Sunday Morning for Sunday 23 May 2021

7:10 Survey: Only 68% of Kiwis feel safe on public transport 

Recently there has been an increase in New Zealanders reporting they have been assaulted/abused or felt unsafe. Research NZ has taken the pulse of the nation regarding Kiwis' perceptions of personal safety, and some of the results are troubling, including the fact that more than 30% of people feel unsafe using public transport. Research NZ Managing Director Emanuel Kalafatelis explains. 

7:18 Covid-19 update with Professor Gary McLean 

Joining us again on Sunday Morning is New Zealander Gary McLean, who is a professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University and an international authority on coronaviruses. Professor McLean is with us to look at Long Covid, the vaccine rollouts, and the fact that Covid sticks around the body longer than we first thought. 

7.32 The House

It's been budget week at Parliament - yes, of course you knew that. The House brings some highlights from the big day and the rush of urgent bills that follow a budget.  

7:45 'We don't need to be nervous about double digit inflation' 

The US is looking at the highest levels of inflation since the 1980s, rekindling global inflation fears. New Zealander Jeffrey Halley, who is OANDA's Senior Market Analyst for Asia Pacific, says that while he is not dismissing the inflation threat -- and that inflation nerves are not going to go away -- there is not enough data at the moment to suggest it's panic stations time.  

8:11 Calling Home: Megan Adams in Buenos Aires 

Life in the palatial four storey Residence of the Ambassador of Spain to Argentina -- that being her husband Javier Sandomingo -- is a world away from Megan Adams' upbringing in rural Southland. A former Kiwi diplomat in her own right, Megan has had postings of her own in Mexico and Tonga, as well accompanying her husband in such diverse locations as Cuba, Nicaragua and Hong Kong. She's Calling Home this morning from the Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires. 

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Sam Stubbs and Brigitte Morten

Joining us on the Panel this morning are Brigitte Morten, a lawyer for Franks Ogilvie, and Simplicity KiwiSaver chief executive Sam Stubbs. They'll be discussing the Budget, how safe we feel in NZ, what Martin Bashir did, how much we pay our nurses, the immigration we want, and the 24 uncomfortable things you can do which will pay off forever. 

9:06 Mediawatch

This week Mediawatch looks at how the news media are more important than ever in shaping our perception of our leaders, according to new research - even though trust in the media is supposedly falling.  Also: how two journalists  dug up the dark past of a celebrated tourism pioneer - and political reporters and pundits claimed that the end is nigh for Judith Collins this week - even though the National Party leadership isn't up for grabs. 

9:37 'Insufficient evidence' to support herbal and dietary supplements for weight loss

New Zealanders spend tens of millions of dollars every year on over-the-counter herbal and dietary supplements in an attempt to lose weight, but the first global review of complementary medicines for weight loss suggests that their use cannot be justified based on the current evidence. Lead author Erica Bessell, a PhD candidate from the University of Sydney says while some did lead to weight loss, it often wasn't a meaningful amount. 

10:04 Why Finns don't believe they are the "happiest" people on earth 

Nordic countries always dominate global happiness rankings, with Finland surpassing Denmark to be named the world's happiest country for the last four years running. However, you'd have a hard time trying to convince a lot of Finns that the World Happiness Report offers an accurate gauge of their overall state of mind. Jukka Savolainen, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at Wayne State University, says it has more to do with Finland's relatively modest expectations of what a 'good life' should be.

10:40 My Current Song: Georgia Lines, 'No One Knows' 

Georgia Lines released her debut EP just as the country went into Level 4 Lockdown last year. Despite the set-back, the Tauranga-based singer still made waves with the set of songs, which has been streamed more than 1.5 million times on Spotify. This month the singer released a new single called 'No One Knows', which Georgia describes as being a song about "looking and longing for the truth amongst the noise". 

10:50 Are cryptocurrencies like bitcoin here to stay? 

Billionaire private equity titan David Rubenstein said this week that cryptocurrencies will remain a part of the financial landscape for years to come, dismissing concerns that the fad is destined to fade away. However, Elon Musk says while cryptocurrency is "promising", people should definitely proceed with caution. Sunday Morning tech correspondent Helen Baxter offers her thoughts. 

11:05 A.C. Grayling: The 'great universe' of the yet-to-be-discovered 

In his latest book, The Frontiers of Knowledge: What We Now Know about Science, History and the Mind, bestselling polymath and philosopher A.C. Grayling offers an ambitious and gripping history of science, thought, life on earth and the human mind itself -- and what we might know in the future. He joins the show to discuss his impressive new tome and how little we really know. 

11:35 Why fruit flies and mosquitos are 'brainier' than most people suspect 

Having trouble getting rid of fruit flies at home or in the office? Don't be surprised - they're 'brainier' than you think. New research out of Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that the tiny brains of fruit flies and mosquitos have about 200,000 neurons and other cells. By comparison, a human brain has 86 billion neurons, and a rodent brain contains about 12 billion. So even though these pests' brains are simple, they can do a lot of processing -- even more than a supercomputer -- thus allowing these bugs to navigate, find food, and perform other complicated tasks at the same time. Christopher Potter, associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is with us to explain.