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:
14 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 Gravy, by Elisabeth Smither (1 of 2, RNZ); 3:30 NZ Books (RNZ); 5:10 Witness (BBC)
===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 14 May 2015
BODY:
Widespread doubt the Reserve Bank can do enough to dampen a rampant Auckland property market. Peter Gardner waits for Chinese judges to rule whether he's guilty of smuggling drugs and three hundred New Zealanders living on Norfolk Island are set to lose their rights to social benefits.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 31'50"
06:06
Sports News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'11"
06:18
Pacific News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
The latest from the Pacific region
Topics: Pacific
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'33"
06:24
Morning Rural News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sector.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'04"
06:28
Te Manu Korihi News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
The Crown entity, Landcorp, is eager to go ahead with selling farms in Pukehina that had been at the centre of a Court of Appeal judgement that's found in its favour; The Maori Centre of Research Excellence has been given a boost with the decision by the Tertiary Education Commission to fund it for the next five years; The hapu of Ngati Tupoho in Whanganui will be welcoming Prince Harry with an official powhiri at Putiki marae this morning on his visit to the river city; A former Silver Fern is crediting the influence of her late koro for giving her the strength and inspiration to train and graduate as a doctor.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'20"
06:40
Labour says Reserve Bank taking housing crisis seriously
BODY:
The Labour Party says it's time the Government stepped in to deal with foreign property speculators
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: foreign property speculators
Duration: 2'16"
06:49
RBNZ wants to rein in Auckland's property investors
BODY:
The Reserve Bank says reining in property investors is critical in cooling Auckland's overheated housing market.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Reserve Bank
Duration: 3'51"
06:53
Property investors are not happy
BODY:
Property investors are not happy.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: property investors
Duration: 1'04"
06:54
Bankers Association predicts LVRs will ease further
BODY:
Meanwhile, borrowers outside of Auckland do get a reprieve, with the existing 10 percent limit on new mortgage lending to potential borrowers with deposits of less than 20 percent rising to 15 percent.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: borrowers
Duration: 1'09"
06:55
Lobby groups urge the Govt to follow Australia
BODY:
Two lobby groups are urging the Government to follow its Australian counterpart.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: GST, digital items
Duration: 47"
06:56
Bank touting for business
BODY:
The world's second largest bank will be actively touting for New Zealand exporters' business when it fronts up to Export NZ's Go Global conference in Auckland today.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: China Construction Bank
Duration: 1'29"
06:58
Trade Me Property Index shows 35% rise in 5 years
BODY:
Trade Me Property says the average asking price for houses has risen 35 percent in the past 5 years.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Trade Me Property
Duration: 27"
06:58
Morning markets for 14 May 2015
BODY:
Wall Street is mixed after flat retail data from the US in April.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 54"
07:07
Sports News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'55"
07:11
30% deposit plans won't put off Akl investors
BODY:
House buyers in Auckland doubt the Reserve Bank's efforts to discourage property investors in the city will dampen prices.
Topics: housing
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Reserve Bank rules
Duration: 3'09"
07:14
Finance Minister welcomes steps to curb housing prices in Akl
BODY:
Listening to that was the Finance Minister, Bill English.
Topics: housing
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Reserve Bank rules
Duration: 6'17"
07:21
NZer in China awaits verdict on drug smuggling charges
BODY:
A young New Zealand man facing the death penalty in China had just five hours to put his case in his trial on drugs charges.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: China, drugs charges
Duration: 5'27"
07:27
Traffic chaos as flooding hits north of Wellington
BODY:
It's commuter chaos on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington today, with motorists describing 'massive deluges' which have caused slips and flooding and closed part of State Highway 1.
Topics: transport
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Kapiti Coast, rain
Duration: 3'05"
07:34
NZers living on Norfolk Island set to lose social benefits
BODY:
Three hundred New Zealanders living on Norfolk Island are about to lose their rights to social benefits.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: Norfolk Island
Duration: 4'02"
07:38
Kiwis on Norfolk Island are feeling disenfranchised
BODY:
Geoff Bennett is a Kiwi who has lived on Norfolk Island for about 50 years.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: Norfolk Island
Duration: 3'38"
07:43
More on traffic chaos as flooding hits north of Wellington
BODY:
Chris Reid is a producer at Radio New Zealand .. he is stuck just north of Paekakariki
Topics: transport
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: floods, Kapiti Coast, road closures
Duration: 3'08"
07:46
Reduced opening hours for off-licenses in Akl
BODY:
A body that represents supermarket operators is considering appealing Auckland Council's draft Local Alcohol Policy.
Topics: law
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Local Alcohol Policy
Duration: 2'25"
07:48
Amtrak train crashes
BODY:
Rescue workers are sifting through the wreckage of the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: USA, Amtrak train crash
Duration: 3'19"
07:56
Victim of Chch earthquake says design shows little empathy
BODY:
A woman who was badly injured in the February 2011 earthquake is critical of the proposed design of the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial.
Topics: Canterbury earthquakes
Regions: Canterbury
Tags: Canterbury Earthquake Memorial
Duration: 3'01"
08:07
Sports News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'04"
08:11
Massive traffic disruption north of Wellington after flooding
BODY:
Walls of water and massive slips are facing commuters heading south to Wellington this morning.
Topics: weather, transport
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: floods, slips
Duration: 5'34"
08:16
Security analyst hits out at spy agency review panel.
BODY:
A security analyst says the people running the government's first full review of intelligence agencies are ill-equipped to do the job.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: intelligence agencies, full review
Duration: 3'46"
08:20
Bankers Assn doubts new rules will cool Auck property market
BODY:
In a bid to cool Auckland's overheated housing market, investors will soon need a 30 percent deposit before they can get a bank loan.
Topics: housing
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Reserve Bank, New Zealand Bankers Association
Duration: 4'02"
08:24
Reserve Bank urged to look at capital weightings
BODY:
The Reserve Bank also in that statement issued a warning about the high levels of debt in the dairy sector, saying this was a risk to the financial system.
Topics: money, economy, farming
Regions:
Tags: Reserve Bank, dairy sector
Duration: 3'14"
08:28
Census collectors to go in 2018
BODY:
There's a massive change looming for the next census.
Topics: life and society
Regions:
Tags: census
Duration: 3'04"
08:32
Markets Update for 14 May 2015
BODY:
A brief update of movements in the financial sector.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 59"
08:38
Study finds salt kills six times more people than car crashes
BODY:
New research out of Australia claims that salt kills more people than car crashes.
Topics: health
Regions:
Tags: salt
Duration: 3'56"
08:41
Concern that e-cigarettes adverts could attract non-smokers.
BODY:
Concerns have been raised that advertising e-cigarettes could attract non-smokers.
