Nights for Thursday 12 December 2024

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: The Rip

Dena Marie Kennedy reads tonight's short story The Rip by Christine Johnston.

Jack and Pete make a raft and try to launch it while their girlfriends watch it get swept out to sea.

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.

9:25 FIFA 2034 already attracting sportswashing claims

Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 FIFA Men's World Cup, but the decision has sparked accusations of "sportswashing" from critics who point to the country's human rights record.

But do sporting bodies and more importantly sports fans care?

The Saudis are already a major player in the international sports scene, with involvement in golf, Premier League Football, Formula One and heavyweight boxing - to name just a few.

Nights sports expert RNZ reporter Jamie Wall joins the show to discuss the issue.

9:35 A 25-year legacy: How The Blair Witch Project changed the horror genre

It's twenty-five years since the Blair Witch Project was released and changed the horror genre forever.

Released in the early days of the internet, people worldwide were left unsure if the movie was real or not.

Made on the cheap, with a budget of only US$35,000, for a time it had the world record for highest return on investment, with a box office of over US$248 million.

Mike Monello is the producer of the Blair Witch Project, working alongside his film school friends Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, Greg Hale and Rob Cowie.

He speaks to Emile Donovan about the film's legacy 25 years on.

10:17 How do liquidations work?

Today it was announced that after more than 90 years of operations the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand, also known as the YHA New Zealand, had gone into liquidation. 

It joins a growing list of Kiwi companies unable to continue in the face of growing costs with liquidations up 27% up on this time last year.

But how does the liquidation process work and how are a company's assets managed once it is no longer financially viable?

Damien Grant has worked in the insolvency industry for close to 20 years. He's the principal of Waterstone Insolvency, as well as a business commentator in the media.

He speaks to Emile Donovan.

10:30 To be or not to be: When it comes to marriage it can be a legally tricky question

There are many magical things about marriage. One of them is that it is an intentional choice to merge two lives. Emphasis on intentional.

If the relationship were to end, you know what you're signing up for, and you may have even signed something like a prenuptial agreement to leave no ambiguity.

But when you're not married -- the break-up process may come as a bit of a shock when it comes to who gets what.

Deborah Chambers KC is one of New Zealand's leading trust, litigation and relationship property lawyers she speaks to Emile Donovan about some of the pitfalls.

10:45 Largest ever gathering of mathematicians in New Zealand held this week

If you were in Auckland this week the probability of running into a mathematician was higher than the mean.

That's because the joint meeting of the New Zealand, Australian and American Mathematical Societies, has been taking place this week with hundreds of mathematicians coming together in Auckland over four days.

Topics up for discussion included AI, Post-quantum cryptography, math communication, industrial maths, and, most importantly, Evil Sudoku.

Dr Melissa Tacy from the University of Auckland is the conference director and spoke to Emile Donovan.

11:07 The Mixtape

This episode of the RNZ Mixtape features Auckland-based guitarist, vocalist and composer, Dan Sperber who has played in a number of Auckland-based bands including The New Loungehead and the Relaxomatic Project.

He's a musician who exhibits both fine taste and tone and continues to write and compose original material.