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:
21 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 Wildfire, by Karen Curtis and Alannah O'Sullivan (4 of 10, Word Pictures); 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 21 May 2015
BODY:
Ahead of today's Budget, Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith talks up his plan for more houses in Auckland, built on Government land. But Labour's housing spokesman claims they thought the scheme up, and the current plan is too little, and far too late and in Iraq, as Islamic State advances closer to where New Zealand's troops are based -- are they safe?
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 29'37"
06:06
Sports News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'03"
06:11
Budget to address child poverty
BODY:
The Government says there will be measures in today's Budget to address child poverty, despite accusations it's broken a promise to make the issue a priority.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget, poverty, children
Duration: 2'44"
06:20
Pacific News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
The latest from the Pacific region.
Topics: Pacific
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'43"
06:23
Morning Rural News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sector.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'04"
06:26
Te Manu Korihi News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
The Whanau Ora Iwi Leaders Group chairs is accusing the Government of appearing to exclude Maori from an expert panel set up to review Child, Youth and Family; The Aids Foundation is running a campaign to get more homosexually active Maori men to get tested for the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, or HIV; The film maker Chelsea Winstanley has been announced as the winner of a prestigious award for her outstanding contribution to the art form; The artist behind the innovative font being used in the '100% Pure New Zealand' campaign is confident tangata whenua will give their seal of approval.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'20"
06:40
Plan to develop vacant Crown land in Auckland
BODY:
A major part of today's Budget will be a plan to develop housing on hundreds of hectares of Crown land in Auckland.
Topics: politics, housing
Regions:
Tags: budget, Crown land
Duration: 3'07"
06:49
Economist says dairy prices subdued for some time
BODY:
An economist says dairy prices are likely to remain subdued for most of the year.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: dairy prices
Duration: 1'16"
06:50
Cavalier forecasts loss, and changes CEO
BODY:
The carpet maker, Cavalier Corporation, is now predicting a full-year loss, and has appointed a new chief executive.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Cavalier Corporation
Duration: 2'38"
06:53
Biggest banks have agreed to pay fines
BODY:
Some of the world's biggest banks have agreed to pay fines of 5.7 billion US dollars for manipulating foreign currency markets.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: bank fines
Duration: 1'04"
06:54
Goodman Property Trust lifts its annual profit by a third
BODY:
Goodman Property Trust says interest for business premises remains strong.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Goodman Property Trust
Duration: 2'08"
06:55
Jade Software plans return to profitability in three years
BODY:
Jade Software is planning to return to profitability in three years, following strong revenue growth.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Jade Software
Duration: 2'40"
06:58
Morning markets for 21 May 2015
BODY:
April minutes from the Federal Reserve reveal officials believe it is premature to raise interest rates in June.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 58"
07:07
Sports News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'46"
07:11
Govt to free up Crown land in Auckland for homes
BODY:
The early posting of an invitation to property developers has let the cat out of the bag about what the government plans to do to increase land supply in Auckland.
Topics: housing, politics
Regions:
Tags: Crown land, budget
Duration: 5'55"
07:17
Budget preview Q and A.
BODY:
The Finance Minister, Bill English, delivers his seventh Budget this afternoon in the face of criticism the Government is breaking its promise to get its finances back into surplus this year.
Topics: politics, housing
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 6'31"
07:24
Are New Zealand troops in danger of Islamic State advances?
BODY:
The Prime Minister says New Zealand soldiers will not be withdrawn from Iraq, even if Islamic State reaches Baghdad.
Topics: politics, defence force
Regions:
Tags: Islamic State, Iraq
Duration: 4'11"
07:29
NZ aims for rare cricket win at Lords
BODY:
New Zealand begins its test series against England tonight at the home of cricket, the Lord's ground in London.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: cricket, UK
Duration: 4'56"
07:37
Large banks fined billions
BODY:
Some of the world's largest banks are to be fined more than 7-billion dollars for colluding to manipulate foreign currency rates.
Topics: money
Regions:
Tags: banks, fines, USA
Duration: 3'56"
07:44
Migrants stranded at sea thrown a lifeline
BODY:
Thousands of migrants stranded on boats off the coast of Thailand have been thrown a lifeline.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Thailand, Boat People, migrants
Duration: 3'30"
07:49
Iwi leaders say they've been shut out of CYF review
BODY:
Iwi leaders say Maori are being shut out of a high level Child Youth and Family review.
Topics: politics, te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags: Child Youth and Family review, te ao Maori
Duration: 3'44"
07:53
Prevention better than cure in health budget?
BODY:
Now back to the budget and more tax on tobacco - maybe a levy on sugar? Or perhaps an increase in state-funded lifestyle coaching?
Topics: politics, health
Regions:
Tags: budget, tax
Duration: 3'28"
08:07
Sports News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'59"
08:11
Auckland land to be freed up for housing
BODY:
The Government expects thousands of homes to be built in Auckland under its plan to make 430 hectares of publicly-owned land available for housing.
Topics: housing, politics
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Crown land
Duration: 4'10"
08:15
Govt says Budget will contain child poverty measures
BODY:
The Government says there will be measures in today's Budget to address child poverty, despite accusations it's broken a promise to make the issue a priority.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget, poverty, children
Duration: 3'38"
08:23
EBSS: more targeted approach' to buildings misses the mark
BODY:
The Housing Minister, Nick Smith, presented a number of changes in Ashburton last Sunday, but the Evidence Based Seismic Strengthening Society says he's missing the point of what is wrong with the current regime.
Topics: politics, environment, science
Regions:
Tags: Seismic Strengthening Society, earthquakes
Duration: 6'55"
08:31
Markets Update for 21 May 2015
BODY:
A brief update of movements in the financial sector.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 1'00"
08:36
Nauru detention centre managers dodge questions at inquiry
BODY:
Managers of the Nauru detention centre have been admonished for not answering key questions during an Australian Senate inquiry into sexual abuse and violence at the facility.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Australia, Nauru detention centre
Duration: 4'44"
08:40
Baby Gammy's father in legal dispute over claims to donations
BODY:
An Australian paedophile who hit the news last year after abandoning a surrogate child born in Thailand because he had Downs Syndrome, is back in the news -- this time because he's trying to get his hands on money raised to support the baby.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Australia, Baby Gammy
Duration: 3'03"
08:44
Watson hopes interview will provide last chance
BODY:
The High Court has been told convicted double murderer Scott Watson is counting on an interview with a magazine reporter to draw attention to his claims of a miscarriage of justice.
Topics: crime, media, law
Regions:
Tags: Scott Watson
Duration: 2'56"
08:48
Te Manu Korihi News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
The Whanau Ora Iwi Leaders Group chairs is accusing the Government of appearing to exclude Maori from an expert panel set up to review Child, Youth and Family; The Aids Foundation is calling on more homosexually active Maori men to get tested for the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, or HIV; The film maker Chelsea Winstanley has been announced as the winner of a prestigious award for her outstanding contribution to the art form; The artist behind the innovative font being used in the '100% Pure New Zealand' campaign is confident tangata whenua will give their seal of approval.
Topics: te ao Maori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'11"
08:52
Campbell Live decision expected any day
BODY:
Russell Brown talks about the possible outcomes of TV3's review of the Campbell Live show.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: Campbell Live
Duration: 3'41"
=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 (9 of 10, RNZ)
=AUDIO=
09:05
Promising cancer immunotherapy created in Wellington
BODY:
Promising cancer immunotherapy created in Wellington
EXTENDED BODY:
A Wellington medical research team is preparing the ground for clinical human trials for a promising cancer immunotherapy and vaccine.
Clinicians say immunotherapy is a revolution in the treatment of cancer as it harnesses the body's immune system to fight the disease.
The Malaghan Institute and Victoria University's Ferrier Research Institute have been working together for many years on immunotherapies and have developed what they call a technology platform for synthetic vaccines, which can be modified to fit certain diseases.
It allows for organic chemicals to be combined to create a therapy which harnesses the body's immune system. In the lab, the synthetic vaccine technology has been shown to delay the growth of an aggressive melanoma tumour.
Richard Furneaux, director of the Ferrier Institute, told Nine to Noon immunotherapy could be ground-breaking.
"Obviously we can only speculate that immunotherapy will have a much lower toxicity associated with it.
