Radio New Zealand National. 2015-05-28. 00:00-23:59.

A 24-hour recording of Radio New Zealand National. The following rundown is sourced from the broadcaster’s website. Note some overseas/copyright restricted items may not appear in the supplied rundown:

28 May 2015

===12:04 AM. | All Night Programme===
=DESCRIPTION=

Including: 12:05 Music after Midnight; 12:30 One in Five (RNZ); 1:05 Discovery (BBC); 2:05 The Thursday Feature (RNZ); 3:05 Knots, by Kim Torrez (RNZ); 3:30 NZ Books (RNZ); 5:10 Witness (BBC); 5:45 The Day in Parliament (RNZ)

===6:00 AM. | Morning Report===
=DESCRIPTION=

Radio New Zealand's three-hour breakfast news show with news and interviews, bulletins on the hour and half-hour

=AUDIO=

06:00
Top Stories for Thursday 28 May 2015
BODY:
Fourteen top Fifa officials are charged with accepting more than 150 million dollars in kickbacks. National backbenchers force a delay to tougher new work safety law and public support for a Wellington woman as a judge reserves his decision in the right to die case.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 33'29"

06:06
Sports News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'22"

06:11
Major scandal is rocking international football
BODY:
Twin raids on two continents have targetted FIFA Officials in what is a major scandal that is rocking international football.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'26"

06:20
Pacific News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
The latest from the Pacific region.
Topics: Pacific
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'41"

06:23
Morning Rural News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sector.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'02"

06:27
Te Manu Korihi News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
The Whānau Ora iwi leaders group is accusing government departments of not placing enough value on Māori expertise; The Raukura Waikato Social Services Trust has suffered another blow from government agencies following its suspension yesterday by the Ministry of Social Development; Whangarei has turned on cold weather - but a heartwarming powhiri for the two young teams it's hosting for the FIFA under-20 World Cup.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'25"

06:39
Twin raids on two continents have targetted FIFA Officials
BODY:
Twin raids on two continents have targetted FIFA Officials in what is a major scandal that is rocking international football.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: FIFA
Duration: 3'45"

06:43
Judge has thanked the dying woman
BODY:
The judge who will decide whether a Wellington woman can die with her doctor's help without the doctor then being charged has thanked the dying woman for taking the case.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: right to die, Lecretia Seales
Duration: 2'31"

06:48
Mainfreight's expects further sales and earnings records
BODY:
The transport and logistics firm, Mainfreight, is expecting more after its annual sales and earnings hit record highs.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Mainfreight
Duration: 2'50"

06:51
Sky's revenue up 18% since start of H2/15
BODY:
A strong economy and good air links to Asia have boosted Sky City Entertainment's revenue for the second half of its financial year.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Sky City Entertainment
Duration: 2'44"

06:53
Westland forecasts $5.60- $6 payout for next season
BODY:
The country's second biggest dairy co-operative, Westland Milk Products, is picking a better payout for its farmers in the forthcoming season.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Westland Milk Products
Duration: 1'06"

06:54
Metro Performance Glass misses sales growth target
BODY:
Metro Performance Glass says it's bullish about its future prospects, despite lower-than-expected revenue growth as the construction industry struggles to meet pent-up demand.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Metro Performance Glass
Duration: 2'15"

06:56
Turners posts profit
BODY:
Turners is picking strong underlying trading profit this year, as it counts a full contribution from its car auction business and ongoing growth from its finance units.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Turners
Duration: 2'09"

06:58
Morning markets for 28 May 2015
BODY:
Wall Street is up, with investors upbeat that Greece is unlikely to default on loan repayments.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 49"

07:07
Sports News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'53"

07:10
World soccer rocked by Fifa arrests
BODY:
The world's greatest game has been rocked by multi-million dollar corruption and bribery charges laid by US authorities and another separate investigation by Swiss officials.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: FIFA
Duration: 6'33"

07:17
FBI investigation of FIFA involves charges of racketeering
BODY:
Martin Lipton is the deputy sports editor at The Sun newspaper in London.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: FIFA
Duration: 5'18"

07:23
PM plays down caucus divisions over health and safety reforms
BODY:
The Prime Minister is downplaying any divisions within the National Party caucus over the now-delayed workplace health and safety law reforms.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: workplace health and safety
Duration: 3'36"

07:27
CTU concerned about weakening changes
BODY:
The Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Michael Woodhouse, said he was unavailable to come on Morning Report. Helen Kelly is the president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: workplace health and safety
Duration: 1'55"

07:29
Government accused of paying multi-million dollar bribe
BODY:
The Government has been accused of bribery after pouring more than eleven million dollars worth of taxpayer money into an influential Saudi businessman's farm
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: bribery
Duration: 3'22"

07:35
Government spent more than planned on Saudi farm
BODY:
Back now to the criticism of the Government for pouring more than eleven million dollars of taxpayer money into an influential Saudi businessman's farm
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: bribery
Duration: 6'54"

07:42
Wait begins for Lecretia Seales
BODY:
The judge who will decide whether a Wellington woman can die with her doctor's help has thanked the dying woman for taking the case.
Topics: health, law
Regions:
Tags: right to die
Duration: 5'12"

07:47
"I'm not afraid to die and I'm not afraid to live"
BODY:
One of those who does not support Ms Seales is Dr Huhana Hickey, a member of Not Dead Yet Aotearoa, who is also wheelchair-bound.
Topics: health, law
Regions:
Tags: right to die
Duration: 3'25"

07:51
Charging for Akl park-and-ride facilities
BODY:
A vehicle expert is questioning Auckland Transport's judgement over its proposal to charge commuters for parking at some train and bus stations.
Topics: transport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: parking fees
Duration: 3'17"

07:55
AT parking changes will discourage bus use
BODY:
George Wood is a North Shore councillor on the Auckland Council
Topics: transport, law
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: parking fees
Duration: 2'08"

08:07
Sports News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'00"

08:11
Investigative journalist not surprised by allegations
BODY:
Back now to FIFA and as we have been reporting two separate investigations by American and Swiss authorities have been launched.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: FIFA
Duration: 7'41"

08:18
FIFA corruption fallout on Under 20 FIFA World Cup
BODY:
The revelations come just days ahead of the beginning of the Under 20 FIFA World Cup which is being held in New Zealand. The former Chairman of New Zealand Football is Frank van Hattum
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: FIFA
Duration: 4'50"

08:23
Nike statement on FIFA investigations
BODY:
"Nike believes in ethical and fair play in both business and sport and strongly opposes any form of manipulation or bribery,". "We have been cooperating, and will continue to cooperate, with the authorities."
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: Nike, FIFA
Duration: 42"

08:24
Saudi sheep farm a new low in international relations - Peters
BODY:
The Government is knocking back suggestions that millions of dollars of taxpayer money poured into an influential Saudi businessman's farm was a bribe.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: bribery
Duration: 5'10"

08:29
More analysis form RNZ Political Editor
BODY:
Our Political Editor Brent Edwards is with us in the studio.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: bribery
Duration: 3'33"

08:32
Markets Update for 28 May 2015
BODY:
A brief update of movements in the financial sector.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 1'05"

08:38
Judge to decide fate of Lecretia Seales
BODY:
The judge who will decide whether Wellington woman Lecretia Seales can die with her doctor's help has thanked the dying woman for taking the case.
Topics: health, law
Regions:
Tags: right to die
Duration: 4'45"