Topics: health
Regions:
Tags: e-cigarettes
Duration: 3'20"
08:46
Te Manu Korihi News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
The Crown entity, Landcorp, is eager to go ahead with selling farms in Pukehina that had been at the centre of a Court of Appeal judgement that's found in its favour; New research from Statistics New Zealand reveals Maori and Pasifika people are making the biggest strides in gaining educational qualifications; The Maori Centre of Research Excellence has been given a boost with the decision by the Tertiary Education Commission to fund it for the next five years; The hapu of Ngati Tupoho in Whanganui will be welcoming Prince Harry with an official powhiri at Putiki marae this morning on his visit to the river city.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'27"
08:50
People sleeping outside as aftershocks continue in Nepal
BODY:
The death toll from Tuesday's earthquake in Nepal is now 80.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Nepal, earthquakes
Duration: 2'55"
08:55
More universities eye up watch ban
BODY:
A student leader says the rising cost of university education is tempting some students to cheat to ensure the money and time spent on courses isn't wasted.
Topics: education
Regions:
Tags: watch ban
Duration: 2'39"
08:58
Auckland Writers Festival kicks off today...
BODY:
The organisers of the Auckland Writers' Festival are pegging this year's event as the biggest yet.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags: Auckland Writers Festival
Duration: 1'21"
12:17
Retailers enjoy a spending boom in the March quarter
BODY:
A strong economy and lower fuel prices have prompted a strong boost in consumer spending.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'37"
12:19
NZD rises more than one and half cents against the US dollar
BODY:
The New Zealand dollar has jumped following weaker than expected retail sales figures in the United States.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: NZ dollar, USA
Duration: 27"
12:20
Manufacturing sector slows
BODY:
Activity in the manufacturing sector has eased, but economists say it's too soon to tell if it reflects weakness in the economy, or the impact of holidays.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: manufacturing
Duration: 55"
12:24
Midday markets
BODY:
For the latest from the markets we're joined by Brad Gordon at Macquarie Private Wealth.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'15"
12:35
Midday Rural News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sectors.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 7'37"
=SHOW NOTES=
===9:06 AM. | Nine To Noon===
=DESCRIPTION=
Current affairs and topics of interest, including: 10:45 The Reading: The Global Gardener, by Michael Scott (4 of 10, RNZ)
=AUDIO=
09:08
Why do inequities persist in accessing exam help?
BODY:
Latest figures from NZQA show huge inequities persist between high and low decile schools when it comes to accessing special exam help for students with learning difficulties. This is despite an overhaul of the system last year to make it easier. Richard Thornton, is the deputy chief executive, qualifications, for NZQA.
Topics: education
Regions:
Tags: learning difficulties
Duration: 17'46"
09:26
Wellington cut off from rest of North Island
BODY:
Wellington remains cut off from the rest of the North Island on the western side because of slips and flooding. Contractors are now clearing a 40 cubic metre slip on State Highway One betweeen Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki.
Topics: transport
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: slips, floods
Duration: 4'29"
09:30
What will make rural roads safer and who should pay?
BODY:
A horror series of fatal crashes last weekend has prompted the head of road policing to highlight the lack of median divisions on many rural roads, and call for a reduced speed limit in some areas. What should rural and provincial communities expect in terms of road quality and who should pay? Alex Wright is a spokesperson for the Pipiwai Titoki Advocacy for Community Health and Safety Group. She lives in rural Whangarei and has been lobbying for 11 years for the improvements to the unsealed roads in her area. Brendan Duffy is the deputy chair of Local Government New Zealand, and mayor of Horowhenua District Council and Ernst Zollner is the Transport Agency's head of road safety - and regional director for Northland.
Topics: rural, environment, health, transport
Regions:
Tags: rural roads
Duration: 19'05"
09:49
UK correspondent Matthew Parris
BODY:
Prince Charles' letters published. The UK elections. The Scottish referendum and independance.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: UK, news
Duration: 9'01"
10:13
Filmmaker and Len Lye biographer Roger Horrocks
BODY:
Roger Horrocks, a longtime fixture on the art, film and media scene who set up Auckland University's Department of Film, Television and Media Studies. Also known for his work on the artist Len Lye, Roger Horrocks is currently finishing a second book on the experimental film-maker and sculptor. He's also just published a new book of poetry which is a meditation on thinking and the experience of being human.
Topics: author interview, books
Regions:
Tags: Roger Horrocks, Len Lye
Duration: 29'28"
10:42
Book review: 'World Gone By' by Dennis Lehane
BODY:
Published by Hachette. Reviewed by Dan Slevin.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'21"
11:09
New Technology commentator Erika Pearson
BODY:
Worker fired for disabling app. The solar road. Virtual graffiti.
Topics: technology
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 10'19"
11:23
Literacy - getting children engaged with reading
BODY:
Jill Eggleton is an international educational consultant in literacy and author of over 800 children's books with a wide variety of teaching experiences, spanning over 30 years. She works throughout New Zealand with classroom teachers, administrators, reading specialists and consultants in school districts and implementing practical literacy programmes.
EXTENDED BODY:
Jill Eggleton is an international educational consultant in literacy and author of over 800 children's books with a wide variety of teaching experiences, spanning over 30 years. She works throughout New Zealand with classroom teachers, administrators, reading specialists and consultants in school districts and implementing practical literacy programmes.
Jill Eggleton talks to Kathryn Ryan about her work engaging children in reading, and gives her top tips, including the importance of parents reading suitable books aloud to children on a daily basis.
Jill Eggleton is the creator and author of the Connectors Series' and Key Links Literacy, a very successful reading programme encompassing all aspects of comprehensive literacy. Over 55 million copies of these books have been sold internationally.
Her work in education and literacy within New Zealand and around the world was recognised in the 2010 New Zealand Honour's List, when she was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order. She has also been involved in developing the Bud-e Reading app.
Topics: education
Regions:
Tags: Jill Eggleton, literacy, reading, bud-e app, children
Duration: 19'28"
11:47
TV Review with Lara Strongman
BODY:
'Our Girl', 'Nigel Latter bows stuff up' and 'Dancing with the stars'.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: television
Duration: 12'15"
=SHOW NOTES=
09:05 Why do inequities persist in accessing exam help?
Latest figures from NZQA show huge inequities persist between high and low decile schools when it comes to accessing special exam help for students with learning difficulties. This is despite an overhaul of the system last year to make it easier. Richard Thornton is the Richard Thornton, deputy chief executive, qualifications, for NZQA.
09:20 Wellington cut off from rest of North Island because of slips and flooding
Wellington remains cut off from the rest of the North Island on the western side because of slips and flooding. Contractors are now clearing a 40 cubic metre slip on State Highway One betweeen Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki. And the usual detour, Paekakariki Hill Road is closed due to slips and flooding on that road, meaning there is no western route available in or out of the city. Train services have been suspended between Waikanae and Plimmerton and The New Zealand Transport Agency is advising motorists to delay all journeys until further notice. The Metservice says Paraparaumu airport has recorded 80 mm of rain since 4 this morning - and it is still raining hard there. It says there will be continued outbreaks of rain in the region today - particularly north of Pukerua Bay, with a slow moving system moving northwards. Mike Seabourne from NZTA gives us an update.