"Our aspiration is that this will be a lot safer and you'll have a lot less side effects, - your hair won't fall out, your GI [gastrointestinal] tract won't fall apart - but we have to prove that."
The next step is to select a lead indication for the platform; that is, which cancer it will be modified to target. Once that is decided human clinical trials can begin.
However, these cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The researchers have set up a new company, Avalia, to attract further investment to put forward an Investigative New Drug application, or IND. This would most likely go to the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which decides whether or not human clinical trials can proceed.
Prof Furneaux said Avalia's chief executive Shivali Gulab would be based in the US, which was the best place to secure additional funding and work alongside the major pharmaceutical companies.
"The large companies that sell pharmaceuticals have big supply pipelines. We can't do it all on our own. If we are going to be involved in establishing a high-tech economy, my position is that the pharmaceutical industry is the major one, and it is possible for us to participate in it."
Prof. Furneaux said Wellington could become a biomedical hub, with companies like Avalia functioning similarly to Weta, which helped create high-tech film products with funding from big industry players.
He expected it would be at least two years before humans clinical trials could take place. Ultimately, about $1 billion would be needed to market the drug.
Richard Furneaux and Shivali Gulab spoke with Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 22'14"
09:32
New Queenstown to Milford Sound rail link proposed
BODY:
Another plan to build a tunnel between Queenstown and Milford Sound has been proposed.Queenstown engineer Colin Jenner of Milford Sound Link Rail is proposing a drive on-drive off electric railway passing through a 13-point-five kilometre tunnel, which would link the Dart and Hollyford valleys.
Topics: rural, economy, environment, transport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 18'19"
09:50
UK correspondent, Jon Dennis
BODY:
Labour is in 'biggest crisis in history' after election defeat - with potential new leaders ruling themselves out and the country's largest trade union considering breaking its formal link with the Labour. Nigel Farage cements its hold on UKIP following ructions in the party and UK businesses are increasingly worried about Britain leaving the European Union.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: UK
Duration: 9'02"
10:10
Hostage negotiator Chris Voss on getting what you want
BODY:
If you're after a pay rise or seeking the release of a hostage, there are common strategies that can be used in both. Chris Voss is a former international hostage negotiator with the FBI, who now trains individuals, companies and governments on how to get what they want. He was with the FBI for 24 years where he directed and advised teams in a variety of investigations around the world. After retiring as the FBI's lead international hostage negotiator, Chris Voss started the Black Swan Group which gives advice on everything from crisis negotiation to business takeovers and many things in between.
EXTENDED BODY:
If you're after a pay rise or seeking the release of a hostage, there are common strategies that can be used in both. Chris Voss is a former international hostage negotiator with the FBI, who now trains individuals, companies and governments on how to get what they want. He was with the FBI for 24 years where he directed and advised teams in a variety of investigations around the world. After retiring as the FBI's lead international hostage negotiator, Chris Voss started the Black Swan Group which gives advice on everything from crisis negotiation to business takeovers and many things in between.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: hostage
Duration: 31'17"
10:41
Book review: 'Theodore Boone: The Fugitive' by John Grisham
BODY:
Published by Hachette, reviewed by Ralph McAllister.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'49"
11:08
New technology with Sarah Putt
BODY:
New Technology correspondent Sarah Putt discusses philanthropy; Apple versus Samsung - the latest round; and how to get over 200,000 twitter followers in 45 minutes.
Topics: technology
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'10"
11:25
Founder of the Kids' Lit Quiz
BODY:
Founder and quizmaster of the hugely successful Kids' Lit Quiz, Wayne Mills, on rewarding and motivating those who love to read.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 36'35"
11:50
Film Reviewer, Dan Slevin
BODY:
Dan Slevin reviews Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) - Post-apocalyptic rescue drama with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron; Pitch Perfect 2 (Elizabeth Banks) revisits the acapella group and Slow West (John Maclean) about bounty hunters in 1800's Colorado, partly shot in New Zealand, with a quick preview of the Documentary Edge Festival which opened in Auckland on Wednesday night.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, movies
Duration: 8'58"
=SHOW NOTES=
09:05 Promising new cancer treatment created in Wellington
A Wellington biotech company is preparing to take its promising cancer immunotherapy to human clinical trials. The new generation therapy, which would also potentially function as a cancer vaccine is the result of a joint venture between the Malaghan Institute, and Victoria University's Ferrier Research Institute. However to get a new drug to market costs around a billion US dollars, so the teams have set up a new company Avalia, to attract further investment to allow for human clinical trials.
Richard Furneaux is the Director of the Ferrier Research institute. Shivali Gulab is the CEO of Avalia Immunotherapies
09:30 New Queenstown to Milford Sound rail link proposed
Another plan to build a tunnel between Queenstown and Milford Sound has been proposed.Queenstown engineer Colin Jenner of Milford Sound Link Rail is proposing a drive on-drive off electric railway passing through a 13-point-five kilometre tunnel, which would link the Dart and Hollyford valleys.
09:45 UK correspondent, Jon Dennis
Labour is in 'biggest crisis in history' after election defeat - with potential new leaders ruling themselves out and the country's largest trade union considering breaking its formal link with the Labour. Nigel Farage cements its hold on UKIP following ructions in the party.. and UK businesses are increasingly worried about Britain leaving the European Union.
10:05 Hostage negotiator Chris Voss on getting what you want
If you're after a pay rise or seeking the release of a hostage, there are common strategies that can be used in both. Chris Voss is a former international hostage negotiator with the FBI, who now trains individuals, companies and governments on how to get what they want. He was with the FBI for 24 years where he directed and advised teams in a variety of investigations around the world. After retiring as the FBI's lead international hostage negotiator, Chris Voss started the Black Swan Group which gives advice on everything from crisis negotiation to business takeovers and many things in between.
10:35 Book review: 'Theodore Boone: The Fugitive' by John Grisham
Published by Hachette, RRP$29.99. Reviewed by Ralph McAllister
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. (9 of 10, RNZ)
11:05 New technology with Sarah Putt
New Technology correspondent Sarah Putt discusses philanthropy; Apple versus Samsung - the latest round; and how to get over 200,000 twitter followers in 45 minutes.
11:25 Founder of the Kids' Lit Quiz
Founder and quizmaster of the hugely successful Kids' Lit Quiz, Wayne Mills, on rewarding and motivating those who love to read.
11:45 Film Reviewer, Dan Slevin
Dan Slevin reviews Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) – Post-apocalyptic rescue drama with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron; Pitch Perfect 2 (Elizabeth Banks) revisits the acapella group and Slow West (John Maclean) about bounty hunters in 1800's Colorado, partly shot in New Zealand, with a quick preview of the Documentary Edge Festival which opened in Auckland on Wednesday night.
===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 21 May 2015
BODY:
Work is already underway assessing crown-owned land for the Government's home building plan and migration hits a record high.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 14'50"
12:17
NZ economy looking more attractive
BODY:
The economy is luring more foreign workers and keeping New Zealanders at home, pushing migration numbers to a new high.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: migration
Duration: 1'07"
12:18
Rakon returns company to profitability with strong 2nd half
BODY:
Rakon has returned the company to profitability, after a period of restructuring and asset sales.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Rakon
Duration: 1'18"
12:19
DNZ Property Fund net profit jumps 16 percent
BODY:
DNZ Property Fund's net profit has jumped nearly 16 percent to 32-million dollars.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: DNZ Property Fund
Duration: 1'23"
12:20
Intueri Education's profit hit by NZ's strong job market
BODY:
Intueri Education says New Zealand's strong jobs market is having a negative impact on its bottom line.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Intueri Education
Duration: 1'14"
12:23
Midday Markets for 21 May 2015
BODY:
For the latest from the markets we're joined by Belinda Stanley at Craigs Investment Partners.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 2'15"
12:25
Business Briefs
BODY:
Japan's economy has grown faster than anticipated in the first quarter, jumping zero-point-6 percent, compared to the previous quarter.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: Japan
Duration: 1'07"
12:26
Midday Sports News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
Batsman Martin Guptill will return to test cricket for the first time in two years after securing one of the two openers spots for the first test against England at Lord's starting tonight.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'35"
12:35
Midday Rural News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sectors.