08:44
Farmers bracing for another year of poor payouts for milk
BODY:
Fonterra has announced its forecast farmgate milk prices for the next 12 months. It is expecting to pay farmers $5.25 a kilogram of milk solids.
Topics: farming, business
Regions:
Tags: Fonterra, milk prices
Duration: 3'07"

08:49
Te Manu Korihi News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
The Raukura Waikato Social Services Trust has suffered another blow from government agencies following its suspension yesterday by the Ministry of Social Development; The Whānau Ora iwi leaders group is accusing government departments of not placing enough value on Māori expertise; Whangarei has turned on cold weather - but a heartwarming pōwhiri for the two young teams it's hosting for the FIFA under-20 World Cup.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'27"

08:52
Govt does not know how many will be lifted out of poverty
BODY:
The Government does not know how many children last week's Budget will lift out of poverty but is adamant the changes will help poorer families.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: poverty
Duration: 2'42"

08:55
MPs asked to change law on abortion for under-16
BODY:
MPs are being asked to consider changing the law so parents are informed if their under-age child seeks an abortion.
Topics: health, law
Regions:
Tags: abortion
Duration: 2'22"

08:57
Train graffitied while passengers onboard
BODY:
Commuters on the Waitakere line in Auckland faced an unexpected delay last night when the train was attacked with spray paint.
Topics: transport
Regions:
Tags: graffiti, train
Duration: 2'02"

=SHOW NOTES=

===9:06 AM. | Nine To Noon===
=DESCRIPTION=

Current affairs and topics of interest, including: 10:45 The Reading: Before I Forget, by Jacqueline Fahey (4 of 5, RNZ)

=AUDIO=

09:07
World football in turmoil after arrests
BODY:
Seven of the most powerful figures in global soccer are facing extradition to the United States on corruption charges after separate Swiss and American inquiries into the game's governing body. Fourteen people have been arrested, seven of them in a dawn raid in Zurich, in a case involving complex money laundering schemes. The authorities say the football officials corrupted the game to enrich themselves. Bonita Mersiades is a former Australian football executive turned whistleblower and member of the lobby group New Fifa Now. www.newfifanow.org
Topics: sport, politics
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, corruption
Duration: 13'27"

09:21
Who is the FBI informant on FIFA, Chuck Blazer
BODY:
Ken Bensinger is a buzzfeed investigative reporter who spent six months investigating Chuck Blazer, the unlikely character who sparked the FIFA sting.
Topics: sport, politics
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, corruption
Duration: 13'14"

09:37
Getting business leaders more involved with health and safety
BODY:
The 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy in which 29 men died sparked an overhaul of health and safety legislation - which is currently stalled. Dr Kirsten Ferguson is an Australian health and safety expert who was named by the Financial Review last year as one of Australia's 100 Women of Influence. She's an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology and an experienced company director. She is talking to business leaders here about how boards and chief executives here should get more involved in health and safety matters.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: health and safety
Duration: 11'09"

09:48
UK Correspondent Dame Ann Leslie
BODY:
The Eurovision song contest. Corruption in FIFA.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: UK
Duration: 9'42"

10:10
Northland Medical Officer of Health back from Sierra Leone
BODY:
Dr Clair Mills is used to tending to emergency medicine and disease on a global scale and also dealing with serious public health issues in one of New Zealand's most economically strained and disadvantaged areas. A recent Salvation Army report found that Maori who live in regional areas such as Northland and Gisborne are getting what it described as a 'bad deal' and were identified as being the most dangerous regions to live in terms of social hazards and safety. Dr Mills says the range of public health issues facing her region is broad and and efforts to tackle them are constantly being developed and implemented. From what she sees on the frontline, the most pressing needs are for housing, employment and economic development. Dr Mills is also used to quite different frontlines. She has previously been on several missions working in Africa and some of the world hotspots for Médecins Sans Frontières. Earlier this year she worked in Sierra Leone with medical teams treating Ebola patients.
Topics: health
Regions: Northland
Tags: Clair Mills, Northland Medical Officer of Health, Ebola, poverty, housing, public health, Medecins Sans Frontieres
Duration: 23'34"

10:33
Book review: My Life: It's a long story by Willie Nelson
BODY:
Reviewed by Elisabeth Easther, published by Hachette.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 7'16"

11:11
New technology commentator Erika Pearson
BODY:
Erika Pearson discusses Indonesia's law that criminalises private messages, the phenomenal success of You Tube and its enormous audiences and the Typer Tray - an ultra-thin keyboard masquerading as a food tray ..or is it the other way around?
Topics: technology
Regions:
Tags: You Tube, ITE law, keyboards
Duration: 9'07"

11:23
British online agony aunt for teenagers
BODY:
Surviving the Teen Age Years with young British agony aunt, Carrie Hope Fletcher. Carrie is a Youtuber, an actress, singer, songwriter and vlogger .. (video blogger). She is currently playing Eponine in Les Miserable in London's West End. The 22 year old's popular Youtube videos about getting through the teen years, including popularity issues and dealing with bullying have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of young people. She now has a book reflecting on growing up gracefully, called 'All I Know Now' (Hachette). Her YouTube channel ItsWayPastMyBedTime has more than 500,000 followers.
Topics: author interview
Regions:
Tags: Carrie Hope Fletcher, All I know, teen agony aunt, Les Miserable, Eponine
Duration: 22'32"

11:50
Film review Regan Cunliffe
BODY:
Upcoming program changes at MediaWorks.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: TV Review
Duration: 9'18"

=SHOW NOTES=

09:05 News and current affairs
09:30 How to get business leaders more involved with health and safety
The 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy in which 29 men died sparked an overhaul of health and safety legislation - which is currently stalled. Dr Kirsten Ferguson is an Australian health and safety expert who was named by the Financial Review last year as one of Australia's 100 Women of Influence. She's an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology and an experienced company director. She is talking to business leaders here about how boards and chief executives here should get more involved in health and safety matters.
09:45 UK Correspondent Dame Ann Leslie
10:05 Northland Medical Officer of Health back from Sierra Leone
Dr Clair Mills is used to tending to emergency medicine and disease on a global scale and also dealing with serious public health issues in one of New Zealand's most economically strained and disadvantaged areas.
A recent Salvation Army report found that Māori who live in regional areas such as Northland and Gisborne are getting what it described as a 'bad deal' and were identified as being the most dangerous regions to live in terms of social hazards and safety.
Dr Mills says the range of public health issues facing her region is broad and and efforts to tackle them are constantly being developed and implemented. From what she sees on the frontline, the most pressing needs are for housing, employment and economic development.
Dr Mills is also used to quite different frontlines. She has previously been on several missions working in Africa and some of the world hotspots for Médecins Sans Frontières. Earlier this year she worked in Sierra Leone with medical teams treating Ebola patients.
10:35 Book review: My Life: It's a long story by Willie Nelson
Reviewed by Elisabeth Easther, published by Hachette.
10:45 The Reading: 'Before I Forget', by Jacqueline Fahey
The second volume of memoirs by well-known painter, feminist and writer Jacqueline Fahey. (4 of 5, RNZ)
11:05 New technology commentator Erika Pearson
Erika Pearson discusses Indonesia's law that criminalises private messages, the phenomenal success of You Tube and its enormous audiences and the Typer Tray - an ultra-thin keyboard masquerading as a food tray ..or is it the other way around?
11:25 British online agony aunt for teenagers
Surviving the Teen Age Years with young British agony aunt, Carrie Hope Fletcher.
Carrie is a Youtuber, an actress, singer, songwriter and vlogger .. (video blogger). She is currently playing Eponine in Les Miserable in London's West End. The 22 year old's popular Youtube videos about getting through the teen years, including popularity issues and dealing with bullying have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of young people. She now has a book reflecting on growing up gracefully, called 'All I Know Now' (Hachette). Her YouTube channel ItsWayPastMyBedTime has more than 500,000 followers.
11:45 Film review Regan Cunliffe

=PLAYLIST=

9.35am
Artist: The Harbour Union
Song: The Ghost of this Town
Comp: Williams
Album: The Harbour Union
Label: Social End Prod 258811
9.55am
Artist: Bobby Darin
Song: Beyond the Sea
Comp: Lawrence/Trenet
Label: Atlantic 983666
10.05
Artist: Paul Weller
Song: Broken Stones
Album: Stanley Road
Comp: Weller
Label: Island Promo
10.30
Artist: Willie Nelson
Song: My Own Peculiar Way
Album: Greatest Hits
Label: RCA 189 137
10.44
Song: Sunny Side of the Street
Artist: Willie Nelson
Album: Stardust
Label: Columbia Legacy Sony BMG Demo
11.05
Song: Alberta Sun
Artist: Mel Parsons
Comp: Parsons
Album: Drylands
Label: Private Promo
11.45
Song: This must be the place
Artist: Talking Heads
Comp: Byrne/Frantz/Harrison/Weymouth
Album: Speaking in Tongues
Label: SIRE 276488

===Noon | Midday Report===
=DESCRIPTION=

Radio New Zealand news, followed by updates and reports until 1.00pm, including: 12:16 Business News 12:26 Sport 12:34 Rural News 12:43 Worldwatch

=AUDIO=

12:00
Midday News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
Officials are adamant the FIFA scandal won't affect the under 20 World Cup and workers at Waihi's Martha Gold mine will lose their jobs.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 15'07"

12:18
AWF Group says bottom line impacted by regional slowdown
BODY:
AWF Group's full year net profit has risen by 37%, driven by strong growth in its recently acquired white collar employment recruitment firm Madison.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: AWF Group
Duration: 1'21"

12:19
Fonterra announces 2015/16 forecast payout
BODY:
Fonterra says its focus will remain on generating cash to support its hard hit farmers after issuing downbeat payout forecasts.
Topics: business, economy, farming
Regions:
Tags: Fonterra
Duration: 2'13"

12:20
Moa makes smaller loss, revenue grows
BODY:
The craft-brewer, Moa, has reported a smaller annual loss as it continues to invest in growing the business.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: craft brewing, craft beer, moa
Duration: 48"

12:22
Gentrack could miss forecast
BODY:
Gentrack says its first half result is in line with its guidance, but warns it could miss its full year prospectus forecast with delays in signing two new major contracts.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: Gentrack
Duration: 1'38"

12:25
Pushpay says the company is growing in line with expectations
BODY:
Pushpay says its full year earnings result reflects the strong growth in merchant-customer numbers, with numbers up 79% in the United States.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: Pushpay
Duration: 51"

12:26
Midday Markets for 28 May 2015
BODY:
For the latest from the markets we're joined by Angus Marks at First NZ Capital.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 1'47"

12:28
Midday Sports News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
The former chairman of New Zealand Football says the upcoming Under 20 FIFA World Cup in New Zealand won't be tainted by the latest allegations. Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd says he's more than happy for a couple of his players to try and get into the New Zealand Sevens team for next year's Olympics.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'37"

12:36
Midday Rural News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sectors.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 8'37"

=SHOW NOTES=

===1:06 PM. | Jesse Mulligan, 1–4pm===
=DESCRIPTION=

Information and debate, people and places around NZ

=AUDIO=

13:08
Your Song - Seasons in the Sun
BODY:
Beverly Wardle Jackson from Christchurch is the author of "In the Hands of Strangers" and has chosen "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks.
Topics: music, author interview
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 12'30"

13:20
New Zealand A to Z - Duck Season
BODY:
To explain the art of duck calling, we're meeting callers of all ages from all over the country to hear more about their tips and tricks on the A-Z. Our duck hunters and waterfowlers are Hunter Morrow from Wanaka, Geoff Irvine and his daughter Holly from Nelson and Tony Dodds and Sally Wenley from Auckland.
EXTENDED BODY:
To explain the art of duck calling, we're meeting callers of all ages from all over the country to hear more about their tips and tricks on the A-Z. Our duck hunters and waterfowlers are Hunter Morrow from Wanaka, Geoff Irvine and his daughter Holly from Nelson and Tony Dodds and Sally Wenley from Auckland.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: duck season, duck hunting, waterfowling, duck calls
Duration: 39'16"

14:08
Youth work in Whangarei
BODY:
At just 22 years old, Ryan Donaldson is working in his dream job. Over the past few years he's helped set up the Whangarei Youth Centre, and is currently running a bullying awareness programme Tu Toa - stand tall - Whangarei. His interest in community work began when he participated in a young fathers course - when he himself became a dad at 15. He talks to us about his community work, and the big plans he has for the centre.
Topics: life and society
Regions: Northland
Tags: Whangarei Youth Centre, bullying
Duration: 13'49"

14:20
Police Dog national champ
BODY:
There are more than a hundred police dogs working around the country, but only one in Whakatane has been crowned this year's National Police Dog champion. Isaac, the 6-year-old German Shepherd, and his handler Senior Constable Dave Robison took out the grand prize after three days of intense competition in Wellington. Senior Constable Robison talks to us about what the win means to him.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: police, police dogs
Duration: 8'15"

14:45
Feature Album - Pancho and Lefty
BODY:
Our feature album today, country classic Pancho and Lefty by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. A record by two bona fide legends, this 1983 record was a block-buster, dominating the country charts for a year and establishing the reputation of the two singers beyond doubt.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags: Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Pancho and Lefty
Duration: 13'48"

15:08
Expats - Sarah Barry
BODY:
Sarah Barry talks to us about her crazy decision to move her whole family to Japan.
Topics: life and society, refugees and migrants
Regions:
Tags: Japan, culture
Duration: 16'35"

15:45
The Panel pre-show for 28 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'50"

=SHOW NOTES=

1:10 Your Song
Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks. Chosen by Beverly Wardle Jackson of Christchurch.
1:20 New Zealand A to Z: D is for Duck Season
[gallery:1164]
Hunter Morrow - Wanaka
Geoff Irvine and Holly Irvine - Nelson
Tony Dodds - Auckland
Sally Wenley - Auckland
2:10 Youth work in Whangarei - Ryan Donaldson
At just 22 years old, Ryan Donaldson is working in his dream job. Over the past few years he's helped set up the Whangarei Youth Centre, and is currently running a bullying awareness programme Tu Toa - stand tall - Whangarei. His interest in community work began when he participated in a young fathers course - when he himself became a dad at 15. He talks to us about his community work, and the big plans he has for the centre.
2:20 Police Dog national champ - Dave Robison
There are more than a hundred police dogs working around the country, but only one in Whakatane has been crowned this year's National Police Dog champion. Isaac, the 6-year-old German Shepherd, and his handler Senior Constable Dave Robison took out the grand prize after three days of intense competition in Wellington. Senior Constable Robison talks to us about what the win means to him.
2:30 NZ Reading - The Pole House
Kate, a former alternative life-styler living up behind Piha yearns for the reassurance of a wider connection to others in the outside world - and finds it, on a daytrip to Auckland.
2:45 Feature album
"Pancho and Lefty" - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.
3:10 The Expats - Sarah Barry
Sarah Barry talks to us about her crazy decision to move her whole family to Japan.
3:20 BBC Witness - Bob Marley's Funeral
On 21 May 1981 the legendary reggae singer was buried in Jamaica. Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to pay their respects. His friend and fellow musician Michael Ibo Cooper remembers.
3:35 The Art And Science Of Beer - Veronika Meduna
Plant & Food Research launched Hop Lab, a small research brewery, in Motueka last September to brew experimental beers in search of just the right mix of flavours and bittering agents to supply a burgeoning craft beer industry. Stories from Our Changing World.
3:45 The Panel Pre-Show
What the world is talking about. With Jim Mora, Zara Potts, Gary McCormick and Sue Wells.

