Sunday Morning

8:10 Christmas Crack: What Kiwis are searching for online this season

RNZ's Lifestyle and Entertainment editor Lucy Corry joins Jim to discuss what Kiwis are searching for online this year for Christmas; plus she shares her own mouthwatering recipe for Zuccotto, a traditional Italian dessert that can be made in place of trifle.

Lucy also fills us in on some unusual drink pairings that people can try over summer with their BBQ sausages and classic Kiwi Onion Dip, as suggested by some of the country's top chefs.

 

8:35 Best (Xmas) Song Eva with Quizmaster Jack Waley-Cohen 

Quizmaster Jack Waley-Cohen is back with his Sunday Morning quiz, and to wrap up the year we asked him to share his favourite Christmas song. 

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC's quiz show Only Connect, which is known for being both hard — and at the same time totally obvious.  

Wake up your brain and have a go at Jack’s final quiz for 2025! 

 

9:05 Mediawatch 

Mediawatch looks at how debate about the length of our summer holiday hit the headlines - alongside unsettling forecasts of the weather ahead. Mediawatch talks to a seasoned business journalist about coverage of our economy - and her investigation of a spectacular business failure. Also: a red carpet premiere in Wellington sends media into a spin.

 

9:35 Calling Home: Jack Topzand in Mykolaiv, Ukraine 

Jack Topzand is a long way from his hometown of Kerikeri in Northland. He has spent the last five months as a humanitarian volunteer in Ukraine and joins Jim Mora to talk about what he’s experienced. 

 

10:05 Susie Dent: Why are we mad about ‘Linguistic Supersizing’? 

Why say ‘tired’ when you can be ‘shattered’ — or ‘hot’ instead of ‘sweltering’? Modern English has a fondness for the dramatic, and extroverts may even crave greater mental stimulation in the language they use. 

Jim talks ‘linguistic supersizing' with author and broadcaster Susie Dent, who is the co-presenter and resident word expert on Countdown, to explore why the words we choose don’t just describe how we feel, but help shape the feeling itself.  

Susie’s new book Words For Life is out now, with verbal discoveries designed to boost every day of the year. She is currently working on the follow-up to her debut novel, Guilty By Definition. 

 

10:35 Laughing gas can offer immediate relief from depression 

A new British study has found that controlled doses of laughing gas can quickly act to give relief from depression. 

Dr Suresh Muthukumaraswamy is a professor of pharmacy at Auckland University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Science. He joins Jim Mora to talk about what this could mean for the future treatment of depression. 

 

11:05 Frances Cook: Is there a light on the financial horizon?

Financial journalist and creator of the Making Cents podcast, Frances Cook joins Jim to discuss the end of year GDP bounce, how to control spending over the silly season, and the forecast for our Kiwisaver programme.

 

11:25 Useful Science with Bonnie Harrison 

Bonnie Harrison is here guiding us through the latest weird and useful headlines from the world of science, including why many people feel lonelier at Christmas, and why sleep is a major factor in living a long life. 

 

11:40 Does fasting make you cognitively impaired?

Intermittent fasting has become a popular diet trend in the last decade, but many people feel that skipping meals makes it harder to concentrate. However, a recent study has found that short-term fasting does not cause a dip in cognitive ability for adults. 

Dr David Moreau from the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland is a co-author of the study, which looked at research spanning nearly seven decades, from 1958 to 2025. He joins Jim to discuss their findings.