Sunday Morning

8:15 UK Correspondent Alice Wilkins 

We get the latest from the UK from our correspondent Alice Wilkins in London. 

8:20 Can Ozempic really treat everything? 

There are claims Ozempic and other similar drugs can have positive effects from Alzheimer's disease to heart disease to depression.  

If one drug type can really impact so many conditions, how does it actually work? 

Helen Thomson writes for New Scientist, and specialises in life sciences, health and biotech. 

8:40 US Correspondent Mitch McCann 

We get the latest from the US from our correspondent Mitch McCann in New York. 

9:00 Mediawatch 

This week Mediawatch how the media fared against the forces they faced in 2024 - and - one part of the media trhat seems to be bucking the trend of decline. Also  - Hayden Donnell gives us his Christmas wish. 

9:30 Nadia Lim: Best Song Eva  

New Zealand’s most-loved foodie-farmer Nadia Lim joins us from Royalburn Station to share the song that’ll be playing when she’s prepping the Christmas veggies. 

9:55 The Sunday Morning Quiz with Jack Waley-Cohen   

Our quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen is back for another Sunday Morning quiz.   

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC quiz show ‘Only Connect’ which is known for being both difficult to crack and totally obvious.     

It’s Sunday morning, so wake up your brain and have a go!       

10:10 Can you really have too many roast potatoes? 

RNZ’s Lifestyle and Entertainment editor, Lucy Corry AKA The Kitchenmaid shares her top tips for a happy and delicious Christmas and tackles that age-old dilemma: how many roast potatoes is too many?  

10:30 Santa Claus the action hero 

The modern-day Santa Claus can be traced back to a Byzantine bishop named St. Nicholas who had numerous stories and miracles attributed to him. 

We hear about one such story in which St. Nicholas fought against a miscarriage of justice, that caught the imagination of Brian Thornton, a senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Winchester.  

10:50 How does a chemist clean his oven? 

Is there a magic chemical that will easily clean the oven, or do we just have to roll our sleeves up and scrub? We're joined by Dr Jack Chen, senior lecturer at AUT's faculty of Chemistry. 

11:10 The Great Loop revisited

We originally spoke with Maungaturoto locals, Juleigh Parker and Peter Gray back in March on their big adventure navigating The Great Loop in North America. 

We catch up with them once again as they start their plans to head home and hear all about their trip. 

11:30 More baubles, less brawl: tips for avoiding Christmas arguments

Heading back into the family fold over the holidays can be a stressful experience for many. Award-winning science writer David Robson has been researching ways to use psychology to avoid Christmas arguments 

11:40 Calling Home: Tristan Pang in Oxford 

Tristan Pang is one of New Zealand’s most gifted brains. He enrolled at the University of Auckland at age 12, and completed his degree in Mathematics and Physics at the age of 16 - making him one of the school’s youngest graduates. 

These days, the 24-year-old can be found walking the hallowed halls of Oxford University, where he is completing his PhD in Environmental Science. He joins Jim to chat about life as a student at the oldest university in the English-speaking world.