Saturday Morning for Saturday 26 October 2024

7:10 Long wait times for hospitals in Southland

Cancer care advocate Melissa Vining speaks out after several more patients have come to her over letters outlining longer than expected wait times to access services in Southland.

Her husband Blair died just over 5 years ago now of bowel cancer, after receiving his diagnosis - and a letter of his own which said he would have to wait 12 weeks to see an oncologist - when he was given less time to live.

The couple dedicated the last 11 months of Blair's life to improving cancer care for all New Zealanders, and Melissa joins Susie to talk about the situation now.

 

7:20 The scene is set for CHOGM

Leaders from across the Commonwealth have been at their biennial gathering - CHOGM - in Samoa.

It is the first time a South Pacific Island has hosted the event, and King Charles has been there too.

RNZ's Pacific Correspondent Susana Suisuiki is in the capital, Apia and geopolitical analyst with the Democracy Project Geoffrey Miller joins the programme to explain what's been happening at CHOGM.

 

7:27 Severe weather wrap

Wind and rain lashed Wellington and the west, and top of the South Island on Thursday and yesterday, causing travel disruption and some power outages.

And a new weather system is forecast with some severe weather warnings and watches in place.

The MetService is keeping a close eye on Canterbury High Country and areas of Otago - for snow!

For more on the long weekend's outlook, meterologist Karl Loots talks to Mihi.

 

7:32 Hauraki Gulf bill backlash

Earlier this month, the coalition government agreed Parliament should pass the Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill. 

It will create 19 new marine protection areas, but it comes with amendments that some are calling "a kick in the face".

Professor Simon Thrush is director of the George Mason Centre for the Natural Environment at the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Auckland. 

He joins Mihi now to explain what's happening with the Hauraki Gulf.

 

7:40 Weight-loss drug trial for those on the benefit

England is testing a weight-loss drug to get people off the dole and back to work.

It's a controversial idea said to also prevent obesity-related diseases and take the pressure off England's health service.

The UK's health secretary Wes Streeting has denied the five-year trial in Manchester in the North West of England is in anyway dystopian, or will see overweight people being forced to have the weight-loss drug Mounjaro.

Obesity expert at the University of Cambridge Dr Dolly van Tulleken says besides the "serious ethical, financial, and efficacy considerations," the plans are also unrealistic.

 

7:50 Moana 2 in Te Reo

For the first time, a Disney film will be released in both English and Te Reo - at the same time!

The movie is Moana 2 and it's out in a little over a month.

Mihi caught up with the producer behind it all - Chelsea Wistanley.

 

8:10 From bedtime reading to book clubs: How Stories Change Us

Why is it mostly women join book clubs? 

Of New Zealand's over 1,300 registered book clubs, fewer than 2% are attended exclusively by men.

In How Stories Change Us Professor of Psychology at the University of Otago Elaine Reese explores the intersection of psychology and literacy, interested in how reading and stories benefit us, why girls are more likely to respond  to them than boys and how that can change.

Professor Reese also co-leads the Kia Tīmata Pai (To Start Well) initiative, a national intervention trial with BestStart early childhood centres.

 

8:40 Geoff Chase: engineering solutions for earthquakes and neonatal health care

A mechanical engineering expert, Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase is a busy person - renowned for his pioneering work in both healthcare and seismic engineering.

His engineering innovations have led to improved resilience in earthquake-prone buildings in Christchurch and San Francisco.

Meanwhile, over in healthcare, he's also helped to create protocols for intensive care medicine which are now standard clinical practice in several ICUs and neonatal intensive care units here and overseas.

Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase received the BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur Award for his outstanding contributions to research commercialisation at the recent KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards.

 

9:05 Kate Weinberg: finding the funny side of invisible illness

British journalist, podcast host and author Kate Weinberg has adapted her personal ordeal of living with long Covid into a novel There's Nothing Wrong With Her.

It's a funny and philosophical story, capturing the surreal state of invisible illness. 

Kate's own experience of long Covid was far from funny. She was disbelieved by doctors and the people closest to her, and at times doubted herself.

