Saturday Morning

8.10 George Saunders - life, death and what comes next

Booker prize winner George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo) returns with his latest novel Vigil. It's a rollercoaster ride, and a bedside tale, of sorts, as Jill "Doll" Blaine plummets towards earth to take charge of the latest soul she must usher into the afterlife, that of oil tycoon K J Boone. 

At once playful and profound, George Saunders confronts the biggest issues of our time: capitalism and corporate greed, the environmental consequences of progress and the question of absolution. 

8.48 David Fiu: making a noise at the Tattoo

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is bringing its 75th anniversary show to Auckland for the very first time. Full of pageantry, culture and history. 

The Heroes Who Made Us is a celebration of the tattoo, past and present and will feature over 1000 artists performing with musical and military precision on the hallowed ground of Eden Park.

One of those performers is Staff Sergeant David Fiu of the New Zealand Army Band. He talks to Paddy about bringing his Māori and Samoan heritage to the show.

9.05 Jane and Jimmy Barnes

Aussie rock icon Jimmy Barnes has certainly lived a full life but he hasn't been living his best life - until now.

The award winning musician and writer has just collaborated with his wife Jane on their second cookbook: Seasons Where the River Bends. 

Dedicated to the medical professionals who literally saved his life after a series of health scares, the book is as much about good food as it is about finding beauty in every day and sharing it with the people you love. 

Jimmy and Jane speak to Paddy about the healing power of truth, acceptance - and a great recipe or two.

9.30 Behind Black Sheep

New Zealand's most awarded podcast is RNZ's own Black Sheep, and it's back with its 9th season. 

Hosted and produced by William Ray - he explores New Zealand history through the lens of real life, shady, controversial and sometimes downright villainous characters. 

Our own Susie Ferguson has even been typecast as a murderous Scottish villain in it. 

Susie and William discuss how the seasons come to be, and wonder why William is so obsessed with the sketchy side of life.

9.45 Wellington's sewage spill disaster 

Seventy million litres of raw sewage a day have been flowing into Wellington's beaches after a catastrophic failure at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Around 70 percent of the plant has been inundated with wastewater, in what is quite possibly the worst sewage spill New Zealand has had, but it's not the first.

What is the ecological impact of such spills and how does Wellington’s compare to the sewage spilling into the sea in the rest of the world?

University of Sydney wastewater engineering expert Professor Stuart Khan joins Paddy to explain.

10.05 My Cemetery Journeys - Mariana Enriquez

Award-winning Argentine novelist and journalist Mariana Enriquez's fascination with burial grounds as a teenager lead to a lifelong interest in uncovering the secrets of our final resting places. 

Her latest book Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave documents over 25 years of visiting some of the world's most iconic cemeteries, and some of the world's forgotten ones too. 

Her previous work was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. 

She speaks with Susie Ferguson.

10.35 Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan

Music Portrait of a Humble Disabled Samoan is the new show telling the story of Fonotī Pati Umaga, the bassist for the Holidaymakers in the 1980s, who after a fall in 2005 was left a tetraplegic. Fonotī Pati Umaga went on to become a prominent disability advocate, recognised with a QSM.

Premiering in March as part of the Auckland Arts Festival, the show explores the challenges that came from that life changing incident, and the healing power of music. 

Fonotī Pati Umaga is joined by the shows award-winning theatre director Maiava Nathanial Lees.

11.05 Playing Favourites with comedian Tom Sainsbury

 

Beloved comedian, writer and actor Tom Sainsbury joins us in the Auckland studio to play favourites.  

Tom's perhaps best known for starring in shows like Wellington Paranormal, Educators, and even his social media parody videos, in which he plays an array of popular characters including 80s Mum, Ward Nurse, and Boomer Dad. 

Tom's also the brain behind the hit iHeartRadio true-crime parody podcast, Small Town Scandal, which has just been adapted for the screen.