Afternoons for Thursday 14 July 2011

1:10 Best Song Ever Written

1:15 Your Place - Hōreke

Hōreke is a famous small settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour . The largest single signing of the Treaty of Waitangi occured in the township, six days after the first signing on 6 February 1840.

2:10 Harry Potter Convention, LeakyCon 2011

LeakyCon is one of the biggest Harry Potter Conventions in the world. Movie critic for the Orlando Sentinel, Roger Moore,  is at the conference.

Actor Alan Rickman who plays Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, has donated a signed replica wand for auction on eBay Australia to raise funds for schools affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

2:20  Trophy cannons

Military historian Peter Cooke from the  Defence of New Zealand Study Group is trying to track down information and old photos about trophy cannons and other artillery that have disappeared from New Zealand's hilltops and community parks.

2:30 Reading

The 1.5 Hectare World by David Yerex, read by Matthew Chamberlain.

2:45 Feature Album

Thinking Room by Anika Moa.

3:12 Arts Report

Sonia Sly heads down the Geothermal Highway to Lava Glass Gallery to chat to artist Lynden Over about the challenges of working with glass and his attraction to fire.

3:33 Southern story

A programme run by the Canterbury District Health Board, Senior Chef (pdf), aims to teach nutrition and cooking skills to older residents on a budget. As Katy Gosset has found, the project has opened the door to a whole new world of food for some participants.

3:40 Our Changing World

In May, the Kermadecs Biodiscovery Expedition spent three weeks in the island group surveying the diversity of marine life around the coast. Alison Ballance was on the boat, and Auckland Museum's Tom Trnski tells her who is on the expedition, and takes her along on a fish collecting mission.

4:06 The Panel

David Farrar and Sue Wells.