 

9:35 Dr Hinemoa Elder: Dear Moko

Child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr Hinemoa Elder, has shaped her beloved book Aroha into a special collection of Māori proverbs for mokopuna and descendants of all ages in her new book Dear Moko. 

Hinemoa works with mentally unwell young people and their families in Aotearoa, and the development of tikanga approaches for tamariki.

 

10:05 Dr Nick Oscroft: addressing men's health issues

Men are likely to die four years earlier than women and are far more susceptible to heart issues, diabetes and other preventable illnesses. One in eight Kiwi men will also experience serious depression during their lifetime. Despite this, they're also less likely to seek medical advice. 

Dr Nick Oscroft is a senior community GP in Wellington with a particular focus on men's health. He speaks to Mihi and Susie, and answers your questions about the small steps men can take to look after their health and well-being. 

 

10:35 Carving out a better life

Former gang member Sully Paea has overcome a challenging past to dedicate almost five decades to youth work, significantly impacting thousands of lives in Ōtara, South Auckland.

Alongside his wife Jo-anne and their family Sully established one of Ōtara's first youth drop-in centres and pioneered one of the first alternative education programmes in New Zealand. 

During the Covid lockdowns Sully taught himself how to carve traditional miniature Pasifika vaka. Now, he's opened his first exhibition Tau Vaka He Pasifika: The Canoes of the Pacific, featuring his carvings at Fresh Gallery Ōtara.

Susie went to visit him at his house where he makes his carvings.

 

11:05 Geeking out with Craig Parker

Craig Parker has spent his career playing villains with great hair, lycans, gladiators, and even the greatest lover in a French Court. A New Zealander born in Fiji, Craig got his start acting when he was 17 working on TV series Gloss.

He went on to play the popular Guy Warner on Shortland Street before starring in an array of fantasy series and movies, including The Lord of the Rings, Spartacus and Reign.

Craig lives in California now, but he's back in Aotearoa for Armageddon expo in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Mihi caught up with Craig to discuss the joys of 'geeking out'.

 

11:22 Tuahiwi Marae, the story behind the headlines

Christchurch's Tuahiwi marae made headlines this week as the location of a national hui for Māori unity, marking the first appearance of new Māori monarch Kuini Nga wai hono i te po in her official role.

Professor Te Maire Tau (Ūpoko of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, a hapu of Ngāi Tahu) is an historian on oral traditions, tribal genealogies, and indigenous knowledge systems. Professor Tau became the first Director of the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury in 2011.

Susie spoke with Professor Tau at Tuahiwi Marae, which he heads.

 

11:45 Saturday Lunch with Two Raw Sisters

Margo and Rosa Flanagan are known as the Two Raw Sisters, spending their days developing recipes with a focus on plant based, whole foods, that make you feel great.

They haven't always had a positive relationship with food though. Between them, the sisters grew up struggling with eating disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, and endometriosis. It wasn't until they began to see food as a way to fuel their bodies, rather than determine how they look, that their love affair with food really kicked off.

Now, Margo and Rosa are the authors of five cookbooks - four of which are best-sellers. They have their own culinary app, and recently started the Two Raw Sisters podcast. Their new book More Salad is a follow-up to 2021's Salad, which was the highest-selling NZ cookbook published that year.

Rosa and Margo spoke to Susie about how to be intelligently lazy in the kitchen and shared a recipe for Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with Sea Salt.

 

Books on today's show

How Stories Change Us
By Elaine Reese
Published by Oxford University Press Inc

There's Nothing Wrong With Her Oxford University Press Inc
By Kate Weinberg
Published by Bloomsbury 

More Salad
By Two Raw Sisters
Published by Allen & Unwin NZ

Dear Moko
By Dr Hinemoa Elder 
Published by Penguin

Music played in this show

Song: Free
Artist: Florence and The Machine
Time played: 10.56

Song: Moonshadow
Artist: Cat Stevens
Time played: 11:20

Song: Apples and Oranges
Artist: Pink Floyd
Time played: 11:57