olympic 5,000 meter runner Nikki Hamblin and BMX Olympic silver medalist Sarah Walker talk about overcoming disappointment in high performance sport.
Back in 2015 on The Weekend, as part of our Musical Dynasties segment, Shaun D Wilson spoke to renowned Wellington-based beatmaker and jazz drummer Myele Manzanza. Now we've brought back Myele back for Joint Jukebox, where a pair of friends spin the tunes that define their relationship - for good or for bad. Myele introduced Shaun to Australian composer, producer, and bass player Ross McHenry, who he's recently been on a joint album release tour with. They also debate the joys of, or lack of joy in, test cricket. Myele is playing at the Wellington Botanic Gardens as part of the Gardens Magic series, and later in the year RNZ National will broadcast Ross & Myele in concert.
You're meandering through a book shop, idling along, checking out what's about past the Crime and Thriller section, when.... a multitude of bright hues catch your unfocused eyes! These bursts of colour are on the covers of books that feature large photos of unrecognisable but often smiling people with good skin. On closer inspection this section seems to be all books about or by YouTube personalities. What are these curios? If you go on to YouTube itself, there are many channels devoted to books. Those that make videos documenting their love of letters are part of the BookTube community; a bunch of people who want to share their enjoyment of the written word. To discuss YouTube and literature, The Weekend spoke to blogger and vlogger for Australian website Happy Indulgence - Jeann Wong, along with Emma Bryson from Booksellers New Zealand who has written about books by YouTubers.
Multi-award winning New Zealand Herald Chief Photographer Brett Phibbs has covered natural disasters and personal tragedies through to international sporting events over the past 30 years.
The Weekend heads to South Canterbury where community board member and local reporter for the Geraldine News Jan Finlayson joins us. Jan is also vice president of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand - an organisation with a huge relevance in her part of the world.
Over the summer Wellingtonian Irene Wakefield is honing her online resource for teenagers who're considering serious relationships, or who are with partners who're hurting them physically and emotionally. She also hopes to help potential abusers recognise their own behaviour and seek help. Irene is one of young social entrepreneurs picked for the Live The Dream accelerator programme run by the Inspiring Stories foundation.
Sir Wira Gardiner is chair of the Local Government Commission overseeing our 78 local authorities, 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities. Rodney, Waiheke and the Wairarapa could all have new council structures this year. He's also a man who totally confounded the very low expectations people initially had of him. Sir Wira left his high school drop-out days firmly behind him and proved his teachers wrong by going on to be the founding head of the Waitangi Tribunal and founding Chief Executive of the Ministry of Māori Development.
For most Kiwis at this stage in the summer when we think about ice its to put in a long cool drink. Not so much for South Taranaki couple Lisa and Jimi Walsh. They carve giant sculptures out of ice and snow and are just about to head off to compete in the snow sculpture section of the 2017 International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, Northern China.
A week in, how are those resolutions going? Have fat, sugar and carbs been banned from your diet. Or is the old willpower starting to crumble? Niki Bezzant from the Healthy Food Guide explains why making food related New Year resolutions is almost certainly doomed to failure.
Tourist attractions are starting to get back in business after the November earthquake. This is usually the busiest time of year for the South Island tourist mecca. Before the quake operators were expecting great things after a few relatively lean years. Lynn Freeman was in Kaikoura two days before the 7.8 earthquake, when spirits were high. She visited the new Kaikoura museum, and went whale watching for the first time in 20 years.
A new kiwi film set in Pahi by the Kaipara Harbour in Northland is hitting screens around the country. The Catch follows two fisherman who hope to alter their fortunes by winning a local fishing competition. Lynn Freeman speaks to Director and co-writer Simon Mark-Brown who is travelling around New Zealand to be at various premieres of The Catch.
We're a nation of walkers living in a country where the weather can turn from nice to nasty in a heartbeat. Lynn Freeman meets keen Wellington trampers Illona Keenan and Peter Barber.
When our four-legged friends can't get around on land as they used to - due to injury, illness or perhaps putting on too much weight - have you ever considered water as an option? Hydrotherapy - or water healing - has been around since ancient Egyptian times. It can can help animals (as well as humans) recover from things like arthritis, tendon and muscle injuries, nerve damage, and obesity. Kiwi canine hydrotherapist Sarah Apperley trained in the UK and has set up one of the few animal hydrotherapy units in New Zealand - she calls it Aquahounds! [gallery:2879]
James Taylor, who emerged in the early 1970s as a star of the singer-songwriter movement, is coming to New Zealand next month.
Author and art historian Lucinda Hawksley didn't know that her great great great grandfather was extremely famous until she was at school. She thought Charles Dickens was just someone she was related to. The author of Great Expectations, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities - Dickens is considered by many to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. He was certainly the nineteenth century's first great urban novelist with a social conscience. Lucinda has written about his life and of the many influential people who surrounded him in a new book called Charles Dickens and his Circle.
Which plants make happy bedfellows and which don't? Cook and gardener Annabel Langbein talks about good combinations of plants - like tomatoes and basil, beans and corn, and beans and potatoes, and ones best kept apart, including tomatoes and fennel, potatoes and sunflowers and peas and garlic.
When The Weekend asked listeners to send us the words they didn't want to hear; the correspondence kept coming. 'Learnings' came in as a strong contender of a word people didn't want to hear, as did the phrase 'going forward'. A highlight was an email/poem from Max Reid in Dunedin that delved into policy-speak.
Hastings resident Andrew Austin is the editor of local newspaper the Hawkes Bay Today. Water contamination has and continues to steal the headlines there.
The Weekend heads 45 minutes into the future and about 8 hundred kilometres east now. To the most easterly part of New Zealand in fact... to the Chatham Islands, where a hoped-for runway extension could open up the isolated group of two main and 12 scattered smaller islands to more visitors. Mayor Alfred Preece was re-elected mayor in October of what is our smallest local authority.
Over the next 18 months Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft will oversee the latest shake up for the ministry responsible for the wellbeing of children and more broadly families. The Ministry for Child Youth and Family will morph into Ministry for Vulnerable Children. It's a massive undertaking. While Judge Becroft has been outspoken in his dislike of the Ministry's new name, he is committed to making the new entity achieve more for our children. In his first six months on the job he's also welcomed a rise in the youth justice age to 17 and shared his concerns about the findings of the 4th Child Poverty Monitor.
Summer is a great time to be heading to outdoor concerts and taking some sun and sounds. The Reuben Bradley Sextet is a jazz group that is taking their show on the road with shows in the Nelson Jazzfest and the.Wellington Gardens Magic series. Their stage show covers a range of jazz styles from the twenties to today, and the band is lead by drummer Reuben Bradley who in 2015 was voted as having the best Jazz album - in Korea. Lynn Freeman spoke to Reuben, and one of Sing Sing Sing's three vocalists Lauren Armstrong.
It's almost daunting - so far there are almost 5 million pages of New Zealand historical documents to be explored, online and for free, on the National Library's Papers Past website. There are digitised newspapers, letters, diaries, magazines, and parliamentary papers. It's a goldmine for historians and other researchers, writers and genealogists, and anyone else with an interest in our past. Emerson Vandy works on Papers Past and he's unearthed some stories to share with us on The Weekend.
Musician James Pinker is on The Weekend to note a band he hasn't been in for thirty plus years. He was the drummer for seminal Auckland post-punk band The Features, who have had their music collected on a recent compilation called X-Features. James Pinker has worked on music for Brian Eno, Nathan Haines, The Pogues, OMC, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dead Can Dance, and Sisters Underground. James Pinker's recent projects include a collaboration called Mesh with Pitch Black's Paddy Free; the Indian music-influenced Holiwater Band, and more recently, and audio-visual electronica group, Haptic. James has been a curator for Auckland Council, exhibited his visual art and photography, and now works with his partner, the artist Lisa Reihana, and is the co-composer of the soundscape for her work in Pursuit of Venus [infected] which will be the featured New Zealand work at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
Last year, shortly after visiting New Zealand, Taiwanese political activist and civic hacker Audrey Tang was appointed as a Cabinet Minister with special responsibility for solving communication quandries within and outside government - making her the first transgender person appointed to Taiwan's executive. Audrey's background includes helping design Apple's Siri technology's voice recognition abilities, and creating social media that helps organisations learn about how employee's work flow and institutional knowledge. Audrey was closely involved with Taiwan's Occupy movement, and was a key player in helping democratise decision-making after the unpopularity of the previous government. Taiwan is a young democracy going through rapid changes - many of them facilitated by an attitude of 'open government' - that would've have seemed impossible a short time ago. After her rapturously received talk at the tech focused Open Source//Open Society conference Audrey spoke to The Weekend producer Shaun D Wilson.
One of the most notable fashion movements to come out of Japan is an uber feminine take on 19th century clothing called the Lolita style. The main version of Lolita is often very light colours like white and pink, though there is the dark version: Gothic Lolita. Lynn Freeman met with academic and art and design historian Kathryn Hardy Bernal, who is currently researching Lolita's influence in Latin America.
In the UK, Jay Blades has established himself as a go to upcycler of classic British furniture - brands like Echol are a particular favourite. Sturdy, unfussy and out of fashion - until Jay gets his hands on them. On the TV show Money for Nothing Jay transforms furniture taken to the tip into mini masterpieces with a modern twist involving a splash of paint or fabric colour. He's also set up a social enterprise Jay & Co that encourages disadvantaged groups in the community to get creative.
