Nights for Wednesday 22 May 2024

8:10 The House

Today on our Parliament programme - The House - Phil Smith looks at two bills asking for public feedback - One changes tenancy laws. The other would remove Treaty obligations from Oranga Tamariki. 

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: Lisa's Story

Lisa's Story adapted as it is from Vincent O'Sullivan's novel All This By Chance focuses on Lisa and Fergus whose stories are inextricably intertwined though they only spent a few years together in the 1960's.

The story takes us with Lisa as she journeys through life and from NZ to London, Greece, Africa and Italy.

Tonight, part four.

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 Literary festival smashes attendance records

The biggest writers festival in the Southern Hemisphere took place in Auckland last weekend.

Around 85,000 people attended over 160 events at the Auckland Writers Fest - its biggest showing yet in its 25-year history.

Lyndsey Fineran is the artistic director for the festival and she speaks to Emile Donovan about what made this year such a success.

9:30 Midweek Mediawatch

Hayden Donnell joins Emile Donovan in the studio to talk about the big, and the small, media stories of the week.

Tonight they are casting their eye over the latest controversy in the world of A.I, a new podcast which failed to launch this week and was RNZ unfair in its description of a small North Island town?

10:17 Vincent Ward: Nearly 50 years of filmmaking

Vincent Ward is one of New Zealand's most celebrated film makers with a resume that includes Vigil, The Navigator, What Dreams May Come, River Queen and Rain of the Children.

This weekend, people will have the chance to view his earliest surviving film Ma Olsen, which has been fully restored and digitised as part of a retrospective of his work at the Wairarapa Film Festival.

Vincent Ward talks to Emile Donovan about his connection to the Wairarapa and who Ma Olsen was.

10:30 Australian ballroom dance legend Aric Yegudkin brings show to New Zealand

Ballroom Blitz features twelve first-class dancers, a live five-piece band, and two live vocalists, performing to music from Elvis to Dua Lipa.

The show is touring to 12 spots around New Zealand, starting in Tauranga on 27 May.

The show's choreographer is legendary Australian dancer and three-time Dancing with the Stars champion Aric Yegudkin who talks to Emile Donovan.

10:45 World-first medical drug driving trial set to get underway

Swinburne University of Technology in Australia is spearheading a world-first trial to evaluate whether
patients can drive safely while on prescribed medical cannabis.

With medical cannabis usage in Victoria surging by 700% over the past two years, the
global evidence regarding THC's influence on driving remains limited.

Dr Amie Hayley is a researcher working on the study and she speaks to Emile Donovan.

11:07 Pocket Edition

On this week's Pocket Edition with Maggie Tweedie we meet the Wellington band Dartz, learn more about why France loves local band Ha The Unclear and celebrate fresh music from home.