Afternoons for Wednesday 28 June 2023

 

1:15 Alcohol tops list as most harmful substance

A panel of experts have ranked alcohol as the most harmful substance in New Zealand, ahead of several illegal drugs. Twenty three drugs were scored against seventeen criteria to assess their harm within both the general population, and also separately for youth. Booze came ahead of methamphetamine, synthetic cannabis, and cocaine. Susie is joined by co-author of the study Professor Joe Boden.

1:25 Anxious wait for Swifties ahead of ticket sales

Demand for Taylor Swift's Australian shows are through the roof, with snubbed New Zealand fans spending big bucks to see her across the ditch. Over one million people are signed up for pre-sale tickets released today, but there are under half a million tickets available for the five shows.

Flights from Auckland to Melbourne have spiked from around $300 to as high as $1000 over the concert dates next February. Susie talks to Ella, a self-proclaimed full time Swiftie fan girl, to see if she has been successful in her quest.

1:35 Litter campaigner and artist on how to make plastic-free July achievable.

Litter campaigner and artist Lorella Doherty spent 100 days of lockdown picking up litter from local beaches in Taranaki. Since then she's been turning the rubbish into a large-scale art exhibition which the public will be able to view as part of Plastic-free July.

1:45 Aotearoa’s Savage clubs: art by the people, for the people

In the mid-1800s, a gentleman's club was formed in London for men connected to literature and fine arts. Named after the poet Richard Savage, there are 16 active clubs in Aotearoa today. Over the last few years, some clubs have folded with declining membership. But the Waimate Savage & Entertainment Club is going strong, set to celebrate 100 years this August. Club Secretary Ina de Paauw Fontein is passionate about how the arts help people

2.12 Podcast Critic: Nikitta Harmer

Today Nikitta talks to Susie about Heavyweight by Jonathan Goldstein, a heartwarming podacast in which each episode helps a different guest solve a problem.

2:25 Bookmarks with Brandon De La Cruz

For today's Bookmarks we meet musician Brandon De La Cruz.
Originally from the US he's currently based in Hamilton after moving down under to be with his partner.
He's got a new album coming out soon called Two Kilo's of Blue.
He talks to Susie about what he likes to listen to, watch and read in his down time.

3:10 The origins of celebrity culture

Celebrity culture was all just a bit of fun and an amusing diversion for the founding editor of People magazine, until it wasn't. Landon Jones says 'being famous' has become a weapon of mass distraction, with social media giving anyone a platform to say whatever will command our attention. He shares an insider's view of the celebrity industrial complex where fame rather than accomplishment is everything. His book is call  Celebrity Nation --How American Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers.

3:35 Our Changing World: A focus on neurogenetic conditions

Neurogenetic conditions are estimated to affect about 4000 New Zealanders. 

Now on Our Changing World, Claire Concannon learns what this umbrella term means, and meets some of the team behind a clinical trial taking part in Auckland right now aimed at helping patients that suffer from one of these conditions. 
 

3:45 The Panel with Paula Penfold and Conor English