Sunday Morning for Sunday 11 August 2019

7:09 Professor Al Gillespie: 'We could be about to see another Tiananmen Square' 

Tensions continue to rise in Hong Kong after more than two months of protests and unrest, despite the controversial extradition bill now being in the background after being put on hold. International Law Professor, Dr Al Gillespie from Waikato University joins the show to look at the tense situation in Hong Kong and why he believes it could lead to another Tiananmen Square-type disaster. 

7.22  Rebecca Jelley: Breathing new life into the world of lawn bowls

Rebecca Jelley, a 27-year-old Auckland student, co-founded the groundbreaking new lawn balls enterprise called Ultimate Bowls Championship, a fast-paced, user-friendly version of the game. It's being broadcast to millions around the world and offers "crazy" prize-money for tournament winners.

7.32 The House

National MP Chris Bishop has been quizzing Associate Minister for Transport Julie Anne Genter over a letter she sent to the Minister of Transport. Did she send it as a Minister or as a Green Party Spokesperson? Parliamentary programme The House breaks down why the distinction matters. 

A weekly digest of the events in Parliament with Daniela Maoate-Cox and Phil Smith.

7.45 Calling Home: Brigid-Anne Gilbert in Berlin

Brigid-Anne Gilbert's initial plan was to move to Spain for a bit of an O.E. Instead she's ended up in Berlin, and has lived there for the past seven years. Brigid-Anne works for a musical software company in the German capital and shares her experiences of living in one of the most creative cities in the world.

8:10 Insight Islamophobia still thriving in New Zealand?

After the attacks on the Mosques in Christchurch there were pleas for unity and love in the face of evil and a huge outpouring of grief and support for the Muslim community. But did New Zealanders just pat themselves on the back for reacting well, while doing nothing to tackle on-going Islamophobia? Philippa Tolley investigates

8.38 Professor Chris Lowry: Garden bacteria can combat anxiety and depression

Professor Chris Lowry from Colorado University is part of a team of scientists which have uncovered a bacteria found in soil which can help combat anxiety and depression. He says simply by gardening people can feel the effects of it. It's his hope that one day soon it can be developed into a vaccine.

9:06 Mediawatch

On Mediawatch: television and telecommunications used to be completely different things - but now they’ve ‘converged’. Can our major media companies all survive the trend? Also: why the media saw red over a Green blackout; a distressing death dressed up as clickbait – and the Warriors prompt a four-letter frenzy. Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9:37 Dr. Saul Newman: Debunking the Blue Zone longevity myth

Blue Zones, such as Okinawa in Japan and Sardinia in Italy, are famous for being home to a high number of people living well past the age of 100, but a new study from Dr. Saul Newman, a researcher at the Australian National University, suggests the records in some of these places aren't kept particularly well, and in some cases people are simply fibbing about their age to qualify for an aged pension.  

10.04  Professor Ronald Rael: The Teetertotter US-Mexico border wall experiment  

Last week, architectural studio Rael San Fratello installed three pink seesaws in between the metal slats of the US-Mexico border wall, so that children on either side can play together. Co-founder Ronald Rael is with us to discuss the iconic project which ended up being the better part of a decade in the making.

10.15  Dr Pete Etchells: The benefits of video games and online gaming

The role of gaming and online games is often questioned in instances such as mass murders and terrorism acts, but Dr. Pete Etchells has a different take on why people play video games and what they can do for us, including making people better surgeons. He joins Jim to talk about the the goods of gaming, as outlined in his new book, Lost in a Good Game.

11.04 Steven O'Meagher: The Story of Rugby

Producer and director Steven O'Meagher's spent a lot of time on the road to interview 99 people across 20 countries to chart the history and politics of rugby. He talks about the big names he got to take part in the six week long series The Story of Rugby being screened on T.V 1 from August 17.

11.25 Musical Chair: Lisa Chappell

This week's Musical Chair guest is the talented Lisa Chappell. She talks about the songs which are special to her and the roles she's played over the years. She's currently back in New Zealand and appearing in Auckland Theatre Company's MINDFOOD's season of Six Degrees of Separation playing at the ASB Waterfront Theatre.