09:30 What will make rural roads safer and who should pay?
A horror series of fatal crashes last weekend has prompted the head of road policing to highlight the lack of median divisions on many rural roads, and call for a reduced speed limit in some areas. What should rural and provincial communities expect in terms of road quality and who should pay? Alex Wright is a spokesperson for the Pipiwai Titoki Advocacy for Community Health and Safety Group. She lives in rural Whangarei and has been lobbying for 11 years for the improvements to the unsealed roads in her area. Brendan Duffy is the deputy chair of Local Government New Zealand, and mayor of Horowhenua District Council and Ernst Zollner is the Transport Agency's head of road safety - and regional director for Northland.
09:45 UK correspondent Matthew Parris
10:05 Film maker and Len Lye biographer Roger Horrocks
Roger Horrocks, a longtime fixture on the art, film and media scene who set up Auckland University's Department of Film, Television and Media Studies. Also known for his work on the artist Len Lye, Roger Horrocks is currently finishing a second book on the experimental film-maker and sculptor. He's also just published a new book of poetry, Ghost in the Machine, which is a meditation on thinking and the experience of being human.
10:35 Book review: 'World Gone By' by Dennis Lehane
Published by Hachette. Reviewed by Dan Slevin.
10:45 The Reading: 'The Global Gardener' by Michael Scott
A Gardening Travelogue that moves from vegetables in Scotland, to grass in California, and a trans-Tasman garden in Wellington, meeting quirky characters along the way. Told by a botanist who describes himself as having 'a dynamic and romantic relationship with flora and fauna'. Michael Scott was born in New Zealand and lives in Gloucestershire, England where he strives to formulate practical action plans to preserve and revere the natural world. (4 of 10, RNZ)
11:05 New technology commentator Erika Pearson
11:20 Literacy - getting children engaged with reading
Jill Eggleton is an international educational consultant in literacy and author of over 800 children's books with a wide variety of teaching experiences, spanning over 30 years. She works throughout New Zealand with classroom teachers, administrators, reading specialists and consultants in school districts and implementing practical literacy programmes. She is the creator and author of the Connectors Series' and Key Links Literacy, a very successful reading programme encompassing all aspects of comprehensive literacy. Over 55 million copies of these books have been sold internationally.
Her work in education and literacy within New Zealand and around the world was recognised in the 2010 New Zealand Honour's List, when she was made a Companion of the Queen's Service Order. She has also been involved in developing the Bud-e Reading app.
11:45 TV Review with Lara Strongman
=PLAYLIST=
Artist: Fleet Foxes
Song: White Winter Hymnal
Composer: Pecknold
Album: n/a
Label: Sub Pop
Broadcast time: 10:11
Artist: Nat King Cole
Song: Straighten Up And Fly Right
Composer: Cole
Album: n/a
Label: EMI
Broadcast time: 11:06
Artist: The Bads
Song: Don’t Forget Yourself
Composer: The Bads
Album: Travel Light
Label: Warner
Broadcast time: 11:23
Artist: Phoenix Foundation
Song: Thames Soup
Composer: Phoenix Foundation
Album: Fandango
Label: Universal
Broadcast time: 11:41
===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 14 May 2015
BODY:
Torrential rainfall continues to wreak havoc north of Wellington; More than 250 prison jobs expected to be cut by Department of Corrections.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 15'25"
12:26
Midday Sports News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
All Blacks back for Hurricanes clash with Chiefs.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: hurricanes, Chiefs
Duration: 2'41"
=SHOW NOTES=
===1:06 PM. | Jesse Mulligan, 1–4pm===
=DESCRIPTION=
Information and debate, people and places around NZ
=AUDIO=
13:10
Your Song - Touch Me in the Morning
BODY:
George Truby from the Gisborne region has chosen Touch Me In The Morning by Diana Ross.
Topics: music
Regions: East Coast
Tags: Diana Ross
Duration: 10'10"
13:14
Wellington weather update - Rebecca
BODY:
Rebecca reports on the weather in Lower Hutt.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Lower Hutt
Duration: 2'35"
13:20
New Zealand A to Z - Otematata
BODY:
The little village that turned into a booming town while the dam was being built by the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand. The dam is now operated by remote control, and Otematata is a small and peaceful Waitaki village once more.
EXTENDED BODY:
The little village that turned into a booming town while the Benmore dam was being built by the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand.
The dam is now operated by remote control, and Otematata is a small and peaceful Waitaki village once more.
Simon Mercep talks to locals Allan Bayliss, Vicky Munro and Mike Darling.
Related
Power for the People
Your Place - Otematata
Topics: music
Regions: East Coast
Tags: Diana Ross
Duration: 34'50"
13:45
Wellington Weather Update
BODY:
Wellington Train Station now closed until further notice.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Wellington Train Station
Duration: 49"
13:58
Wellington Weather Update
BODY:
Wellington Train Station closed. Civil Defence advise information is available at getprepared.org.nz/status. Petone railway line and esplanade under water.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Wellington Train Station
Duration: 54"
14:08
Wellington Region Weather Update - Closures
BODY:
An update on the road closures around the Wellington region.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Wellington, road closures
Duration: 56"
14:10
Weather Update from Kapiti Coast
BODY:
As you'll be very aware if you live in the lower part of the North Island torrential rain, thunder and lightening is causing all sorts of chaos.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 7'00"
14:12
Update from Paekakariki
BODY:
Melanie Phipps is near the Paekakariki Railway Station.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Paekakariki
Duration: 2'23"
14:20
Taranaki Hospital Chapel
BODY:
Rev Murray Elliot, reflects on the 50th anniversary of the country's first interdenominational chapel at Taranaki hospital.
