Saturday Morning for Saturday 11 October 2025

7:08 Latest from Israel and Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to their homes in the Gaza Strip after Israeli soldiers started withdrawing.

Meanwhile a countdown is on to the release of all 48 remaining Israeli hostages captured by Hamas in its surprise attack on 7th October two years ago.

A list of 250 Palestinian prisoners has been released for the swap with many more expected to also be freed.

People have been celebrating as a wave of relief has swept the region.

Gideon Levy is an award-winning journalist and author who writes weekly for the newspaper Haaretz. He joins Susie Ferguson live from Tel Aviv

7:20 Fronting up: Te Pāti Māori

The new Tāmaki Makaurau MP Oriini Kaipara delivered a powerful maiden speech in parliament on Thursday.  It was followed by waiata and a breakout haka led by a supporter caught up in the moment. For his efforts, the speaker of the house suspended parliament.

Following the maiden speech, the leadership of Te Pāti Māori fronted up to the media - hoping to lay to rest the fractures that have recently emerged.  But the press conference lasted just a few minutes before they walked away.

Rawiri Waititi later told RNZ's Mata programme the party has been in the weeds, responding to attacks on Te Tiriti, waahine, rainbow communities, unions and the environment.  

Waititi and fellow co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer speak to Mihingarangi Forbes about the party's reset - and address the recent criticism.

7:33 Will time of use charging take a toll on our privacy?

A privacy group is warning that a proposed fix for congestion raises questions about the use and retention of personal information.

One of the likely measures to be brought in is what's known as time-of-use charging. This means drivers may end up paying on our busiest roads, at peak traffic times. 

The Land Transport Management (Time of Use Charging) Amendment Bill is expected to pass before the end of the year.

Gehan Gunasekara is an Associate Professor in Commercial Law at Auckland University and a member of the Privacy Foundation. The convenor of their surveillance working group, he speaks to Susie about the group's recommendations for change. 

7:40 Economic situation report with Liam Dann

New Zealand Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann unpacks this week's economic news. 

There was relief for borrowers with the Reserve Bank's slashing of the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday to 2.5 percent and hints of further cuts to come.

Liam talks to Mihingarangi about what we can expect. 

7:51 Mental health in the workplace

With the cost of living crisis hitting hard and unemployment on the rise, how is the mental health of employees fairing? 

Figures from Stats NZ for the June quarter show there are now 50-thousand fewer jobs than in December 2023.

That's led to more people job hugging - staying in jobs they don't like - and that has consequences for mental wellbeing.

Dr Galia BarHava is an Auckland-based psychologist with a PhD in person-centred healthcare. She joins Susie to discuss how we can improve mental health in the workplace.  

8:11 Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm: Pike River

The long-awaited Pike River movie premieres around the country next week. It's based on the real-life tragedy of the explosions at the West Coast mine in 2010 which killed 29 men and their families' battle for answers and accountability.

The men's remains have never been recovered.

Directed by Rob Sarkies, the film stars Melanie Lynskey as Anna Osborne and Robyn Malcolm as Sonya Rockhouse - two women who demonstrated how ordinary people can stand up to powerful corporations and government.

Susie speaks with both actors about the making of a film that has been described as a tribute to resilience, community and the fight for justice.

Popular culture has mythologised The Spartans as militaristic warriors who enjoyed nothing more than battling to the death.

But how much of what we think we know is actually true?  And what can modern society, which is still enthralled by this ancient city-state and strongmen, learn from their downfall?  

Andrew Bayliss is Associate Professor in Greek History at the University of Birmingham. He joins Susie to discuss his new book, Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower.

9:36 Groundbreaking new treatment for anxiety and depression

One in four New Zealanders will experience some form of anxiety or depressive disorder in their lifetime.

Of those, it's reported that at least 30% won't respond to traditional treatment therapies.

Professor Paul Glue from Otago University is a finalist in this year's KiwiNet Awards for his work in developing a drug that has been shown to help where others have failed. 

With clinical trials and the approval process underway, he hopes to have the medication - a slow release form of ketamine - to market in less than three years. 

Professor Glue talks to Mihingarangi about his research and not one - but two - groundbreaking discoveries. 

10:06 Stan Walker on claiming his style

Stan Walker is one of Aotearoa's most well-known entertainers. 

He first burst onto our screens in 2009 when he won the seventh season of Australian Idol but Stan is just as well known for sharing his personal story. A survivor of child abuse, Stan discovered he had a genetic mutation which increased his chances of developing stomach cancer. The latter informed Stan's decision to have his stomach removed in 2017.

Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength and Stan has become something of a style icon.

He joins Mihingarangi to kaupapa about a charity drive for high quality clothing to benefit the Red Cross.

10:29 Case Studies: The history of global plant transport

In 1829, London physician Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward sealed a plant inside a glass container - an experiment that revolutionised global plant transport and forever transformed ecosystems, gardens and lives in the process.

This invention, later known as the Wardian case, allowed the British Empire to move “exotic” species across continents, facilitating the spread of tea from China to India and enabling the smuggling of 70,000 rubber plant seeds from Brazil to Kew Gardens. It also played a crucial role in conservation, helping to save the critically endangered ngutukākā (kākābeak) plant in Aotearoa. 

Photographer Mark Smith and botanical artist Felicity Jones have spent the past seven years uncovering stories of botanical globalisation with a focus on plant exchanges between Aotearoa and the wider world. Their findings are presented in their new book, Case Studies.  

The pair also have an exhibition on at Silo Park until October 16th.

11:06 Richard Beasley's unexpected medical findings

Does smoking cannabis cause lung cancer? Are party pills safe? Does sitting for long periods of time cause blood clots? These are just some of the questions renowned academic, physician and researcher Professor Richard Beasley is discussing in his current national lecture tour.

Richard is the founder and director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand. He's also the most recent recipient of New Zealand's top science medal, the Rutherford Medal, for his work in revolutionising the treatment of asthma.

He joins Susie to share some of the unexpected findings from his medical research. 

11:37 Astrid Jorgensen on the joys of mediocrity

Astrid Jorgensen is a choral conductor, composer and entertainer. 

Her recently published memoir, Average at Best, details her experience founding and leading the global phenomenon Pub Choir. To date, Pub Choir's raised over $550,000 for local grassroots charities. 

It also teaches an important lesson about embracing mediocrity and finding joy in the act of singing - even if you're not the best singer in the world.

Astrid joins Mihi to talk about her mission to teach the world to sing.

 

Music played in this show

8.38 - 'Māori Ki Te Ao' by Stan Walker

9.34 - 'Help!' by The Beatles

9.57 - 'Sweet Jane' by The Cowboy Junkies

10.25 - 'Redemption Song' by Bob Marley

11.06 - 'Fever' by Peggy Lee

11.32 - 'Africa' by Toto

11.56 - 'Garden Song' by Phoebe Bridgers