King’s Birthday Monday with Anna Thomas for Monday 5 June 2023

8:08 Nelson teen's love song wins 2023 Gold Guitar awards

Zac Griffith has taken out the New Zealand Gold Guitar Award senior final in Gore on Sunday.

The 18-year-old's winning song, ‘My River Runs To You’, is about a break-up - despite him never being in love.

 

8:20 Wayne Smith: Knighted for services to rugby

All Blacks and Black Ferns Coach, and now Rugby mentor Wayne Smith is to be a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rugby.

Anna Thomas asks how the moniker Sir Wayne sounds to him.

 

8:38 Recognition for heroic helicopter rescue

Almost two years ago to the day, the Canterbury region was hit by devastating floods.  

If it wasn't for the heroic actions of a highly skilled helicopter pilot and his crew, three lives would surely have been lost.

Royal NZ Air Force Squadron Leader George McInnes takes us back to that day, as he is awarded the Distinguished Service Decoration.

 

8:45 Leading New Zealand's support to Ukraine

Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Ropitini had just two weeks’ notice that she was deploying to Europe to support the international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As she is awarded the Distinguished Services Decoration, Anna Thomas asks about the New Zealand Defence Force's reputation on the international stage.

 

9:06 A life dedicated to helping Maori and Pasifika children

Paediatrician and researcher Dr Teuila Percival is to be a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

She takes her role of advocacy for better outcomes just as seriously as being a good doctor.

Dr Teuila Percival joins Anna Thomas from her ward rounds at Middlemore Hospital.

 

9:20 The volunteers giving unwanted clothing a new life

At the front of the Salvation Army's Whangarei store, you'll find a section of one-of-a-kind garments which have been given a new lease of life.

A group of volunteers picks through 10 tonnes of discarded fabric and mends the highest-quality finds.

Intercept Fabric Rescue founder Jenny Hill tells us more.

 

9:40 Are you addicted to drama?

All of us probably have an over-dramatic friend in our lives… but is there a point when little harmless gossip turns into something more sinister?

US psychologist and author Dr Scott Lyons thinks so - he has just released a new book, Addicted to Drama.

Dr Lyons explains the signs of a drama addiction.

 

10:08 World’s oldest doctor the subject of new documentary

The world's oldest practising doctor is about to become the subject of a new documentary.

100-year-old neurologist Dr Howard Tucker has witnessed advances in medicine right through from lobotomies to computerised imaging.

Dr Howard Tucker talks to Anna Thomas all the way from Cleveland, US.

 

10:30 95 days underwater

Joseph Dituri has spent 95 days in a metal cabin just off the coast of Florida, 9.1m below the ocean's surface.

The biomedical engineer has smashed through the previous record of 73 days spent underwater without depressurisation.

Joe Dituri speaks to Anna Thomas from his ocean lodgings.

 

10:40 How top chef Monique Fiso is putting Maori cuisine in the spotlight

Chef Monique Fiso has built a career on bringing native ingredients back onto the menu, at her Maori-Samoan inspired restaurant in Wellington, Hiakai.

Monique Fiso tells Anna Thomas which ingredients deserve more love in the kitchen.

 

11:10 Protecting the remaining survivors of the dinosaur era

Tuatara are a national treasure - a taonga.  They are a rare reptile found only in New Zealand and are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs. 

Among those invited to be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in today's Kings Birthday Honours list is Emeritus Professor Alison Cree - leading zoologist and herpetology expert.

Alison Cree speaks to Anna Thomas.

 

11:20 65 years of service to ballet

Glenys Scandrett is a familiar name to many dancers in the Southland region.

She has received a Queen's Service Medal, for a career spanning more than 65 years both performing and teaching classical ballet.

She opened Scandrett Dance Academy in Invercargill in 1997, and many of her students have gone on to become professional dancers.

 

11:25 Winter gardening with Lynda Hallinan

Lynda Hallinan joins Anna Thomas with some tips for those who think they have a brown thumb.

She says everyone can be a gardener - you just have to know where to begin.