Topics:
Regions: Taranaki
Tags: Taranaki hospital
Duration: 14'15"
14:45
Update on Wellington Region closures
BODY:
A further update on road closures and alternative travel arrangement suggestions.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'46"
14:50
Wellington Region road conditions
BODY:
Kapiti residents in Wellington urged to find accommodation in the city. Travelers heading back to Wellington urged to stay where they are and find alternative accommodation. Traffic is at a stand still through Wilton heading north.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 3'42"
14:55
Feature Album - Drive
BODY:
Today's feature album is the first solo record from one of our best known, and best loved performers, Christchurch singer-songwriter Bic Runga.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags: Bic Runga, Drive
Duration: 3'31"
14:58
Updates from around the Wellington Region
BODY:
Updates from communters regarding traffic on the Wellington Region roads.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Road conditions
Duration: 2'40"
15:08
Wellington road closures
BODY:
The latest information about road closures and traffic jams in the Wellington Region.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: road closures
Duration: 10'28"
15:10
The Expats - Mark Smythe
BODY:
Our expat today is Mark Smythe who is an LA-based kiwi composer.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 15'25"
15:20
Latest information for Wellington Region
BODY:
Latest road conditions. Wellington north-bound commuters to stay where they are. Porirua Emergency Operations Centre has been fully activated. Porirua residents urged to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and avoid the water for potential contamination and electrical danger.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Porirua
Duration: 2'02"
15:28
Paramata to Pukerua Bay traffic
BODY:
George is in his car at Pukerua Bay and gives us an update on his trip so far.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 2'26"
15:32
Porirua to Wellington trip
BODY:
Brad recounts his trip into Wellington, the traffic and this morning's weather.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'36"
15:38
The latest from NZTA on Wellington roads
BODY:
Acting Wellington Highway Manager for New Zealand Transport Agency Neil Walker urges people to avoid travel if possible.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: New Zealand Transport Agency
Duration: 5'12"
15:40
Weather in Raumati
BODY:
The latest on the weather in Raumati.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Liz Barry
Duration: 2'24"
15:45
The Panel pre-show for 14 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'03"
=SHOW NOTES=
Weather disruption in Wellington: What you need to know
Extreme weather in lower North Island, inc. pictures & audio
1:10 Your Song
Touch Me In the Morning by Diana Ross chosen by George Truby
1:20 Our New Zealand A to Z
It's 50 years tomorrow since the power station opened at Benmore. Alan Bayliss is sharing his memories of living in a construction town. More about the Benmore Dam.
Featuring Allan Bayliss, Vicky Munro, Mike Darling
2:10 Live Coverage of Wellington Weather Chaos
Flooding on the Kapiti Coast - Chris Reid
2:20 Taranaki's hospital chapel turns 50
It was the first interdenominational chapel in the country, and five decades on it still provides support to patients of every religion and faith.
This weekend they're celebrating their anniversary - Rev. Murray Elliot talks about the history, the unique aspects to his work, and the party plan for this Saturday.
2:30 NZ Reading
The Conductor by Sarah Quigley Pub: Random House / Vintage (6-May-2011) ISBN-978-1869795061
2:45 Feature album - Drive - Bic Runga.
3:10 The Expats - Mark Smythe, LA-based kiwi composer
3:25 Live Coverage of Wellington Wild Weather
3:45 The Panel Pre-Show
===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 14 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'03"
16:08
The Panel with Dita de Boni and Steve McCabe (Part 1)
BODY:
Slips, floods, rain cut off Kapiti; Mortgage restrictions
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 22'42"
16:09
The Panel with Dita de Boni, Steve McCabe (Part 2)
BODY:
The colour blue and Panel says.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 24'46"
16:10
Slips, floods, rain cut of Kapiti
BODY:
The latest on the downpours affecting the Kapiti Coast from Radio NZ producer Chris Reid and meteorologist Richard Green.
Topics: weather
Regions:
Tags: Kapiti Coast
Duration: 13'20"
16:20
Mortgage restrictions
BODY:
Mortgage broker Bruce Patten of Loan Market joins the Panel to talk about the correlation between rents and the change in rules around mortgage lending.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: mortgages
Duration: 9'15"
16:35
Blue
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Blue is the world's favourite colour.
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Tags: Blue
Duration: 3'29"
16:44
Panel says
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What the Panelists Dita de Boni and Steve McCabe have been thinking about.
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Duration: 5'26"
16:50
Dunedin dark city
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A proposal to keep Dunedin in the dark. All for the good cause of star gazing. Dr Ian Griffin talks about the beauty of a sky without light pollution.
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Regions:
Tags: Dunedin
Duration: 8'19"
=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 14 May 2015
BODY:
Chaos in Wellington with flooding and highways shut; Weather: Trains aren't running; Weather on the Kapiti Coast; Weather: latest from the Hutt City Mayor; 194 people losing their jobs as old prisons shut; Prince Harry paddles the Whanganui.
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Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 19'22"
17:08
Chaos in Wellington with flooding and highways shut
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Wellington is in chaos from flooding tonight, with people warned against trying to get home as both highways and trains are severely hit.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: floods, trains
Duration: 4'24"
17:11
Weather: Trains aren't running
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Wellington's main railway station closed just before 2pm.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: trains
Duration: 4'12"
17:16
Weather on the Kapiti Coast
BODY:
Paraparaumu railways worker Glenn Wickert had a river raging through his back yard.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 37"
17:19
Weather: latest from the Hutt City Mayor
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The flooding has also caused chaos in the Hutt as the weather swept through.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Hutt City
Duration: 3'29"
17:25
194 people losing their jobs as old prisons shut
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Corrections is hoping it can find jobs for three quarters of the 194 people who are losing their jobs as the department closes parts of its old prisons.
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Duration: 4'15"
17:28
Prince Harry paddles the Whanganui
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Yesterday it was learning the haka, today Prince Harry embarked on a waka up the Whanganui River.
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Tags: Whanganui River.
Duration: 2'02"
17:35
Today's market update
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The New Zealand dollar has jumped following contrasting reports about consumer spending in the United States and New Zealand.
Topics: business, economy
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Duration: 2'02"
17:37
Spy watchdog now investigating WTO claims
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The country's spy watchdog, is now investigating allegations the government's electronic spies helped Trade Minister Tim Groser's bid to head the World Trade Organisation.
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Duration: 3'44"
17:40
Horror afternoon for Marae in Seaview
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Tina Ratana has had a horror afternoon trying to keep the water out of Kokiri Marae in Seaview.
Topics: weather, te ao Maori
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 2'14"
17:44
Weather : Kapiti Mayor on what's happening there
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The Mayor of Kapiti, Ross Church outlines what's happening in his district.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Kapiti Coast
Duration: 4'21"
17:47
Blessie Gotingco's blood found throughout apartment
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Blessie Gotingco's blood was found throughout the apartment of the man accused of her rape and murder.
Topics: crime
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Duration: 2'55"
17:50
More Maori doing social and cultural degrees
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A Māori archaeologist says the number of tangata whenua doing social and cultural degrees is rising due to a desire to challenge the status quo.
Topics: te ao Maori
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Tags:
Duration: 3'22"
17:57
Nine year old rescues dad with mallowpuffs
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A nine year old Blenheim girl has come to her diabetic father's rescue with a couple of mallow puffs.