For a young person making the decision to dedicate themselves to a high performance sport it's an exciting and hugely challenging time. Young athletes may be putting everything else on hold. A big ask for them, and their family. In the first in a series on personal development in sport The Weekend is on the starting blocks to turn a dream into a living. Lynn Freeman speaks to one of the youngest ever to be selected for the White Ferns, 16 year old cricketer Amelia Kerr, her mum Jo Murray. Also on the line is Director of High Performance at Athletics New Zealand Scott Goodman, and former All Black now Emerging Players Manager at the NZ Rugby Players Association Kevin Senio - who turned professional when he was just 18.
Shaun D Wilson plays Joint Jukebox with a pair of friends willing to spin the tunes that define their relationship - for good or for bad. The pop pickers on this occasion are Melbourne singer/songwriter Jess Locke and her friend and flatmate; art therapist Tess Stewart-Moore. The pair have a spooky, acapella, folk band called Borscht, but you won't hear anything about that in this interview because there's so much discussion of Aussie-pop rockers Silverchair to include.
The Banded Dotterels who've made their home in Kaikoura have had a rough time of it in the last few years, despite having some dedicated guardian angels trying to save them. The little shore bird with the distinctive markings tend to lay their eggs in little camouflaged nests close to the sea, often on busy beaches. That's certainly the case on South Bay, where Ailsa Howard, her husband Ted regularly monitor the adult birds and surviving chicks. Even before the disruption of the earthquake in November, many of the more than 20 nests Ailsa and Ted had found were disturbed or destroyed - by predators and people riding motorbikes along the popular beach.
For 20 years editor and journalist Barbara Fountain has raised important health issues and got our doctors talking to each other through the publication New Zealand Doctor. That dedication to independent journalism, and her commitment to mentoring young journalists, won her the inaugural Editorial Leader of the Year award at the 2016 Canon Media Awards. She's so committed to the paper that she bought it and an associated publication Pharmacy Today from the multi-national company that owned it .Her company's mission statement says, "We give a shit".
For the second in The Weekend's series of regional spotlights around New Zealand we're heading south to Fiordland. Te Anau in fact, where we can speak to Advocate South editor Kirsty Macnicol.
Smoking now gets more expensive with a 10% increased in the tax on tobacco There'll be 10% rises on January the first, each year until 2020. It's estimated 15% of adult New Zealanders smoke daily, and smoking-related illnesses kill up to 5000 a year. The Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington holds hundreds of smoking-related posters, brochures, other advertising and health messages that've been published over more than a century in New Zealand. Barbara Lyon is Curator Ephemera at the library and showed Lynn Freeman some of her favourite examples.
In the second in the series of Commissioner interviews The Weekend is looking at how drones, oversharing on Facebook, robots, our internet surfing habits...past crimes even impact on our privacy. The Privacy Act is being revamped, so what will this mean in relation to data portability, artificial intelligence and the proliferation of robots in daily life? Lynn Freeman spoke to the Privacy Commissioner John Edwards to find out.
Luke Bird is used to singing national anthems in massive stadia across the world. Now down the line from The Weekend's little Auckland booth he's talking about his life, his favourite and least favourite anthems, and sings us out with Auld Lang Syne to get you in the mood for the New Year.
Leftovers are part and parcel of this time of year, the big Christmas dinner and New Year party food. The amount of food we waste as a nation, let alone the planet, is mind-boggling. We can start by cutting down how much we each throw into the bin, compost or worm farm. Not a bad resolution to make, and perfectly achievable with a bit of imagination. That's where Niki Bezzant from the Healthy Food Guide comes in.
Shaun D Wilson travels around Japan, from Tokyo to Sapporo in the north and back again - all via rail. In Tokyo, after struggling to find his hostel, Shaun visits Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a gaming arcade, shopping and culture district Harajuku, the most confusing place on earth - Tokyo DisneySea, and on his last day celebrates Children's Day at a Shinto shrine in Semuzu. Further north Shaun experiences the cold and sometimes ghostly harbour city of Aomori, sees the remains of Morioka Castle, and wigs out singing Karaoke with his former flatmate Taiga Yamazaki whilst visiting Sapporo.
There'll be slipping, slopping and slapping on hats around the country at the moment, that's a safety slogan that's lasted over decades. But these days we know even this isn't it enough to protect us from the viciously strong sunshine we get in New Zealand. Melanoma is a killer and sunburn is a leading cause of the cancer. Lynn Freeman spoke to Professor Amanda Oakley, a Dermatologist at Waikato Hospital to find out about recent breakthroughs in skin condition research.
Children with wistful eyes and empty pockets used to hang around a kayak rental boatshed in Eastbourne in Wellington. Now, thanks to a new project called Everyone's Adventure, there's a very good chance they will be able to head out in a kayak up until Easter. David Woulfe came up with the scheme and has roped in a couple of other businesses to offer free use of their kayaks and bikes, once they've reached their summer financial target.
He's helped bring $500 million worth of films to this country, and counting, and for his services to the film industry, producer Barrie Osborne is now an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. New York born Barrie has dual citizenship, after falling in love with Aotearoa when he first visited back in the 1980s. Since then he's been an ambassador for the New Zealand film industry, enticing moviemakers here from around the world. The Rescue, The Water Horse, Pete's Dragon, Krampus, Ghost in the Shell, and most recently the Chinese funded blockbuster Meg are all on his CV. Barrie was also part of the Oscar-winning team behind The Lord of the Rings, picking up two nominations and the 2004 Academy Award for Best Picture for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Thomas Voyce is sonic artist in residence at Toi Poneke Arts Centre in Wellington. On the 13th, the sound artist, studio boffin, and musician begins an exhibition of his work called Octophonic-Ambisonic. Thomas was also a founding member of dub band Rhombus, and has studied electroacoustic composition to a PhD level at Victoria University.
The Law Commission turned 30 last year. It's responsible for reviewing and developing this country's law, and to make it as understandable and accessible as possible. It's not a large organisation, currently the Law Commission has four commissioners. Two of them are Donna Buckingham and Helen McQueen. Some of the law is antiquated, but among the briefs on the Law Commissions' books for 2017 are two relatively contemporary issues: how property should be divided when families break down, and - only on the statute books since 2012 - search and surveillance as it relates to the law.
They have runnerbeans growing up the side of a police station in Canterbury, and if you pick them you won't get arrested. They're there - like many of the fruit and vegies growing in Geraldine - for everyone and anyone to eat. It's all part of the Incredible Edibles project.
Michele Amas - outstanding actress and poet, has been farewelled at her funeral in Wellington. In life she was on stage in countless plays mainly at Circa Theatre, and a writer - especially of poems. Her distinctive voice was in many RNZ plays, children's stories and readings over the years. She died from cancer on Boxing Day, another casualty of a brutal 2016 in terms of lost talent.
New Zealand's golden girl is now a Dame - and she says she feels like a child in a candy shop. With the announcement of the New Year's Honours list, Shotputter Dame Valerie Adams can now share her top secret honour with the country which has cheered her long and stellar career. Her impressive medal tally includes, two Olympic and three Commonwealth golds, four World Championship gold medals and a silver at the 2016 Rio de Jeneiro Olympic Games. Between 2010 and 2014 her unprecedented winning streak spanned 56 competitions. Dame Valerie has received the Halberg Supreme Award three times and took out the Halberg Sportswoman of the Year for seven consecutive years from 2006.. She says few women athletes have become Dames and she hopes this honour will help change that.
Louise Thornley and Joe Wilson reflect on a VSA assignment to Tokelau to extinguish the Pacific's most staggering smoking statistics.
Social media platform Tumblr is a hive of online activity where users share images, GIFS or whatever else takes their fancy. If what they're sharing becomes popular enough it reaches the status of meme: an idea that spreads virally throughout the culture of the internet. The Weekend's Shaun D Wilson spoke to Amanda Brennan, a Content and Community Associate at Tumblr, who catalogues and archives what Tumblr communities are into - that's led to her being called a Meme Librarian.
Lynn Freeman heads to the West Coast of the South Island, to a township that is all too often only seen as a quick stop to see the famous Pancake Rocks, blowholes, en route to bigger neighbours Greymouth or Westport. But Punakaiki is determinedly promoting itself as a destination worthy of at least a few days of your time. For the outdoor enthusiast there is kayaking, horse riding, petrels, tramping and hunting in the vast Paparoa National Park. It's also one of the best places in the country to see the night sky away from city light pollution.
Swordswallower Amy Saunders aka Miss Behave has brought a gameshow to the World Buskers Festival in Christchurch.
Hearing an oral history recording of his nana talking about her relationship to the land and food has changed the life of Ngai Tahu rangatahi Keefe Robinson-Gore. He was sad to think that his people had lost the skills she talked about the gardens, fruit orchards, even making their own butter. He's also concerned that this has come at a huge cost to Maori, not only in health but also socially. Keefe wants to create a thriving eco system at his home marae in Akaroa that will produce an economic return and free healthy food for his whanau. He's coming up with ideas this summer as part of the Inspiring Stories Trust's Live The Dream programme.
