Sunday Morning for Sunday 5 July 2020

7:10 The Service: Part Four

The Service is a RNZ podcast series hosted by Guyon Espiner and John Daniell. 

Part Four: The Club -  The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance with roots that go all the way back to World War II. It’s a tight club – but just what does membership demand of us?

8:10 The House

Parliament had to rush through a bill adjusting a law which enables some prisoners to vote. The House explains how and why they did it. 

8:29 The Weekend Panel with Linda Clark & Richard Harman 

Our Sunday Morning panellists Linda Clark and Richard Harman are back to offer their thoughts on the past week's news from Aotearoa and abroad. They'll be discussing the re-opening of cinemas, David Clark's resignation, Judith Collins' new book, whether the Americas Cup is worth the $136m spend, and much more. 

8:51 'Feds need to keep Ghislaine Maxwell intact and alive' 

Award-winning investigative journalist and author Maureen Callahan has covered the Ghislaine Maxwell story from the start. She says she it "was the best kind of shock" to learn Maxwell was finally in custody, though she still questions why it took authorities so long to find her. Now she says they need to keep the disgraced socialite alive. 

9:06 Mediawatch

The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has prompted media all over the world to ponder whether they’re part of the problem - and if they can be part of the solution. This week Mediawatch hears from a journalist who put the focus on her own newsroom. Also: calls in the media to bust open the borders- and fire up international travel and tourism here.

9:37 The Thai city that's been taken over by disgruntled 'hyper monkeys' 

The tourism downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has turned the ancient Thai city of Lopburi, which sits about 150km north east of Bangkok, into a scene of raging warfare between roving gangs of thousands of monkeys. Thailand-based photojournalist Mladen Antonov travelled there on assignment to capture the mayhem. 

9:45 Do couples that sleep together sleep better? 

New research out of Germany suggests those who sleep next to one another have increased REM sleep and less disrupted sleep than couples who slept individually. Dr Wendy Troxel is a licensed clinical psychologist specialising in behavioral treatments for insomnia and other sleep disorders across the lifespan. She joins the show to offer her thoughts on the German study and why sleeping apart is not necessarily a part of a loveless or sexless union. 

10:06 David Abulafia's incredible human history of the oceans 

Dr David Abulafia's new book The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans is a global history of humankind told through our relationship with the world's oceans. The Professor of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University joins the show to discuss his 1075-page tome and why he is driven to write in a way that makes history accessible to everyone. 

10:30 'People are out of whack with the scale of the ocean plastic problem'

Professor Peter Ryan has been studying ocean plastic for 20 years and often gets angry responses from people when he tells them plastic isn't the biggest environmental threat we face, especially when compared to the climate crisis. And by focusing on plastic, he says, we are potentially taking effort away from more serious environmental concerns.  

10:45 Tony Burrows: the most popular singer you've never heard of

British musician Tony Burrows sang on around 100 top 20 hits during the 60s and 70s. Tony lent his voice to a number of acts including Edison Lighthouse, Ivy League and the Flower Pot Men. But it was his novelty hit  'Gimme Dat Ding' with The Pipkins that made its way to the top of the New Zealand charts back in 1970. Tony joins the show from his home in the United Kingdom.

10:50 American correspondent Karen Kasler 

It's the Fourth of July in the US and while the beaches are closed in Florida due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Pentagon has given the green light to the involvement of 1700 service members in the federal government’s July 4 celebrations. American correspondent Karen Kasler joins the show with all the latest. 

11:05 How vitamin D can help stave off respiratory infections

Vitamin D has a limited lifespan in the body, so do we need a top up in winter? And if so, just how much do we need? Dr Pamela von Hurst from the Vitamin D Research Centre at Massey University joins the show to discuss how to get your daily dose, as well as how Vitamin D can also help stave off respiratory tract infections, and possibly help people recover quicker from Covid-19.

11:20 Survey shows spike in concern around post-Covid economic recovery

The results from the 14th survey on the impact the Covid-19 virus is having on New Zealanders’ lives has shown a spike in concern around paying mortgages and rent.  And one-third of respondents think that returning New Zealanders should bear the costs of staying in managed isolation facilities themselves. Research NZ’s Emanuel Kalafetelis joins the show to discuss.

11:40 The humble yum yum: winter warmers from Ganesh Raj

While gearing up for the second season of Eating Well For Less, co-host Ganesh Raj has been setting up a new YouTube channel called The Humble Yum Yum. The channel borrows from the ethos of EWFL, sharing ideas for global food that doesn't cost the world. Ganesh joins Jim in the studio to talk about his new venture and share some delicious winter warmers.