Afternoons for Wednesday 13 May 2020

We're asking you to design a t-shirt print to help remember or commemorate this weird time for New Zealand at level 3 and 4.

Entries must be in by 5pm Friday 15th May

Click here for all the details of the competition

1:00 Live coverage of the Ministry of Health's latest Covid Update

An update from the Government on Covid 19 - speakers today are Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health.

1:17 NZ-designed emergency ventilator to aid global Covid-19 response

A Kiwi-designed emergency ventilator with 'farm-tech roots' will now be a tool in the global response to Covid-19 after the team behind it secured government funding. 

An engineer and two medical specialists in the Waikato, who all happen to be neighbours, teamed up to create the prototype.

We spoke about the project in mid-April with Jeff Sharp, who's the managing director of Hamilton plastics engineering firm ES Plastics.

He joins us again today to give us an update. 

1:27 The Spinoff's Duncan Greive on NZ's Covid-19 'communications masterclass'

While we prepare to emerge from weeks of lockdown, many people behind the scenes have been busy designing the messaging along the way. 

Duncan Greive - the founder and managing editor of The Spinoff - has written an indepth feature on the lockdown and New Zealand's response: The epic story of NZ's communications-led fight against Covid-19.

Duncan joins us on the show today to tell us more.

1:34 Ngā Taonga Sound Archives:  The start of New Zealand café culture

From tomorrow, we will be able to re-enter our favourite cafés as New Zealand moves to Covid-19 alert level 2. To celebrate, Sarah Johnston from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is bringing us recordings about the start of our national café culture, back in the days of the coffee lounge and the milk bar.

Video: Watch George Stucki’s home movie of his Wellington café The Matterhorn in 1984

Listen to the Spectrum documentary about “The Days of the Monde Marie”

1:50 Dunedin music icon Shayne Carter on Ockham awards win

Legendary Dunedin musician Shayne Carter can now add multi-award winning author to his life story.
Last night, the Straitjacket Fits frontman's no-hold-barred memoir Dead People I Have Known won both the general non-fiction awards for best first book and best book overall at the Ockham New Zealand awards.
He quipped on his Zoom acceptance speech that if he'd known he was winning the big award, he would have changed out of his cardigan.
Carter, who collected $12,500 in prize money, speaks to Jesse Mulligan.

2.10 Paul Bushnell's political podcast picks

Paul Bushnell has a fascination with political podcasts - but there are two he listens to more than most - The NPR Politics Podcast and The Political Gabfest.

2.20 The Beths -  I'm Not Getting Excited 

Today The Beths release the second single from their album Jump Rope Gazers. Written and composed by Elizabeth Stokes, I'm Not Getting Excited explores the theme of Imposter Syndrome, where Liz says that although lots of exciting things happen to the band - there's always a small part of her doubting that the tour, album, gig will actually happen. You can watch the raw emotion as her story unfolds on the video.

2:25 Bookmarks: Country Calendar's Dan Henry

There's something about New Zealand classic Country Calendar that warms the cockles of the heart. 
It's comfort viewing in troubling times and today we get to speak to the programme's associate director - and narrator - Dan Henry.
When he's not directing, you'll often find him setting traps around Miramar - he's the man behind Predator-Free Miramar.
He joins us today to talk about his favourite things. 

Dan's picks:

Songs

Dublin Blues - Guy Clark 
Bobby Jean - Bruce Springsteen
He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones  

TV Shows 

The Plot Against America 
Middleditch and Swartz 

Books 

The Elements of Eloquence - Mark Forsyth
Dirt Work - Christine Byl 
Protecting Paradise - Dave Hansford 

3:10  The escalation of antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Before the pandemic, antibiotic resistant bacteria is what kept many global health officials up at night. Superbugs have not gone away, they are still out there figuring out ways to defeat whatever medications we come up with. Professor Muhammad Zaman puts the spotlight back on microbes and our role in their rise. His book is Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens.

3.25 New Zealand Music Month Fresh Music Videos Daily on RNZ

We're celebrating NZ Music Month with Fresh Music Daily by sharing a new song and video from an up-and-coming Kiwi artist every day throughout May. Today we're featuring Dillastrate.

3:30 Live coverage of the Minister of Health's Announcement on funerals and tangihanga

The Minister of Health will make an announcement relating to funerals and tangihanga. He will be joined by the Director General of Health.

3:45 The Panel with Victoria Stewart and Selwyn Manning