When is a young person old enough to determine their medical treatment, including refusing help that could extend their lives? For the medical profession these are some of the hardest ethical decisions because they involve balancing the wishes of an informed and unwell adolescent against the possibility that they might be foregoing their best or only chance at having a future. Professor John McMillan is the head of the Bioethics Centre at Otago University, while Janine Winters works with children in palliative care as an affiliate of the centre.
Lynn Freeman is joined by Musical Siblings Mara TK and Billy TK Jnr. Mara is a member of Electric Wire Hustle, Fly My Pretties, and Data Hui, composed music for the play Hikoi, and has collaborated with many musicians including a joint album with Hollie Smith. Billy is a renowned Blues guitarist who as well as pursuing his own solo career does excellent work as a sideman for other acts, he's also been a director of various jazz & blues festivals in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Kiwi are our National symbol and around the country many communities are trying to protect kiwi in their patch from predators and habitat loss. Much relies on private landowners being willing to get involved in kiwi monitoring and predator control. The Taranaki Kiwi Trust is working with landowners and the Department of Conservation, as well as local schools and volunteers to protect the North Island Western Brown Kiwi.
Mediawatch's Colin Peacock, satirist Robbie Nichol (White Man Behind A Desk), associate editor of the StopPress media industry news website Ben Fahy, and RNZ Head of Content Carol Hirschfeld talk about topical trends, and challenges in media like the new visual Checkpoint with John Campbell, bite size news, ondemand everything, and the lack of current affairs television.
Peter Jackson is the editor of The Northland Age and is a Northlander born and bred; he talks to Lynn Freeman about what's happening in his patch.
It's only been around for a few weeks, so do we know if The Harmful Digital Communications Act will do what it's designed to do? That includes dealing to cyber bullies. Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to cyber bullying but until now there have been precious few ways of defending yourself against them. Bev Edwards from the Community Law centre in Tauranga works in this area.
Unredeemed gift vouchers, perpetual sales, Dick Smith going into voluntary receivership, Trade Me putting its fees up. Professor of Law at Canterbury University Duncan Webb, and Chief Executive of Consumer New Zealand Sue Chetwin discuss summer consumer issues.
Musician and former TEDxQueenstown presenter Graeme James discusses busking and plays us a couple of tunes.
Skin cancer and literature is an unlikely combination but they're both big players in the life of Dr Sharad Paul. He writes medical textbooks, poetry and fiction. The Auckland cancer specialist and social entrepreneur will be talking about his book Skin: A Biography at the 2016 Jaipur Literature Festival in India.
Shannon Weaver has travelled the length and breadth of the country cataloguing our antique and op shops, which are documented in a new book called Collectors Anonymous. Lynn Freeman also talks to RNZ News' Wellington Bureau Chief Gareth Thomas, who has one of the most inexpensive collections of them all.
We take a look at Maori and New Zealand historical artefacts and a taste for collecting Oriental pieces. Also, what are the current trends in collecting? All this thanks to something of an antique itself - auction house Dunbar Sloane was founded in 1919. Dunbar Sloane Jnr. joins us.
In the last part of a mini-series looking at our Olympic hopefuls we turn to issues facing some of our more niche athletes. Trampolinist Dylan Schmidt and Judo-ka Adrian Leat are both hoping to qualify for their first Olympic Games, while BMX silver medallist Sarah Walker wants to go back for Gold.
Young researcher Alexandrea Whyte has been out in dense bush hunting for weta and beetles, to see if they've been affected by 1080 poison drops in the area to control predators. It's the fourth of a five year project, comparing areas that have had the drops compared to those that haven't in bush near the Rimutaka range north of Wellington. Alexandrea signed up for this summer scholarship project at Victoria University and she and her supervisor Stephen Hartley join Lynn Freeman on The Weekend.
Long before Caitlin Jenner came out, people who feel they have been born in the wrong body have taken steps to change what gender they're identified as. What's changed now though is that some transgender people don't have to wait until adulthood to make the change. Primary schools and parents are now trying to find ways to help young children make the transition. And while it can be tricky, it's also important. With Wellington GP Dr Cathy Stephenson, and transgender women Jevon and Megan.
This time our Musical Siblings are the Runga sisters. Bic has an acclaimed career as a singer/songwriter. Boh made waves with pop-rock band Stellar*, is a solo act, released a collaborative album with Anika Moa and Hollie Smith, and has her own jewellery line. Pearl joined Boh's old band Amez Amez which has evolved into cover band Automatic 80s, and teaches in the same primary school as her husband/bandmate Justin Maclaren. Pearl and Justin are also in synth-pop band The Broken.
Erin Griffith at East Taranaki Environment Trust heads Project Ultra, and over the summer she's been collecting images of long-tailed bats in hopes of learning more about them, their habitats, and population numbers in the Taranaki region.
Dr Colin Meurk of Landcare Research talks about enticing birds into home gardens, and Ben Alms, aka Dr Compost, shares the ins and outs of building a worm farm.
Peter Beck's Rocket Lab is at the forefront of rocket technology and he was the 2015 New Zealand Innovator of the Year. Peter's goal is to revolutionise the space industry. Rocket Lab is currently building a launch pad near Gisborne. The current Young New Zealand of the Year is Guy Ryan; who set up Inspiring Stories, a trust that aims to encourage the next generation of social entrepreneurs.
Former Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier was one of our highest profile judges during his eight years in that role, and intends to bring the same openness to his new role as Chief Ombudsman.
Head of Massey University's retail programme Associate Professor Jonathan Elms on the future of retail and shopping: which stores will stay, which will go, the influence of the internet, consumer choice, holograms and robotic shop assistants, and why we like to shop.
Terry McKee from Island Bay Butchery's Strathmore shop shares his Scottish recipe for lorne sausage, which is more meatloaf than sausage.
The Isle of Lewis is on the same Island as Harris but so very separate in many ways. Lewis is best known for the impressive Callanish standing stones that date back to the Bronze Age. There are also the Lewis chessmen, a group of 78 12th-century chess pieces uncovered in 1831. They're extremely rare and carved in walrus ivory. None remain on Lewis; they're in museums in London and Edinburgh. Lynn also ventures to The Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides where she met some young pipers who happened to be playing in Portree.
Christchurch is about to be inundated with buskers as The World Buskers Festival begins. David Ladderman and Lizzie Tollemache from Rollicking Entertainment are performing throughout the festival in Super Dupa Girl, The Messy Magic Show and co-hosting the Le Tigre Bleu tent.
Linda Burgess is a writer, as well as a TV reviewer for RNZ National. For her next assignment Linda is taking up a residency on Waiheke Island to compare 1970s TV viewing to what's on screen now.
Should parents be able to determine their baby's gender? Or choose its genetic makeup so it can be a donor for another child? Lynn Freeman spoke to Dr Jeanne Snelling who's an academic lawyer, and the Director of The Bioethics Centre in Dunedin, Professor John McMillan.
The 2016 ASB Classic has been eventful, between big names toppling early and the weather playing havoc. The women's tennis tournament has ended in victory for 22 year old American Sloane Stephens who's already talking about returning to defend her title. Tournament organiser Karl Budge disusses this year's Classic as the men's tournament begins.
Like A Storm is a Canadian based Auckland hard rock band that has been making waves in North America where they are almost constantly on tour. In the US their last three singles have been the highest charting songs for a New Zealand rock band ever, and certainly the highest charting hard rock group to incorporate didgeridoo, but then they're probably unique in doing that.
Monarch Butterflies are such a delight and many people have swan plants in their gardens to help the species along. Jacqui Knight is part of the Monarch Butterfly Trust and has been keeping an eye on monarchs for nearly 35 years.
What can the eruptions on New Zealand's most active volcano, White Island tell us? Victoria University Summer Scholar Alec Yates tells us about monitoring magma movements.
Concerns about a lack of investigative journalism in this country are being aired more often and more passionately as news organisations slash costs, cut current affairs programmes and change focus. But all is not lost. Mike White wins awards and finds himself in other media headlines for his features in North & South. In 2013 his first book, Who Killed Scott Guy? became a number one bestseller. It examined the high profile murder of Guy and trial of his brother-in-law Ewen Macdonald. In 2015 after years of persistence, Mike got the necessary permissions to interview convicted double murderer Scott Watson.
Nelson based freelance reporter Naomi Arnold and RNZ News regional reporter Tracy Neal, amongst other things, talk about the on again off again Southern Link road.
International sales of drones is expected to soar from fewer than 4 million in 2015, to nearer 20 million this year and beyond. Many are for personal use but today we're looking at the way scientists are using them in research projects over difficult terrain. One of New Zealand's experts in drones is Dr Barbara Bollard-Breen. To talk science Lynn Freeman also spoke to Barbara's colleagues: Professor Steve Pointing who's the Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology and Dr Michelle Dickinson who heads the Nano-mechanical Research Laboratory and writes and performs as Nanogirl.
Canterbury's Community Justice Panels are keeping people out of the court system while preventing low level crime from escalating. Manager of Community Law Canterbury Paul O'Neill talks about how he hopes the scheme will be rolled out nationally.
After working on a farm, keyboard player John Arden moved to Wellington to pursue his passion for music.
The Weekend travels back in time to the pre-RNZ days in 1971 of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.
