Sunday Morning for Sunday 6 August 2023

8:10 Jane Golley: China's economic headwinds, and what it means for us

The world is looking at China in a new way. What was once billed as the next dominant superpower is facing economic headwinds. Given New Zealand’s strong trading ties with China, it begs the question – what does this mean for us? Professor Jane Golley, an economist and the director of the Australian National University's Australian Centre on China in the World, joins us. 

8:45 Neil Gemmell: Could the Loch Ness Monster be a giant eel? 

The chances of finding a large eel in Loch Ness are around 1 in 50,000 for a 1-metre creature. Researchers at the University of Otago looked at the DNA of Loch Ness inhabitants, concluding that perhaps sightings of Nessie were actually large eels. But now, data scientist Flow Foxon says eels don’t get that big. Professor Neil Gemmell is the AgResearch Chair in Reproduction and Genomics at the University of Otago. Neil joins the programme to discuss. 

9:05 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at how the media reacted to political parties promising new roads - and talks to RNZ's chief executive about what went wrong with its international news online, according to the independent inquiry into what he called 'pro-Kremlin garbage.' 

9:35 Calling Home: Chris Lewis and daughter Geneva in London  

It’s a family with many strings to its bow – Chris Lewis, former Wimbledon finalist and world no. 1 junior player is currently in London to watch his violinist daughter, Geneva Lewis, play at the Proms.

These days they can usually be found in Irvine, California, just outside Los Angeles, where Chris took his family back in 2005 to pursue a tennis coaching career. 

10:05 Bridget Tunnicliffe: Netball World Cup 

It was a semi-finals showdown last night, with netball’s big four battling it out for a spot in the World Cup Final. The Silver Ferns faced off against the English Roses, while Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls went toe-to-toe with the Australian Diamonds. RNZ reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe was court side and joins the programme from Cape Town.   

10:10 Rachel Nolan: the drug cartel mythos 

The rise in cocaine use across New Zealand has brought cartels back into the public consciousness and headlines around the world. But are they responsible for the reported spike in drug use? A couple of new books challenge that notion.  Dr Rachel Nolan is a journalist and historian in modern Latin America. Her research focuses on political violence, civil and dirty wars in Latin America, and US-Latin American relations. She joins us from Boston University, where she is also a professor. 

10:40 Tony Thorne: What to make of the letter 'X' 

The most commonly used letter in the English language is E, followed by A, and R. The least-used letter is Z, followed by Q … But the letter that has made headlines around the world is 'X'. Tony Thorne's been writing, teaching, and broadcasting about linguistic and cultural change for three decades, he joins us to discuss the conflicted nature of the letter, 'X'. 

11:05 Holly Morris: reaching the North Pole

An expedition of women set out to find the North Pole as the ice caps melt, none had been on ice like this before. Award-winning filmmaker Holly Morris recorded the mission - it could be the last. 

Holly is known for her documentary, Babushkas of Chernobyl, about women living in the shadow of the failed nuclear reactor in Ukraine. Holly joins the programme.

Exposure is screening in Christchurch and Wellington. 

11:05 Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic: In an AI world, what makes us human? 

AI can do many things, and it has arguably freed up some of our time. What are we doing with it? 

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup in the UK. Tomas' new book is I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique.