Afternoons for Wednesday 15 April 2020

1:00 Live coverage of the Ministry of Health's latest Covid Update

An update from the Government on Covid 19 - speakers today are Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health.

1:25 Epidemic Response Committee focuses on the state of the media

Parliament's Epidemic Response Committee has been hearing from media companies and the Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi today about the impact Covid-19 is having on publishers and broadcasters.

We speak to Mediawatch presenter Colin Peacock. 

1:35 An urgent call for a Ministry of Food 

We speak to food writer Lauraine Jacobs is calling for the Government to introduce a Ministry of Food.  

Lauraine has been writing about food for three decades, and was until recently the New Zealand listener food columnist.

1:40 Ngā Taonga Sound Archives:  Remembering the 1932 Queen Street riots

In Autumn 1932 at the height of the Great Depression,  protests and civil unrest rocked New Zealand's main centres.  Today in our visit to the sound archives of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision we will hear memories of the worst disturbance in Auckland's Queen St when a protest march by unemployed workers turned into a riot. Listen to the full Spectrum documentary about the 1932 Auckland riots

1:50 New Zealand artists collaborate on waiata 'Stay'

A group of New Zealand artists spent a week during the lockdown collaborating on the waiata 'Tutahi' or 'Stay' which has now been released along with a music video.

We speak to Rob Ruha, one of the co-writers of the waiata.

2.10 Katy Atkin's podcast picks this week

Week three of Lockdown now, we might be all going a little stir crazy! You might be looking forward to some listening that doesn't involve Covid-19 news. There are some new podcasts that are responding to the current worldwide situation of being stuck at home - giving you some light relief! Katy Atkin from Stuff reviews Staying in With Emily and Kumail; Home Cooking - Samin Norsrat and Hrishikesh Hirway and one for the kids - Quizicle Kids. More top picks from Katy are here. 

2:20 Bookmarks: Steve Braunias

New Zealand writer and journalist Steve Braunias has covered everything from the best fast food joints in West Auckland to dramatic courtroom trials. 

Steve is the author of 10 books, including ‘How to Watch a Bird’, ‘The Man Who Ate Lincoln Road’ and ‘The Scene of the Crime’, and another one is on the way.  

He’s also the literary editor at Newsroom, a staff writer for the New Zealand Herald, and life president of the Hamilton Press Club. 

He talks to Jesse Mulligan about some of his favourite things.

Some of Steve's top picks:

Songs:

Steal My Girl by One Direction

Yer Blues by The Beatles

TV:

The Waltons

Books:

The Return of Eva Peron with The Killings in Trinidad by VS Naipaul

3:10 Terry Waite - how to survive isolation and confinement

Terry Waite knows what it feels like to be isolated and alone. He spent 1,763 days held hostage in Beirut. He shares the lessons he learned about coping with confinement, finding happiness in small things and why we can emerge from the current Covid 19 crisis stronger than ever. Terry set up Y Care International to support the world's most disadvantaged young people into work and out of poverty.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World. Maths, models & insights into the coronavirus pandemic

Alex James is a University of Canterbury mathematician who specializes in creating models of complex issues such as infectious disease outbreaks. She explains the art and science of modelling the coronavirus pandemic, and the importance of a single number: R nought, or how many other people a single person with COVID-19 infects.

3:45 The Panel with Wendyl Nissen and Peter Dunne