Topics: farming, rural
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 7'02"
=SHOW NOTES=
===1:06 PM. | Jesse Mulligan, 1–4pm===
=DESCRIPTION=
Information and debate, people and places around NZ
=AUDIO=
13:07
Your Song - Passenger
BODY:
Rob Drent from the North Shore of Auckland has chosen 'Passenger' by Iggy Pop.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'03"
13:20
NZ A to Z - B for Bluff and O for oysters
BODY:
Dr Michael Stevens - University of Otago. Spenser Morrison - Invercargill. Vic Pearsey - Champion Oyster Opener. John Edmondson - Chair, Bluff Oyster & Food Festival. Graham Wright - General Manager, Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters factory, Invercargill.
EXTENDED BODY:
The annual Bluff Oyster and Food Festival kicks off in one of New Zealand's southernmost town on Saturday.
The oysters will be the main attraction at the new, purpose-built venue on Lee Street, but there will also be bands, competitions and plenty of other delicacies to sample over the course of the day.
Simon Mercep talks to festival chair John Edmondson, champion oyster opener Vic Pearsey, and academic Bluffie Dr Michael Stevens, whose research is reshaping the way we think about Bluff's place in the maritime world.
Related
Serving Suggestions for Bluff Oysters
The World's Best Bluff Oyster Recipe
Oyster Stew
more about oysters
more about Bluff
Topics: life and society, food
Regions: Southland
Tags: Bluff, oysters
Duration: 39'18"
15:07
Mediaworks Announcement - Phil Wallington.
BODY:
John Campbell is leaving TV3's Campbell Live.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: Campbell Live
Duration: 12'17"
15:20
The Expats - Kara Segedin
BODY:
West-Auckland journalist Kara Segedin has joined the hoards of kiwi expats working at the BBC in London.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Kiwi Expats, UK
Duration: 10'31"
15:47
The Panel pre-show for 21 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'12"
=SHOW NOTES=
1:10 Your Song
The editor from the Devonport Flagstaff community newspaper, Rob Drent, choses his favourite song.
1:20 Our New Zealand A to Z - B is for Bluff!
Dr Michael Stevens - University of Otago.
Spenser Morrison - Invercargill.
Vic Pearsey - Champion Oyster Opener.
John Edmondson - Chair, Bluff Oyster & Food Festival.
Graham Wright - General Manager, Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters factory, Invercargill.
2pm 2015 Budget Special
Susie Ferguson presents coverage of the 2015 Budget, plus expert analysis and commentary from Radio New Zealand's correspondents.
[gallery:1156]
3:10 Mediaworks Announcement - Phil Wallington.
John Campbell is leaving TV3's Campbell Live.
3:20 The Expats - Kara Segedin
West-Auckland journalist Kara Segedin has joined the hoards of kiwi expats working at the BBC in London.
3:35 ExStream - Alison Ballance
Jeremy 'Jay' Piggott introduces Alison Ballance to his ExStream system, on the banks of the Kauru River in North Otago. The system pipes water and aquatic life from the river into more than a hundred mesocosms, and University of Otago researchers are using it to tease out how streams and rivers respond to multiple agricultural stresses such as nutrient and sediment run-off, as well as climate change and rising water temperatures.
Stories from Our Changing World.
3:45 The Panel Pre-Show
What the world is talking about. With Jim Mora, Zara Potts, Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning.
MUSIC DETAILS:
Thursday MAY 21
YOUR SONG:
ARTIST: Iggy Pop
TITLE: The Passenger
COMP: Iggy Pop, Rick Gardiner
ALBUM: Lust For Life
LABEL: RCA
A TO Z - BLUFF:
ARTIST: The Maritime Crew
TITLE: Auckland To The Bluff
COMP: Rudy Sunde
ALBUM: The Maritime Crew Sing The Songs Of Rudy Sunde
LABEL: ODE CD MANU 2016
ARTIST: Max McCauley
TITLE: The Bluff Oyster Song
COMP: Max McCauley
ALBUM: The Great Songs Of New Zealand
LABEL: RAJON rtcd 402
THE PANEL:
ARTIST: Kansas
TITLE: Dust In The Wind
COMP: Livgren
ALBUM: Kansas: The Best Of
LABEL: EPIC
===2:00 PM. | The Budget===
=DESCRIPTION=
presented by Susie Ferguson.
=AUDIO=
14:00
Special coverage of the Budget 2015
BODY:
Susie Ferguson presents coverage of the 2015 Budget, plus expert analysis and commentary from Radio New Zealand's correspondents.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 59'57"
14:05
Budget 2015
BODY:
Bill English presents his budget to the house.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 39'25"
14:45
Budget speech - Andrew Little
BODY:
Andrew Little, Leader of the Opposition.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 18'35"
15:03
Budget speech - John Key
BODY:
John Key Prime Minister.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 17'00"
15:21
Budget speech - Metiria Turei
BODY:
Co-Leader of the Greens Metiria Turei.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 19'48"
15:40
Budget speech - Winston Peters
BODY:
Leader of NZ First Winston Peters.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 18'14"
15:59
Budget speech - Te Ururoa Flavell
BODY:
Co-leader of the Maori Party Te Ururoa Flavell.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 10'14"
16:10
Budget speech - Peter Dunne
BODY:
Leader of the United Future Party Peter Dunne.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 10'02"
16:20
Budget speech - David Seymour
BODY:
Leader of the Act Party David Seymour.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 10'18"
=SHOW NOTES=
===3:00 PM. | Jesse Mulligan, 1–4pm===
=DESCRIPTION=
Information and debate, people and places around NZ
=AUDIO=
13:07
Your Song - Passenger
BODY:
Rob Drent from the North Shore of Auckland has chosen 'Passenger' by Iggy Pop.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'03"
13:20
NZ A to Z - B for Bluff and O for oysters
BODY:
Dr Michael Stevens - University of Otago. Spenser Morrison - Invercargill. Vic Pearsey - Champion Oyster Opener. John Edmondson - Chair, Bluff Oyster & Food Festival. Graham Wright - General Manager, Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters factory, Invercargill.
EXTENDED BODY:
The annual Bluff Oyster and Food Festival kicks off in one of New Zealand's southernmost town on Saturday.
The oysters will be the main attraction at the new, purpose-built venue on Lee Street, but there will also be bands, competitions and plenty of other delicacies to sample over the course of the day.
Simon Mercep talks to festival chair John Edmondson, champion oyster opener Vic Pearsey, and academic Bluffie Dr Michael Stevens, whose research is reshaping the way we think about Bluff's place in the maritime world.
Related
Serving Suggestions for Bluff Oysters
The World's Best Bluff Oyster Recipe
Oyster Stew
more about oysters
more about Bluff
Topics: life and society, food
Regions: Southland
Tags: Bluff, oysters
Duration: 39'18"
15:07
Mediaworks Announcement - Phil Wallington.
BODY:
John Campbell is leaving TV3's Campbell Live.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: Campbell Live
Duration: 12'17"
15:20
The Expats - Kara Segedin
BODY:
West-Auckland journalist Kara Segedin has joined the hoards of kiwi expats working at the BBC in London.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Kiwi Expats, UK
Duration: 10'31"
15:47
The Panel pre-show for 21 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
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Duration: 13'12"
=SHOW NOTES=
1:10 Your Song
The editor from the Devonport Flagstaff community newspaper, Rob Drent, choses his favourite song.
1:20 Our New Zealand A to Z - B is for Bluff!
Dr Michael Stevens - University of Otago.
Spenser Morrison - Invercargill.
Vic Pearsey - Champion Oyster Opener.
John Edmondson - Chair, Bluff Oyster & Food Festival.
Graham Wright - General Manager, Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters factory, Invercargill.
2pm 2015 Budget Special
Susie Ferguson presents coverage of the 2015 Budget, plus expert analysis and commentary from Radio New Zealand's correspondents.
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3:10 Mediaworks Announcement - Phil Wallington.
John Campbell is leaving TV3's Campbell Live.
3:20 The Expats - Kara Segedin
West-Auckland journalist Kara Segedin has joined the hoards of kiwi expats working at the BBC in London.
3:35 ExStream - Alison Ballance
Jeremy 'Jay' Piggott introduces Alison Ballance to his ExStream system, on the banks of the Kauru River in North Otago. The system pipes water and aquatic life from the river into more than a hundred mesocosms, and University of Otago researchers are using it to tease out how streams and rivers respond to multiple agricultural stresses such as nutrient and sediment run-off, as well as climate change and rising water temperatures.
Stories from Our Changing World.
3:45 The Panel Pre-Show
What the world is talking about. With Jim Mora, Zara Potts, Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning.
MUSIC DETAILS:
Thursday MAY 21
YOUR SONG:
ARTIST: Iggy Pop
TITLE: The Passenger
COMP: Iggy Pop, Rick Gardiner
ALBUM: Lust For Life
LABEL: RCA
A TO Z - BLUFF:
ARTIST: The Maritime Crew
TITLE: Auckland To The Bluff
COMP: Rudy Sunde
ALBUM: The Maritime Crew Sing The Songs Of Rudy Sunde
LABEL: ODE CD MANU 2016
ARTIST: Max McCauley
TITLE: The Bluff Oyster Song
COMP: Max McCauley
ALBUM: The Great Songs Of New Zealand
LABEL: RAJON rtcd 402
THE PANEL:
ARTIST: Kansas
TITLE: Dust In The Wind
COMP: Livgren
ALBUM: Kansas: The Best Of
LABEL: EPIC
===4:06 PM. | The Panel===
=DESCRIPTION=
An hour of discussion featuring a range of panellists from right along the opinion spectrum (RNZ)
=AUDIO=
15:47
The Panel pre-show for 21 May 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 13'12"
16:06
The Panel with Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning, (Part 1)
BODY:
What the Panelists Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning have been up to. Economic commentator Bernard Hickey joins the Panel to go over the main points. TV3 current affairs programme Campbell Live has officially been given the axe. It's being replaced by a new news show with dual presenters.
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Duration: 22'53"
16:07
Panel Intro
BODY:
What the Panelists Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning have been up to.
Topics:
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Tags:
Duration: 3'19"
16:20
Budget 2015
BODY:
Economic commentator Bernard Hickey joins the Panel to go over the main points.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget
Duration: 12'16"
16:23
Campbell Live over
BODY:
TV3 current affairs programme Campbell Live has officially been given the axe. It's being replaced by a new news show with dual presenters.
Topics: media
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Tags: Campbell Live
Duration: 7'04"
16:32
The Panel with Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning (Part 2)
BODY:
Parents are taking a case to the High Court over the treatment of a school girl who's opted out of school Bible lessons. What the Panelists Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning have been thinking about. Telecommunications company Orcon's been ordered to pay a customer $25 thousand after the Human Rights Tribunal found it never should have referred an unpaid bill to a debt collection agency. Privacy lawyer Katthryn Dalziel explains how this happened. Is it a mansion or just a big house? We ask real estate agent Simon Damerell what the definition of manion is. A new video telling people how to file a tax return has been made for the IRD. It cost $418k. It's all set around a jazzercise routine. Is that realy necessary? Lawyer Lecretia Seales has had her final day at work. Lecretia is asking the High Court to uphold her right to die at the time of her choosing.
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Duration: 26'46"
16:33
Religion in schools
BODY:
Parents are taking a case to the High Court over the treatment of a school girl who's opted out of school Bible lessons.
Topics: education, law
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Tags: Religion in schools
Duration: 5'17"
16:38
Panel Says
BODY:
What the Panelists Jolisa Gracewood and Selwyn Manning have been thinking about.
Topics:
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Duration: 5'51"
16:42
Orcon to pay $25k to customer
BODY:
Telecommunications company Orcon's been ordered to pay a customer $25 thousand after the Human Rights Tribunal found it never should have referred an unpaid bill to a debt collection agency. Privacy lawyer Katthryn Dalziel explains how this happened.
Topics: business, law
Regions:
Tags: Orcon, Human Rights Tribunal
Duration: 6'43"
16:51
Mansions
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Is it a mansion or just a big house? We ask real estate agent Simon Damerell what the definition of manion is.
Topics: business, housing
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Tags: manion
Duration: 5'33"
16:57
IRD info video
BODY:
A new video telling people how to file a tax return has been made for the IRD. It cost $418k. It's all set around a jazzercise routine. Is that realy necessary?
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: IRD, Taxpayers Union
Duration: 2'10"
=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 21 May 2015
BODY:
Bill English announces the first real increase in benefits in more than forty years. Dean Barker signs with the Japanese America's Cup challenger and closing addresses at Blessie Gotingco trial.
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Duration: 22'55"
17:07
Child poverty takes centre stage in 2015 Budget.
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A 790 million dollar four-year anti poverty package at the heart of today's Budget delivers the first rise in core benefits not tied to inflation in four decades.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags: budget, poverty
Duration: 3'06"
17:10
National raises benefits - first time since 1972
BODY:
For education it's less bright - school operations grants go up by just one percent next year, half as much as in previous Budgets.
Topics: politics, education
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Tags: budget
Duration: 3'42"
17:14
Bill English explains benefict increase of 25 dollars a week
BODY:
I asked the Finance Minister Bill English why he decided, after all this time, that beneficiary families need more money.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 5'37"
17:20
Not much for poor in Budget - Family centre boss
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Peter Sykes heads the Mangere East Family Service Centre.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 3'48"
17:24
Closing addresses at Blessie Gotingco trial
BODY:
The Crown says Blessie Gotingco was wriggling and struggling when she was stabbed multiple times.
Topics: crime
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Blessie Gotingco
Duration: 2'48"
17:27
Dean Barker to head Japanese Softbank team in the America's Cup
BODY:
Unwanted as helmsman by Team New Zealand, Dean Barker has now signed with Japan's America's Cup challenger.
Topics: sport
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Tags: Dean Barker
Duration: 3'33"
17:35
Today's market update
BODY:
The sharemarket was flat today, with the benchmark NZX 50 index rising 13 points to close at 5,769.
Topics: business, economy
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Tags: markets
Duration: 1'47"
17:37
Labour's Little on 2015 Budget
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People who work in early childhood education are disappointed the Budget has no increase at all for the subsidies they get per child.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 4'45"
17:42
Analysis from our political editor
BODY:
Our political editor Brent Edwards is with us.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 4'02"
17:45
Back now to the closing addresses at Blessing Gotingco trial
BODY:
Back now to the closing addresses at the trial of the man accused of raping and murdering the North Shore mother of three Blessie Gotingco.
Topics: crime
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Blessie Gotingco
Duration: 2'27"
17:48
Zespri has record returns for green kiwifruit
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Zespri has announced record returns for green kiwifruit for the 2014-15 season, but that was helped by a drop in supply from Chile.
Topics: business, farming
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Tags: Zespri, green kiwifruit
Duration: 3'42"
17:52
Maori academics push for Maori engagement in tissue research
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A group of Māori intellectuals are calling on tangata whenua to become more open to transplants and supplying human tissue to improve their health.
Topics: te ao Maori
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Duration: 3'10"
17:55
John Campbell quits TV3 as his show is axed
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The Campbell Live show is getting the chop and John Campbell is quitting TV3.
Topics: media
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Tags: Campbell Live
Duration: 4'54"
18:07
Sports News for 21 May 2015
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An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
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Duration: 3'17"
18:11
Government targets child poverty in Budget
BODY:
A 790 million dollar four-year anti poverty package at the heart of today's Budget delivers the first rise in core benefits not tied to inflation in four decades.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 1'59"
18:14
Economic analysis on the budget
BODY:
First to our business editor and economics correspondent, Patrick O'Meara.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 4'16"
18:18
What the budget means for Auckland
BODY:
Our Auckland correspondent, Todd Niall, has been looking at what the city gets out of the Budget.
Topics: politics, housing
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Tags: budget
Duration: 2'48"
18:21
Not much for education in budget
BODY:
Our education correspondent, John Gerritsen, has been looking at the small amount of spending for the sector.
Topics: politics, education
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Tags: budget
Duration: 2'45"
18:24
The budget and what it means for health
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And Gareth Thomas has been looking at what the Budget means for the health sector.
Topics: politics, health
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Tags: budget
Duration: 2'33"
18:26
New figures show record migration levels
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New Zealand's had its highest-ever influx of immigrants - a record net gain of almost 57-thousand in the year to April, well past the 34-thousand-400 from the year before.
