Nights for Tuesday 7 May 2024

8:10 The House

Today on our Parliament programme - The House - Parliament goes over the government's head and asks the Governor General to fund its watch-dogs. That's not a surprise though - it happens every year.

8:15 Pacific Waves

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. Hosted by Susana Suisuiki.

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8:30 Nights Jukebox

Emile Donovan plays your requests - as long as you've got a compelling reason, or a good story to go with it.

Send in your requests to nights@rnz.co.nz or text 2101.

8.45 The Reading

Tonight, the fifth episode of 'The Dwarf Who Moved', a legal memoir written and read by Sir Peter Williams KC.

9:07 Nights Quiz

Do you know your stuff? Come on the air and be grilled by Emile Donovan as he dons his quizmaster hat.

If you get an answer right, you move on to the next question. If you get it wrong, your time in the chair is up, and the next caller will be put through. The person with the most correct answers at the end of the run goes in the draw for a weekly prize.

The quiz is themed - find out more about tonight's theme on Nights' Facebook page.

9:15 Shower Thought: Do the spiders you put outside live or die?

There are three types of people in the world: those who kill spiders on the spot, those who let them live and those who safely trap the eight legged arachnids, usually with a cup and piece of paper, and release them safely outside.

If you're in the latter category, tonight's Shower Thought is for you. 

Emile speaks to the University of Canterbury's Dr Fiona Cross aka Doctor Spider to answer the question: do the spiders you put outside live on happily, or do they perish in an inhospitable environment?

9:30 Politics by Night with Ben McKay

AAP New Zealand correspondent Ben McKay joins Emile Donovan to discuss how AUKUS discourse has gone down on the other side of the ditch, ructions over Julie Anne Genter's conduct in the House, and his pre-Budget chat with finance minister Nicola Willis.

10:17 Uncovering the Chinese Olympic swimming drug scandal

Just months out for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the event has been rocked by the revelation 23 Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete at the 2021 games in Tokyo, despite testing positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine months earlier.

After pressure from national anti-doping agencies, including Drug Free Sport NZ, the World Anti-Doping Agency conducted an independent review of the case. But that has led to even more criticism after the review reiterated a Chinese investigation which found the these cases could be a case of group contamination.

Emile Donovan talks to New York Times journalist Tariq Panja, who was part of the team which uncovered the scandal.

10:30 The Met Gala: The history, fashion and celebrities

The Met Gala is one of the biggest fashion events of the year, with designers showing off some of their boldest designs using the biggest pop culture figures as models.

TAHI and RNZ host and producer Evie Orpe joins the show to discuss the history behind the event, who wore what and who wore it best.

10:45 Searching for New Zealand's most interesting tree

Six nominees for this year's New Zealand Tree of the Year competition have been revealed. 

The list includes The Walking Tree on the West Coast., "Freddie's Pōhutukawa" in Gisborne, and Moko in Otari Wilton's Bush, Wellington. 

The competition celebrates the trees that play an important part in our lives, our history and our future.

Richie Hill, president of the New Zealand Arboricultural Association, joins Emile Donovan.

11:07 Worlds of Music

On Worlds of Music Trevor Reekie hosts a weekly music programme celebrating an eclectic mix of trans global music, fusion and folk roots.