Topics:
Regions: Marlborough
Tags: diabetes
Duration: 2'59"
18:07
Sports News for 14 May 2015
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An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
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Duration: 3'09"
18:11
Latest from the weather in Wellington
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The flooding chaos is continuing into the evening in Wellington with trains not running, people taking hours to get home on jammed highways and others evacuating their homes or bailing water.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags:
Duration: 2'40"
18:15
Weather: our reporter on the Kapiti Coast
BODY:
RNZ reporter Gareth Thomas, is on the Kapiti Coast.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Kapiti Coast
Duration: 3'18"
18:16
Weather: Kapiti man gets his boat out
BODY:
Justin Patterson lives in Paraparaumu, he got wet feet when he stepped out of bed this morning, and ended up getting his dinghy out.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Paraparaumu
Duration: 2'33"
18:18
Weather: Paraparaumu worker wakes to raging river
BODY:
Paraparaumu railways worker Glenn Wickert woke to a river of water raging through his property.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: Paraparaumu
Duration: 1'47"
18:20
Weather: More rain hitting the capital tomorrow
BODY:
Another deluge is set to hit the lower North Island overnight with more than 20 millimetres of rain forecast to fall.
Topics: weather
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: rain
Duration: 2'23"
18:25
South China Sea standoff worsens
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The US China standoff over Beijing's claims to the South China Sea has taken a turn for the worse.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: USA, China, Beijing
Duration: 4'01"
18:37
Waikato braces for prison job cuts
BODY:
The Otorohanga mayor says the axing of more than a hundred staff at the Waikeria Prison goes completely against the government's claim that it has the best interests of provincial New Zealand at heart.
Topics:
Regions: Waikato
Tags: Otorohanga
Duration: 3'14"
18:39
Congress votes to rein in NSA mass collection of data
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The US House of Representatives has voted to rein in the National Security Agency's mass collection of Americans' phone records, while allowing the agency to engage in more targeted surveillance.
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Duration: 3'25"
18:45
NZ software to forestall angry customers
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If you've ever had a bad experience with a call centre, new technology is being developed to ease your pain.
Topics: technology
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Duration: 3'16"
18:50
Te Manu Korihi News for 14 May 2015
BODY:
Maori in Lower Hutt have spent the day bailing rainwater out of Kokiri Marae in a desperate attempt to reduce damage from the storm that's caused chaos across the Wellington region; A Bay of Plenty Trust says it will continue its fight to stop the sale of farmland in Pukehina despite being devastated by a Court of Appeal decision, which found in favour of Landcorp; A Maori archaeologist says the number of tangata whenua taking social and cultural bachelor degrees is rising as more want to question the dominant western view of the world; Whanganui iwi say they're proud of Prince Harry's attempt at making a speech in Te Reo during his powhiri today at Putiki marae.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'34"
=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=
19:12
Whanau of Stoat
BODY:
The significance of the discovery that finds that stoats which were introduced to New Zealand, have greater genetic diversity there, than in their native Britain with Prof. Robbie McDonald from Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter and Dr Andrew Veale from The University of British Columbia.
Topics: science
Regions:
Tags: stoats, genetic diversity.
Duration: 21'51"
20:38
Jazz
BODY:
Jivester, editor and publisher Fergus Barrowman on the sizzle and pop of a snazzy beat. the new album 'Cthulhu Rising' of Wellington jazz drummer Reuben Bradley with Taylor Eigsti and Matt Penman.
Topics: music, arts, life and society
Regions:
Tags: jazz.
Duration: 21'16"
20:59
Conundrum Clue 7
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listen in tomorrow night for the answer
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Tags:
Duration: 23"
21:59
Conundrum Clue 8
BODY:
Listen in tomorrow night for the answer
Topics:
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Tags:
Duration: 20"
=SHOW NOTES=
7:10 Whanau of Stoat
The significance of the discovery that finds that stoats which were introduced to New Zealand, have greater genetic diversity there, than in their native Britain with Prof. Robbie McDonald from Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter and Dr Andrew Veale from The University of British Columbia.
7:30 At the Movies
=SHOW NOTES=
Simon Morris looks teen movies, including the sequel to the popular acapella vocal movie Pitch Perfect. He also talks to Charlie Lyne, an English documentary maker, who’s made a film about the high school movies of the 1990s and 2000s. It’s called Beyond Clueless.
=AUDIO=
19:30
At The Movies for 14 May 2015
BODY:
On At The Movies, Simon Morris looks at teen movies, including the sequel to the popular a cappela vocal movie Pitch Perfect. He also talks to Charlie Lyne, an English documentary maker, who's made a film about the high school movies of the 1990's and 2000's. It's called Beyond Clueless.
EXTENDED BODY:
Simon Morris looks at movies aimed at the youth audience, including Australian feelgood flick Paper Planes; the sequel to the popular a cappela vocal movie Pitch Perfect and he talks to Charlie Lyne, an English documentary maker, who’s made a film about the high school movies of the 1990’s and 2000’s. It’s called Beyond Clueless.
The Big Picture with Simon Morris
If you want to feel like a parent in the worst possible way, go and see a modern, young person’s film – particularly one set in an American high school.
Goodness, are kids really behaving like this? Are these the sorts of things they talk about nowadays? What are you wearing? – you look like a tramp! Go upstairs right now, young man/young lady – you’re grounded!
Of course teen movies have always been designed to annoy parents, from Mean Girls and American Pie right back to silent movies like Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman. Whereas pre-teen movies generally ignore grown-ups or tolerate them as a necessary evil.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: Cinema, film, young adult
Duration: 23'31"
19:31
Paper Planes - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews Australian feelgood flick Paper Planes.
EXTENDED BODY:
Paper Planes - directed by Robert Connolly, starring Sam Worthington and Ed Oxenbould.
Paper Planes features plucky 10-year-old Dylan who lives out in the Australian bush with his dad, played by Sam Worthington. Dylan’s Mum has sadly passed away recently, but Dylan is handling it rather better than Dad is.
Dylan’s teacher encourages him to enter a paper plane-throwing competition – Dylan’s Mum had taught him to make them.
Dylan wins, with the help of his best friend, and he’s anxious to take it to the next level. Can Dylan raise the money to go to the Aussie champs? Will he win? Will he move on to the World Championships in Tokyo?
Paper Planes is one of those films that your 7-year-old will download regularly, and watch over and over again.
By the end of the year, I promise you’ll know every single line of the movie by heart.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, Paper Planes, young adult
Duration: 2'07"
19:40
Perfect Pitch 2 - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews the sequel to the popular a cappela vocal movie Pitch Perfect.
EXTENDED BODY:
Pitch Perfect 2 - directed by Elizabeth Banks, starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Hailee Steinfeld.
The follow-up to the college a capella movie hit, Pitch Perfect finds all-girl vocal group, the Barden Bellas, at the top of the tree and singing for the President.
The group is scuppered by scandal and has to start again. They find themselves competing with an even more high-tech vocal group from Germany.
The lineup of the Bellas is the usual parade of freaks and geeks in this sort of movie. There’s uptight leader Chloe. There’s a Guatemalan refugee, a lesbian African American, a fat Australian girl, a Chinese girl who may do all the noisy beat-boxing on stage, but is inaudible off it, and of course there’s a sex-kitten.
On the sideline is a Greek chorus made up of two a cappella commentators, played once again by comedy veterans John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks.