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Tags: migration
Duration: 2'54"
18:29
School principal jailed for downloading child porn
BODY:
A school principal, jailed today for possessing thousands of images of child pornography, was caught after a tip-off from law enforcers in the United States.
Topics: crime
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Tags: child pornography
Duration: 2'34"
18:36
Court throws out bikie drug charges - again
BODY:
The High Court has thrown out drug charges against Nelson's Red Devils bikies, ruling that to carry on would suggest the courts are condoning dodgy police work.
Topics: crime
Regions: Nelson Region
Tags: Red Devils bikies
Duration: 4'15"
18:44
Fears IS will destroy ancient Syruian city.
BODY:
In Syria, Islamic State has stormed the ancient city of Palmyra fighting off pro-government forces who fled along with most of the locals.
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Tags: Syria, Palmyra, Islamic State
Duration: 3'58"
18:48
Te Manu Korihi News for 21 May 2015
BODY:
The Māori Party is praising the Government for making some progress in addressing the outstanding issue of poverty among Māori, hear more to our budget coverage.
Topics: te ao Maori
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Duration: 3'24"
18:53
Today In Parliament for 21 May 2015 - evening edition
BODY:
Bill English delivers his seventh Budget. Andrew Little launches Budget Debate with traditional no confidence amendment. John Key launches personal attack on Andrew Little. Winston Peters sees red but Greens co-leader Mitiria Turei is blue. Government puts House under urgency to debate five bills flowing from Budget.
Topics: politics
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Tags: budget
Duration: 4'56"
=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
Mathematics
BODY:
Making the numbers add up is Dr Dillon Mayhew from Victoria University's School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research. An account of what it is like to actually work on a new mathematical theorem, as explored by French mathematician Cedric Villani.
Topics: science
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Tags: mathematics, Cedric Villani, Birth of a Theorem, differential equations
Duration: 21'11"
20:42
Pasifika playwright and theatre producer Leilani Unasa
BODY:
Swaying to the broad range of arts and culture from around the Pacific is Samoan/ Pakeha playwright and independent theatre producer Leilani Unasa - where's the next great Pacific novel?
Topics: arts, Pacific, life and society, books
Regions:
Tags: Pasifika, Pacific arts, Pacific literature, novelists, novels, poetry, Albert Wendt, Sia Figel
Duration: 18'50"
20:59
Conundrum Clue 7
BODY:
Listen on Friday for the answer.
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Duration: 09"
21:59
Conundrum Clue 8
BODY:
Listen on Friday for the answer.
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Tags:
Duration: 49"
=SHOW NOTES=
7:10 Mathematics
Making the numbers add up is Dr Dillon Mayhew from Victoria University's School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research. An account of what it is like to actually work on a new mathematical theorem, as explored by French mathematician Cedric Villani.
7:30 At the Movies
=SHOW NOTES=
=AUDIO=
19:30
At The Movies 21 May 2015
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Simon Morris goes to three very different films: A Royal Night Out puts the future Queen Elizabeth into a frothy comedy… Wild Tales is an Oscar-nominated Argentinian collection of short, dark stories… and Mad Max Fury Road sees Max return 30 years after his last outing.
EXTENDED BODY:
Simon Morris goes to three very different films:
A Royal Night Out puts the future Queen Elizabeth into a frothy comedy, and gives her – if not us – a good time…
Wild Tales is an Oscar-nominated Argentinian collection of short, dark stories of of revenge, and surprise…
and Mad Max Fury Road sees Max return 30 years after his last outing. Veteran director George Miller shows how it’s done.
The big picture with Simon Morris
We’re deep in the heart of the blockbuster season, but it’s a blockbuster season unlike the last three or four. It looks like the studios have put a little thought into the likely audiences for these films.
In the past, blockbusters weren’t so much ‘transformed’ as ‘duplicated’. You got the biggest film of a couple of years before, made it again even bigger, and put a numeral after the title, letting the punters know they could expect business as usual.
That still happens – The Avengers 2, Fast and Furious 7 and a new Mission Impossible on the way – but many sequels are smaller, and potentially more profitable. This year you’re as likely to see a follow-up to a modest comedy like Ted and Magic Mike as an under-performing monster movie.
Older audiences too have been recognised, following the success of the Marigold Hotel films and the award-winning King’s Speech. We can expect an older Sherlock Holmes, big costume dramas like Far From the Madding Crowd and Madame Bovary – and this week, a chip off the old King’s Speech – A Royal Night Out…
Also aiming at an older – or at least wiser – audience is one of the highlights of last year’s Film Festival, Argentina’s Wild Tales. It’s a cunning collection of short, darkly comic stories about revenge, though it’s been crowded out of most cinemas by the month’s biggies.
Another significant aspect of this year’s blockbusters is how many of them are reboots of old favourites. Star Wars is the headline grabber, of course, though fans will have to wait for Christmas for that. But before the Force is with us, we can revive memories of past glories like Jurassic Park, The Terminator – and this week Mad Max.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, A Royal Night Out, Wild Tales, Mad Max: Fury Road
Duration: 22'58"
19:31
A Royal Night Out - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews A Royal Night Out, which puts princess Elizabeth into a frothy comedy, giving the future queen - if not us - a good time…
EXTENDED BODY:
A Royal Night Out - directed by Julian Jarrold, starring Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson and Rupert Everett
A Royal Night Out blends World War Two nostalgia with a renewed interest in the royals, and a fondly remembered classic - William Wyler’s 1953 comedy Roman Holiday, in which Princess Audrey Hepburn runs away from the palace for a romp with Gregory Peck.
This story is based on a real life event. On VE Day the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were allowed to join the national celebrations by dancing all night at the Ritz…
But what – asks the film – if they dodged their bodyguards and had a night of adventure with the hoi polloi?
So there’s the blue-print, there’s the extremely able cast, and off we go, surely? Except that the blueprint turns out not to be as cast-iron as the producers and writers thought.
First the princesses are saddled with two joke chaperones, then the writer forgets to give them any jokes. Abandoning their posts for a bit of rumpy-pumpy on the side is neither likely, nor particularly funny. It gets dumber…
Margaret dashes off with a dodgy Hooray Henry and ends up in a sleazy brothel in Soho. Elizabeth takes off in hot pursuit, and enlists the aid of a passing corporal, who had planned a rather brisker night with – you’ve guessed it - a few more working girls. The sisters keep missing each other, often outside working-class pubs, where the locals sing 'Roll Out the Barrel' and the National Anthem at the drop of a hat.
Now I wouldn’t complain as much as I am, if the publicity hadn’t promised a bit more. But, in the time-honoured manner of most cinematic let-downs, all the best bits - including the very few surprises - are trotted out in the trailer.
What A Royal Night Out has is a good cast and an idea waiting to deliver. What it doesn’t have is a writer, a director of the stature of Roman Holiday’s William Wyler, and most of all, nerve.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: Royalty, Queen Elizabeth, comedy, film, film review
Duration: 6'33"
19:40
Wild Tales - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews Wild Tales, an Oscar-nominated Argentinian collection of short, dark stories of revenge, and surprise…
EXTENDED BODY:
Wild Tales - directed by Damian Szifron, starring Ricardo Darin
I’ve only seen a few films from Argentina, but they’ve all been terrific – particularly the Oscar-winning Secret in Their Eyes and this week, the Oscar-nominated Wild Tales.
Wild Tales consists of separate stories, loosely linked by the idea of revenge. There are six stories, all blackly funny and all with an Argentinean twist in the tail.
It opens on “Pasternak”, in which two people start talking on a plane, and discover they have a mutual acquaintance. It turns out everyone on the plane knew the mysterious Senor Pasternak.
The subsequent stories all start with a simple premise too – a rude customer arrives at a café, a short-tempered engineer gets his car towed away, a father is woken up by a distraught son…
The final story opens on a wedding – the happiest, most joyful wedding anyone could imagine - with the band blaring tango-music and the two families alternately laughing and sobbing.
What could possibly go wrong as the groom takes his wife for the first dance? The answer to that – like all the Wild Tales on offer – is plenty.
Wild Tales is one of those frustrating films you don’t want to say anything about for fear of ruining the experience.