MUSIC DETAILS:
Thursday MAY 28
YOUR SONG:
ARTIST: Terry Jacks
TITLE: Seasons In The Sun
COMP: Terry Jacks
ALBUM: Singled Out: 54 Original Hit Singles
LABEL: DISKY
A TO Z:
ARTIST: Johnny Cash
TITLE: Country Boy
COMP: Cash
ALBUM: Unchained
LABEL: AMERICAN
ARTIST: Lynyrd Skynyrd
TITLE: Simple Man
COMP: Rossington, VanZant
ALBUM: Lynyrd Skynyrd: All Time Greatest Hits
LABEL: MCA
FEATURE ALBUM:
ARTIST: Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
TITLE: Pancho And Lefty
COMP: Van Zandt
ALBUM: Pancho And Lefty
LABEL: SONY
ARTIST: Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
TITLE: Reasons To Quit
COMP: Haggard
ALBUM: Pancho And Lefty
LABEL: SONY
ARTIST: Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson
TITLE: No Reason To Quit
COMP: Holloway
ALBUM: Pancho And Lefty
LABEL: SONY
THE PANEL:
ARTIST: Edwin Starr
TITLE: War
COMP: Strong, Whitfield
ALBUM: Edwin Starr: The Best Of
LABEL: MOTOWN

===4:06 PM. | The Panel===
=DESCRIPTION=

An hour of discussion featuring a range of panellists from right along the opinion spectrum (RNZ)

=AUDIO=

15:45
The Panel pre-show for 28 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'50"

16:06
The Panel with Gary McCormick and Sue Wells (Part 1)
BODY:
The road toll is going down in Australia but up in New Zealand. Road safety commentator Clive Matthew-Wilson joins the Panel to discuss one theory of why this is happening. Twenty years of alleged corruption at the highest levels of football body FIFA. Sports writer Mark Reason tells us more about the world of sport and corporate backhanders.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 27'39"

16:07
The Panel with Gary McCormick and Sue Wells (Part 2)
BODY:
Is the climate becoming ripe for a major war involving China? Game of Thrones has been criticised for a brutal rape scene. Sir Bob Jones has in the past dismissed listening to safety instructions onboard a plane. Passengers on an Auckland train say their carriages were filled with paint fumes during an out of the blue paint assault last night.
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Duration: 23'42"

16:10
Panel Intro
BODY:
What the Panelists Gary McCormick and Sue Wells have been up to.
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Duration: 6'44"

16:17
Road Toll
BODY:
The road toll is going down in Australia but up in New Zealand. Road safety commentator Clive Matthew-Wilson joins the Panel to discuss one theory of why this is happening.
Topics: transport, health
Regions:
Tags: road toll, Australia
Duration: 11'02"

16:25
FIFA arrests
BODY:
Twenty years of alleged corruption at the highest levels of football body FIFA. Sports writer Mark Reason tells us more about the world of sport and corporate backhanders.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, corruption, Under-20 World Cup, bribes
Duration: 9'45"

16:35
China's claim to Spratley Islands
BODY:
Is the climate becoming ripe for a major war involving China?
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: China
Duration: 5'15"

16:42
Panel Says
BODY:
What the Panelists Gary McCormick and Sue Wells have been thinking about.
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Tags:
Duration: 6'51"

16:48
Sex, violence and the small screen
BODY:
Game of Thrones has been criticised for a brutal rape scene. This is another portrayal of sexual violence on the raw, fantasy TV show. John Barnett of South Pacific Picture joins us to talk about the morals around to screen or not to screen.
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Duration: 7'18"

16:54
Air safety procedures
BODY:
Sir Bob Jones has in the past dismissed listening to safety instructions onboard a plane.
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Tags: Bob Jones, air safety, planes, plane safety
Duration: 1'54"

16:58
Taggers target stopped train
BODY:
Passengers on an Auckland train say their carriages were filled with paint fumes during an out of the blue paint assault last night.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'12"

=SHOW NOTES=

===5:00 PM. | Checkpoint===
=DESCRIPTION=

Radio New Zealand's two-hour news and current affairs programme

=AUDIO=

17:00
Checkpoint Top Stories for Thursday 28 May 2015
BODY:
FIFA corruption scandal explodes worldwide, Former FIFA ethics committee member on latest revelations, Plans to axe 185 jobs at Fairfax New Zealand, Police watchdog clears police over John Banks case, The hunt for masked grafitti taggers, Slip causing 50 job losses at Gold mine "unavoidable" and Greens call for investigation into Saudi sheep spending.
Topics:
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Tags:
Duration: 29'04"

17:08
FIFA corruption scandal explodes worldwide
BODY:
A former member of FIFA's high powered ethics committee says he did everything he could to fight corruption and can sleep easy at night.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, corruption, soccer, football
Duration: 2'00"

17:10
Former FIFA ethics committee member on latest revelations
BODY:
Les Murray was on FIFA's ethics committee between 2006 and 2012 and says he saw a lot of evidence of corruption and pursued it when he could.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, football, soccer, corruption
Duration: 4'44"

17:14
Under 20 World Cup officials refuse to talk about FIFA scandal
BODY:
Fifa officials in Auckland have moved to shut down questions about this major corruption scandal facing the sporting body.
Topics:
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: FIFA, football, soccer, corruption
Duration: 2'41"

17:17
Plans to axe 185 jobs at Fairfax New Zealand
BODY:
185 jobs may be axed at Fairfax New Zealand but around 160 new positions will be created.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Fairfax New Zealand, Fairfax
Duration: 3'40"

17:21
Police watchdog clears police over John Banks case
BODY:
The police watchdog says the police investigation into John Banks' electoral return was robust and without interference.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: John Banks, John Banks case, Independant Police Conduct Authority, IPCA
Duration: 3'24"

17:24
The hunt for masked grafitti taggers
BODY:
Auckland Police are trying to identify a gang of masked grafitti taggers who ambushed a train at Newmarket last night, painting carriages while it was held at a stop light.
Topics:
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: grafitti, taggers, Auckland Transport, Auckland rail
Duration: 5'40"

17:37
Evening Business for 28 May 2015
BODY:
News from the business sector including a market report.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 2'48"

17:38
Bid for Under 20 World Cup clean - NZ Football
BODY:
The man that led the charge for New Zealand to host the FIFA Under 20 World Cup is adamant the bid was clean.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, Under 20 World Cup, football, soccer
Duration: 3'10"

