Afternoons for Monday 17 June 2019

1:10 First song

1:15 The future of food in New Zealand

Food is one of the essentials for life but our choices now are overwhelming. 

With the global population set to reach 10 billion people, food producers around the world now have to figure out how to make these choices sustainable for the future. 

Mike Lee is food strategist from the US, co-founder of Alpha Food labs. His job is to help producers understand what the future of food is and how they get there. He's in the country to speak to AgResearch scientists and tells us more about his work. 

1:25 Jesse Peach on bringing Once:The Musical to NZ

One of the world's most celebrated modern musicals is premiering in New Zealand this month, brought here by kiwi director Jesse Peach.

It took five years to bring Once:The Musical to our shores. It's the story of life in Dublin for a pair of musicians, based on a film of the same name. Director Jesse Peach is in studio to tell us about bringing this musical home. You can get tickets here. 

1:35 Students solving community problems 

It's often remarked that students don't learn real-life skills at school, just theory. But a programme called Future Problem Solving has been encouraging students to think about the real world since 1990.

It gives kids from the skills to tackle global and community problems. Teams of students compete nationally before the winners try their luck at an international competition in the US. 

And the teams have just returned as winners. Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth placed first and second in Community Problem Solving. We speak to their coach teacher Robyn Wackrow and one of the students. 

1:40 Great album

2:10 Television Critic: Irene Gardiner

Irene reviews Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, new on Netflix, Deep State – series two, TVNZ OnDemand, Cold Case - series two, TVNZ1 and Te Ao with Moana, Maori Television

2:20 John Hart on why he's farming crickets in the Wairarapa

This time last year, Wairarapa farmer and technology consultant, John Hart, was considering crickets as a potential food source for chickens, when he realised they were much too expensive and would be better as a food source for people. 

At the same time, the owner of Masterton bakery, Breadcraft, was in Canada, looking at sustainable packaging. He just happened to pop into a cricket farm to research cricket flour while he was there. 

A mutual friend introduced them eight months ago - and they created Rebel Bakehouse, a brand of hemp seed and cricket wraps which is now in supermarkets nationwide. 

Rebel Bakehouse is also a finalist in the 2019 Wellington Gold Business Awards.

3:10 Steve Young: Unusual musicals enthusiast and star of Bathtubs over Broadway

Anything can be a musical. The mega hits about the beliefs and practices of Mormons and that one about American history and a man named Hamilton are surely proof of that.  How about a musical about dog food or plastic wrap?  Back in the day, mega corporations commissioned musicals about their products just to entertain executives. 

Former David Letterman writer Steve Young collects albums from these unusual musicals. He's the subject of a documentary called Bathtubs over Broadway. 

3:35 Voices

Calls for New Zealand's hate speech law to be changed are getting louder.
Reforming our hate crime law is now being considered in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks.

But a series of community led meetings have been held too - including a trans-Tasman racial equity hui, in Auckland last week. 

On Voices today a Muslim Kiwi woman shares her own personal experiences of Islamophobia to push for change.

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

4:05 The Panel with Ruwani Perera and Peter Elliott