Nights for Thursday 16 September 2021

 

7:12 Materials: Fact or Fiction - Relux and Lux Metal

Aran Warren, Canturbury University phD student working with MacDiarmid Institute investigator Maan Alkaisi - speaking to me about the potential for Lux/Relux - a solid material made out of light, as imagined by the Sci Fi writer John W Campbell back in the 1930s - to occur in the real world.

7:35 Pottery and Ceramics

Another Nights debut tonight - Richard Fahey from the School of Creative Industries at UNITEC joins us for a regular chat about ceramics.

8:15 Pacific Waves

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Koroi Hawkins presents a daily current affairs programme that delves deeper into the major stories of the week, through a Pacific lens, and shines a light on issues affecting Pacific people wherever they are in the world.

8:30 Window on The World

What would happen if the government of a country decided to try to find everyone who was homeless and living on the streets and offer them a place to live?

That is exactly what happened in England as the coronavirus pandemic hit. The government says 90% of rough sleepers were offered rooms in hotels that sat empty because of the lockdown.

Simon Maybin spent the past year and a half following the lives of some of the people who came to live in a Holiday Inn hotel in Manchester.

9:07 Our Changing World

On Our Changing World this week - Claire Concannon speaks to some of the Dunedin based groups that are collaborating to return South Island kākā to this area. 

While the kākā are released into the safe, predator-free space of Orokonui Ecosanctuary, many fly out into the surrounding areas, where, unfortunately, some of them have met with untimely deaths. 

Claire learns about these clever parrots, what the story so far has been, and what the next steps will be to help the kākā flourish.  

9:30 Overseas Correspondent - Canada

Peggy Revell joins us from Medicine Hat, Alberta.

10:17 Late Edition

Bryan Crump presents all the breaking news, a little analysis of the stories of the moment, and some highlights of the day on RNZ National.

10:20 Call for pension extensions for those stuck in Australia

A few dozen New Zealand superannuitants who are stuck in Australia having travelled there during the travel bubble, are being told the Government is working through whether the bubble closing, that's left them in limbo, could have been foreseen. Because once you've been out of the country for more than seven months, you lose your pension.
The Associate Health Minister - Dr Ayesha Verrall told Checkpoint - government legal advice says payments beyond that seven months is only possible if it's not reasonably foreseeable and that wouldn't apply to the trans-Tasman bubble. Dr Verrall said the government is willing to see what can be done for people stuck in Australia, whose situation is really beyond their control.  The National Party's spokesperson for seniors, Ian McKelvie joins Bryan to discuss whether that's fair.

10:30 How to flourish when you're languishing in lockdown

The pandemic is having a huge toll on all of us - you might find you're stuck in a state of feeling 'meh', uninspired and stagnant, and largely joy-less and we can do about it. Psychologists call it languishing - and clinical psychologists Gaynor Parkin and Dougal Sutherland, join Bryan to find out how to get from languishing back to a much better mental state.

10:45 Inspiration4 crew blasts into orbit

 

11:07 Music 101 pocket edition

After 11, in this week's Pocket Edition, Yadana chooses some songs for Te Wiki o te reo Māori and we learn about the New Orleans tradition of second lining in tribute to the late Benny Pete of Hot 8 Brass Band.