17:40
Slip causing 50 job losses at Gold mine "unavoidable"
BODY:
A massive open cast gold mine in Waihi is too dangerous to work and 50 people have lost their jobs.
Topics:
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Tags: Waihi, Newmont Waihi Gold mine
Duration: 3'08"

17:44
Car-surfing on the Auckland harbour bridge
BODY:
A taxi driver says normally drunken passengers wind down their windows to yell out or be sick - they don't climb on to the car's roof while crossing Auckland's Harbour Bridge.
Topics:
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Auckland Harbour Bridge
Duration: 2'47"

17:45
MPs' pay brought back into line with public sector
BODY:
MPs have been given a one-and-a-half percent pay increase, backdated to July last year.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: MP pay increase
Duration: 2'10"

17:48
Grafitti attack just part of ongoing rail problems in Auckland
BODY:
The latest of a series of grafitti attacks on Auckland trains was just one of the headaches on the city's rail network late yesterday.
Topics: transport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Auckland Transport, Auckland rail network
Duration: 2'56"

17:52
Maori hit by the shake up in counselling services
BODY:
The government's move to pull the funding plug on the country's biggest and oldest counselling service is causing confusion for whanau from Kaitaia to Gisborne.
Topics: te ao Maori, health
Regions:
Tags: Relationships Aotearoa, mental health services
Duration: 3'32"

17:55
Dair farmers shocked by latest drop in milk prices
BODY:
Struggling dairy farmers are doing their sums after Fonterra lowered its forecast milk payout for the current season by another 10 cents a kilo of milk solids, to $4.40.
Topics: farming
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Tags: Fonterra, lowered forecast milk payout
Duration: 4'18"

18:06
Sports News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
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Duration: 3'13"

18:15
FIFA in crisis - commentator
BODY:
FIFA's congress is due to get underway later tonight in Zurich. The President, Sepp Blatter, is seeking re-election after about 17 years in the job. The Executive Editor of World Soccer, Keir Radnedge is in Zurich.
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Tags: FIFA, FIFA's congress, Sepp Blatter
Duration: 4'54"

18:20
Plans to axe 185 jobs at Fairfax New Zealand
BODY:
185 jobs may be axed at Fairfax New Zealand but around 160 new positions will be created, Colin Peacock from Radio New Zealand's Mediawatch joins us.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: Fairfax New Zealand, Fairfax
Duration: 3'41"

18:24
Jobs go at Waihi gold mine
BODY:
A massive open cast gold mine in Waihi is too dangerous to work and 50 people have lost their jobs.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Waihi, Newmont Waihi Gold, Newmont Waihi Gold mine
Duration: 4'03"

18:28
Minister bats off questions about caucus disunity
BODY:
The Government was questioned in Parliament today about disunity in the National Party caucus over the controversial workplace health and safety legislation.
Topics: politics, law
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Tags:
Duration: 2'31"

18:35
Greens call for investigation into Saudi sheep spending
BODY:
The Green Party is calling for an offical investigation into what it says is the Government's pay-offs to a Saudi businessman angered over a ban on live sheep exports.
Topics: politics, farming
Regions:
Tags: live sheep export
Duration: 3'14"

18:38
FIFA investigation shows international reach of US authorities
BODY:
The FIFA corruption investigation has highlighted the long international reach of US authorities. Jessica Tillipman is from George Washington University's law department.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: FIFA, FIFA corruption investigation, USA
Duration: 3'18"

18:44
South coast cleans up after huge sea swells
BODY:
People living on Wellington's south coast are still cleaning up after huge waves dumped sand, driftwood and rocks across the roads and into garages.
Topics:
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 1'57"

18:46
Husband and wife sentenced for cheating the tax system
BODY:
A husband and wife have been sentenced to eight months' home detention for not declaring more than a million in cash sales at their Auckland restaurant.
Topics:
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Inland Revenue Department, IRD, tax, undeclared income
Duration: 2'40"

18:47
Te Manu Korihi News for 28 May 2015
BODY:
Relationships Aotearoa says the suddenness of its closure is causing confusion for whanau from Kaitaia to Gisborne. A leading Maori trade unionist wants Maori-owned companies to support the lower paid more because those workers are predominantly Maori. The Geographic Board is seeking public feedback on changing the names of geographic and undersea features around the country.
Topics: te ao Maori
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Tags:
Duration: 3'22"

18:52
Today In Parliament for Thursday 28 May 2015 - evening edition
BODY:
Opposition probes reports of divisions among National MPs over workplace health and safety bill; Anne Tolley defends choice of providers to replace Relationships Aotearoa; Commerce Committee looks at petitions complaining about practices of The Lines Company.
Topics: politics
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Tags:
Duration: 5'23"

=SHOW NOTES=

===7:06 PM. | Nights===
=DESCRIPTION=

Entertainment and information, including: 7:30 At the Movies with Simon Morris: Current film releases and film related topics (RNZ) 8:13 Windows on the World: International public radio features and documentaries 9:06 Our Changing World: Science and environment news from NZ and the world (RNZ)

=AUDIO=

19:10
From Whence There Was Relativity
BODY:
The curious story of the brain of German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, as parts of this human organ are now able to be viewed as slides at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia - with museum curator Anna Dhody.
EXTENDED BODY:

Left: Anna Dhody Right: Specimens of Einstein's brain
The curious story of the brain of German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, as parts of this human organ are now able to be viewed as slides at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia - with museum curator Anna Dhody.
Topics: history, science
Regions:
Tags: Albert Einstein, brains
Duration: 19'48"

20:40
Electronic Music
BODY:
The evolution of music made with devices powered by electricity and/or computers, with Paul Berrington aka DJ B-Lo. The shift from music being made by "nerds" to "musicians" appealing to a greater audience.
Topics: music, history, technology
Regions:
Tags: electronic music, Herbie Hancock, Can, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno
Duration: 20'24"

20:59
Conundrum Clue 7
BODY:
Listen on Friday for the answer.
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Duration: 19"

21:59
Conundrum Clue 8
BODY:
Listen on Friday for the answer.
Topics:
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Tags:
Duration: 32"

=SHOW NOTES=

7:10 From Whence There Was Relativity
The curious story of the brain of German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, as parts of this human organ are now able to be viewed as slides at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia - with museum curator Anna Dhody.

