1:10 First song

1:15 West Coast Update

The heavy rain that drenched the West Coast has continued today. 

A woman has died after being swept away by a river, and there have been slips and flooding in the region.

We get an update of the situation from Westland Mayor Bruce Smith. 

A bridge to Arthur's Pass collapsed after heavy rainfall lashed the West Coast region.

A bridge to Arthur's Pass collapsed after heavy rainfall lashed the West Coast region. Photo: Facebook / Greymouth i-SITE

1:20 Developing drugs for cancer and depression

There is research being done in New Zealand to create medicines that could reduce the need for surgery and improve treatments for diseases like cancer and depression. 

The country's largest drug developer and manufacturer, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, has invested $40 million into researching and creating these drugs. 

The pharmaceutical company won a leadership prize at the New Zealand International Business Awards last night. Chief Scientific Officer Dr Peter Surman joins us to explain what health problems they're trying to tackle.

If you're interested in the trials Peter spoke about click here and here

A bottle of "PrEP" ( Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). used to prevent HIV, on white background.

Photo: 123rf

1:25 Reducing our carbon footprint

Transport is responsible for a huge chunk of New Zealand's overall greenhouse gas emissions. 

If we change the way we do things, we could reduce that carbon footprint by up to 90 percent by 2050. 

That's the vision of a new report out today by advisors at sustainability group thinkstep. 

We'd need new vehicle technologies, investment in renewable energy, and a shift in behaviour to do it though. Dr Jeff Vickers, Technical Director of thinkstep, is here to tell us how.

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Photo: Supplied / thinkstep

1:35 Kaikoura two years on from the big quake

Just under two years ago, on Nov 14 2016 there was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kaikoura.  

It destroyed some buildings, and two people died, but the most significant impact was the huge slips up and down SH1 and the main trunk line, that cut Kaikoura off from the rest of the country.

Damian Christie of the Aotearoa Science Agency has spent more than a year making a documentary about the impact of the quake and the town's recovery - it's going to play on TVNZ this Sunday evening. He tells us about what he has learned.

1:40 Great album

2:10 Film Review with Richard Swainson

Richard reviews Bohemian Rhapsody and King of Thieves

2:20 NZ Live Earth to Zena

Earth to Zena are a four piece from Wellington that describe their music as "shoegazey tunes of lucid dream pop melodies and reverb heavy rhythms for those earthlings who like to daydream to good grooves"

They perform live in our Wellington studio

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Photo: Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

3:10 Home made Tiramisu

Francesca's Italian Kitchen in Wanaka opened in late 2012 and the team behind it, Francesca Voza and James Stapley, have since opened two more restaurants in Christchurch and Dunedin.

They've also just released their first cook book and James joins us to talk through his tiramisu recipe, which includes home made marscapone.

Tiramisu from Francesca's Italian Kitchen cookbook

Tiramisu from Francesca's Italian Kitchen cookbook Photo: Jason Kelly / www.jasonkellyphoto.co

3:20 Talk the Walk - The Catlins

We explore the southeastern corner of the South Island in talk the walk today - the Catlins. It spans from Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions and includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.

Catlins farmer, Dianne Miller, is the chairperson of Catlins Coast Incorporated, and tells about her favourite things to do in the area, and why they set up the group - to ensure the natural environment is being protected as tourist numbers increase.

3:25 Critter of the Week Strigular Lichens

Most species of fungi live as independent organisms, but some are ‘lichenised’ and most of these cannot survive independently of a partner, such as an alga or blue/green alga (cyanobacterium).

These are the things we call ‘lichens’ and today Nicola Toki, DoC's threatened species ambassador tells us about Strigular Lichens, of which there are about 16 species.

3:45 The Pre-Panel Story of the Day and One Quick Question

4:05 The Panel with Kathryn Burnett and Michael Moynihan