09:05 Septic tank seepage a public health time bomb

Two Northland communities fear raw sewage dredged up from recent flooding poses serious health risks.  More than 200mm of rain fell across the region earlier this month causing widespread devastation, as putrid floodwaters coursed through low lying homes, swamped the Otiria rugby club and contaminated the playground at Moerewa School. The clean up of both towns is ongoing, but the school's principal Maia Cooper says grassy areas are off limits to its 147 pupils for a couple more weeks because of faecal overflows. And community advocate and treasurer of the local Otiria Rugby Club, Pamela-Anne Simon says many locals have been flooded so many times that they are uninsurable. 

09:20 Lake Onslow hydro project: Pros and cons

Hydrologist Earl Bardsley joins Lynn to explain how the hydro project proposal for Lake Onslow would work and what benefits it could bring, as well as concerns over biodiversity.

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09:35  Mapping the seabed around Whakaari White Island

Photo: NIWA|image_alt_text=No caption

A NIWA research voyage hopes to better understand the effect gases emanating from the sea floor have on ocean acidification and climate change. They're using acoustic imaging technology to distinguish between different gases and to map the sea bed close to Whakaari White Island.  They're comparing what it looked like before and after last December's fatal volcanic eruption that killed twenty-one​ people and injured twenty-six. They're scanning for evidence of landslides, vents and further volcanic eruptions. Project leader Dr Joshu Mountjoy joins Lynn Freeman from the RV Tangaroa.

09:45 The pandemic and the US election

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing from the White House in Washington,DC.

Photo: AFP

US correspondent Susan Davis looks at the state of the US presidential race, where the latest polls continue to be bad news for Republicans. The pandemic has forced Donald Trump into a backdown on holding the Republican convention in Florida - is coronavirus going to be the defining issue of this year's election?

Susan Davis is a congressional correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast.

10:05 Christopher McDougall - running with donkeys

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Photo: supplied

Christopher McDougall is best known for his  super-popular book Born to Run about the natural joy of running, the science of sport and super athletes. He's also written Natural Born Heroes about resistance fighters in World War II on the Greek Island of Crete. His latest book Running with Sherman documents his decision to adopt Sherman, a badly mistreated donkey, who he trained to walk and run again - ultimately competing in an extreme race through the Rocky Mountains.

10:35 Book review - Lost Souls by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman

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Photo: Penguin Random House

Quentin Johnson reviews Lost Souls by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, published by Penguin Random House. 

10:45 The Reading

Where the Rekohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti  
Read  by George Henare, Maria Walker & Kura Forrester Part  7

11:05 Lake Onslow storage scheme, Trump nominates Kiwi for OECD gig

Business commentator Rod Oram joins Lynn to look at the $30m earmarked for a detailed business case for what would be the biggest infrastructure project in NZ since the Clyde Dam. He'll also talk about where New Zealand's net zero emissions plan has got to, and why Donald Trump is backing Kiwi Chris Liddell for secretary general of the OECD. 

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Photo: Flickr / Shellie Evans

11:30 Small town boy. Trans actor Elz Carrad

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Photo: Melissa Nickerson

Elz Carrad is the lead actor in Rūrangi, a ground-breaking transgender web series set in a fictional small-town dairying community. It tells the story of Caz Davis, who comes home as himself for the first time since transitioning.

The local web series, of which over half of the  cast and crew identify as gender-diverse, is screening as part of 'Whānau Marama: New Zealand International Film Festival', in select cinemas nationwide and as part of the online streaming programme from Monday 27 July.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Opinion polls - was TVNZ's latest political opinion poll truly rogue, and does it matter? And why do media outlets continue to pay for political opinion polls?.

Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne. 

Music played in this show

Artist: Nora Jones  
Song: Oh No 
Time Played: 09.45 

Artist: Andy Shauf 
Song: Things I do 
Time: 11.30