The disparate group’s travails… the comedy of Fat Amy and the snide judges... and the underdog battle between the Bellas and Das Sound Machine may seem to be the selling points of Pitch Perfect 2. And of course they are.
But the trump card is still the singing – like when the group revisits one of the highlights of the first Pitch Perfect – the sweet simplicity of the old folk-song When I’m Gone.
The fact is that teen comedy and modern references and cool young actors and a pretty snappy script – all those things - will make a hit movie, whether it’s about world champion paper plane competitions, or the junior Olympics.
But music - particularly pure vocal music - reaches the hairs on the back of the head, and when the Bellas rediscover their mojo and hit it out of the park at the end, I defy anyone not to simply go along with it.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, young adult, Pitch Perfect, musical
Duration: 7'09"
19:50
Beyond Clueless - director interview
BODY:
Simon Morris talks to Charlie Lyne, an English documentary maker who made Beyond Clueless a film about the high school movies of the 1990s and 2000s.
EXTENDED BODY:
Beyond Clueless: Interview with teen movie documentary director Charlie Dyne.
Simon Morris talks to Charlie Lyne, an English documentary maker who made Beyond Clueless a film about the high school movies of the 1990s and 2000s.
The high school teen movie is very much an American phenomenon. Other countries occasionally go to school – Harry Potter, Bend it like Beckham, Boy and Monsieur Lazhar – but it’s not the whole world of those movies – not like 10 Things I Hate About You, Eurotrip and American Pie.
American High School is engraved on the soul of young film-goers, featuring things that barely exist in their own world – cheerleaders, the star quarterback, Spring Break, the Junior Prom, the freaks and geeks and the Glee Club.
One English film-director is more obsessed than most, and he’s made a film out of his obsession.
Charlie Dyne is the director of the teen movie documentary Beyond Clueless (available on Netflix and iTunes).
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, young adult, high school
Duration: 12'21"
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 Jazz
Jivester, editor and publisher Fergus Barrowman on the sizzle and pop of a snazzy beat. the new album 'Cthulhu Rising' of Wellington jazz drummer Reuben Bradley with Taylor Eigsti and Matt Penman.
9:06 Our Changing World
=SHOW NOTES=
Coming up on Our Changing World on Thursday 21 May 2015
The health benefits of a little exercise when sitting, a freshwater stream research project, and using hair as biomarkers to find out what pregnant women are eating.
=AUDIO=
21:06
Medical Maggots for Wound Healing
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Maggots are used by hospitals and veterinary clinics to treat chronic ulcers and wounds, often as a last resort, and are bred in an insectary in Upper Hutt
EXTENDED BODY:
By Ruth Beran
For Neville Keen, the decision to use medicinal maggots was the right one.
I’d do it again tomorrow,” says Neville. “Being a diabetic you haven’t got many alternatives. I’m pleased I done that because I’ve still got my foot. I didn’t end up with gangrene.
Neville had a diabetic ulcer on the side of his heel which was treated with maggots four times. The maggots were encapsulated on the wound with a dressing for up to 72 hours.
“Larvae therapy is cheap, it’s quick, it’s effective, and it doesn’t harm good tissue because they only work on dead tissue. It’s non-invasive and it’s very safe practice,” says Judy Geary, Clinical Manager, District Nursing Services at Gore Hospital where maggots have been used over the past three years to treat 20 to 30 people. It can also be faster than some other options like surgical debridement which uses tools like scalpels.
The maggots work by debriding or cleaning the wound with an enzyme they exude, they also disinfect the wound, and their mouth hooks stimulate and rough up the wound bed which encourages the healing process.
“They’ve got chitinous, quite hard little mouth parts so when these are moving across the surface of the skin, they’re helping to create some blood flow and that also helps with the re-granulation of tissue,” says entomologist Dallas Bishop who breeds the medicinal maggots in her insectary in Upper Hutt near Wellington.
She breeds European green blowfly (Lucilia sericata) and each female fly is capable of laying 200 eggs in an egg batch. The flies’ wire cages, are wrapped with cheesecloth, and Dallas will put a piece of liver into the cage overnight and then collect and process the eggs laid on it.
In order to use them for medicinal purposes, the eggs are put in a solution of 50% bleach for three minutes, which helps the eggs separate.
They are then transferred into a solution of 2.5% formalin for three minutes which sterilises the surface of the eggs.
The eggs are put onto commercially supplied blood agar plates overnight, and will normally hatch within 18 to 24 hours. Dallas will then put 30 to 50 hatched larvae onto transportation media in 50ml sterile plastic containers. Holes are put into the lid of the containers which is covered with a sterile, breathable dressing. At this point the larvae are only about 1 to 2mm long. These containers are couriered to hospitals and veterinary clinics (where they are used mainly on horses) around the country.
The treatment is often used as a last resort, and patients are given some pain relief for the irritation that the larvae cause on the wound as they move over exposed nerve endings. “It’s certainly not an invasive procedure, there’s no scalpels involved,” says Dallas.
When asked why the treatment isn’t being used more commonly, district nurse Sonia Richardson says: “I think it’s just being able to think outside the square and accept a treatment that’s an old treatment but new I suppose, just to progress those wounds.”
Dallas says she would used the treatment herself:
If it was me and I didn’t have any other options, yeah I think it would be a good treatment, I’d certainly give it a go.
Topics: science, health
Regions:
Tags: medical, medicinal, maggots, treatment, ulcers, wounds, flies
Duration: 25'17"
21:33
Orokonui - Dunedin's Ecosanctuary
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The vision of the Orokonui Ecosanctuary is to recreate Otago coastal forest to the way it was before humans arrived in New Zealand
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
Places like Orokonui Ecosanctuary are just a beacon of hope – for humanity and for biodiversity. It’s the next best thing to an offshore island, but we’re only 15 kilometres from central Dunedin, so it makes wildlife more accessible to the general public.
Orokonui Ecosanctuary conservation manager Elton Smith
“The original idea was to set up a large aviary, because people were concerned about the imminent demise of rare bird species in New Zealand,” says Orokonui Ecosanctuary general manager Chris Baillie. “And that idea changed over time to create a whole functioning ecosystem for all the species, right through plants, invertebrates, birds and reptiles.”
Orokonui Ecosanctuary sits on the hill above Blueskin Bay, just north of Dunedin. It has been the only fenced sanctuary in the South Island, and is the only place in the South Island at the moment where tuatara and South Island saddleback are found.
The tuatara and saddlebacks are just two of the eight species that have been reintroduced so far in an effort to recreate a fully functioning forest ecosystem, that also includes a wetland and open grassy areas for the resident takahe.
“The goal is to recreate a piece of coastal Otago forest to what it was, as near as possible, before humans arrived. And clearly we can’t release the [extinct] moa – but maybe we can release some emu or ostrich,” says Elton, laughingly, “There’s some missing components that we’ll never get back, but there are many components that we can – and have – brought back.