What makes the perfect penguin nest box? Senior Curator of Sciences at Te Papa Susan Waugh's is researching Southern Ocean seabirds over summer. Among her interests are the effects of an El Nino on the little penguins at Motuara Island in Marlborough and Westland petrels.
Can you resist the allure of an antiques shop window, do you forage for treasures in op shops or on Trade Me or have you ever crossed the threshold of an auction house? Geoffrey Anderson who is one of the last valuers of antique furniture in Dunedin, Auckland toy collector Warwick Henderson, and Director of Applied and Fine Art at auction house Dunbar Sloane Helena Walker guide us through some current trends in collectibles.
What does it take for some of our top athletes to get on the Road to Rio? The Olympic Games start in August but many of our athletes hoping to qualify for the New Zealand Olympic team have everything to play for still. In two parts, starting with two Olympic events which get a lot of attention in New Zealand - running and rowing - we speak to Olympic Gold medalist and five-time world champion in the single sculls Mahe Drysdale, 800m runner and Olympic hopeful Angie Petty and women's World Champs Gold winning lightweight double rower and Olympic hopeful Sophie MacKenzie.
23 year old Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic has a 16 month old son, and they and her partner live with her family in West Auckland. Even with all that support, she's found it a struggle at times to complete her tertiary education. She's coming up with ways to help young Maori mums who don't have a support network or sense of identity they can rely on. Jessikha's been chosen for the Live the Dream accelerator programme that's part of Inspiring Stories.
From the Saudi lamb deaths to beaten bobby calves and puppy mills, animal welfare has been in the news a lot. Dr Mike King from Otago University's Bioethics Centre, and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy Andrew Moore lecture discuss whether to experiment on animals, how best to treat them, whether to eat them, and which of them (if any) it is ethically okay to have as pets.
Don Wilson was a member of Ebony, The Heartbreakers and wrote The Ballad of Happy Feet about a penguin that turned up on the Kapiti Coast a few years ago. He's due to release a new album in 2016 and his back catalogue is being digitally remastered and re-released. Tony Wilson was a founding member of metal band Civilian Down and spent time honing his craft in London, where he recorded his album Time In Space.
Moths tend to fly under the radar when it comes to scientific research despite the fact they're important pollinators for plants and food source for native birds. But a new Citizen Science project in Otago is literally putting the spotlight on them. Dr Barbara Anderson is overseeing the project Shedding Light on the Night with the help of several Otago schools, University of Otago, the Orokonui Ecosanctuary north of Dunedin and some of her colleagues at Landcare Research.
Dell McLeod and Simon Johnston from Dunedin are behind Organic Veg/Edible Gardening Advice - Aotearoa, New Zealand. Dell set it up a year ago and since then it has attracted hundreds of people from around New Zealand, and even some in Australia who want to share ideas and stories about organic gardening.
Editor of daily newspaper the Wairarapa Times-Age Andrew Bonallack talks about the big issues facing newspapers, his district and what makes Wairarapa so special.
New Zealand has an aging population, and so often that's painted as some kind of doomsday scenario. But with medical advances, education, awareness and personal activity trackers, many can expect to live a long, healthy life making valuable contributions to society and the economy. More than $14.5 million are being pumped into a nationwide challenge designed to help Kiwis age well, and 2016 will see lots of ideas and initiatives being trialled.
Marnie Prickett is part of group touring around the country to draw attention to diminishing water quality. She is part of the Choose Clean Water tour, traveling down the east coast of both islands, then up the west, finally finishing in Waitangi on Waitangi Day. The group will be filming their travels, engaging with locals to find out about what's polluting our waterways and what people are doing to restore their streams, lakes and rivers. On the tour she will be stopping to see Jill Roberts in Geraldine. Jill has been a resident in the town for 10 years and has seen the water quality of the river diminish quite significantly.
MiXit is a community programme that helps young refugees and migrants to Auckland to express themselves creatively and develop skills through performance and workshops.The founder of MiXit Wendy Preston and MiXit participant Hana Mender talk about celebrating MiXit's tenth anniversary with a weeklong mini-festival.
Lynn Freeman travels to the Outer Hebrides off the coast of mainland Scotland. Also known as the Western Isles, it's actually an island chain that includes the Isles of Skye, Mull, Benbecula, Barra, Lewis and Harris - among others. The Isles of Lewis and Harris are in fact the northern and southern end of the same island, but they are very different in geography, gaelic language and culture. The rivalry is intense - Harris people even resent having to be born in Lewis because that's where the hospital is based. Tourism is crucial for both, as is fishing - though these days farmed salmon is way more important than sea faring fishermen.
Violin player and busker Elisabeth Auchinvole is a Wellington based performer and event organiser who will be taking part in The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the New Zealand Festival.
When she was just 27 Jessica Weller was diagnosed with cancer at the start of her OE. She survived that and is now determined to improve the way the health system tends to young people with cancer, especially young women. The non-profit Inspiring Stories has picked her for their Live The Dream accelerator programme so she can come up with ways to make this happen.
How useful is it to label some types of behaviour as diseases? Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago's Bioethics Centre Neil Pickering looks at when a disease is not really a disease.
Koile is a pacific reggae band from Dunedin, although these days its members are spread all over the show. Koile reconvened recently for a gig in their hometown and Shaun D Wilson took the chance to speak to the two brothers in the band for The Weekend's Musical Siblings' segment. These days Nio Ikahihifo lives in Bunbury, Western Australia while his brother Teu has moved up to Auckland. Teu and Nio Ikahihifo of Koile in the RNZ Otago studio.
Taranaki's Waitara coastline is coming under intense scrutiny over the next few months, as the focus of a new Citizen Science project. It's part of a government initiative called A Nation of Curious Minds. Back in 2001 Tom Hunt organised a survey of the coastline - the new results will be compared to his findings to establish how the coastline's changing. It's an important site for local iwi who're working closely with the project leaders. Schools, DoC, the local regional council and recreational groups are also getting involved. Lynn Freeman spoke to project leader Vicky Dombroski from Waitara Alive who says there's growing interest in conservation of the coastline.
When he was just 13 David Lomas started writing for a Wellington newspaper, his last quarter of a century's been spent in television. In between he worked for newspapers, RNZ and The Listener among others. He was the first New Zealand journalist to gain access to the French nuclear testing sites on Mururoa Atoll and has many documentaries to his name including Wahine Disaster and The Real Mr Asia. David also produced current affairs programmes 60 Minutes, Sunday and was part of the original team on the Holmes programme. He is now best known for fronting the high rating TV3 show Lost and Found, formerly called Missing Pieces, where he brings together family members who have, for any number of reasons, become estranged.
Find out about the issues facing Southland with television producer and broadcaster Tom Conroy. It's an area that benefits from fertile agricultural land and some tourist meccas like Stewart Island and Milford Sound. But the isolation also comes with a price.
2015 has been another tough year for many workers as employers keep looking for ways to save money in tough times. We wanted to find out about the most common employment problems workers are facing, and what their options are; with the help of Tracey Hewitt from Community Law Marlborough.
Design shapes our world, our environments, and our everyday. Where is design going, what's interesting and exciting about it, what's working, what's not? For The Weekend's design panel Lynn Freeman is joined by Donna Maxwell the Performance Director at digital and user focused design studio DNA, interior architect Rufus Knight, Daniel Kamp from design studio Think and Shift, Tony Parker, the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor at Massey Wellington's College of Creative Arts, and University of Auckland student Tessa Forde who was Highly Commended in the recent New Zealand Institute of Architects Student Design Awards.
Busker Mimi Gilbert is a native of Ojai, California - a valley town in Ventura County known for its new age hippyish vibe. In recent years Mimi has spent much of her time in New Zealand; performing gigs in our streets, roads, and avenues - as well being allowed inside the occasional venue, and recording studio. Mimi's album Strangers Won't Exist is out soon.
While most of us run from, scream at or squish spiders Te Papa's bug man Phil Sirvid just loves them. Phil spends his life working with and identifying spiders for the national museum.
Why toss out that sofa or chair when you can give it a whole new lease on life? Dave Buxton has practised upholstery for many years and is willing to share his process.
Dunedin City Council Heritage Planner Glen Hazelton takes Lynn Freeman to meet developers who are both dedicated and crazy enough to take on severely dilapidated old warehouses - we're talking more holes than floorboards and trees growing inside all the cracks and broken windows - and restoring them.
What are the barriers to the development and appreciation of women in sport? In 2015 the NZ Olympic Committee became the first national organisation to win the IOC's Women in Sport Award. CEO of Northern Mystics Julie Paterson, Professor of Leadership at Massey University Sarah Leberman, and NZOC secretary general Kereyn Smith talk about what else can be done to get more girls up on the podium and to get women in sport taken more seriously?
Kathleen Hansen became curious about her own family history, that curiosity has lead to many years of detectrive work and, in the New Years Honours list, a Queens service medal. It's for services to historical research. The Hansens were one of the first European families to live in New Zealand. She's been able to trace them right back and in turn has told stories about the family in 6 books.
Medical trials depend on people being prepared to try new drugs or to take part in experimental procedures which may not help them now, but might help others in the future. There are many reason not to answer calls for help from researchers but without people willing to sign up for trials, better medication and other treatments with real potential to help out a raft of health issues can't get over a crucial hurdle. Dr Rinki Murphy from the University of Auckland is a specialist in diabetics who often puts out requests for volunteers to help in her research projects. Lynn Freeman also spoke to Rinki's colleague Brendan, who is diabetic and signed up for a genetic test.
