Navigation for Sunday Morning

8:12 Insight: Black Caps – Still International Players?

Is New Zealand cricket in crisis or is it suffering just another dip on the performance rollercoaster? After a woeful test series against South Africa and what's widely regarded as the mis-management of Ross Taylor's sacking as captain, the Black Caps hope to regain some international respect when they host England in a three-test series in March. Radio New Zealand sports reporter, Stephen Hewson considers if there is a way back for a side which has slumped so far down the test world rankings that the tour's being labelled a waste of time in some quarters.
Produced by Philippa Tolley.

8:40 Rupert Howes – Environmental Credentials

Rupert Howes is CEO of the Marine Stewardship Council based in the UK. The MSC is an international accreditation system bringing New Zealand into line with global standards in the sustainable use of fisheries – it is intended to achieve a balance between development and environmental considerations.  Over the last three years the MSC has been working with fishing industry companies in New Zealand to certify three major fisheries – hoki, tuna and whiting – and Rupert was here recently to launch the new regime.

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at how The Hobbit hit headlines again, with the disclosure of documents under the Official Information Act. But could stories like this be stymied in future by forthcoming changes to the Act?  Mediawatch also looks at why the media ended up upset last week at one of Maoridom’s biggest events; and why a deadly conflict nearby gets more coverage in Europe’s media than in our own.
Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9.40 Matthew Jockers – Austen and Eve

Matthew Jockers is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Before that he was a lecturer in the Department of English at Stanford University, where he co-founded and directed the Stanford Literary Lab. Matthew created Godot, a computer programme that has analysed themes, styles and grammar of 3500 novels published between 1780 and 1900 and found that Jane Austen was the ‘Eve’ of 19th Century writing – her techniques can be identified in the works of thousands of writers who came after her.

10:06 Ideas: Re-imagining the Urban House

Arguments for intensifying the density of housing tend to fall into two categories: Affordability and putting a halt to urban sprawl. Ideas talks to two architects who advocate higher density housing not just for those reasons but because they believe, if done right, it will result in more livable houses and communities. Robert Dalziel, the co-author of A House in the City: Home Truths in Urban Architecture, has traveled the world looking at traditional models of high density housing and come to some interesting conclusions; and Ian Athfield, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated architects, talks about the lessons he’s learnt from building his own house which now combines living quarters for 25 people with office space for another 40.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.

10.55 Today’s Track

Today’s track is from one of the many international musicians performing at Womad Taranaki later this month – Spanish Catalan singer Amparo Sanchez with the track Corazon De Realidad,  from her 2010 album Tucson Habana.
(Via Lactea Records)

11.05 Down the List

Where does the real power in New Zealand lie? That’s right, with a bunch of bureaucrats, underlings, officials, and lowly-ranked list MPs that you and I have never heard of.  Whether it’s in sport, politics, commerce, education or the arts, the only way to find out what’s really going on in this country is by going ... Down the List. Written by Dave Armstrong and produced by Radio New Zealand’s Drama department.  Today two young, delusional ACT Party members try to stay upbeat about the ACT Party’s remarkably unstable history, its present 0.2% support base, and its prospects of attracting more voters.

11.12 Chris Prowse – Songs about The Shiner

Chris Prowse has followed up his Tui Award-winning 2009 album Trouble on the Waterfront with a new ‘alt history’ CD which takes its inspiration from John A. Lee’s writings about the notorious colonial swagman Shiner Slattery. The songs and the music tell stories from those times around a century ago, about the swagmen, the gold seekers, the tricksters and the remittance men.
There Goes the Shiner – Chris Prowse & The Rouseabouts. Distributed by Ode Records

11.40 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint

Wayne Brittenden has been Radio New Zealand’s correspondent in several capital cities over the years. Each week he gives fresh insights into a wide variety of topics of national and international concern, followed by Chris Laidlaw’s discussion of the issue with guests. Today, when it comes to work, the political right has generally championed hard work, while the left calls for more jobs. The old dream of fewer work days, with increased mechanisation and technology, is almost forgotten. This week Wayne looks at little-reported but very encouraging steps towards three-day weekends. Chris follows up with the man largely responsible for implementing such a scheme in the State of Utah – Associate Professor Rex Facer, and discusses its potential for New Zealand with Lincoln University’s Economics Professor Paul Dalziel.