In 2005 the Otago Natural History Trust began fund-raising to build the 8.7 kilometre predator-proof fence, which was completed in 2007. The sustainable visitor centre was completed in 2009, when the sanctuary was officially opened.
Chris describes the fence as the ‘cornerstone’ of the project; “it’s like a friend” says conservation manager Elton Smith. The fence encloses 307 hectares, from which all introduced predators and herbivores have been removed. The mammals included rats, mice, possums, hares, feral goats and possums, and were removed through a combination of hunting, aerial application of the toxin brodifacoum and trapping to remove the last remaining animals.
But even a predator-proof fence has its limitations. Animals can – and sometimes do – get past the fence into the sanctuary. Usually it’s a rat or a mouse, but earlier this year two stoats managed to get inside the sanctuary. The young female and an adult male were caught two weeks apart in the same trap, and although Elton never managed to find the place they got in, he is happy that they were promptly caught, and subsequent checking with a trained predator dog has failed to find any sign of further animals.
“The nasty C word around here is complacency,” says Elton. “You’ve just got to keep being vigilant. And you can never stop being vigilant, because if we walked away from this fence for six months we’d be back at square one. The place would be over-run with predators.”
Orokonui Ecosanctuary employs a small number of staff, but relies on its volunteers, who collectively put in more than 12,000 hours of work each year, valued at about a quarter of a million dollars. They also employ an educator and work with local schools, and the students who visit the sanctuary on a school trip are encouraged to share their experience with their family and bring them back for a visit.
Kaka were the first native species to be reintroduced to the sanctuary. A small breeding population of the rare kiwi the Haast tokeaka has been established, and the sanctuary has just become a crèche facility for young Haast tokeka, after their hatching in captivity, until they are large enough to be considered ‘stoat-proof’ and can be released back in the wild.
Tuatara have successfully bred for the first time on the mainland South Island for more than a hundred years, with the first young tuatara hatching earlier this year after a longer than usual incubation, lasting two winters, due to the cooler temperatures experienced in Otago. The tuatara at Orokonui have featured in a previous Our Changing World story.
South Island robins and South Island saddlebacks have both been successfully established in the sanctuary, following the advice and leadership of the late Ian Jamieson, an expert in conservation genetics at the University of Otago.
Elton is excited that visitors to the sanctuary are finally able to encounter the robins “They’ve finally moved up to the public walking tracks. It’s taken five years but finally people are able to see the robins – because they’ve always been down in the very north block, where there are no public tracks.”
Even though coastal Otago is outside their usual geographic range a small population of New Zealand’s largest lizard, the Otago skink, resides in a small enclosure near the visitor centre, where a stack of schist rocks has been placed to create the thermal environment filled with hiding places that the lizards require. There are also plans to establish a breeding population of another rare large skink, the grand skink.
“I’ve had the privilege to be here since day one”, says Elton. “And it’s been quite amazing. And the thousands – tens of thousands – of hours of hard work that staff and volunteers have put into this project. A lot of hard work. But it’s all been worth it.”
Topics: environment
Regions:
Tags: conservation, sanctuary, nature reserve, native birds, reptiles, Otago skinks, tuatara, predator-free New Zealand, predator-proof fence
Duration: 15'19"
21:46
The Long Journey to Aotearoa
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Archaeologist Atholl Anderson explains why he thinks that the first people to make landfall in New Zealand were exiles escaping from conflict in their homelands
EXTENDED BODY:
By Veronika Meduna
On archaeological grounds it’s very hard to say that this was a normal process of colonisation – that’s if you think of normal being that somebody goes out and explores, finds something, comes back and tells people, and then a large number of people decide to move to that place.
Atholl Anderson
The story of New Zealand's first colonisation is one of double-hulled canoes making return trips between Polynesia and the newly discovered Aotearoa, but new evidence about climate conditions at the time challenges this narrative, suggesting instead that the first people to make landfall in New Zealand were exiles escaping from conflict in their homelands.
Atholl Anderson is an archaeologist at the Australian National University, with a special interest in ocean navigation, maritime technology and the settlement of islands. Over the past few years, his focus has been on producing a comprehensive history of humanity’s last great migration across the Pacific Ocean and, ultimately, the settlement of New Zealand.
This work has taken shape as his contribution to Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, published by Bridget Williams Books and co-authored with Aroha Harris and the late Dame Judith Binney.
In the book chapters dealing with Polynesian origins and their migration path across the Pacific, he draws on the latest findings in genetics, linguistics and archaeology, as well as his own recent collaboration with palaeo-climate scientists, to conclude that the first colonists may not have arrived in New Zealand as a result of deliberate exploration, but were more likely fleeing from their homelands during a period of conflict.
From the linguistics and the nature of Maori cultural life – by that I mean things like social organisation, economic customs, or the ways in which people hunted and fished and planted – we can say that they certainly came from central eastern Polynesia.
“Whether that was Tahiti, the Cook islands or the austral islands is very hard to say, and indeed it might be all three of them because the genetic evidence we had recently of the genetic variety within the Maori population suggests that it was a fairly large colonising population … several hundred each of males and females, which in turn implies a number of canoes, very probably more than the traditional seven, and therefore they may have come from different islands."
He says there is no evidence that there was a period of exploration preceding the colonisation. If it had, archaeologist could expect to find traces left behind by people who returned to East Polynesia.
The evidence is of a relatively large population reaching New Zealand and not going back.
Atholl Anderson says that archaeology, genetics and linguistics have combined to map a more detailed route across the Pacific, beginning with the earliest Polynesian ancestors leaving south China about 5000 years ago. They spoke an Austronesian language, and traveled via Taiwan and Indonesia.
"We’re seeing the funneling of people and commodities, commensal and domestic plants and animals, from a wider catchment in south-east Asia, which includes Taiwan, but then they funnel down into an area along the islands to the north of New Guinea, and out down through the big islands east of New Guinea - the Solomons, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa – and it’s in those latter islands where we find the actual origins of Polynesian culture."
The next leg of the voyage took people into central East Polynesia, and then from there to the margins - the Polynesian triangle of Hawaii, Rapanui/Easter Island and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Atholl Anderson says it is this last part of the journey that was marked by growing conflict.
Traditional stories tell of a time of strive, on inter-lineage dispute, raiding of gardens and disagreements over access to resources ... and as a result of that period of skirmishing and warfare, some groups ... were effectively compelled to leave. There’s nothing in the traditions that says that they were told to go anywhere, it just says that they left.
The only way to leave was to go to sea, and this is where Atholl Anderson’s most recent work on the ocean climate conditions at the time of settlement adds a new element to the story. By analysing the ocean temperature record, he and his collaborators found that there was a period, corresponding with the time of colonisation, when high-pressure systems built up slightly to the east of New Zealand and brought winds that blew from north or north-east, acting “almost like a conveyor belt from the Cook Islands or Tahiti for a down-wind vessel”.