The Sami Sisters are a prodigious musical trio. Anji has collaborated aplenty, as well as releasing an EP under her own name, and making up half of the band She's So Rad. Priya also has an EP out called Gem which she recorded under the name Trip Pony. Madeleine is an actress and screenwriter known for Supercity, The Jaquie Brown Diaries, Top of the Lake, Sione's Wedding, Seven Days, and her theatrical collaborations with Toa Fraser. Together as The Sami Sisters they released their first album, Happy Heartbreak in 2011, and are working to get another one out in 2016.
Naturewatch is one of New Zealand's first and remains the largest Citizen Science project. Curious people around the country take photographs of flora and fauna and upload it onto the site, where the information is shared. You don't have to have a degree to be part of Naturewatch, just a camera or smart phone and some time to spare. Lynn Freeman went to a recent Naturewatch workshop and met two of the project's key people, Colin Meurk and Jon Sullivan.
Robyn and Robert Guyton work on the Open Orchard Project, which involves documenting, grafting and growing heritage apples, pears and plums from around the southland.
Daniel Hutchison is editor of the Rotorua Review, the Taupo Times, and the Ruapehu Press. He's got a snap-shot of the big issues in his (rather large) region: from Rotorua's rising house prices to the rescue of a family of ducklings thanks to a tin of baked beans.
She started out as Brownie and went right to the top, chairing Girl Guides' international board and promoting the movement throughout the world. That lifetime of dedication to the organisation has seen Aucklander Virginia Radford become a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List.
Radio going weird or wrong. Some bloopers, some not; all of them Audio Oddities. Although most of our on-air talent would rather forget the worst of them, behind the scenes studio operators and producers save these dreaded moments.
Picture this: it's 2025 and one of the most important rooms in your home is the virtual reality den. There you can feel like you're the All Black kicking the winning penalty try or Black Fern getting the winning goal, or sense the snow against your face on a ski field, or that you're fighting aliens on another planet, all without leaving the couch. Meanwhile monitoring systems will do everything from checking your health, to keeping your power and fuel bills as low as possible. The Future Laboratory in the UK is a futures consultancy, and Steve Tooze works there on a project monitoring technology to predict how homes will look a decade ahead.
Over its 80 year history, surf lifesavers patrolling Karekare beach have saved over 2000 lives. The beach near the Waitakere ranges is beautiful but like so many others in New Zealand is potentially dangerous. Long-time surf lifesaver,and former Mayor of Waitakere City Sir Bob Harvey has explored the Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club archives and interviewed current and former lifeguards for a book to mark the anniversary: Voices From The Surf. One of those is Matt Wade who joined back in 1996. He's been a patrol captain, on the management committee, edited the club magazine and been part of the surf canoe squad.
Italian cuisine is not only delissimo, it's also a healthy option without sacrificing flavour. Giulio Ricatti moved to New Zealand from Italy six years ago to set up his restaurant Cicio Cacio Osteria in Wellington. He enjoys experimenting with Kiwi produce while still producing food true to his Italian mother's recipes and philosophy.
Venice is one of the world's most popular tourist destination - no surprise there. But increasing numbers of vast cruise ships now tower over the low lying historic city, and there are concerns Venice just can't cope with the number of tourists flooding in. While there Lynn Freeman interviewed proud Venetian Flavio Andreis who works in the tourist industry; the main occupation for locals.
Coral Pitcher is a singer/songwriter who along with her mother Emmeline Pitcher has toured throughout New Zealand, and been a busker on many of its streets as well. She's performed at rugby games, on reality television, and late last year won an online poll to receive funding for the music video for her single Shooting You Up.
There are international concerns about the world's dwindling bee population. Here in New Zealand the varoa mite has decimated numbers in parts of the country, and that's far from the only threat to them. Over the holidays Victory University summer scholarship student Jessica Russell will be working with laboratory-reared honey bees as part of an experiment she hopes will provide information to help them in the wild.
What did you have for Christmas Dinner? Two billion people around the world eat insects, but most of us in New Zealand are yet to get an appetite for them. Head of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Auckland Dr Clare Wall, and Elliot Olsen - whose Critter Farms idea is to produce a powdered cricket flour - digest why insects are a good solution for a sustainable source of protein. Crickets on a plate
Charlotte and Haz Forrester used to be a dreamy folk group called Athuzela Brown. In the last couple of years the twins have split apart musically, pursuing solo projects Womb, and A Hum Of Voices. Shaun D Wilson spoke to the Forresters about growing, and making music, together and apart.
Sally Carson from the Portobello Marine Laboratory in Dunedin talks about her Marine Meter Squared project.
Jane Ussher photographs New Zealand's newsmakers, personalities, politicians and quiet achievers - she also enjoys taking photos of buildings and coastlines. She's best known for her many years photographing people for The Listener; capturing their personalities in one image. Now Jane's a freelance photographer with a book out called Worship: A History of New Zealand Church Design.
Ken Eruera is Radio Ngati Porou's current affairs and sports presenter. He brings us up to date with the big issues facing Ruatoria and the East Coast.
With hundreds of Syrian Refugees set to arrive in New Zealand over the next few years, Nelson based solicitor Trevor Irwin looks at the labyrinth of legal issues facing people who've fled their home country.
Last year on the Weekend, futurist Daniel Franklin from The Economist shared his predictions for 2015. Since 2003 he's edited The Economist's annual publication The World In... he was spot on with many of his calls, including New Zealand winning the Rugby World Cup… though we'd like to think that was a dead cert. But we also talked about the rise of ISIS and terrorism more generally, and falling commodity prices on the world market.
Hamilton band Looking For Alaska (Aaron Gott and Amy Maynard) have been going for a couple of years, and as well as busking around Amy and Aaron have supported Fly My Pretties and Herbs.
Each year Te Papa's curators are sent photos and samples of fish that people can't identify, and sometimes that's because they haven't been seen before. So if you come across something fishy, and mysterious, what should you do? Andrew Stewart from Te Papa co-authored the four-volume compendium The Fishes of New Zealand which catalogues all 1,262 known species of fish in our waters.
Uncovering lead paint and toppling off insecure ladders are two of the hazards DIY house painters face, and across the country over the summer there will be thousands of homeowners making the most of the sunshine to spruce up their biggest investment. Stanley Marshall is a house painter and tutor at Wellington High School's Community Education Centre. Lynn Freeman went to see him on a job in the hillside suburb of Strathmore and asked Stanley about mistakes people often make when painting a house.
Dunedin is a treasure trove for archaeologists. Lynn Freeman recently visited one of the busiest, Hayden Cawte from Heritage Properties. He and his partner Sheryl Cawte have set up shop in an historic part of the city where crumbling old warehouses are being turned into luxury apartments and shops.
Are you being put off your stroke by the yips, the chokes or the slumps? Clinical Psychologist Karen Nimmo has worked with high performance sportspeople, like Black Cap Jesse Ryder, to help them get past mental roadblocks.
It will take some time before the world learns if the Paris climate change agreement is worth the paper it's written on. 25 year old Auckland law student Siobhan Patia is not content to wait. Siobhan's parents came to New Zealand from the Cook Islands and now she's determined to make sure people are fully aware just how climate change is already hurting Pacific nations. Shiobhan is one of a select group of young people taking part in an accelerator programme called Live the Dream that is taking place over summer. Live The Dream is part of Inspiring Stories; which encourages young Kiwis with big ambitions.
2015 will be remembered as one of the great breakthrough years in our understanding of Mars and beyond. Indications of liquid water on Mars, new insights into black holes and the dwarf planet Pluto, plus the early results of the lander on Comet 67P offering tantalising information on the composition and evolutionary history of comets.The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the image of the first-ever predicted supernova explosion. New Zealand may not be part of these deep space missions but we still have a vital role to play in research into outer space. Three of our keenest astronomers are based at Auckland University of Technology: Sergei Gulyaev is Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research - Professor Steve Pointing is the Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology New Zealand and Jordan Alexander is a stargazer and lecturer in Computer and Mathematical Sciences.
In the early 1960s, in a small part of greater Auckland, in the farming community of Clevedon, came the folk indebted band The Clevedonaires, a group chiefly made up of the three Brown siblings - Gaye, Graham, and Ron. Over ten years that band became rockers The Cleves, and then both bafflingly and briefly… Bitch. Shaun D Wilson spoke to Ron and Gaye Brown of The Clevedonaires, The Cleves, and Bitch,
Anthony Powell has spent several years photographing Antarctica, heading down there for months at a time since his first trip back in 1997. He's just spent another icy Christmas on Scott Base with the rest of the current team of hardy souls. You can get a feeling for what they get to experience there in his feature film Antarctica: A Year On Ice where he uses time lapse photography to dramatic effect.
Lynn Freeman talks to Eileen Wilcox from the New Zealand Rose Society and Hamilton Gardens rose specialist Alice Gilliams.
RNZ's Waikato reporter Andrew McRae and Tamahere Forum journalist Philippa Stevenson talk about the issues facing their region.
From time to time this summer we're sharing clips of radio going weird or wrong. Some bloopers, some not; all of them though Audio Oddities. Although most of our on-air talent would rather forget the worst of them, behind the scenes studio operators and producers save these dreaded moments.