It was not only nominated for an Oscar this year – beaten by rather more serious fare – but it was one of the most entertaining films in competition at Cannes last year.
I strongly recommend it. None of the stories go where you expect, they’re all equal parts dark and hilarious, and they remind you what Film Festivals offer that most blockbusters don’t. Surprise.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, Argentina, short story, revenge, film review
Duration: 4'53"
19:50
Mad Max: Fury Road - film review
BODY:
Simon Morris reviews Mad Max: Fury Road, which sees Max return 30 years after his last outing. Veteran director George Miller shows how it's done.
EXTENDED BODY:
Mad Max: Fury Road - directed by George Miller, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron
The new Mad Max: Fury Road shows what a real blockbuster can deliver in spades.
It’s a thriller in every sense – not least because its creator, Doctor George Miller, turned 70 this year, and the original Mad Max trilogy came to an end 30 years ago.
The first three films made a star of Mel Gibson, with probably less than fifty lines of dialogue in all the films combined. This time it stars Tom Hardy as the man in the desert after the world collapsed from a lack of petrol and water.
In all the Mad Max films, Max himself is a man with no past. We get only tantalising hints of a trail of deaths behind him - people he couldn’t save. When we meet him, he’s almost completely feral. He eats what he kills, he can barely talk. And he’s about to be captured.
When you think of Mad Max films you think of pace, violence and the most imaginative art direction of any action film ever. But George Miller’s greatest skill is inventing worlds. If civilisation broke down, posits Miller, then the world would go pre-historic, mashing together societies and mythologies in the same way their inhabitants pimp their high-powered vehicles.
Unlike other world-creators – the name George Lucas comes effortlessly to mind – George Miller doesn’t stop to explain the rules and the societies of Mad Max in long, expository scenes.
As the sub-title Fury Road states from the start, the film is one, long, unending chase, and any plot-points are tossed out on the fly.
Not only does Fury Road live up to its distinguished predecessors, I’m not sure it’s not the best of the lot.
I can’t wait to see it again, if only to catch more of the story details often drowned in the thrilling stunts and effects. It’s absolutely all you could want from Mad Max – and a bit more.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: film, film review, Mad Max
Duration: 6'50"
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 Pasifika
Swaying to the broad range of arts and culture from around the Pacific is Samoan/ Pakeha playwright and independent theatre producer Leilani Unasa – where's the next great Pacific novel?
9:06 Our Changing World
=SHOW NOTES=
Coming up on Our Changing World on Thursday 28 May 2015
The mysterious and sweet-smelling, parasitic plant Dactylanthus, a pop-up MRI, and Plant and Food’s Hop Lab.
=AUDIO=
21:06
ExStream - How River Life Responds to Environmental Stresses
BODY:
The ExStream system allows biologists to study how river life responds to stresses such as sediment, nutrients, and changing water temperatures and flows
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
"What we see causing the greatest harm to aquatic invertebrate communities in these streams is deposited fine sediment."
Jeremy ‘Jay’ Piggott, University of Otago freshwater scientist
An ambitious experimental set-up is allowing freshwater scientists to tease apart the impact that environmental stresses, such as increased sediment and nutrient run-off from intensive farming, are having on the declining health of streams and rivers.
“We’re interested in how multiple stresses affect freshwater biodiversity," says Jeremy 'Jay' Piggott. "So when we think about agriculture, which is one of the major drivers of change in New Zealand freshwaters, we think about nutrient enrichment from run-off, we think about sedimentation coming in and smothering the [stream] bed. We can also think about herbicides, pesticides, and we can think about deforestation upstream which changes the riparian cover which in turn changes the water temperature. We can also think about changes in water quantity, with water abstraction for irrigation.”
Jay says that all of these stresses are happening simultaneously, so it’s often difficult to work out which is causing the effects or harm that’s being observed.
“These studies we’re conducting – which are quite pioneering – are trying to disentangle all those effects.”
What their results have shown so far is that deposited fine sediment is a key stressor in streams and rivers, as it smothers habitat. Invertebrates tend to respond by drifting downstream away from the affected area. The researchers have observed a complex interplay between the effects of sediment, increased temperatures and increased nutrients.
"Fine sediment tends to be really bad on its own – but other stresses tend to make its effects worse.”
The most effective mitigation is to plant riparian vegetation along the stream banks, as this shades the water and prevents nutrient and sediment run-off. Jay says it is particularly important to plant riparian strips along small streams that feed into larger rivers.
The ExStream, or Experimental Stream Mesocosm System, comprises 128 miniature circular streams. It has a 20 metre long, 5 metre high and 5 metre wide scaffold structure, and about 10,000 individual pieces of piping and other bits of plumbing paraphernalia that connect to a pump submerged in the nearby Kauru River, a relatively pristine river running through farmland in North Otago. Jay developed the system during his PhD studies, and laughingly says that “on successful completion of my PhD I informed everyone that I am now officially a plumbing and hose doctor.”
The University of Otago researcher and his team are using the system to tease out how freshwater ecosystems respond to multiple agricultural stresses such as nutrient and sediment run-off as well as climate change and rising water temperatures.
"Climate change is the big elephant in the room when we think about the impact of human activities,” says Jay. Rather than simply making matters better or worse, he “would argue that it’s just going to make things more complicated.”
As well as increasing water temperatures, climate change is predicted to being changes to precipitation patterns that might result in more frequent droughts as well as more frequent storm and flood events. Increasing carbon dioxide levels in freshwater are not well understood, but are believed to impact on the availability of food in the food web.
The system currently sits on the edge of a field, and it takes water directly from the nearby Kauru River.
The water and the aquatic life it contains are piped to the mesocosms, which are actually ring-type cake tins with a central hole that allows the water to flow through. The system is exposed to the same weather and light conditions that the river experiences, which means it is a much more realistic experimental set-up than one situated in a lab. Prior to an experiment the mesocosms are naturally colonized by periphyton and invertebrates from the river.
“The substrates in the mesocosms reflects the natural substrates that we see in rivers running through sheep and beef farms here in North Otago, and we’ve got a natural community in there that you would expect to see in a relatively pristine stream.”
The researchers can manipulate a range of experimental variables. For example they can decrease or increase the rate of water flow, add different grades and amounts of fine sediment, increase temperature by heating the incoming water using gas califonts, and drip in either nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus, or commonly used agricultural chemicals such as nitrogen inhibitor, and glyphosate or Roundup.
“We allow the organisms coming in here to do what they actually do in their natural environment, which is either to decide to stay or leave, or they can develop there and emerge as adult insects. So we can look at immigration, emigration and development processes [in the invertebrate populations].”
In the latest experiment the research team is experimenting with three different grades of fine sediment and four different water speeds. Master’s student Lisa Carlin will be measuring the effect on motile algae, while student Matthew Ward will be measuring the impact on the invertebrate community.
The ExStream system is also being used in Germany. Jay and colleague Christoph Matthaei have created a company to market the system and they are hopeful it will soon be in use in other countries such as Japan.
Topics: science, environment
Regions:
Tags: rivers, streams, freshwater, nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment, agricultural intensification, pollution, run-off, climate change
Duration: 21'20"
21:20
Don't Just Sit There - Do Something
BODY:
Getting off our butts and taking regular short exercise breaks is much better for our health than continuous sitting
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
I find it quite amazing that with just this little tiny bit of exercise that you do throughout the day, you get such significant results on your blood glucose.
Meredith Peddie, Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago
Getting off your butt is better for your health – and doing it regularly and frequently is the key.
Just getting out of your chair and walking along the corridor, or up and down a flight of stairs.”
That, in a nutshell, is what the latest evidence is showing, says post-doctoral researcher Meredith Peddie, who has already shown in her PhD research that ‘if you sit for a long time you’re less able to clear sugar out of your bloodstream effectively, but if you get up and move around you’re more effective at clearing glucose.”
Now, she’s investigating in more detail what happens to our metabolism after meals when we interrupt sedentary behaviour with different amounts of exercise. In particular she’s interested in measuring “how quickly and efficiently you clear [both] fat and sugar out of your blood stream after you’ve eaten a meal. Getting up is good for clearing sugars and we’re just trying to see if it affects lipids as well.”
