Saturday Morning

7:10 Dame Jenny Shipley on Treaty Principles Bill

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have come out to support the Toitū Te Tiriti activations in various towns and cities across the motu as a growing hīkoi makes its way to parliament.  

Toitū Te Tiriti is a statement which refers to the Treaty of Waitangi as an undisturbed permanent document, while the movement promotes the protection of it.  

Meanwhile, the ACT Party's Treaty Principles Bill passed its first reading in the house, a bill which seeks to redefine the principles of our founding document.  

While the bill passed its first reading, National Ministers were sure to make it clear, their support was part of the coalition agreement, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon criticising it, saying it's simplistic and negates more than 184 years of debate and discussion.

Dame Jenny Shipley is no stranger to debate and discussion around issues of Te Tiriti and she joins Mihi to discuss the bill.

 

7.25 National hīkoi reaches Bastion Point

This morning the hīkoi moves from Hastings to Palmerston North. 

Earlier this week it was in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland where marchers crossed the harbour bridge and headed for Bastion Point, or Takaparawhau.

Some generations will remember the occupation there by Ngāti Whātua which was in response to the government's plan to sell part of the reserve for luxury housing. 

Joe Hawke, who passed away in 2022 led that occupation and his daugther Sharon talks to Susie.

 

7:35 APEC in Peru

The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to make his debut at APEC, after previously missing out last year due to coalition negotiation talks.

The summit is being held in Peru this year with outgoing US president Joe Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping both in attendance.

RNZ's Political editor Jo Moir is there and explains what bilateral meetings New Zealand will be a part of.

 

7:40 Spreading climate change message with Coldplay

A group of Pasifika Climate Change warriors has been using their musical voices to advocate for climate justice and the protection of their beloved pacific islands facing rising seas.   

Their band, This Is Our Home were spotted and invited by Coldplay to perform in Lyon, France earlier this year in front of 60 thousand people.

And just this week, they've been lighting up the stage alongside Coldplay again here in Aotearoa.

Saia Folau-Williams, one of the members, is a music teacher as well and talks to Mihi about the whirlwind experience.

 

7:47 Bitcoin surge

The world's largest cryptocurrency surged in the run-up to last week's US presidential election, and rose sharply immediately on election night, after it became clear Donald Trump would win. 

As of this morning, one bitcoin is more than $152,000 NZD.

Joining Susie to explain what has been happening and whether the increase is going to last is RNZ's money correspondent Susan Edmunds.

 

7:53 Pasifika festival borne out of Dawn Raids

A free one-day festival born out of the government's apology for the Dawn Raids is taking place at Te Pou Theatre and Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson next Saturday.

If you want to try Fijian dance, delicious kai from across the pacific, indulge in some theatre and live music - it's the place to be. 

From that hurt and mamae in which thousands of Pasifika were rounded up by police and immigration, accused of overstaying in the Dawn Raids, has come an event focused on the intricacies of our pacific whānau now and their hopes for the future. 

Leki Jackson-Bourke is curating the event today, and performing not once but twice.

 

8:10 William Boyd: Gabriel's Moon

Best selling author and screenwriter William Boyd returns to our bookshelves, again drawn to the world of espionage.

Billed as Britain's greatest storyteller, Gabriel's Moon is set in sixties London, home to accidental spy Gabriel Dax, a young insomniac travel writer haunted by tragic memories and targeted by MI6.

Boyd is the author of eighteen novels, including Solo - a James Bond follow up - and A Good Man in Africa, winner of a slew of awards including the Whitbread, and has previously been shortlisted for the Booker prize.

8:40 Knocking heads: is the message about concussion getting through?

Despite growing scientific evidence head knocks in sport can have a significant impact on athlete health, it seems the message is still not getting through to the people who really need to know – the parents of young players.  

Academic and Fulbright scholar Jesse Abdenour has studied the cultural attitudes towards concussion and sport in America.  Next year, he’ll do the same here in New Zealand.

