Sunday Morning for Sunday 15 September 2019

7.10 China exporting surveillance state technology 

China has raised the ire of countries throughout the world for building an all-seeing surveillance state, but it now seems that other nations are looking to follow in its footsteps by using the same technology, including the likes of Venezuela and the Philippines, who have already started importing devices from China. Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the US Army War College. He joins the show to discuss. 

7.18 Dr Bryce Edwards: Doubts linger over Labour's internal investigation 

Questions are being raised over the level of trust the public has in the Labour Party and the Prime Minister's office as Maria Dew QC leads an internal investigation into abuse allegations. Political commentator Dr Bryce Edwards is with Victoria University's Institute for Governance and Policy Studies and joins the show to discuss where this serious matter goes from here.  

7.45 Calling Home: Jamie Scott in Edmonton 

Former Christchurch printing industry employee Jamie Scott is known as 'The Pie Man' for a good reason. The Edmonton-based father of two is the founder of the South Island Pie Co. and has been serving up single serve authentic meat pies, down-under style to locals and expats alike for the past six years. He discusses his life in Alberta, where it can sometimes get so cold that his beard freezes.   

8:41 Back pain should be managed like the common cold 

Almost everyone will have low back pain at some point in their lives, and instances are becoming more prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries. Monash University professor Rachelle Buchbinder has spent decades trying to stop doctors from making bad backs worse. She explains why people should be treating their back pain -- once they have excluded there is something more serious going on -- like the common cold. 

9:37 Does the Beard Maketh the Man? 

It was Shakespeare's belief that beards and manliness go together like bread and butter. "He that hath no beard is less than a man," he wrote. And having a beard meant that you had to behave like a man. Dr. Eleanor Rycroft is a Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Bristol and has been looking at the question of when did beards suddenly become important? 

10:04 Raphael Rowe: Inside the World's Toughest Prisons 

Raphael Rowe spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and now he's heading back to prison in his role as the host of Inside the World's Toughest Prisons. He joins the show to discuss the show and some of the rather hairy situations he found himself in while filming the latest series. 

10.31 Support for Brazilian PM remains as Amazon fires continue to rage 

Brazilians still have hope for Jair Bolsonaro's government, despite continued international outrage at the devastating fires in the Amazon and what could turn out to be the Prime Minister's unconstitutional actions in response. Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Shannon Sims is with us to look at the latest in the ongoing drama around the fires and indigenous land grabs in the Amazon.

10.45 Dara O'Briain: Listen to the Voice of Reason 

Acclaimed Irish comedian Dara O'Briain will perform in New Zealand for the first time when he appears in his Voice of Reason show in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch next week. He joins the show to discuss the visit and why he'll be paying close attention to our confectionery aisles while he's here. 

11:05 Vinyl poised to outsell CDs for the first time since the 1980s 

Vinyl -- a format that was believed by some to have died decades ago -- is now on the verge of outselling CDs for the first time since the mid-1980s. Marbeck's Records owner Roger Marbeck looks at the resurgence in vinyl, why people love the format so much, and what it means for the future of the CD. 

11.17 Bid launched to reinstate Baldwin St as the world's steepest street 

Dunedin surveyor Toby Stoff is on his way to Wales in an attempt to dethrone Ffordd Pen Llech and reinstate Baldwin Street as the world's steepest street. He explains how he intends to prove that the Guinness Book of Records erred by recently handing the crown over to the historic north-west Welsh town of Harlech. 

11.30 Musical Chair: Rima Te Wiata 

The Musical Chair is set aside for busy people, and they don't come much busier than the star of New Zealand stage, screen and song, Rima Te Wiata. Rima is currently starring in the highly-coveted role of The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. She talks about life on and off the stage to the backdrop of a couple of Kiwi musical tracks that are dear to her heart.