“Even in people who don’t have diabetes, if you have higher levels of blood glucose your risk of developing health-related complications is higher long-term.”
Meredith says that preliminary research in this area using rats had showed that sitting resulted in a decrease in the production of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which is responsible for clearing triglycerides from our blood stream. While her previous work didn’t show this she suspects that it was to do with study design, and with the speed at which humans produce lipoprotein lipase after exercise compared to the rodent model.
Meredith is currently running a study at the University of Otago in which 36 participants each come into the clinic for eight days, and take part in four different exercise strategies. The four strategies are: sitting all day with no exercise; sitting all day followed by half an hour of steady exercise; sitting interspersed with brisk walking up an incline for two minutes on a treadmill every half an hour; and walking for two minutes on a treadmill every half an hour plus 30 minutes of continuous exercise at the end of the day. Participants receive the same meals each day, have their blood parameters and oxygen regularly measured, fill out appetite questionnaires and wear accelerometers so their exercise outside the clinic can be measured as well.
One of the benefits of this cross-over study design is that each person does each of the exercise interventions so their results can be compared against themselves as well as against other people.
One of the interesting spinoffs of this research is that the researchers themselves, including Meredith as well as Master’s student Stephen Fenemor, have made themselves make-shift standing desks to work at.
After spending most of your time reading about how bad sitting down is for your health, it’s hard to stay sitting."
Topics: science, health
Regions:
Tags: exercise, blood sugars, fat, sitting, health, physical activity
Duration: 11'45"
21:34
DNA Trafficking Between Cells
BODY:
Scientists discover a new process, in which mitochondrial DNA is exchanged between cells in the body
EXTENDED BODY:
By Veronika Meduna
We have been doing work with two different brain cell types, astrocytes and neurons, and have been able to show that in early development … mitochondria can track between cells. This seems to be a normal communication process between cells.
Mike Berridge, Malaghan Institute
In a world first, scientists have found that DNA can shuttle between cells in an animal.
The discovery describes a fundamentally new process that challenges textbook science and will undoubtedly open up new areas of research – but perhaps more importantly, it raises the possibility of new therapies for diseases of the heart and brain, including neuro-degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and possibly cancer.
Lead by cell biologist Mike Berridge at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington and Jiri Neuzil at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, the team found that tumour cells that had their mitochondrial DNA removed can import replacement DNA from surrounding, healthy cells.
Cellular power generators
Most of our DNA is bundled up tightly in chromosomes in the nucleus of each cell, but there is also a much smaller amount of DNA inside cellular structures called mitochondria. These organelles act as power generators, producing the energy a cell needs for chemical reactions. This mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA, codes for only 37 genes (as opposed to around 20,000 genes inscribed in our nuclear DNA) and is sometimes referred to as the second genome.
Mike Berridge has a long-standing interest in how cells produce their energy – driven by the fact that mitochondria are clearly the main source in healthy cells, but cancer cells rely on a different mechanism.
A key question for his team is whether removing mtDNA from cancerous cells could thwart the development of tumours. To answer that question, they developed a melanoma and breast cancer cell line with no mitochondrial DNA, which grew well in cell culture, and injected these cells into a mouse.
Mike Berridge says that if these cancer cells have functioning mtDNA, they invariably grow into aggressive tumours that metastasise and spread throughout the body within seven days.
“We were able to show that these cells without mitochondrial DNA would not grow as a tumour for quite a while, for a month. They just sat there, but then all of a sudden they started to grow, and they grew almost up to the rates of normal tumour cells.”
The team checked the tumour cells and found that they had somehow acquired mtDNA, and after more detailed tests it was clear that the DNA they now carried had come from the healthy cells surrounding the tumour.
“We found differences that showed that the mitochondrial DNA was the genotype of the mouse into which the cells had been injected,” he says.
Showing that this transfer of mtDNA was happening was one thing. The next challenge was to work out how, and it turns out that it might not be just the mtDNA that shuttles between cells, but the whole mitochondrium. And what’s more, this could be a common repair and maintenance mechanism in the body.
There’s evidence that stem cells can supply mitochondria to heart muscle cells that have damaged mitochondrial DNA. That opens up an area of whether or not hearth problems that relate to energy supply in cardiac muscle, or in fact any muscle system in the body, might invoke the mechanisms of mitochondrial transfer to repair damaged systems.
The Malaghan Institute team is even more excited about the prospect that mitochondrial transfer could play a major role in healthy brain function as well as in neuro-degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
“We have been doing work with two different brain cell types, astrocytes and neurons, and have been able to show that in early development, or in neonatal cultures, mitochondria can track between cells. They move along connections between cells and the astrocytes will supply the neurons with mitochondria. Now this is in situations were we’re not damaging anything. This seems to be a normal communication process between cells.
“We’re very excited about this because this might bring in a new idea that brain cell function is contributed to by mitochondrial replacement from cells that maintain the nerve cells but are not nerve cells themselves.”
Given the brain’s high need for energy, this discovery could mean a rethinking of healthy brain development.
Nerve cells in our bodies can extend from the bottom of our spine down to our big toe, half a metre or a metre. In whales one nerve cell can extend 30 metres, and then you have the dilemma of how all the energy required at the nerve ending is provided and maintained throughout the life of that neuron, which may be years.
The textbook version is that mitochondria travel along the length of the neuron, but Mike Berridge says his team’s work suggests that “this might be going on at a local level, by DNA transfer between different cell types to maintain that high energy demand of nervous cell function and brain function”.
He says that the process might even work both ways. “There’s preliminary evidence that suggests that optic nerve cells can package up damaged mitochondria and transfer them to another cell type, the astrocyte, for processing. So our idea would be that the process can occur in reverse, that astrocytes can provide healthy, young, vibrant mitochondria to maintain nerve function throughout the life of that neuron.”
The findings also raise the possibility of new therapeutic approaches to neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
“Do [these conditions] really have a component of a restriction of the energy supply system in the brain? If they do, can we get in there and do something about it. Can we understand the processes that go on in the brain that control that energy.”
Apart from healthy brain and heart function, mitochondria are also associated with more than 200 diseases, which involve changes in mtDNA. Mike Berridge says that understanding the processes whereby mitochondria can move between cells could help to improve the body’s repair mechanisms and to address problems relating to mitochondrial diseases.
As far as new cancer therapies are concerned, he is cautious. “Mitochondrial function is needed by tumour cells, but tumour cells don’t use their mitochondria a lot. The more mitochondrial activity, the more a cell is driven to differentiate and to function, so it won’t divide very well if it’s using its mitochondria all the time. There might be a way of manipulating the balance to drive cells to use their mitochondria and essentially differentiate.
We think that cancer cells need an optimum amount of energy. If they have too much from their mitochondria, they won’t continue as cancer cells. If they have too little or none, they can’t grow as cancers, so understanding what the tumour cell needs and how to push it outside of its comfort zone may be very important in addressing tumours. It’s about understanding the biology behind the processes … which might then lead us on to be able to control that process, and to control cancer in that away.
Topics: science
Regions:
Tags: mitochondrial DNA, Malaghan Institute, cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, alzheimers, Parkinsons, brain function, mitochondria
Duration: 17'10"
21:46
We Are What We Eat - What Hair Can Tell Us
BODY:
Metabolite biomarkers in hair may allow scientists to advise women on what they should eat to avoid pregnancy complications
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
We’re trying to improve nutrition in pregnancy. Because if we can get a baby thriving in the womb, those babies thrive in childhood and in adulthood. And a key component to the optimal environment for the baby inside the womb is the mother’s diet and nutrition.
Scientist and obstetrician Philip Baker, Gravida and University of Auckland
Gravida researchers are hoping to find a pioneering new use for the hair on our heads. By identifying diet ‘biomarkers’ in hair and blood samples from 1200 pregnant Singaporean women, they hope that it will allow them to find out which women are likely to suffer pregnancy complications.
Traditionally, researchers have studied diet by getting people to keep food diaries. And while blood and urine samples give an insight into food intake over the previous day or two the University of Auckland researchers are confident that hair contains a metabolic record of what someone has eaten over the previous months.
“Hair grows about one centimetre per month,” says post-doctoral researcher Karolina Sulek, from the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland. “And so we’ll be able to see [back to] what happened before pregnancy, then in first and second trimester etcetera.”
