Sunday Morning for Sunday 17 May 2020

7:10 Freedom and haircuts: survey shows priorities for level two 

The eighth weekly survey on the impact Covid-19 is having on New Zealanders' lives found people were simply looking forward to having more freedom as the country headed into alert level 2, and the top priority for people was a haircut. On the other side of the coin, there's still a high level of concern about catching the virus, especially with the increased movement that level 2 brings. Research NZ's Emanuel Kalafatelis explains more.

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 international Covid-19 talking points of the week.  

7:27 3MM: Peter Dunne on the legalities of lockdown

Three Minutes Max, succinct opinions from New Zealanders on topics of their choice. Former MP Peter Dunne discusses the human rights and legal issues surrounding Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.  

7.32 The House

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

7:45 Calling Home: Anna Dare in Toronto

Originally from Auckland, Dr. Anna Dare now lives in Canada with her husband and one-year-old son. Dr. Dare is the Chief Resident at the Trauma Surgery service at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, but as of a few weeks ago she was redeployed to the ICU to cover shortages and help look after the hospital's sickest Covid-19 patients, most of whom are on ventilators. 

8:10 Johan Giesecke: Why lockdowns are the wrong approach     

Professor Johan Giesecke is one of the world's most senior epidemiologists. He believes lockdowns like the one we've just had in New Zealand are just a way of delaying the inevitable, and we could face many years of quarantining foreigners entering the country if we want to stay safe. Professor Giesecke joins the show from Sweden. 

8:25 The future of New Zealand shopping centres 

The retail industry was already in a state of concern before the arrival of Covid-19, with shopping centre owners becoming fixated by rental growth and many retailers finding this unsustainable, leading to a spate of retail closures. Paul Keane has vast experience in New Zealand's commercial property industries and has closely viewed the growth of the shopping centre industry in this country over the past half decade. He joins the show to discuss the post-Covid-19 future of New Zealand shopping centres.   

8:39 3MM: Krishna Botica on hospitality's necessary survival 

Three Minutes Max, succinct opinions from New Zealanders on topics of their choice. Krishna Botica is the co-founder of Cafe Hanoi, Xuxu Dumpling Bar, and Saan - as well as being the head of the Auckland branch of the NZ Restaurant Association. She discusses the need to make big decisions very quickly to ensure the survival of their restaurants and look after the well-being of their staff.

8:41 The Panel: Joanne Black and Annah Stretton 

Former deputy editor of the Listener Joanne Black and entrepreneur Annah Stretton join the show to discuss the recent move to alert level 2, the government's new budget, and how things look for the future of media and retail.

9:06 Mediawatch

Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Hayden Donnell

9:37 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 2. 

10:04 What makes us believe conspiracy theories? 

Two more Auckland cell towers were set alight this week amid a conspiracy theory doing the rounds linking Covid-19 to 5G technology. Why do people believe conspiracy theories? And what do conspiracy theories tell us about the way we view the world? Professor Joe Uscinski is a political scientist and author of American Conspiracy Theories. He joins the show to explain. 

10:25 Alaskan hero providing groceries for entire town 

Gustavus, Alaska, is home to the world's smallest and most isolated Costco shop. No roads connect the isolated enclave to the outside world and the town only got electricity as recently as 1985. When it was cut off from its supply chain, 'Toshco' owner Toshua Parker took matters into his own hands and started loading shipping crates onto a 96-foot barge to make weekly seven hour journeys to the Costco in Alaska's state capital of Juneau. 

10:40 Covid-19: International airports now glorified parking lots 

Many airlines grounded their entire fleets in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, while most others were forced to cancel the majority of their flights. This has forced a number of major international airports to turn into glorified parking lots. But this is not a long-term solution. Aviation data firm OAG is predicting the normal volume of flyers might not recover until 2022 or 2023. Ian Petchenik is a spokesperson Flightradar24, a global flight-tracking service based in Sweden. 

11:05 Professor Emrys Westacott: The Wisdom of Frugality 

Many people have revelled in a return to a simpler life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, many of us will return to a faster-paced, more cluttered lifestyle with lockdown restrictions being lifted. With a dramatic increase in consumer activity, Professor Emrys Westacott believes this is a time to reflect on whether the type of society we had built was, in fact, the kind of society that we want. 

11:30 Julia Ebner: Going undercover with extremists

Undercover researcher Julia Ebner says creating identities to go undercover and infiltrate extreme groups was like creating fictional characters for a novel. But it didn't always go to plan. In fact, once she dropped her personal credit card at a white nationalist meeting. She joins the show to discuss her new book Going Dark, The Secret Social Lives of Extremists.