Sunday Morning for Sunday 3 May 2020

7:10 Kiwis remain cautious and hesitant under Alert Level 3 

Research New Zealand has just conducted its sixth weekly report on the impact Covid-19 is having on New Zealanders' lives. The survey suggests only 44% of people who are still employed want to return to work under Alert Level 3, while 47% of respondents are willing to take the risk of going out to get takeaways. Research NZ partner Emanuel Kalafatelis joins the show to look at the results.  

7:18 Professor Gary McLean: International Covid-19 update 

New Zealander Gary McLean is a professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University who specialises in infectious diseases, immunology and antibody engineering. He joins the show to look at the big Covid-19 talking points of the week. 

7.32 The House

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

7:45 Calling Home: Marc Shields in Rapa Nui

Rapa Nui aka Easter Island is one of the most remote places on the planet, but it still has not been spared from the reaches of Covid-19. The tiny island nation is currently on lockdown with five confirmed cases of coronavirus, and the tourism industry - which is the country's lifeblood - has ground to a halt. Former West Auckland man Marc Shields joins the show to share how things are going as his family return to living off the land.

8:10 What role will immunity play in conquering Covid-19? 

Do you become immune after SARS-CoV-2 infection? And if so, how long does that immunity last? Helen Stillwell is a research associate in immunobiology at Yale University and has been looking at the question of what role immunity will play in the future if Covid-19 makes a return.  

8:20 The mysterious disappearance of Kim Jong Un 

A North Korean defector came out this week saying Kim Jong Un's disappearance from public view suggests that he cannot stand up or walk by himself. New Zealand journalist Anna Fifield is the Beijing bureau chief for the Washington Post and last year she wrote the book on the controversial North Korean leader. She joins the show from her lockdown in Havelock North. 

8:42 Top economists back trans-Tasman bubble concept 

International economist and author Steve Keen and former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell join the show to discuss the economic prospects for New Zealand, the trans-Tasman bubble concept, the overhang of private debt in both countries, and their predictions how bad things might end up getting.

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at how the media covered this week’s switch to Level 3 and the fast-food frenzy it triggered. Mediawatch also talks to the new head of the funding agency New Zealand on Air which may have a pivotal role in the post-COVID crisis journalism - and the satire inspired by Trump’s crazy claim about disinfectant. Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Hayden Donnell.

9:37 3MM: Anna Mickell on building a reduced-car future

Lockdown has highlighted the beauty of public spaces for pedestrians and cyclists. Queenstown Chamber of Commerce CEO Anna Mickell says moving forward we need to think about building a reduced-car future by emphasizing the positives, rather than trying to push people out of their cars.

9:41 Professor Michael Baker answers your Covid-19 questions 

Public health physician from the University of Otago Wellington, Professor Michael Baker has been a constant and reassuring presence on Sunday Morning throughout the Covid-19 lockdown period. He returns to answer your questions and ours about the pandemic and the move to Alert Level 3. Email sunday@rnz.co.nz or text 2101 with your questions for Professor Baker. 

10:04 Life inside the deadliest Colombian cocaine cartels 

War correspondent Toby Muse spent 15 years living in Colombia and gained an unprecedented level of access to the local drug cartels due to a chance meeting at a famous fashion event. His new book, Kilo, traces a kilogram of cocaine-from the fields where it is farmed, to the hit men who protect it, to the smuggling ships that bring it to American shores. 

10:44 The troubling economics of cruise ships 

If the multi-billion dollar cruise industry sinks, as it were, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, journalist Zachary Crockett will have limited sympathy for the big companies. Crockett, who edits The Hustle newsletter, decided to dive into the industry and found some questionable facts that he believes need to be considered.

11:05 Covid-19: New York ICU worker hosting livestream parties 

Steven Winnett is an anesthetist at a New York hospital who is caring for Covid-19 patients in an ICU. It's a grim scene at his work and he fears getting sick every time he steps foot in the hospital. At night, he hosts massive livestream music parties on his website All Day I Stream -- a site that offers links to every live-streaming musical performance imaginable -- to help people cope with the stress that Covid-19 is causing. 

11:26 Understanding The Bystander Effect 

Why do good people do nothing in the face of discrimination, bad behaviour and abuse? In The Bystander Effect, psychologist Catherine Sanderson uses real-life examples, neuroscience and psychological studies to explain why we might be good at recognising bad behaviour but bad at taking action against it. Sanderson was inspired to write the book after a freshman in her son's university dorm died twenty hours after a bad fall while drinking. 

11:47 Dick Frizzell: 'I'm a habitual isolator by nature' 

Artist Dick Frizzell has been busy during lockdown putting the finishing touches on his new book Me, According To The History Of Art. The book is the result of five years' work, and is a romp through the history of Western painting, with iconic images portrayed by "Frizzell forgeries". Dick joins the show to discuss his book, and his Four Square family print being sold to raise money for charities amid the Covid-19 outbreak.