Sunday Morning for Sunday 6 June 2021

7:10 Ashburton farm recovery likely to take years 

Chris and Anne-Marie Allen have owned Anna Dale Farm for nearly 30 years. It's s a 300-hectare farm at Ashburton Forks and was severely damaged by flood waters over the last week. Chris joins the show to look at the damage the flood has done to the farm and the years of work the couple have ahead of them to restore the farm, which Chris says was looking the best it's ever looked before the bad weather took hold. 

7:18 Country legend 'humbled' by Hall of Fame induction 

Paddy Long is undoubtedly New Zealand's leading steel guitar player, with a long and illustrious studio career that has seen him playing steel guitar on over 170 albums, radio and TV jingles and soundtracks. He's also played with industry legends like Emmylou Harris, Connie Smith and Little Jimmy Dickens. Later this morning he will be inducted into the Hands of Fame at the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards in Gore. 

7.32 The House

MPs have finished off an eight-hour debate on Budget 2021 and security issues are discussed across Parliament including during question time, select committees, and debates.    

7:45 Calling Home: Sene Naoupu in Dublin 

Wellington-born, Oamaru-raised Ireland rugby international Sene Naoupu is one of the most prolific and remarkable figures in the oval ball world. Along with being a current test player who is in line to represent her adopted country at next year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Naoupu has active positions with World Rugby and International Rugby Players, not to mention myriad other roles and responsibilities. She's Calling Home from Dublin this morning.  

8:11 How a hot bath burns as many calories as a 30-minute walk 

It's that time of the year when the thought of a hot bath is becoming extremely enticing. As well as being a good chance to warm those chilled bones, research out of Coventry University shows that regularly soaking in a hot tub -- or sitting in a sauna -- can mimic many of the health benefits of exercise. PhD candidate Charles Steward is with us to discuss how hot baths can mimic many of the health benefits of walking, jogging and cycling.  

8:33 Live cross to the 40th and final Brass Monkey rally  

It's an end of an era in Oturehua in Central Otago this weekend as motorcycle enthusiasts gather for the 40th and final Brass Monkey rally. The first rally -- named so because the location was considered 'cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey --  took place in 1980 and attracted 300 riders. They're expecting 3000 this weekend. Professional director, writer and Radio New Zealand Board of Governers member Mike O'Donnell is attending his 24th Brass Monkey rally this year. He joins the show from Oturehua. 

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Josie Pagani and Louis Houlbrooke

Joining us on the Panel this morning are Josie Pagani and Louis Houlbrooke. Among other topics, they'll be looking at Jake Bezzant and his purported behaviour online, Naomi Osaka's pullout from the French Tennis Open, Nick Smith's resignation, and the new $685 million bridge to be built for walkers and cyclists crossing Auckland's Waitematā Harbour.

9:06 Mediawatch

This week Mediawatch looks at how the conflict between bikes and cars hit the headlines this week - after cyclists invaded the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the government said cyclists would get their own bridge in five years time. Also - an Australian TV report on our relationship with China  - and how the media depict disgruntled NIMBYs.  

9:39 Scientists sense they are getting closer to discovering aliens 

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Senior Astronomer Seth Shostak made a daring bet in his 2012 TED Talk: We'll find extraterrestrial life by 2036 or he'll buy you a cup of coffee. Nine years later, Shostak remains convinced that the technology is becoming so good that it will only be a matter of time before we confirm that "we're not the only game in town". Shostak joins the show to discuss the search for aliens and how eventually crossing paths with them is essentially just a numbers game. 

10:04 Canine obsession: The not-so-secret life of dogs 

Author Simon Garfield is nothing if not diverse when it comes to subject matter for his 20-or-so books. He's previously written about fonts, time, the lost art of letter writing, and stamp collectors, among many other fascinating topics. His latest book, Dog's Best Friend, draws upon history, science art and the writer's own personal experiences with his beloved black Labrador retriever Ludo, to dissect the enduring relationship between humans and dogs.    

10.35 Prefer pets to people? You're not alone 

A recent study out of Australia showed that about a third of our cousins across the ditch say they would rather spend time with their pets than people, with women more likely to prefer their furry friends to humans. It's likely to be the same in NZ. Dr Michelle Lim is the scientific chair of Ending Loneliness Together, as well as a pet lover. She joins the show to discuss the special relationship people have with their pets and why we so often turn to them for companionship. 

10:50 Live cross to the Steampunk NZ Festival in Oamaru

The Steampunk NZ Festival started in 2009, when the League of Victorian Imagineers' Steampunk exhibition 'Tomorrow As It Used To Be' was held in Oamaru. Seven years later, The Guardian named Oamaru the 'Steampunk Capital of the World'. We're crossing live to the North Otago town to catch up with Helen Jansen (aka 'La Falconess') for an update on the 11th-annual festival.

11:05 Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's stunning survival story 

New Zealand author Joanna Grochowicz's new book, Shackleton's Endurance: An Antarctic Survival Story, tells the story of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition. It is a story of unimaginable suffering and courage that saw Shackleton and his crew of 27 men undertake a trial even more extreme than their planned crossing of the frozen continent. Joanna joins the show from her MiQ hotel in Auckland. 

11:30 Why our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative 

Research shows that bad things have more impact on us than good things, especially when it comes to first impressions and what economists call 'loss aversion' (this is why people are more upset about losing $50 than they're happy about making $50). Social psychologist and willpower expert professor Roy Baumeister is with us to look at the 'negativity bias' and the art of mastering self-control.