Left: Anna Dhody Right: Specimens of Einstein's brain
7:30 At the Movies

=SHOW NOTES=

=AUDIO=

19:30
At The Movies: Slow West, Gemma Bovery, Spy
BODY:
On At The Movies, an ailing Simon Morris loses his temper with three films - spy spoof Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham… a frothy French literary joke - Gemma Bovery… and Scottish-New Zealand western Slow West, starring Michael Fassbender and Central Otago.
EXTENDED BODY:

An ailing Simon Morris loses his temper with three films: spy spoof Spy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham; a frothy French literary joke Gemma Bovery; and Scottish-New Zealand western Slow West, starring Michael Fassbender and Central Otago.
The big picture with Simon Morris
Reviewers, like everyone else, have their good weeks and their bad ones. Some reviews come after an unexpected Lotto win, or a delightful surprise party in honour of our critic, which gives his whole week a rosy glow. These are the times when the most routine action-film, the soppiest romantic comedy and the latest work of Adam Sandler get sympathetic - even glowing - write-ups.
But woe betide any film that happens to come out immediately after three parking tickets, a stubbed toe or a fierce hangover following a delightful surprise party. When a film critic has a bad week, then everyone suffers. This week is a good example.
Whether the ensuing curmudgeonliness coloured my judgement of perfectly harmless movies I might have otherwise given the benefit of the doubt, or whether I was simply infected by a desire to stand up minutes after these films started, I can’t say.
In reverse order, the unlucky short straws were drawn by a formulaic comedy about spies, starring the exhausting Melissa McCarthy; a French pastiche of a famous book I never quite saw the point of; and yet another failed attempt to bring back the western – or in this case, take it to Central Otago.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film
Duration: 23'41"

19:31
Slow West - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews snails-pace Scottish-New Zealand western Slow West, starring Michael Fassbender and Central Otago.
EXTENDED BODY:
Directed by John Maclean, starring Michael Fassbender
Slow west is a British-New Zealand co-production with impressive credentials. It stars the talented Michael Fassbender as the loner drifter, it was written and directed by Scotsman John MacLean, who recently won a Bafta for Best Short Film, and it’s been well-received, I gather, by both the Sundance and the Cannes film festivals.
On the minus side, there’s already been a New Zealand western mostly shot in Central Otago called Good For Nothing, which I hated, and my love of a good, classic western inevitably means I’m impatient with anything that falls short of that.
One thing you can’t quibble about with Slow West is its title. The characters are certainly heading in a westerly direction, and it’s as slow as a wet week.
Mostly we stay on the road with Jay Cavendish (Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Silas (Michael Fassbender), exchanging monosyllables, and not taking the story much further than 'lone naïve kid' and 'worldly-wise drifter'.
What was clearly needed was a bit of excitement to take my mind off how slow the proceedings were getting. And it seems the people who made the trailer thought the same thing. They’ve beefed up the action with some stirring, dramatic music. It sounds great, except the real soundtrack is the opposite of this. It’s mostly long, windy pauses, occasionally spiced up with a mournful solo cello that accentuates the lack of thrills and spills, rather than rectifies it.
When, belatedly, a villainous bounty-hunter turns up, backed up by a mostly Kiwi gang of cod desperadoes, it’s frankly too little too late. An hour in, I’d started to lose the will to live. What did all those reputable critics see that I didn’t?
When the haunting closing theme struck up, I leapt out of my seat and headed for the door like a jackrabbit chased by wolves.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, Slow West, film review
Duration: 5'52"

19:40
Gemma Bovery - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews a frothy French "you had to be there" deconstruction/ literary joke Gemma Bovery.
EXTENDED BODY:
Directed by Anne Fontaine, starring Gemma Arterton and Fabrice Luchini
In France, the novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is considered a national treasure.
When it came out in the 19th Century, it was also the publishing equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey , the potentially shocking tale of a dissatisfied wife’s search for pleasure. A fit subject for deconstruction, you might think…
Well you would if you’d actually got to the end of the novel. I just didn’t get it, unlike British graphic novelist Posy Simmonds, who rewrote it as a Frenchified version of the Englishified Gemma Bovery, but there any pleasure ends. For this you can blame French writer-director Anne Fontaine, who as far as I can tell has sucked any pleasure – and certainly most of the jokes – from the original graphic novel.
Part of the problem was I wasn’t as up on the detail of the original novel as I should have been, and as director Anne Fontaine assumed I would be. No doubt any French schoolboys would be nudging each other as each lightly-distorted, familiar plot-point passed by. But all I could think was “Is this going anywhere?”
It’s unfortunate that there’s a straight version of the original Madame Bovary on its way to our cinemas next month. I suspect I might have kept up with Gemma Bovery a bit better with that under my belt. Failing that, there was only pain by the end of this boring piece of choux-pastry.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, Bovery, film review, French
Duration: 5'35"

19:50
Spy - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews the alleged spy spoof comedy Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham.
EXTENDED BODY:
Directed by Paul Feig, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Jude Law
It’s a matter of considerable satisfaction in certain quarters that low, foul-mouthed comedy is no longer the exclusive property of male American performers.
Where once a film like this week’s Spy might have starred Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughan, Steve Carrell or Adam Sandler, now it’s been given a sex-change and handed to Melissa McCarthy - the new face of American comedy.
Spy is about as by-the-numbers as its title. Melissa plays Susan Cooper, a backroom control agent for the dashing Bradley Fine, played by Jude Law.
Bradley is an idiot, and Susan is the brains of the duo, as displayed in an opening sequence involving lots of standard James Bondery.
My least favourite spy movie is one that attempts to pastiche James Bond, which is already quite pastichy already. This, needless to say, is a pastiche pastiche James Bond. Certainly if universal stupidity is a prerequisite for universal laughter, then that mission is well and truly accomplished here.
Spy is exactly what it looks like on the page. To quote the great Dylan Moran, “it’s everything I was expecting, only less…” Some weeks I may have given points for good intentions on the part of the film-makers, but not this one. All I could see were the dismal end-results.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, spy, comedy
Duration: 6'55"

7:30 At the Movies
Films and movie business with Simon Morris.
8:10 Windows on the World
International public radio documentaries - visit the Windows on the World web page to find links to these documentaries.
8:40 Electronic Music
The evolution of music made with devices powered by electricity and/or computers, with Paul Berrington aka DJ B-Lo. The shift from music being made by "nerds" to "musicians" appealing to a greater audience.
B-Lo on Soundcloud
9:06 Our Changing World

=SHOW NOTES=

Coming up on Our Changing World on Thursday 4 June 2015
Pureora Forest’s short-tailed bats, Nuie's coconut crabs, rock pool fish that cheat death by hypoxia, and the chase for high-energy neutrinos.

=AUDIO=

21:06
The Art and Science of Beer
BODY:
The Hop Lab in Motueka is a small research brewery, where a Plant and Food Research scientists are breeding, growing and testing new varieties of hops
EXTENDED BODY:
By Veronika Meduna
What we’re trying is to breed hops that are going to give some uniqueness to craft brewers and also to the bigger brewers in New Zealand.
Ron Beatson, Hop Lab

Ron Beatson essentially inhales beer, in the name of science and business.
The hop breeder and director of Plant & Food Research’s Hop Lab is a finalist in the research entrepreneur category of the 2015 KiwiNet Awards, which celebrate innovation in science.
His quest is to breed hops and to find just the right mix of bittering agents and flavours to provide interesting new cultivars in support of New Zealand’s burgeoning craft beer industry.
He simply loves the aroma of hops, and it is a scent that follows him and his team around throughout the year, as they breed, grow, process and analyse thousands of hop plants in search of new and unique flavours.
Last September, Plant & Food Research added a micro research brewery, known as the Hop Lab, to its Motueka site, where the team also keeps a hop garden and a chemistry lab. It allows the team to complete the full cycle of beer production, from breeding the hops to analysing the chemical composition of the cones and, finally, producing experimental brews under strict scientific scrutiny.
What we’re trying to do here in this brew house is to brew beer which is standardised for all the things apart from the hops. Each brew we put in has got a different hops selection going into it, but we have standard malts that go in and we brew it to a certain alcohol content. We brew them as pale ales so we use pale ale yeasts – so at the end of the day, the only thing we try to vary is the hops.