Karolina makes the analogy that the metabolic record of a single strand of hair is like the record kept by growth rings in trees – the information laid down in each ‘ring’ relates to the environmental conditions at the time.
The Gravida team is leading the way in using hair in metabolomics research, although they have actually had difficulty finding existing cohort studies that have collected hair.
They have just received hair samples from 1200 women who took part in the GUSTO study – Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes, but have already trialled the technique.
“We’ve studied the GUSTO cohort,” says scientist obstetrician Philip Baker. “We’ve now collected and studied a cohort in China, and in both cases we can get a very accurate handle on particular pregnancy complications by studying hair.”
Pregnancy complications include maternal diabetes, pre-eclampsia and the failure of a baby to thrive, and they affect millions of babies and mothers each year. But Philip is hopeful that a personalised diet plan could help alleviate many complications.
“It’s very simplistic to think that one diet is good for everybody or one diet is bad for everybody, “ says Philip. “The real value of this project is that it is trying to get a handle on optimizing the diet and nutrition for a particular pregnant women. In the long run what we’d like to do is profile a woman, either before she gets pregnant or in the early stages of her pregnancy, look at her environment particularly her diet, and look at the way her body is responding to that – her metabolic profile. It’s trying to move to much more tailored and individualized advice
Philip says one of the real values in using hair is that the hair doesn’t need to be stored in a fridge or freezer, and it doesn’t need to be processed in any way, so it’s a technique that could be easily used in less developed countries.
Philip Baker says that the hair metabolome is an exciting area – “just how much promise it holds, if we’re being entirely candid we don’t yet know, but the first signs are very encouraging.”
Topics: science, health
Regions:
Tags: diet, food, nutrition, personalised medicine, pregnancy complications, mothers, babies, hair
Duration: 15'33"
21:55
Megathrust Earthquakes Below Central New Zealand
BODY:
For the first time, geologists find direct evidence for large subduction earthquakes underneath central New Zealand
EXTENDED BODY:
by Veronika Meduna
Subduction earthquakes have the potential to be very big because subduction zones are very big features.
GNS Science earthquake geologist Kate Clark
For the first time, geologists have found direct evidence for large “megathrust” subduction earthquakes beneath central New Zealand, along the southern part of the Hikurangi margin, which marks the collision zone between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.
The team identified the geological signatures of two subduction earthquakes that have ruptured in the past 1000 years, and this is the first direct evidence that the plate boundary under the Cook Strait-Marlborough area can produce large earthquakes.
Lead author and GNS Science earthquake geologist Kate Clark says subduction earthquakes differ from other quakes in that they occur at the interface between two plates, rather than along faultlines within the upper plate.
They are responsible for some of the biggest quakes – and tsunamis – in the world, including the recent magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 and the magnitude 9.3 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in December 2004.
“Subduction earthquakes have the potential to be very big because subduction zones are very big features,” says Kate Clark. “And being able to generate a larger earthquake means that ground shaking will go on for a longer time.”
Kate Clark says geologists already had some evidence for such earthquakes on the northern section of the Hikurangi margin so the risk is not new for New Zealand, but this study provides greater certainty.
I feel like our research is just the start of what we can understand about these earthquakes. Now we know that they do occur, and we have found evidence of what they do at one location. What we will now do is try to look for other locations around the lower North Island and upper South Island of these same earthquakes, and if we can find out … how much uplift and subsidence there was or how large the tsunami was, then we can combine all that information and hopefully one day start to understand the magnitude of the earthquake.”
The team identified the quakes from sediment cores extracted from Big Lagoon, a large coastal lake east of Blenheim. Radiocarbon dates of organic material from different levels of the cores show evidence of two sudden subsidence events, first at 880 to 800 years ago and again at 520 to 470 years ago, when the land dropped by up to half a metre.
Sudden drops like this can only be explained by moderate-to-large earthquakes, and these two events do not match any known significant earthquakes on nearby faults in the upper Australian plate.
“The findings are significant in terms of understanding earthquake and tsunami hazards in the lower North Island and upper South Island,” says Kate Clark.
Judging by the sedimentary debris found at the time of the first earthquake, this event was accompanied by tsunami that was more than three metres high and swept more than 360 meters inland.
If a similar event were to happen today, she says the damage would be significant.
“An earlier study, which modelled a magnitude 8.9 earthquake - that is our worst-case scenario - estimates in the Wellington region alone about $13 billion of damage and several thousand fatalities.
“I should point out that most of the fatalities are probably from the tsunami and not from the earthquake shaking, so if we can get the message across to the people to heed tsunami warnings and self-evacuate when they feel a strong earthquake, then these fatalities can be reduced.”
From the evidence available, the team couldn’t estimate the size of the two quakes, but Kate Clark says quakes with similar impacts in comparable geological settings are larger than magnitude 7.5.
“We would like to go further back in time and find evidence of older subduction earthquakes,” she says. “With a longer record of past subduction earthquakes we can get a better constraint on the recurrence of such earthquakes, which will help to forecast future subduction earthquakes.”
Topics: science
Regions:
Tags: earthquakes, subduction earthquakes, megathrust earthquakes, seismic hazard modelling, Hikurangi Margin, tectonic plates, earthquake risk, tsunami, ground shaking
Duration: 7'00"
22:00
Top 10 New Species for 2015
BODY:
The global 2015 Top 10 New Species List includes an endangered parasitic plant from the Philippines described by University of Canterbury botanists
EXTENDED BODY:
By Alison Ballance
A cart-wheeling spider from Morocco. A Japanese pufferfish, whose mysterious underwater ‘crop circles’ puzzled scientists for nearly 20 years. And the Chinese bone-house wasp, which uses dead ants to protect its nest.
What these animals have in common is that they’ve just been recognised in the Top 10 New Species for 2015.
The global list is compiled annually by the International Institute for Species Exploration, at the State University of New York. It’s a hotly contested honour, as the Top Ten are chosen from nearly 18,000 new species described by scientists during the previous year.
And it’s not just animals on the list. Dr Pieter Pelser and Dr Julie Barcelona, from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury, described an unusual plant from the Philippines.
“It’s a quite bizarre species,” says Dr Pelser. “It looks more like a coral colony than a plant, and because it looks so much like a coral we named it Balanophora coralliformis.”
“It’s a parasitic plant, so it taps into the roots of nearby plants to steal their water and nutrients for its own use.”
Botanists Dr Pelser and Dr Barcelona found the plant on a remote mountain on the Philippine Island of Luzon. They knew of its existence from photos that had been taken by a Filipino colleague, and they recognised that it was different from any other species of Balanophora known to science. “We had an opportunity to do field work in the area the photo was taken, and fortunately we got lucky and we found it.”
The Top 10 New Species list is released each year to mark the birthday of Carolus Linnaeus, an 18th century botanist who‘s considered the father of taxonomy. Dr Quentin Wheeler, President of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York says the purpose of the list is to draw attention to the world’s remarkable biodiversity.
“The purpose of the Top Ten is to bring attention to how little we know about life on earth. In 250 years we’ve discovered fewer than two million kinds of plants and animals, and the best estimates are there another 10 million awaiting discovery. And many of those will inevitably disappear before they’ve ever been discovered and given a name.”
The peculiar parasitic plant was almost immediately declared endangered after it was discovered, as fewer than 50 plants have been found.
Not all the new species are rare. Two turned out to be hiding in broad daylight – a 23-centimetre long stick insect is common in a Vietnamese town, while Mexican villagers often use a beautiful – and new to science - bromeliad in their elaborate Christmas altar displays.
Also on the Top 10 New Species list:
A small feathered dinosaur – nick-named the ‘chicken from hell’ – and described from three fossil skeletons found in Dakota, USA.
Dendrogramma enigmatica - a mysterious marine creature from Australia that may be an entirely new phylum of animals, somehow related to jellyfish and comb jellies.
An Indonesian fanged frog that, unlike almost all other frogs, gives birth to live tadpoles.
And a beautiful Japanese sea slug that comes in shades of blue, red and gold.
Topics: environment, science
Regions:
Tags: taxonomy, biodiversity, threatened species, parasitic plants, Top 10 New Species List
Duration: 3'57"
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)