City and country dwellers have loved Country Calendar for almost 50 years. It's TV's tribute to the ingenious and hardy people who make a living off the land. 2016 marks its 50th year on our screens, making it far and away New Zealand's longest running TV show. It wouldn't have lasted if it didn't continue to rate highly, surviving the onslaught of more channels and more competition for viewers' time and attention. Country Calendar's 50 Golden Years opens at Waikato Museum in 2016. Lynn Freeman spoke to two of the show's veterans - cameraman Richard Williams and sound recordist Don Paulin.
If the worst happens do you want you life support switched off? It's an intensely personal question but ultimately that decision is out of your hands - it's up to your doctors and your family to choose. One way you can try to influence their choice is through written instructions called an advanced directive or living will. But in the words of the chair of the propery section of the law society - Andrew Logan, - living wills are "not worth the paper they are written on".
Organisations trying to save Malaysia's wildlife are reporting a downturn in international volunteers signing up because of the recent airplane tragedies in the region. That's making a difficult task near impossible. Wildlife poaching in Malaysia is largely behind the near extinction of the Malayan tiger, along with habitat destruction. The organisation MYCAT is making a difference by having volunteers walking through poaching hotspots in the jungle, searching for snares or signs of poachers.
Distance runner Melissa Moon summarises her philosophies and the secrets to her success, in her Pecha Kucha talk.
Surely the hardest part of owning a pet is if you have to make the decision to have it put down because of age, illness or injury. Only owners can make that decision, with the advice of their vet. There's also having to cope with the loss, especially when your relationship with your pet has been a long and happy one. Lynn Freeman talks with Auckland Animal Behaviourist Dr Elsa Flint.
Despite often aired concerns about inadequate funding for science in New Zealand, we're managing to hold onto a reassuring number of world class scientists. Two of them are based at Otago University - Professors Alan Herbison and Stephen Robertson. Alan returned to New Zealand from Cambridge University to set up a centre to study how mechanisms in the brain control reproduction. In a recent breakthrough his team identified signals in the brain that can turn fertility on or off. Stephen was at Oxford but came back to set up a Clinical Genetics Laboratory at Otago. Its goal is to identify possible genetic causes for some rare conditions that strike some families.
The last Musical Dynasty features some of New Zealand's top musical talent in the form of the Nielson family. Dad Chris has played horns with an array of acts, as well as jazz groups, including The New Fuse Box. Brothers Ruban and Kody co-founded seminal experimental punk band The Mint Chicks. Kody has gone on to work as a producer, and released records under his own name and as Opossum. Portland, Oregon based Ruban has had a lot of success in America, in his hard touring band Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Previously on our home ownership series The Weekend looked at the sometimes overwhelming and costly aspect of getting building consents and codes of compliances. Now we go right back to the drawing board and focus on extending, or even building a house. Lynn Freeman is joined by CEO of the Master Builders Association David Kelly, Wellington builder Martin Goulden, Nicky Chapman - who built her Pauatahanui lifestyle block from scratch, and Roy Wilson who is the principal architect at Warren and Mahoney.
In the final of The Weekend's sports series we're looking at those keen kids with the ability to one day represent their college, their region or even New Zealand on the podium. Competitive sport is a long haul, demanding heaps of commitment from children as well as thier families, with many bumps on the road, not least puberty and cost. So how can we keep kids in the game, or on the track, or on the court? What can parents do to help and how do girls in particular fare?
Mediawatch's Colin Peacock heads a panel trying to work out what some of the future manoeuvrings in politics and the media may be. The ABC's Melissa Clarke speaks about the effective criminalising of media coverage of intelligence operations in Australia, and whether the Australian media are still worried about this legislation in the light of the recent Sydney siege. Colin also talks to Nelson City Councillor, broadcaster and cartoonist Matt Lawrey, Radio New Zealand's Political Editor Brent Edwards, and journalist Duncan Greive.
The last of our regional profiles takes us to Southland and Queenstown - what does the future hold for these two neighbouring but oh so different parts of the country?
Writer, director, and actress Lena Dunham says that while there are a lot of people she loves on Twitter, it's impossible to find them without reading things telling her that she should be "buried under a pile of rocks". Social media like Twitter isn't all negative, though, and for some people it is a constant, and comforting, presence in their daily lives. The senior producer for The Wireless; Megan Whelan gathered blogger and prolific tweeter Morgan Godfery, transgender advocate Megan Bowra-Dean, and from Youthline, Briana Hill to talk about social media and mental health.
Jeremy Taylor drops by to talk about the book for Germinal Press he's writing ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
We're in Malaysia to hear about desperate efforts there to save the endangered Malayan tiger from poachers and habitat destruction. Lynn Freeman joins members of the WWF Malayan Tiger Conservation Project as they talk about not losing hope as tiger numbers decline and position the all important camera traps to identify poachers. They even come across fresh tiger paw prints.
Airbnb is a travel phenomenon. Kiwis have proved keen to sign on, either by offering their homes to overseas travellers though the website, or booking accommodation for their travels in peoples' homes rather than hostels and hotels. It's a handy site for people wanting to make some cash from their spare rooms. But how does Airbnb ensure the safety of its hosts and travellers? We also talk to Laura Tulloch who runs a facebook page and support network for New Zealanders who are opening up their homes to visitors under the Airbnb umbrella.
Armando Castellanos has spent years studying the Andean bespectacled bear and the Mountain tapir. He's set up the Andean Bear Conservation Project to help pay for his research and he also hopes tourists will want to come and pay to see his satellite collared bears and tapirs in the wild.
The Grenells are bursting with musical talent. We talk to dad John Grenell and his children Amiria, Denver, Oakley, and Redford about their careers and growing up on the Grenell family farm.
The Weekend's gardening series wraps up with a conversation about foraging, which could be argued is the opposite of gardening. Lynn Freeman is joined by My Kitchen Rules winners Belinda MacDonald and Neena Truscott, as well as Cantabrian photographer and writer Peter Langlands, a long time forager.
Lynn Freeman, Ben Kepes, Aspect of Gaming's Theo Martin, Xero's Andy Lark, Shaun D Wilson, and Meredith Haggerty from WNYC’s TLDR podcast discuss recent technology trends and how they will develop over 2015.
Studies have shown allergies can progress from one form to another in what has been dubbed the 'atopic march' something about a quarter of children in the Western world are affected by. Children with a skin allergy or eczema for instance are more likely to go on to have asthma and hay fever. Anecdotally, lots of people are saying this summer has been atrocious for hay fever. However, some people, including doctors disagree. For them every summer is bad. Lynn Freeman speaks to hay fever sufferer Lee McCauley, Professor Graham Le Gros the Director of the Malaghan Institute for Medical Research, CEO of Allergy New Zealand Mark Dixon, and Dr James Chisnall who is a General Practitioner specialising in allergies.
Radio New Zealand's reporter for the region Peter Fowler explains what he sees as the two biggest stories happening in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne. We also hear from Napier Councillor Henare O'Keefe, Xero's Rod Dury, and Gavin Murphy from the Eastland Group which owns Eastland Port and Gisborne Airport.
What do Startups need to thrive and survive? We speak to Startup creators and supporters Masha Kupriyenko (In Good Company), Silvia Zuur (Enspiral and Chalkle), Matt Kennedy (Twingl and Trailblazer), and investor Dave Moskovitz.
Dan Radcliffe will be representing New Zealand at the Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monaco. His company is International Volunteer HQ.
Thousands of kittens and puppies, cats and dogs are settling in to their new homes around the country, after being adopted over the summer holidays. That unconditional love of a pet though comes with a price tag and it's also going to be time consuming. We're talking about the pitfalls and pleasures of pet adoptions with Auckland Animal Behaviourist Dr Elsa Flint. We also tour the Wellington SPCA and find out about the adoption process.
Galapagos is one of the most highly regulated examples of ecotourism around - the many cruise ships are kept to strict timetables and the numbers of people on the islands at any one time are restricted. But getting better quarantine facilities to keep out predators and diseases is on the wish list of many wanting to protect the islands from these threats. Lynn Freeman joined the throng of visitors, and guides siblings Gil and Tui de Roy who were born on the islands.
Weta are extraordinary creatures - but they tend to stay in the shadow of endemic birds and other species that have beauty on their side, and don't tend to freak people out by getting into cupboards and gumboots. Massey University's Dr Steve Trewick talks about weta. He and Mary Morgan-Richards co-wrote the book New Zealand Wild Life, Introducing the weird and wonderful character of natural New Zealand. Steve also recently established an online tool for finding out about weta species and diversity.
2014 was a big year for Canadian-New Zealand country singer Tami Neilson. She released an album, toured with the Topp Twins, won the Silver Scroll for songwriting, and had her second child. The Silver Scroll was a shared win with Tami's brother Jay. The Weekend thought it was about time to hear from him, as well as his and Tami's parents Ron and Betty. Growing up they all toured together in the Neilson Family band. Now the Neilsons are a Musical Dynasty.
With summer here most people don't worry too much about the power bills. Come winter, that monthly bill can be crippling. If you're working on your house over the summer, it's a good time to take some measures that will cost up front but will save money longer term. Christian Hoerning is the Senior Technical Advisor with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Women's Lacrosse coach Kari Jones, Men's Netball coach Junior Tana, and White Ferns captain and Olympic basketball representative Suzy Bates discuss their approaches to leading a team.
