Sunday Morning for Sunday 22 November 2020

7:10 Survey: Kiwis want Parliamentary term increased 

The latest survey from Research New Zealand shows that Kiwis are interested in the idea of the Parliamentary term increasing from three to four years, while a whopping 90% of New Zealanders have full trust and confidence in the New Zealand democratic process. Research NZ Partner Emanuel Kalafatelis joins the show to discuss the results. 

7:18 US correspondent on Trump's 'stolen' election 

As expected, outgoing US president Donald Trump is refusing to leave the White House without a fight, claiming his election loss to president-elect Joe Biden is the "worst scam in the history of US politics". Meanwhile, Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, appears to be literally falling apart at the seams. US correspondent Karen Kasler has the latest. 

7:33 Siblings develop Covid-19 immunity after parents infected

An Australian study is investigating why three siblings did not get seriously ill with Covid-19 after their parents contracted the illness. The three children - who live in Melbourne - were found to have developed antibodies similar to their parents, meaning they had been infected but their bodies mounted an immune response that was effective in stopping the virus from replicating. Dr Melanie Neeland from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute joins the show to discuss.

7.45 Calling Home: Filipe Manu in London

Filipe Manu is a New Zealand-Tongan tenor who is currently based in London, where he is part of the Young Artist programme at the world-renowned Royal Opera House. Filipe is one of 21 homesick Kiwi singers in the UK who have joined forces for Whanau: Voices of Aotearoa, Far From Home - a special performance of much loved New Zealand, Māori and Pasifika songs captured live in the Royal Albert Hall which will be broadcast on RNZ Concert at 1pm on Monday.

8:15 Covid-19: One in five patients diagnosed with a mental illness 

New research out of Oxford University has shown than one in five Covid-19 patients have gone on to be diagnosed with a mental illness within three months of testing positive, with anxiety disorders, insomnia, and dementia the most common diagnoses. Study author Maxime Taquet joins the show to discuss the study and its results.  

8:31 Are you a facial 'super recogniser'?

Psychologists at the University of New South Wales are hoping a new face test will help unearth more of Australia's top performers in facial recognition, known as super-recognisers. Super recognisers have the extraordinary ability to recall faces of people they may have only encountered in the most fleeting situations, often many years before. Dr James Dunn from UNSW joins the show to tell us more.

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Bill Ralston & Lavina Good 

On today's show our panellists will be discussing Tauranga City Council mayor Tenby Powell's resignation, diversity in the workplace, Barack Obama's new biography, the lingering impact of Covid-19 and Tourism minister Stuart Nash's contention that New Zealand should be focusing on high net worth individuals.

9:06 Mediawatch

On Mediawatch this weekend: how media rivals teamed up to reveal a chilling story suppressed for two years - which could have had an impact on our gun laws. Also: an epic political TV interview with the Kiwi in Trump's White House; how the critics went in boots'n'all on the defeated All Blacks and Keith Quinn - and can dodgy election ads on Facebook be stopped? 

9:37 How to break out of the 'toxic money mindset' 

Harvard psychologist Professor Ashley Whillans has surveyed thousands of adults around the world - from the financially affluent to the poor - about time and money. Unsurprisingly, most people focus too much on working and making more money, and not enough on having more time. Whillans says shifting your mindset to prioritise time over money can have numerous benefits.

10:09 Lee and Andrew Child: Passing the Jack Reacher baton 

Lee Child has sold more than 100 million copies of his books about famous protagonist Jack Reacher since releasing the first novel, Killing Floor in 1997. However, Child now says that his days of a novelist are at an end. Reacher fans needn't worry, though. Child is turning the series over to his younger brother, Andrew. The Child brothers join the show to discuss the changing of the guard and how the handover works. 

10:40 Study: Early big-game hunters of the Americas were female   

The Man-the-Hunter hypothesis looks to have been well and truly debunked, with new research suggesting the early big-game hunters of the Americas were female. Dr Randy Hass is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis and the lead author of the study, Female hunters of the early Americas, which was recently published in Science Advances. 

11:05 Why are we so secretive about money?

A recent survey in the UK found that one in four people keep money secrets from friends and family. On this side of the globe, we are no less coy about our financial lives. Kiwis don't like to discuss how much they earn or how many assets they have, even with their own financial advisers. But would it be a healthier world if we all knew what each other earns? New York-based Kiwi journalist Olivia Fleming has written on the topic, and joins the show to discuss.

11:25 Royal commentator: The Crown is a 'fictional vision' 

Season 4 of The Crown is facing widespread criticism for distorting the truth. Royal correspondent Richard Fitzwilliams says it's disappointing that the major characters, especially Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, are being cast as cold, uncaring and "extraordinarily ill-mannered". And he thinks the worst might be yet to come. Fitzwilliams says more needs to be done to ensure the audience knows that a lot of it is fiction. 

11:45 Niwa McIlroy: from lucha libre to Lower Hutt

Wellington-raised wrestler Niwa McIroy became a star in Mexico's iconic lucha libre scene not long after landing there in 2016. But earlier this year he was forced to put his international career on hold and head home to Lower Hutt due to Covid-19. However, the move has given him the opportunity to take on his childhood idol - the 200kg mountain man Adam Avalanche - in a massive match on November 28.