Nights for Monday 31 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 What's behind our distrust of the government and media?

A new Talbot Mills survey, commissioned by the Helen Clark Foundation, found that one third of New Zealanders thought having a 'strong leader who does not have to bother with Parliament and elections' would be a good way to govern the country.

Meanwhile another major survey has found New Zealanders trust in government and media are now below the global average.

Bryce Edwards is the author of The Integrity Institute on Substack, and director of the Democracy Project, and joins Emile Donovan.

8:45 The Reading

We have part five of Harbouring by Jenny Pattrick, told by Alex Greig and Ni Dekkers-Reihana

Tonight, we pick up the story with Colonel Wakefield negotiating with Te Rauparaha. 

9:05 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 Whakataukī of the Week with Madeleine Hakaraia de Young

Every Monday on Nights, we invite a guest to share a whakataukī-a Māori proverb-that's meaningful to them.

Tonight, we're speaking with Madeleine Hakaraia de Young, the director of the Māoriland Film Festival, which wrapped up over the weekend in Ōtaki.

Each year, the festival brings together Indigenous storytellers from all over the world to celebrate what makes their communities unique.

Madeleine has been at the helm for two festivals but has been involved since it started 12 years ago.

9:35 Science: How our estuaries are under threat from heat waves

Some of New Zealand's most precious and rare marine life live in the mouth where a river meets the sea.

There are around 350 estuaries in New Zealand. They're home to creatures like the white heron, native eels, and whitebait, and filled with millions of tiny, essential micro-organisms keeping everything alive.

However rapidly escalating heat waves are putting our estuaries under threat.

Professor Karin Bryan is from the University of Auckland's school of environment and institute of marine studies.

She is the recipient of a Marsden Fund grant to investigate these heat waves and joins Emile Donovan.

10:17 Civil war and heat waves hinder Myanmar earthquake recovery 

The deathroll in war-torn Mynamar is still rising following Friday's magnitude 7.7 earthquake.

So far, around 1700 have been declared dead - a number which is expected to rise significantly.

Across the country, damaged buildings, aftershocks, stifling tempuratures and conflict are hindering the search for survivors. 
 
Conflict has been endemic to Myanmar since it gained independence from Britan in 1948.

Judy Hayden lived in Myanmar's biggest city Rangon between 1998 to 2019 - as a volunteer with a mission and as a teacher. 

10:30 Sports with Jamie Wall 

RNZ sports reporter Jamie Wall joins Emile Donovan in the studio to talk about the weekend of sport.

10:45 BBC World Lookahead with Pete Ross

We join then BBC to take a look at some of the events making headlines internationally 

Tonight, Pete Ross discusses the latest from Ukraine as the Trump administration continues to push for a swift ceasefire; Demonstrations have been growing in Turkey since the arrest of President Erdogan's main political rival on corruption charges, and it's the end of an era for the Italian fashion house Versace as Donatella Versace officially steps down 

11:07 Nashville Babylon

On this week's Nashville Babylon there's classic rock 'n' roll from Carl Perkins and Wanda Jackson, a track from Roberta Flack's 1969 debut album, reggae courtesy of Culture plus blues from Sonny Boy Williamson.