Abdenour, an Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Communications in Oregon, is taking up a one-year placement at AUT, where he’ll focus on head knocks in rugby and the role media messaging can play in shaping people’s attitudes. 

He talks to Mihi about how he hopes his time in New Zealand will further this international research.  

 

9:05 Nature makes us healthier: Kathy Willis

Oxford University Professor of biodiversity Kathy Willis thinks we should have pot plants in every office.

In new book Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health Kathy examines how and why nature can help make us healthier.  For instance, why does touching wood make us feel calmer? Tthe woodier, the knotier, the better apparently.

Kathy talks to Susie about how nature can help reduce the costs of healthcare and how, by bringing nature into our towns and cities, we can create a better, happier and healthier environment for all.

9:40 The Ancient Wisdom of Māori Goddesses

Atua Wāhine: The Ancient Wisdom of Māori Goddesses is the work of writer Hana Tapiata, exploring the 17 female Māori goddesses who make up the world around us: earth, fire, water, the moon and more.

Hana lives day to day practicing Māori philosophies.  Her new book looks at how ancestral Māori concepts and systems can help anyone navigate the modern world.

10:05 Chris Parker: carrying on camping

Eight years after the original show shocked and delighted audiences at the Comedy Festival, Camping, the Kiwi couples’ comedy is back.  

Described as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show meets French and Saunders”, Camping is the brainchild of comedians Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury. 

Complete with audience warnings of coarse language and naughty bits, the show tells the story of two couples who get more than they bargained for when they find themselves double booked at a bach on a weekend getaway.

Chris Parker talks with Susie and Mihi about the difference eight years makes.

10:35 Māori on the home front

The death of the 28th Māori Battalion's Sir Robert "Bom" Gilllies was a reminder of the treatment that Māori serviceman received when they returned home from the war. 

For families who remained at home, it had also been a period of transition and struggle, as they adjusted to life without their young men and worked to support the war effort.

Lachy Paterson and Angela Walhalla are the editors of Te Hau Kāinga and Raupanga, companion books that explore the transformation of Māori society on the home front.

 

11:05 Sweet Surrender with Aaradhna 

Award-winning soul singer Aaradhna is back with a much-awaited new album Sweet Surrender - her first in eight years.

Aaradhna has swept awards across New Zealand since the start of her career, and her voice has been the soundtrack to a whole generation of Kiwis. Sweet Surrender is the first album she's taken full creative control over, writing and producing every track.

Susie joined Aaradhna in her studio to see where the magic is made, and learn more about the woman behind the voice.

11:25 The Repair Cafe 

In an age where it's never been more convenient to buy something new to replace the things that break, Brigitte Sistig is trying to make repairing easier.

The Repair Cafe Aotearoa NZ supports more than 75 local Repair Cafes across the country where anyone can pop in and get their item fixed. It's free of charge, although koha is welcomed to contribute to the running of the events.

Brigitte is Repair Cafe co-founder and recently won the Growing the Movement Award at the Tāmaki Makaurau Zero Waste Awards.

 

11:40 Kate de Goldi: Reading for pleasure

Kate De Goldi is one of New Zealand's most celebrated authors, an Arts Foundation Laureate, and a voracious reader.

She joins Mihi and Susie to share some of her favourite reads: Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, a Whanganui biography by Martin Edmond, Blood Test, a Comic Novel by Charles Baxter, and Pity by Andrew McMillan.

 

Books on today's show

Good Nature: The New Science of How Nature Improves Our Health
By Kathy Willis
Published by Bloomsbury

Atua Wāhine: The Ancient Wisdom of Māori Goddesses
By Hana Tapiata
Published by HarperCollins

‘Te Hau Kāinga’ and 'Raupanga'
Edited by Lachy Paterson and Angela Walhalla
Published by Auckland University Press

Gabrielle's Moon
By William Boyd 
Published by Penguin Books

Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, a Whanganui biography
By Martin Edmond
Published by Massey University Press

Blood Test 
By Charles Baxter 
Published by Pantheon

Pity
By Andrew McMillan
Published by Canongate