Saturday Morning for Saturday 30 November 2024

7:11 The latest from the Middle East

After 13 months of fighting, now, there's a 60 day ceasefire to end the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

David Wood is a senior analyst with Crisis Group's Middle East and North Africa team with a focus on Lebanon where he is based, and joins Susie from the capital Beirut.

 

7:21 Black Friday debt

With Christmas fast approaching, the pressure is on to start shopping.

And it's hard not to be tempted by the idea of Black Friday sales or the option to buy now, pay later. 

Unfortunately, many people are getting more than they bargained for, racking up festive debt that can take many more Christmases to pay off - if ever. 

Sasha Lockley is the CEO of Money Sweetspot and she joins Mihi now.

 

7:32 Housing for children caught in the middle

This week Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the number of families living in emergency housing had reduced by 68 percent under this government.

It is now down to 993 - to be precise.

The difference between a stable home and being in crisis, can be as simple as the loss of a job or a relationship break up.

Our next guest, long-time child and poverty advocate Professor Mark Henaghan, is calling for changes to the Property Relationship Act - to greater protect children when relationships do breakdown.

 

7:42 Alarming ease of online alcohol deliveries

A new study has found 73 percent of online alcohol deliveries in Auckland are left at the door or delivered without requesting identification.

The data was taken from 45 online alcohol orders placed over a two month period last year, by a researcher under 22 years old.

The study, which is published in the latest issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal, also found it only took half an hour for orders to arrive at the door through rapid alcohol delivery companies.

Advocacy group Alcohol Healthwatch carried out the research, and its executive director Andrew Galloway joins Susie to discuss the study.

 

7:52 NZ Gardener turns 80

Our best loved gardening magazine, New Zealand Gardener is 80 years old.  

To mark the anniversary a special edition looks at New Zealand's horticultural history through the NZ Gardener archive.
Editor Jo McCarrol takes Susie and Mihi down the garden path.

 

8:10 You are what you eat: Professor Julia Rucklidge

Renowned clinical psychologist Professor Julia Rucklidge has spent decades researching the relationship between diet and mental health.

Once a sceptic, she has consistently found vitamins and minerals can improve mental health outcomes through controlled trials.

Julia is the director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury, has been named in the top 100 Most Influential Women in Aotearoa New Zealand three times, and has written more than 150 publications.

This month, she was awarded the 2024 University of Canterbury Innovation Medal for her contributions to nutritional psychiatry over the last 20 years.

Julia joins Susie to talk about her latest research.

8:35 Home education: Learning with the ones you love

Home schooling conjures up images of kids around a kitchen table with mum and a few text books. But as The Spinoff series Home Education discovers, there are many different ways and many different places to learn, outside of the traditional classroom.

Featuring six different families across six episodes, the series takes us not just into their homes, but on the road in a house bus. We meet kids learning about business on a dahlia farm, art and craft in a forest and mātauranga Māori on an east coast beach.  

Director Chris Pryor talks to Mihi about what he learned making the series.

9:05 The last great dynasty of ancient Egypt - Toby Wilkinson

Toby Wilkinson's new book The Last Dynasty - Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra is a definitive and thrilling account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt.

Toby Wilkinson is an Egyptologist and the prizewinning author of fifteen books on the history and culture of the Nile Valley, ancient and modern. He studied Egyptology at the University of Cambridge and is currently a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

The Daily Telegraph applauds Toby as "the foremost Egyptologist of our time".  

Susie speaks with him about uncovering a story that can only now be fully told.

Fans of Ancient Egypt should also check out Susie's interview with Lloyd Llewellyn Jones about his book The Cleopatras.

9:35 Gardening Pasifika style

Every Friday morning, anyone can drop into the Pacific Vision Aotearoa Centre in South Auckland for advice on how to create gardens with a Pasifika twist.

Established in 2016 to empower and resource people with regenerative ways of living, Pacific Vision Aotearoa runs a variety of events from creating community gardens in churches, building climate resilience in the Pacific, sharing ancestral wisdom for gardening to hosting workshops such as making kawakawa balm and kimchi.

Therese Mangos is one of the founding directors. She takes Mihi on a tour of their community garden.

10:05 "Kicked to the curb Kiwis": Is NZ the worst country to have Long Covid?

This week the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response made 39 recommendations, including that  'normal' life be kept going as much as possible during the next (inevitable) pandemic. Not music to the ears of many people living with Long Covid.

Last week, a text in response to British long covid specialist Dr Toby Hillman claimed "Kiwis have been kicked to the curb. NZ is one of the worst countries to have this issue with".

Rohan Botica and Dr Anna Brooks are two of the founders of DysImmune Research Aotearoa focusing on immune dysfunction research to help understand, diagnose, treat post-acute infection syndromes.

Dr Anna Brooks is a Senior Research Fellow at the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland and Principal Investigator for DysImmune Research Aotearoa.

Rohan Botica is a Casual Research Associate at the Liggins Institute and lived-experience researcher for DysImmune.

10:35 Everyone's a winner

End of year school prize givings can see every child receive a certificate.

While all tamariki walk away with a smile, is there a downside?

Kathryn Berkett has a Masters in Educational Psychology and spends her time visiting schools, talking to parents and teachers about building resilience in children.

11:05 Pounamu: the legacy of the West Coast

Long long ago, a taniwha called Poutini kidnapped a beautiful wahine called Waitaiki and fled to the West Coast of the South Island. Chased by Waitaiki's husband Tama Ahua, Poutini the taniwha placed Waitaiki into the river where she turned to greenstone or pounamu.  

Poutini swam out through the rivermouth of the Arahura and today he roams up and down the West Coast.  

The stories of Te Tai Poutini or the West Coast of the South Island are some of the oldest stories in Māori mythology and the people who eventually populated this rugged and remote coastline are the subject of a new book.

Poutini: The Ngai Tahu History of the West Coast explores resources, land, war and continual dispossession. Author Paul Madgwick joins Mihi from Hokitika.

11:30 Liam Dann on future economic growth 

New Zealand Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann joins with the latest on inflation, the outlook for housing in 2025 and some grim warnings about lower economic growth outlook.

11:45 Ukulele Death Squad 

Ukulele Death Squad describes itself as the world's 'most dangerous ukulele band'.

Well-known for their live shows which often result in the entire audience bursting into dance - the Aussie group blend ukuleles, vocals, congas, and brass  to deliver a high energy mix of folk, jazz and R&B  - all while showing the versatility of a four-stringed instrument.

Band member Matty Barker is on vocals and clarinet, as well as being the creative brain behind many of the band's songs.  Ignacio Larralde is responsible for congas, drums and the baritone uke.  They speak with Susie about the band's upcoming WOMAD performance and New Zealand tour.

Books featured on this week's programme:

The Last Dynasty
By Toby Wilkinson
Published by: Bloomsbury
IBSN:  9781526664693

Poutini: The Ngai Tahu History of the West Coast
By Paul Madgwick
Published by: Oratia Media
ISBN: 9781990042447

 

Music played in this show

10.40am - 'Come and be a Winner' by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

11.44am - 'Not Afraid' by Ukulele Death Squad