Glenn Williams, Cate Owen, Vaughn Davis, Lynn Freeman, and Shaun D Wilson discuss what technology media will take advantage of, and be pushed into in 2015.
We're lingering a while in the top of the South Island for the latest in our regional profiles. Alison Hossain is Radio New Zealand's Nelson reporter and she and Lynn Freeman spoke to Nelson Mail Editor Paul McIntyre, Dot Kettle who's the head of the local Chamber of Commerce and former speech writer for former Prime Minister Dame Helen Clark, and to Peter Yealands, a Marlborough wine maker.
Research has shown a clear link between the age at which someone first tries drugs, and the likelihood they'll engage in so-called anti-social behaviour. Worryingly, both internationally and in New Zealand, the age at which people use drugs for the first time is dropping. The Ministry of Youth Development reports that young men are more likely to report drinking large amounts of alcohol than young women, and they're also more likely to experience a substance use disorder. The Wireless' Megan Whelan speaks to Jackson Wood, CareNZ's Kathryn Leafe and from Community Action on Youth and Drugs Nadia Freeman and Richie Hardcore.
2015 marks the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign and historians are pouring through records from the First World War looking for new insights into the conflict. Chris Bourke is the award winning author of Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music, 1918-1964. He has just begun an investigation an aspect of that conflict which is largely missing from the history books. His next work will be something of a prequel to Blue Smoke, he's been granted a Lilburn Research Fellowship to look at New Zealand music made during the Great War.
The Weekend's tour of the regions today takes us to New Plymouth. It is home to offshore drilling, the WOMAD music festival, and this year sees the opening of a new multi-million dollar Len Lye Centre and the earthquake strengthened Govett Brewster Art Gallery. There is also likely to be a referendum on the New Plymouth District Council's decision to establish a Maori ward seat for the 2016 local government elections. Lynn Freeman and Radio New Zealand New Plymouth reporter Robin Martin spoke to former newspaper editor and former councillor Lance Girling-Butcher, New Plymouth hospitality entrepreneur and businessman Craig McFarlane, and the deputy editor for PKW Incorporation's quarterly Whenua magazine Amokura Panoho.
What do you look for when you're reading a travel feature in a newspaper or magazine? Some of us immediately cast our eyes to the end to see if the trip was in any way sponsored. Should that colour our view of what's been written about this resort or that hotel? In general what should we expect from travel writers and what makes for good travel writing? Lynn Freeman is joined by North & South's Michael White (Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year award winner), Miranda Spary who is a freelance writer based in Arrowtown who's been a runner up in the same awards for her features about her time spent in Turkey, and Sandy Myhre whose job as a motoring journalist takes her all over the world.
Dr Jane Newman was inspired by an article about people having to leave behind stray cats they were looking after as they moved out of Christchurch's red zone. Using infrared cameras, initially she helped trap, tame and re-home one of a colony of about a dozen cats. Others followed, and now that number's reached more than 50.
Kevin Haines has been playing jazz professionally since the late fifties when he was just 15, Joel Haines is one of the country's top composers for TV, film, and commercial soundtracks, and London based Nathan is probably New Zealand's best known jazz export.
As efforts around the country are being made to eradicate pests to help save endemic species of birds and lizards, home gardeners can do their bit by choosing native plants. The Weekend looks at choosing the right native plants for your part of the country and conditions, and gets some tips from some people who know their plants. Tony Foster is an author and bushman based in North Kaeo. Rewi Elliot is the deputy chair of the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network and works at Wellington's Otari-Wilton's Bush Native Botanic Garden. Ecologist Colin Meurk from Landcare Research is behind a new and free online tool that people can use called Nature Services.
We return to the issue of disputes with neighbours, this time what happens when things have escalated - even to the point where you're calling in the police and laying complaints. Housing New Zealand, the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand and the Disputes Tribunal all explain how they handle complaints that need some form of intervention.
Food allergies are on the rise and can even be life-threatening. The "big eight" offenders, responsible for 90% of adverse reactions are dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. Some of these are hidden ingredients. We have to play detective and work out which foods we can no longer eat, and what to replace them with. However, having learnt to be in control in our own kitchens, can we still eat out safely? Lynn Freeman talks to Allergy New Zealand's Allergy Advisor Penny Jorgenson, consultant dietician Anna Richards, and Claire Quigan who runs Cafe Express in Palmerston North.
19 year old Indy Griffiths started off doing web design - age 16 - at school. He told Lynn Freeman about how he got his successful parent/teacher interview booking software off the ground.
The Predator Free New Zealand campaign is now a few weeks old. Few would disagree with the idea, especially with so many endemic species under threat from a long list of introduced predators. But can we afford to even try to eradicate them from the mainland, let alone the suggested place to start - Stewart Island? We hear from Devon McLean from the Predator Free New Zealand Trust, Dr Andrea Byrom, from Landcare Research in Christchurch, Forest and Bird's Kevin Hackwell, and Paul Jansen who's worked in conservation management for almost 40 years and has been with this campaign since the start.
The radical muslim cleric Abu Hamza who masterminded the kidnapping of a New Zealander and 15 other tourists in Yemen in 1998 has been sentenced to life in prison.
Two brothers suspected of killing 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris have been shot dead after a dramatic siege north of Paris. A police source said at least four other hostages have been killed at a separate siege at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris.
Pecha Kucha events involve short, power point presentations by speakers with all kinds of stories to share. You don't need to be famous, just interesting and succinct. Christchurch teacher Regan Stokes was a recent Pecha Kucha speaker who caught our eye, and he delivers a modified version of his talk, about his relationship with te reo.
Richard Parsons is considered to be one of the pioneers of eco-tourism in Ecuador. Back in 1991 he and his wife Gloria set up the Bellavista Lodge Cloud Forest Reserve & Lodge, two hours north of the capital of Quito. It's also the only known home of the Olinguito, the first new species of mammal, Bassaricyon neblina in the raccoon family Procyonidae to be discovered and named in the Americas in the past 35 years!
Animal behaviourist Dr Elsa Flint explains why dogs become so anxious when their owners are away, especially at this time of year when they can be separated for some time. Elsa runs Animals with Attitude behaviour clinics in Auckland. She is co-author of five books on animal care and behaviour and sole author of the publication Understanding Your Dog.
New Knights and Dames tend to get most of the media coverage when the New Year's Honours list is published. But we've gone to the pages nearer the end of the release to find someone who has contributed to their community for many years, with no recognition - until now. Oscar and Miriam Batucan received Queen's Service Medals for services to the Filipino community
Sam Manzanza is a Congolese musician who has been playing gigs in New Zealand since the eighties, and fronts Sam Manzanza's Afrobeat Band. His jazz trained son Myele has played with many, many groups, most notably Electric Wire Hustle, and is also a solo act.
Getting Council consents for renovations or a new building can be one of the most harrowing and frustrating parts of the project. We talk to two people with cautionary tales before finding out how consents work and why they're important with Pete Laurenson from the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Brent Goldschmidt from private company Professional Building Consultants.
Who are sports officials, why do they do it, what makes a good one and how can they stand all that flack? Lynn Freeman talks to Rugby Union referee and former Black Fern Nicky Inwood, Netball New Zealand's Umpire Development Manager Dianne McTigue; Blackstick turned international cricket umpire Rodger McHarg, and 14 year old college umpire Sophie Handford.
Previously on The Weekend we looked at the future for the New Zealand film Industry. This time it's the turn of New Zealand documentary makers. We talk to two of the best in this difficult business - Leanne Pooley and Pietra Brett Kelly.
Tauranga is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, with big pressure on housing. This is just one of many issues facing the region this year and beyond. Radio New Zealand's Tauranga reporter Natalie Mankelow and host Lynn Freeman chat to three local people who have big dreams for the place they call home. Dave Burnett from the Chamber of Commerce, Sheldon Nesdale who runs a marketing company and started TedxTauranga, and Andrew Coker from Priority One an economic development organisation covering Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
The place of women in STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - has received a lot of media coverage in the past couple of years. A 2011 report by the New Zealand Association of Women in the Sciences found that women with a BSc or PhD earned $30,000 less on average than men with the same qualification level. Women were also under-represented at higher levels of University employment, in funding allocation, and were awarded fewer the top prizes in New Zealand science. Megan Whelan from The Wireless spoke to Engineer Dr Michelle Dickinson, microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles and chemist Dr Nicola Gaston, and computer science student Hayley van Waas.
Archaeologist Mary O'Keeffe has unearthed some surprising clues to our country's pre-colonial history while working on Kapiti's MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway project.
Audio geek Shaun D Wilson recommends some of his favourite podcasts. Shaun's picks are Radio Lab, Sunday Night Safran, John Safran's True Crime, Serial, and The Witching Hours.
Parque Condor is a bird sanctuary and rescue centre perched on a hill high above Otavalo, Ecuador. It is home to raptors, owls, eagles and vultures and some of the country's endangered condors. The park's main goal is to show Ecuadorian people the importance of birds of prey which are under threat from illegal hunting, poaching and environmental problems such as pollution and habitat destruction. It was established by Dutch falconer Joep Hendriks with funding from the Dutch Government.
