Nights for Thursday 20 March 2025

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 Camping with cats

Lynda Boyd has been going on road trips and holidays with her cats for twenty years (with zero dead birds and only one near-miss on the record).

She joins Emile Donovan to share the joy of travelling with your furry friends.

8:45 The Reading

Helen Jones reads the final instalment of four-party story 'Milk' by Susy Pointon.

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.

9:25 Talking frankly about pay with Amy Ross

With a member's bill currently going through Parliament trying to protect employees' rights to talk about their salaries, employment relations expert Amy Ross joins Emile Donovan to discuss why pay secrecy exists in the first place.

9:35 The rise of single, older mothers

Parenting isn't easy at the best of times, but a growing number of women are choosing to parent alone.

Maybe they just haven't met the right partner, or their partner didn't want children. Whatever the reason, technological advances and societal changes have made this an increasingly viable and attractive choice, including for women who would traditionally be considered 'geriatric' pregnancies - over 35-years old.

Dr Olivia Stuart from Fertility Associates has observed this trend first hand and joins Emile Donovan to discuss.

Join the Single Mothers by Choice NZ Facebook group

10:17 Defence cuts proposed for civilian workforce

A proposal to cut over 350 civilian defence roles was reported today, despite the prime minister Christopher Luxon saying last year that he wanted New Zealand to become a "force multiplier" for Australia.

The proposal has not only raised concerns about how well our military forces can continue to operate with less civilian tech support, but also what sort of a message it sends to our allies at a time of increased global instability.

Simon Strombom is a former NZ Army Major and the founder of the New Zealand Remembrance Army.  

He joins Emile Donovan.

10:30 The Cat Operator's Manual

Drag performer, author, illustrator and cat enthusiast  Queen Olivia III (aka Conrad Johnston) joins Emile Donovan to share her new, highly technical guide to cat coexistence, The Cat Operator's Manual (Chronicle Books).

10:45 The hunt for the elusive Fiordland Moose

The long-touted Fiordland Moose is our own version of Bigfoot. A new alleged sighting has people talking. 

An American tramper reported seeing a moose on the Kepler Track earlier this month. 

Moose were introduced to the area in 1910, but the last known official sighting of the animal was in the 1950s. 

There have been dozens of unofficial sightings over the years, leading some to believe a small population has been able to survive in the remote native bush. 

One of those who believes the Moose live on is biologist and author Ken Tustin who has dedicated the best part of the last 30 years to finding them. He joins Emile Donovan.

11:07 The Mixtape

Tonight on the RNZ Music Mixtape, Maggie Tweedie interviews Aotearoa born, London based DJ Lady Shaka who selects the songs that have shaped her career abroad, flying the indigenous flag for club music.