Then the wind patterns reversed back to persistent westerlies. His argument is that the maritime technology available to Polynesians at the time – during the 13th and 14th centuries – was limited to the double spritsail, a V-shaped sail with spars on each side, which can only sail with the wind. This is the only sail recorded in New Zealand before the 18th century.
Do these new findings take anything away from the idea that early Polynesian explorers were exceptionally skilled navigators?
“Not at all,” says Atholl Anderson.
“They had very good navigational skills, not any better than anybody else but certainly as good as anybody else. They were able to tell which latitude they were by using zenith stars and they could work out longitude by dead reckoning, that is to say by estimating their speed and direction where they were going.
“But it doesn’t take anything away from the sheer adventurousness and courage that was involved. If anything it adds to it because these people knew the limitations of their own craft. It took not just organisation and navigational ability, but a huge amount of courage, albeit under duress, probably.”
Here you can listen to a longer interview with Atholl Anderson, discussing the climate conditions and socio-political circumstances at the time of New Zealand's first colonisation.
Science Book Prize
Tangata Whenua is the winner of the 2015 Royal Society of New Zealand’s Science Book Prize. This is what the judges had to say about each of the five finalists:
Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History by Atholl Anderson FRSNZ, Judith Binney, Aroha Harris (Bridget Williams Books).
Tangata Whenua is a beautifully produced, well illustrated and comprehensive record of the tangata whenua. Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney and Aroha Harris present archaeological and genetic evidence alongside history, traditional narratives and oral sources to produce this powerful story – both scholarly and readable – of Maori people and the land they live in.
Gathering Evidence by Caoilinn Hughes (Victoria University Press)
From Johannes Kepler to Marie Curie, and from genetics to nuclear physics: in this book, which is rich with scientific themes, scientific words and phrases become poetry. Caoilinn Hughes gives readers new and unexpected perspectives on science in her lively and powerful poems that explore and communicate science with an emotional intensity that makes for a memorable read.
The Wandering Mind by Michael Corballis FRSNZ (Auckland University Press)
Neuroscience, psychology and evolutionary biology are helping scientists to learn more about our brains. In this scientifically rigorous and quietly humorous book, Michael Corballis, one of the leaders in this field, explores what happens in our brains and to our minds when we are not paying attention. He takes us on a meandering and enlightening exploration of our wandering minds.
Dolphins of Aotearoa: Living with New Zealand Dolphins by Raewyn Peart (Craig Potton Publishing)
New Zealand’s five resident dolphin species are among the most-loved and cherished of our native fauna. In this beautifully produced book, Raewyn Peart goes beyond the traditional illustrated natural history book to tell a scientifically-grounded, moving and engaging story of the relationship between humans and dolphins in New Zealand.
Manuka: the Biography of an Extraordinary Honey by Cliff Van Eaton (Exisle Publishing)
Manuka honey is a uniquely New Zealand product, valued here and internationally for its rich taste and therapeutic properties. In this delightful and surprising book Cliff Van Eaton tells the captivating story of the science behind the discovery of the antibiotic effects of manuka honey, with a focus on the scientists and beekeepers who have brought this product to the world.
Topics: science, history, te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags: Polynesian migration, Maori origins, Polynesian origins
Duration: 13'19"
21:47
Long web feature: Tangata Whenua - Maori History
BODY:
Archaeologist Atholl Anderson discusses the climate conditions and socio-political circumstances that led groups of Polynesian navigators to discover and settle in New Zealand
Topics: science, history, te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags: Polynesian migration, Maori origins
Duration: 32'55"
21:55
Scientists Speaking Out
BODY:
A discussion held at 2015 New Zealand Association of Scientists annual conference, Going Public
EXTENDED BODY:
by Veronika Meduna
Hardly a week goes by without a major science issue making headlines. In many cases, scientists are not only called upon to discuss specific aspects of the science but find themselves in a position of having to defend evidence-based research.
The latest example last week is the University of Western Australia's decision to pull out of a controversial think tank that was to be run by climate contrarian Bjorn Lomborg.
The Australian government had earmarked A$4 million to set up the Australia Consensus Centre, to be modelled on Lomborg's Copenhagen centre, which lost its Danish government funding in 2012. The university at first agreed to host the centre, but then cancelled the contract following what Vice-Chancellor Paul Johnson described as "strong and passionate emotional reaction" from academics.
In a message posted on the university's website, he had to admit that the scale of the reaction was "one that the university did not predict".
The topic of controversial science and scientists' role in debate was the focus of the 2015 New Zealand Association of Scientists annual conference, Going Public: Scientists speaking out on difficult issues.
Discussion ranged from empowering scientists to speak out, to ensuring scientists are trusted communicators, to the responsibilities scientists hold when they engage with the public.
During the first panel discussion, journalist Nikki Macdonald, former ESR chief executive John Hay, communications specialist Brett Sangster, and Science Media Centre manager Peter Griffin discussed the interaction between the media, the government, and scientists.
This was followed by several scientists who have spoken out on controversial issues discussing their personal experiences:
University of Canterbury molecular biologist Jack Heinemann
University of Auckland microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles
and vet, ecologist and agribusiness expert Alison Dewes.
The next series of presentations focused on how institutions view the role of scientists speaking out on controversial issues, and included:
RSNZ President and former University of Otago Vice Chancellor Sir David Skegg
Victoria University Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford
and Helen Anderson, who holds several directorships in science organisations.
The topic of public interest and the responsibilities of scientists was discussed by:
agribusiness commentator Doug Edmeades
Victoria University social scientist Sandra Gray
public health physician and University of Auckland lecturer Rhys Jones
and GNS Science and Te Papa geologist Hamish Campbell
Social media made a strong contribution to the conference, and to catch up on participants' tweets, you can have a look at this storify archive.
In this discussion, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman, Siouxsie Wiles (University of Auckland microbiologist), NZAS president Nicola Gaston, and Shaun Hendy (University of Auckland physicist) tackled the question "Where to from here?"
Topics: science
Regions:
Tags: controversial issues, New Zealand Association of Scientists
Duration: 47'57"
9:06 Our Changing World
Science and environment news from New Zealand and the world.
10:17 Late Edition
A review of the leading news from Morning Report, Nine to Noon, Afternoons and Checkpoint. Also hear the latest news from around the Pacific on Radio New Zealand International's Dateline Pacific.
11:06 Music 101 pocket edition
A contemporary music magazine with interviews and music from New Zealand and overseas artists, coverage of new releases, tours, live sessions, music festivals and events.
===10:00 PM. | Late Edition===
=DESCRIPTION=
Radio New Zealand news, including Dateline Pacific and the day's best interviews from Radio New Zealand National
===11:06 PM. | Music 101===
=DESCRIPTION=
Music, interviews, live performances, behind the scenes, industry issues, career profiles, new, back catalogue, undiscovered, greatest hits, tall tales - with a focus on NZ (RNZ)