Nights for Thursday 27 October 2022

7:12 Our Changing World: Voices from Antarctica

Ninety percent of the world's freshwater is locked up as ice in Antarctica and scientists are working to better understand what might happen with all that ice in a warming world.  Alison Ballance meets a researcher about to look at an enormous ice stream that drains from West Antarctica and feeds the world's largest floating ice shelf, the Ross Ice Shelf. 

She also meets a man whose job is blowing up crevasses on the ice shelf, to create a safe route for a convoy of vehicles towing equipment to the remote camp where drillers will use hot water to melt a hole through 600 metres of ice. 

 

7:35 Essential NZ Album: Light of the Pacific by Herbs

Combining the influences of Bob Marley and the music of their Polynesian heritage, Herbs were pioneers of a Pacific reggae sound. Nick Bollinger discusses their first long-player Light Of The Pacific in Essential New Zealand Albums.

 

8:15 Pacific Waves

Koroi Hawkins presents a daily current affairs programme that delves deeper into the major stories of the week, through a Pacific lens, and shines a light on issues affecting Pacific people wherever they are in the world.

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8:30 Window on The World: People Fixing The World

Giant seabirds and shellfish are being used to help protect our planet. On a tiny island in the remote Southern Ocean, a French researcher wanted to find out why so many birds were being killed by fishing boats. By attaching radar loggers to Albatrosses, he inadvertently invented a powerful method for tracking down illegal vessels.

And in New Orleans, a restaurant owner is recycling tonnes of old oyster shells by putting them back in the ocean to protect the shoreline and create new reefs so more oysters can grow.

 

9:07 Astronomy with Alan Gilmore

Former Superintendent of the Mt John Observatory above Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie Country, Alan Gilmore joins us for his regular astronomy chat. This week, he looks at the upcoming total eclipse of the Moon, the success of the DART mission, and the biggest explosion ever seen.

 

9.40 Are we facing a strawberry shortage for summer?

Strawberries are the first of the summer fruits to come in and they're turning up in shops now. But some growers we've spoken to are warning of a strawberry shortage - one of these growers, Phil Greig, joins us.

 

10:17 Egg prices are on the rise

Egg prices will likely rise again next month when new welfare standards for hen housing becomes law. The changes mean more spaces for hens to live in, and regulatory constraints could also mean fewer eggs on the market. 

Besides the costs to convert to new housing systems, a number of other factors are also contributing to ever-increasing egg prices. Stats NZ figures show egg prices increased by 11.6 percent since September last year.

Poultry Industry Association director Michael Brooks joins the show to explain.

 

10:30 How to pack for travel (and be prepared for missing suitcases)

The post-pandemic travel boom has seen a plague of lost luggage in recent months, causing chaos in airports all over the world. 

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, travel advisor Alex Hannagan has some helpful tips on how to pack for air travel to mitigate any luggage loss - including making sure your carry on has some contingency items.

 

11:07 Music 101 pocket edition

In this week's Pocket Edition, Kim Hill speaks to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs about their 22-year career, and Gareth Shute from Audio Culture celebrates the birthday of the New Zealand indie pop label Lil' Chief records.