Hops belong to the cannabinaceae family, which has only two genera: hops and cannabis. The centres of origin for hops are central Asia, North America and central Europe, but the plants have been spread across the world.
They arrived in New Zealand during the 1800s with gold miners and early settlers, keeping hop gardens for community home brewing. But Ron Beatson says as commercial beer production became more important and more geared up, the Nelson region proved the best place to grow hops on a larger scale.
Hops are perennial, growing as a climbing vine during summer and dying back to a root stock in winter. Female and male plants are separate, and the plant of commerce is the female.
Once the plants have flowered, the first quality test is a “rub and sniff” of the cones, or strobiles, which contain small, orange glands. The hop aroma comes from these Lupulin glands, where aromatic and bittering compounds are stored.
The bouquet that you smell when you pick up a nice fresh glass of beer is often the hoppy essence coming through.

The team's tasks are to produce natural crosses of hops and to raise thousands of seedlings from these crosses – and then to pick out the most promising ones for chemical analysis and brewing trials.
“You start off with a cast of thousands and, if you’re lucky, you end up with a cast of one. You’ve got a lot of unknowns. It’s quite challenging and quite exciting to go out there and think that you’re looking at plants that could be a cultivar in the years ahead, but you have no idea of their value until you observe them and start doing selection work.”
First, the team checks for agronomic traits – how well the plants grow and perform and how easily they can be harvested. Then comes the rub-and-sniff test to get an idea of the aroma. Post harvest, the chemical analysis captures different essential oils and the acids that act as bittering agents in the brewing process.
“We identify about 40 different essential oils. New crosses have the same types of compounds but in varying ratios. What you smell in a hop cone, or in a beer, is a complex of a lot of compounds. It’s the different combinations, the different ratios and proportions of each of those essential oil compounds that give those fine aromatic differences.”
The Hop Lab has a capacity to produce 50-litre batches of beer using hops from a single seedling. The pilot brew house has produced 41 brews since it opened in September, and Ron Beatson says there is one hop selection that stands out.
We’ve done repeat brews with it because it’s come up trumps in sensory trials by industry people and our own team here. That’s a pretty good strike rate. We weren’t expecting it, but we have struck gold.

The next step will be to grow more of this particular cross to have a big enough harvest for larger-scale brewing trials with a commercial brewer next year. In the meantime, Ron Beatson says there is a small supply left for more experimental brews to see if the team may indeed have a new promising hop cultivar – joining cultivars known as Motueka, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin that are all “cult heroes of craft brewing”, selling out every year to brewers around the world.
Topics: science, business
Regions: Nelson Region
Tags: beer, Hop Lab, Plant & Food Research, beer brewing, hop breeding, hop cultivars, Craft Brewery
Duration: 13'41"

21:20
A Transportable MRI
BODY:
An MRI has been developed which can be transported because it uses high temperature superconductors and does not require liquid helium
EXTENDED BODY:
By Ruth Beran
A pop-up MRI or magnetic resonance imaging machine that could be transported in a shipping container has been designed by the Robinson Research Institute.
Currently in the concept-stage, a smaller experimental version of the MRI has been developed that can scan human extremities like arms and legs.
MRIs use a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues inside the body. The machines use superconducting magnets, and at the moment, the large MRI machines in hospitals require liquid helium, a cryogen, to keep the magnets cold.
The new MRI, located at Gracefield near Wellington, does not need liquid cryogen because it uses a high temperature superconductor.
A superconductor is a type of electromagnet, but unlike the more common electromagnets made from coils of copper wire, superconductors have no resistance.
You can leave it on as long as you like, it won’t consume any power,” says physicist and engineer Rob Slade from the Robinson Research Institute.

There is a catch though. Superconductors only work when they are very, very cold.
For example, the superconductors in hospital MRIs need liquid helium to work. “It’s the only liquid which gets cold enough and doesn’t freeze at -269˚C to get the conventional magnet sitting in a liquid,” says Rob.
Liquid helium is expensive in New Zealand. Hospital MRI machines also require a large quench duct to take the helium, which could be an asphyxiation hazard if it boils and turns into a gas, out into the atmosphere.
High temperature superconductors still need low temperatures, but not nearly as cold. For example, the new MRI at Gracefield operates at -253˚C.
This means it can use an electrical refrigeration unit, or cryocooler, instead of a crystat of liquid helium to cool the magnet. This is obviously a disadvantage if there is a power failure but it does mean the machine can be switched on and off, unlike a hospital MRI which is always on. It can also be easily moved.
The experimental MRI has a bore size of 28cm, which is the diameter hole in the middle of the magnet where an arm or leg would be placed. The machine looks a little like a front-loading washing machine and is a similar size.
The magnets are manufactured by the company HTS-110, and are precision wound from 5mm wide tape stiffened with stainless steel to make what Rob calls “pancake coils”. The high temperature superconductor is a ceramic which sits inside the tape. “It looks like an old fashioned tape deck,” says Rob. “And the wire is built up, one turn on top of another to create an annular coil.” The coils are then stacked on top of each other to make the magnets.
Creating a human size MRI would require investment to make larger coils but eventually the idea would be to build a machine that is transportable. It was inspired by military requirements for a field hospital.
We think we can fit the whole thing into the back of a shipping container, [and] because you don’t have any of that liquid helium it makes that a more achievable prospect,” says Rob.

If funding is found, the next stage would be to build a prototype.
In 2010, Bob Buckley and Jeff Tallon were awarded the Prime Minister's Science Prize in 2010 for their work on high temperature superconductors. Listen to a previous Our Changing World story with Jeff Tallon here.
Listen to a previous Our Changing World story with Bob Buckley here.
And a story about a cryocooler being developed for use with high temperature superconductors.

Topics: science, health
Regions:
Tags: magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, high temperature superconductor, liquid helium
Duration: 20'52"

21:34
Flower of the Underworld - A Parasitic Treasure
BODY:
New Zealand's most unusual flowering plant has a strong connection with a rare nocturnal mammal - and both are thriving in the forests of Pureora
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201756718/short-tailed-bats-and-a-conservation-dilemma
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201755898/flower-of-the-underworld-a-parasitic-treasure
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
“There’s something interesting and mysterious about the plants. There’s also something addictive about them.”
David Mudge, Nga Manu Trust

“Dactylanthus is a fully parasitic plant, a flowering plant – and without the flowers we wouldn’t actually be able to find it. It looks like a warty tuber, attached to the roots of native trees, and it’s the only one of its kind. It only lives in New Zealand, and is very unique on many levels.”
Avi Holzapfel, Department of Conservation

