Sunday Morning for Sunday 25 August 2019

7.09 Professor Al Gillespie: 'Incentives needed to restrict Brazilian deforestation' 

Pressure continues to mount on Brazil to do more to fight the fires in the Amazon, but there is no international convention or obligation for any country to protect their forests. University of Waikato professor of international Law Al Gillespie offers his take on the situation. 

7:18 Dr Andrew Klein: Catching the fraudsters in medical research

In recent years there have been increasing incidents of overt scientific misconduct, including plagiarism. Dr Andrew Klein, a cardiothoracic anaesthetist from Cambridge in the UK, explains how the medical research sector can clean up the scientific record and get rid of "fake data".

7.32 The House

This week The House looks at  some of the ideas that that Youth MPs are feeding back to their real counterparts about how to run the country, and MPs bravely demonstrate that training in grammar isn't a prerequisite.

7.45 Calling Home: Nikki Ross in Bali

Living in Bali is a world away from her upbringing on a farm in Kurow in the South Island, but expat and business owner Nikki Ross wouldn't have it any other way. Nikki is Calling Home form Batu Belig and joins the show to discuss her life on the tropical island paradise.

8:10 Insight Milk shake - Why the future of dairy looks scary

Dairy's huge role earning export dollars for New Zealand is facing a threat some say could bring it to its knees. Lab-grown milk protein is now stepping outside niche cheese and ice cream markets and into the bulk ingredient arena. Teresa Cowie investigates how much of a threat synthetic products pose to our dairy industry.

8:37 Catherine van der Meulen: No future for fast fashion

Catherine van der Meulen grew up in fashion, her father founded Supre in Australia. She worked for the company during its more difficult years which saw it eventually sold off to Cotton On. Catherine's currently based in Seddon, Marlborough with her two children and has some strong views about the sustainability of the fast fashion industry.

9:06 Mediawatch

Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9:37 Professor Louis Ptáček: Early rising is in the genes

A new study suggests that extreme early risers, people who are up and about pre-dawn, are simply listening to what their bodies are telling them. The study's lead author, neurologist Dr Louis Ptáček joins the show to explain why there are night owls, extreme larks and everything else in between.

10:06 Ayham al-Ahmad: The Pianist of Yarmouk

Ayham al-Ahmad became famous after playing his piano in the rubble of Syria's Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus. His story of trying to bring a bit of joy against the backdrop of a war zone has gone viral. He explains to Jim why he put himself in such danger and how life has changed after videos of him were put on Youtube. He has also written a book, The Pianist of Yarmouk.

10:25 Professor Tod E. Waight: Trump's Greenland bid not as crazy as it sounds

US president Donald Trump's interest in buying Greenland has been widely scoffed at. Some, however, believe it's a clever strategy, with Greenland being eyed up by Russia for its unknown but likely large potential oil and mineral resources. New Zealander Tod Waight is a Professor in Geology at Copenhagen University and believes there is more than just madness to Trump's audacious bid.

10:40 Aubrey Logan: The magic of Postmodern Jukebox

Aubrey Logan is coming to New Zealand with Postmodern Jukebox, a rotating musical collective which takes pop songs and creates swing or jazz versions of them. What started as basement projects among friends has now turned into an international touring success. She explains why the musical changes to modern songs are so popular.

11:05 Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: Theatre renamed after soprano great

The Aotea Centre is renaming its TSB theatre after our most famous opera singer and first-ever Grammy award winner, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. She talks about the honour being bestowed upon her and the gala concert being held on November 20th to mark the theatre name change. 

11:17 Christine Loh Kung-wai: Hong Kong protests represent youth dissatisfaction

Christine Loh Kung-wai is a former environment undersecretary who is now a scholar at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She joins the show to offer he analysis on the unrest rocking Hong Kong, and why there is a sense of déjà vu about the current situation.

 

11.30 Musical Chair: Ray Woolf

Veteran entertainer Ray Woolf is in the Musical Chair this week to look back on his five decades in the New Zealand entertainment industry and the release of his new biography, Hey Woolfie, Welcome to the World. He's also sharing a couple of tracks by other artists which have always resonated with him.