Going on holiday can mean cramming in so much that you dash from one tourist hotspot to another, without really getting a feeling for the country you're in. Going on a walking holiday gives you time to explore the scenery, breathe the air, meet local people and keep fit. British travel writer and academic Robert Macfarlane has written many books about his walks along the lesser known highways and byways of not only the UK but other parts of the world. His latest is called The Old Ways published by Hamish Hamilton William Helmreich is also an avid walker and writer, but his turf is New York City and he's walked more than 6,000 miles of its streets and avenues for his book The New York Nobody Knows (Princeton). He talks about the characters he's met, how he walks through notoriously dangerous parts of the city, and what's he's learned along the way. Aucklander Gitti Harré has been going on walking holidays for years and is currently saving leave for her next walking trip to the Balkan Sea and a 600 kilometre excursion. She has tips for would be holiday walkers.
Suzanne and Andy Lynch are a mother and son who have made their mark musically. Suzanne first with her sister Judy in their duo The Chicks, then as a solo performer. She has performed on numerous albums, commercials, and stage shows as well as working as a vocal coach. Suzanne's son Andy was also propelled into the spotlight upon joining pop-rockers Zed as second guitarist. Andy and Zed bandmate Ben Campbell went on to form their chart topping band Atlas. Andy is a member of The Feelers, Twin Cities, and a producer.
Kai o Te Aro in Wellington is a great example of a community garden. Built on the site of an old University carpark, it's been transformed into a productive garden which feeds the community and encourages composting. We also meet Christchurch guerrilla gardener Liv Worsnop from PlantGang. She brings colour to nooks and crannies amidst the rubble of Christchurch's former CBD.
Good fences make good neighbours, as the saying goes. Fences are one of the issues most likely to cause friction between neighbours. Lynn Freeman walks around a suburban property with six neighbours, some dodgy fences, barking dogs, overhanging trees, root clogged drains and other potential hotspots with Hannah Northover who is Head of Legal - Te Kaitaki Roia Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley.
In the first of a three part health series that will go on to include a look at food and environmental allergies, The Weekend investigates coeliac disease. Ceoliac disease affects approximately one in every 100 people in New Zealand, with many going undiagnosed. It's not a food allergy. Rather it's a permanent, autoimmune disorder caused by intolerance to gluten found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. We hear from Helen Carey: mother of 12 year old daughter and coeliac Janine, Coeliac New Zealand President Terry Hoskins, and Neville Green from Gluten Free Made Easy.
Housing, employment, tourism, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and the dairy downturn - each region has its own story to tell. Radio New Zealand's long-time Northland reporter Lois Williams, and Lynn Freeman interview four of the region's leading lights to find out how they see the future for a region which has its share of problems, but also heaps of potential. Kaitaia businessman and Chairman of Farmers of New Zealand Ian Walker, Lawyer and Far North District Councillor Willow Jean Prime, David Wilson of the Northland Regional Council, and Chair of Prosper Northland Trust Barry Trass.
Since 2003 Daniel Franklin, the Executive Editor of The Economist, has stuck his neck out to predict the big trends and events internationally for the magazine's annual publication, The World in... Daniel also edited Megachange - The World in 2050. In the two years since that was published, has anything changed the direction the world is heading in?
Unlike many other sanctuaries in Ecuador, fee paying tourists aren't invited to the remote Merazonia Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, but volunteers who cover food costs for themselves and the animals (including monkeys) they get to work with are welcome. Lynn Freeman meets with some of the volunteers as well as vet Louisa Bailey.
Lynn Freeman learns first hand what's involved with fostering kittens for the SPCA and manages to break several of the cardinal rules within the first week. She's joined by her foster buddy Lisa Boudinet. Wellington SPCA's Kirsty Grant is in the studio to take your questions about fostering - the do's and don'ts and the many rewards that come with it. You can also meet the foster kitten Lynn just couldn't let go.
The online world has changed how many performers distribute material. Comedians are just as likely to make their start through videos, blogging, or podcasts as they are through traditional channels. And even the more traditional formats like comedy albums are being distributed online. But in the onslaught that is the internet it can be difficult to find legitimate distributors if you don't know where to look. Shaun D Wilson shares some on-demand comedy options.
This Musical Dynasty consists of four members of Raglan reggae band Cornerstone Roots. Dad Brian Ruawai is a vocalist and guitarist, mum Naomi Tuao is the bassist, teenager Kaea is on keyboards, samples, and vocals, and her brother Reiki joins in on vocals.
How to deal with archaeological finds when renovating homes or building on new land. Brigid Gallagher is a Heritage Conservation Specialist whose company is based in Waihi but whose work takes her all over the country.
Sports psychologist Karen Nimmo, Olympic chef de mission and former rower Rob Waddell, and former doctor to the All Blacks, now the Warriors Dr John Mayhew.
How is the New Zealand film industry placed to capitalise on what has been an exceptional year for movies? Will 2015 be a trough or a peak year? Lynn Freeman talks to film critic and Fishhead editor Dan Slevin, New Zealand International Film Festival director Bill Gosden, and New Zealand Film Commission head Dave Gibson.
In Waikato the plummeting dairy prices are starting to hurt, but that's not the only big issue facing the region by any means. As Auckland's population all but explodes, nearby Hamilton is poised to capitalise on people who'd rather live there and commute to the City of Sails. Lynn Freeman talks to Radio New Zealand's Waikato Correspondent Andrew McRae, Associate Professor at the University of Waikato's Management School Stuart Locke, Natalie Jackson (formerly University of Waikato) Professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University, and Chief Executive of Tainui Group Holdings Limited Mike Pohio.
Stories about Christchurch often feature two narratives - either optimism about the pace of the re-build, or frustration at the grim reality. But the Christchurch Youth Council wants people to know that there are good things going on - and that young people are a vital part of its future. Megan Whelan from The Wireless talks to the council's chairperson, Alice Ridley, deputy chair Kaitlyn White, and executive member Alison Faulls.
Like New Zealand, Ecuador in South America is home to unique endemic species which, on the world market, attract prices high enough to encourage animal smuggling. That's not the only threat to species though. Some backpackers lure travellers with promises of close encounters with rare animals in cages. Locals also contribute to the problem when they capture or buy animals for pets, which come to outgrow their homes or patience. The Ecuadorian government entrusts these animals to only a handful of centres - one of the most respected Merazonia Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in the deep south near the Amazonian town of Mera. Lynn Freeman speaks to Dutch journalist Frank Weijand who helped set up the centre a decade ago, and is still there, trying to help as many animals as possible return to the wild.
Seth Kugel, journalist and travel writer, is affectionately known by readers of the New York Times and his other fans as The Frugal Traveller. He has hot tips on how to travel on a budget and how to decide what really matters.
Otago University Geneticist, Peter Dearden is an expert on the honey bee and works closely with the beekeeping industry in New Zealand. Peter says most feral bees have died out, so managed bees play a vital role in agricultural pollinating. His hard work on behalf of this country's honey bee population saw him be awarded the Royal Society's Callaghan Medal for Science Communication.
Annie Crummer has been a mainstay of the New Zealand music scene since her first single charted when she was just sixteen. As well as being a solo act she's well known for her collaborations with groups like When The Cat's Away, and Netherworld Dancing Toys. And best not to forget her time working on musicals including Rent and We Will Rock You. Annie's most important musical collaborator has been without doubt her father Will Crummer.
Community gardens are springing up all over the country, in all ways, shapes and forms. Lynn Freeman visited Kapiti Coast gardener Hannah Zwartz who's involved with helping people wanting to start community gardens and is also researching different models of community gardens here and overseas. Joining Hannah in the conversation is Sarah Adams from Wellington City Council who works with people wanting to set up gardens on council owned land. Charlotte Smith is one of the people behind the established Devonport Community Garden and Peter Buchanan chats about Dunedin's very new Bathgate Park Community Garden set up by GrowSouth.
One of the downsides of heading away on holiday, is the risk of something happening to your home. Burglary, power cuts, floods and fire... it's enough to stop you relaxing and having fun. A rehabilitated burglar shares practical advice about things you can do improve your chances of keeping your home safe and sound. Journalist Beck Eleven wrote a series of columns for The Press about her two plus years of housesitting experiences after the February 2011 earthquake wrecked her home.
Dunedin ended the year with two bangs. Winning the Gigatown competition, and a few days later becoming a UNESCO designated City of Literature. The city lobbied hard for both. We hear from Radio New Zealand's Otago regional reporter/Summer Report co-host Ian Telfer, Director of Methodist Mission Southern Laura Black, Daphne Hull, who's worked on the Central Otago Rail Trail, and Alexandra Blossom Festival as well as having been a councillor, and Ian Taylor of Taylormade Media and Animation Research Ltd.
The presents and the Christmas dinner are behind us, the next set of festive decisions looming are New Year's resolutions. But why stop at a year? What about decisions that could shape the next 5, 10, even 50 years? Decisions about the diversifying and ageing population, climate change, land and water use; issues for Maori and for our work, diet, and health. Futurist and consultant Dr Stephanie Pride, futurist and principal scientist in Sustainability and Society at Landcare Research Bob Frame, Ngati Whatua Orakei trustee Sharon Hawke, and Richard Bedford the Sharon Professor of Migration Studies at AUT discuss what's bubbling under right now that will affect New Zealand in the future.