Sunday Morning for Sunday 8 March 2020

7.10 Professor Michael Baker answers your coronavirus questions 

Michael Baker, public health professor at the University of Otago, says the World Health Organisation's inability to declare Covid-19 a pandemic is lulling New Zealanders into a false sense of security about the virus. He joins the show first up this morning to answer listener questions about Covid-19's continued risk in this country. 

7.32 The House

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

7:45 Calling Home: Claire Harvey in Palau 

Cantabrian Claire Harvey only intended to be in Palau for 12 months when she accepted the role of President of the National Development Bank of Palau. Four years later, she is the second longest-serving president in the bank's history. She's Calling Home this morning from her base on Palau's most populous island, Koror.  

8:10 Insight: Ignored by the state - How Muslim women tried to warn of impending danger

The Islamic Women's Council believes it's likely the Christchurch mosque attacks would not have happened if the public service - including police and security agencies - had not ignored their repeated warnings. They have shared their submission to the Royal Commission exclusively with Insight's Philippa Tolley.

8:41 The New Zealander trying to tame the common cold 

New Zealander Gary McLean is a Professor of Immunology at the London Metropolitan University. He has been in the news regularly in the UK since the outbreak of the coronavirus, and his recent research has been looking at developing a possible inoculation for the common cold - something that has eluded scientists for decades.   

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at a major Me Too media campaign by New Zealand’s biggest news publisher Stuff. Two years on, we look at what the campaign achieved – and what it didn’t. Also: a pillar of Australian journalism falls - and contradictory claims on coronavirus and the climate.  

Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Hayden Donnell

9:37 Study shows that optimists live longer lives 

Can the power of positive thinking actually make you live longer? Researchers from Boston University's School of Medicine have found new evidence that people with greater optimism are more likely to achieve "exceptional longevity", that is, living to 85 or older. Assistant Professor and Psychologist Lewina Lee discusses the findings, and how to change your thought patterns to boost optimism and improve your mental health.

9:51 3MM: Dr Katherine Ravenswood on International Women's Day

We've come a long way from no parental leave in the 1970s, to the first woman firefighter in the 1980s. From a 'toothless' Equal Pay Act, to Kristine Bartlett and thousands of care and support workers getting the pay they deserve. But how far have we come, and what are the key challenges in getting equality for women in work in Aotearoa? Associate Professor Katherine Ravenswood from AUT reflects on International Women's Day 2020.

10:04 Breaking Mad: The Insider's Guide to Conquering Anxiety

Bafta award-winning children's TV presenter Anna Williamson looked to have it all at the age of 25, but anxiety began to plague her and soon her dream life and career looked threatened when she broke down. She wanted to share her story and the tools and tricks she used to get through the situation she was in. It's all covered off in her new book, Breaking Mad: The Insider's Guide to Conquering Anxiety.

10.30 My Current Song: Merk, H.N.Y.B

Auckland bedroom pop artist Merk (aka Mark Perkins) shares his woozy new single 'H.N.Y.B', the title an acronym for Happy New Year Baby. The track is the first taste of Merk's upcoming second album, following on from his 2016 debut Swordfish, which won Best Debut Album at the Taite Music awards.

10.40 Musician Frank Turner on the stories of 'No Man's Land'

English folk-punk singer Frank Turner did some math at the turn of the decade and found he had done a total of 1663 solo shows between 2010 and 2020 - that's one show every second day. He's about to come back to New Zealand, and he's just put out his eighth studio album, No Man's Land, which is entirely made up of the stories of different women through history.

11:05 Professor Stephanie Coontz: How to Make Your Marriage Gayer

Stephanie Coontz is the author of five books on gender, family, and history. She recently wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times where she suggested "many different-sex couples would have happier and more satisfying marriages if they took a few lessons from their same-sex counterparts". She joins the show to explain why this is the case, and why marriage is a high-risk, high payoff collaboration.

11.40 Dr. Cynthia Frisby: Pop music has as much lyrical aggression as rap

A study from the University of Missouri has shown that bubbly pop music now has just as much lyrical aggression as its rock and hip hop counterparts. Dr. Cynthia Frisby is a Professor of Strategic Communication from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. She joins the show to look at the study's findings.