In early autumn, the regenerating forest that borders parts of Pureroa Forest, on the western shores of Lake Taupo, is redolent with a musky, fruity fragrance. Photographer David Mudge, from the Nga Manu Trust, says the smell reminds him of a honey shed, while botanist Avi Holzapfel from the Department of Conservation says that to him it’s a cross between over-ripe fig and rock melon. It’s a very distinctive aroma, one that is as distinctive as the plant itself.
Maori know it as pua o te reinga, ‘flower of the underworld’ and waewae atua, ‘toes or fingers of gods’. Botanists call it Dactylanthus taylorii. It’s also known as the Flower of Hades, and as the wood rose (although read on to discover why this name doesn’t actually refer to the plant itself). Dactylanthus is a fully parasitic native flowering plant – it is a root parasite that relies on its host for all its water and nutrients, unlike other native plants such as the mistletoe, which is a hemiparasite with green leaves that are capable of photosynthesising. It does not harm its host in any way. “When the host dies,” says Avi, “or the root gets damaged, then the Dactylanthus will die as well.”
Dactylanthus has a unique relationship with an unusual pollinator. When it flowers for just two to three weeks in early autumn its musky scent attracts short-tailed bats, which come down to the ground to drink the copious nectar and spread its pollen, which it produces in generous quantities. Chris Ecroyd was the first to discover this relationship between parasite and bat, more than 25 years ago, but over the last five years David Mudge’s remarkable photographs have been casting more light on the unlikely duo, and he says that a bat feeding on the nectar at the base of the flowers ends up with a “face covered in white, as if a child’s been in a bowl of icing sugar.”
David sets up elaborate camera traps over patches of flowering Dactylanthus – each trap might have two to four cameras involved, as well as sensors and flash lights, and they are powered by large camera batteries that need to be replaced every week or two. Some of his camera traps are movement triggered, while others operate in time lapse mode, taking photos every few minutes and allowing David to follow the flowers as they bloom and then fade. The time lapse video (above) was taken by David over a few days, and shows a group of flowers blooming and then dying off - of particular note are the large numbers of different insects visiting the plant.
David says the reason he goes to such efforts to document the plant and its life is that he is a curious person, and also that he knew that “there was much more going on with the plant than I was aware of.” He has photographed bats, rats, possums, hedgehogs, birds, wasps, many weta, land snails and a whole variety of insects visiting Dactylanthus flowers.
David has even been able to document the plant’s rich nectar production – watch the video below to see the nectar oozing from the base of the inflorescence.
“A single tuber, with about 40 inflorescences, will produce half to a full cup of nectar over its 10-day flowering period,” says Avi. “That means many litres of nectar are produced in quite small areas of forest.” The nectar contains a mammalian pheromone, squalene, which explains why it is so attractive not only to the bat but to species such as the brush-tailed possum. Waikato University chemistry student Connor Haisley is currently analysing nectar collected from male and female flowers during this year’s flowering season to find out what else it contains.
What most of us would call the ‘flowers’ of Dactylanthus are actually inflorescences: the protea-like ‘flower head’ is actually made up of about 3500 flowers, each just a millimetre-or-so across, arranged on finger-like spadices, which a non-botanist might think were the petals. A sunflower is another example of an inflorescence.
The actual Dactylanthus plant is a warty underground tuber that can grow to the size of a large basketball. The plant begins life as tiny seed, one of thousands produced by a single inflorescence. That seed germinates and waits for the root of a preferred host tree to grow past it. If that happens the seed’s radicle establishes an intimate relationship with the root, but doesn’t actually penetrate it. In response, the root develops a flared surface that the tuber fits around, like a bottle-top fitting around a bottle. It is the distinctive shape of the roots that are the ‘wood roses’, which for many years were collected as curios, and passed down as family heirlooms.
Avi thinks individual Dactylanthus plants may live for 20 to 50 years, and that a population might live in an area of regenerating forest for about a hundred years while it is populated with tree species such as mahoe and five finger. But as the forest reaches a climax stage and the larger podocarps begin to take over, then the Dactylanthus population in that area will die out. “As long as the host trees are there, Dactylanthus will be there as well”, says Avi. Waikato University student Cass Parker has been identifying which species of trees in particular are the host trees at Pureora, and her preliminary work suggests that Pseudopanax is the main host.
Dactylanthus is vulnerable to damage by a range of introduced species. Possums are attracted over great distances by the smell of the nectar, which is why the Department of Conservation traps year-round at Pureora, explains DoC ranger Thomas Emmitt. David Mudge says possums eat out the centre of male flowers “like a kid eating the ice cream out of a cone.” Wasps, on the other hand, sometimes drill through the base of the flower to get to the nectar, or else completely dismember the flower. The conservation status of Dactylanthus is 'threatened - nationally vulnerable.'
Avi has undertaken sowing trials, and has managed to successfully establish Dactylanthus at new sites. Avi, David and Thomas all agree that it would be relatively easy to incorporate Dactylanthus into revegetation schemes, provided the appropriate host species are planted. David points out that Dactylanthus spreads downhill along small waterways and seepages, and this could be taken into account in any planting schemes. Avi’s experience shows that newly seeded plants produce many female flowers, which produce a large seed set and can quickly establish a new population – ‘sort of like an upside-down Ponzi scheme’ says Avi laughingly, with one plant quickly giving rise to many more.
“We’re not just seeding a generation now, but we’re planning for the future,” says David.

Dactylanthus was once widespread across the North and South Islands. The oldest Dactylanthus pollen dates back 28 million years, and it has been found in kakapo coprolites, or fossilised droppings. Today, Pureora and Little Barrier Island are the plant’s strongholds, with other significant populations in Northland and East Cape. There are also quite a few small remnant populations, of ‘grandmother and grandfather plants', that produce a few male plants but are heavily browed by possums and are not likely to last much longer.
Dactylanthus is the most southerly occurring member of the largely tropical family Balanophoraceae. One of the Top 10 New Species for 2015 is the related Balanophora coralliformes, described from the Philippines by University of Canterbury’s Pieter Pelser and Julie Barcelona.
Topics: science, environment
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Tags: Dactylanthus, Flower of Hades, pua o te reinga, waewae atua, flowering plants, short-tailed bat, parasitic plants, ecology, Pureora Forest, wood rose, conservation, pollination, possums
Duration: 30'11"

21:46
The Road to Paris - New Zealand's Climate Change Target
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The government has held a series of consultation meetings asking people how New Zealand should manage its greenhouse gas emissions
EXTENDED BODY:
by Veronika Meduna
Hundreds of people turned out for a meeting in Wellington this week, calling for stronger and faster action on climate change.
The meeting was the last in a series of government consultations, held by the Ministry for the Environment throughout the country to hear people's views on how New Zealand should manage its greenhouse gas emissions.
Many expressed frustration about the process itself as well as the government’s cost-benefit approach to emissions reductions, saying that the cost of doing nothing about climate change had not been taken into account.
People also raised specific issues about the consultation documents the ministry provided and the economic modelling used to estimate the costs of emissions reductions, including the fact that the document omits to mention New Zealand's current target, gazetted but not legally binding, to reduce emissions by 50 per cent relative to 1990 levels by 2050.
Most speakers called for New Zealand to show leadership on climate change mitigation and to commit to an ambitious target of least 40 per cent reductions on 1990 levels by 2030.
The consultation process is part of the government's preparation for international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), which will be held in Paris in December this year to work out a new agreement that will determine the course of global climate change policy after 2020.
Ahead of the Paris meeting, countries are expected to signal how they plan to manage emissions and mitigate their impact on the climate. The European Union, the United States, China, Russia, Mexico, Norway and Gabon have already submitted their emissions reduction targets, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Recently, the EU, which has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent on 1990 levels by 2030, with the longer-term goal of 80-95 per cent reductions by 2050, has called on New Zealand to join the endeavour.
Although the consultation process is now completed, there is still time to make a submission until June 3. The consultation documents and submission forms are available on the Ministry for the Environment website or through Generation Zero’s Fix Our Future campaign.
In the audio feature below, you can listen to what people had to say about how New Zealand should manage its emissions and the impacts of climate change.
Topics: science, environment, economy
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Tags: climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, Paris
Duration: 13'53"

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