Sunday Morning for Sunday 6 December 2020

7:10 Covid-19 update with Professor Gary McLean 

We may not have community Covid in Aotearoa, but our safety continues to depend on a vaccine. And we have been given a likely date of March for a vaccine here. But how good will it be? Joining us again is New Zealander Dr Gary McLean, who is a Professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University and an international authority on coronaviruses. 

7:22 Scientists alarmed over Worksafe's GNS Science Whakaari charges

GNS Science is one of 13 parties charged by WorkSafe over the Whakaari White island explosion last year that killed 22 people. The Crown Research Institute is responsible for alerts over volcanic activity at the island. The charges relate to health and safety breaches in the period before the disaster.  Charging GNS has scientists worried a cone of silence and confusion has descended on the areas of scientific expertise that need to be called on in an emergency. Professor Troy Baisden, president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, talks to Colin Peacock about the questions the charges raise.

7.32 The House

MPs have been working at speed to pass bills on drug testing, income tax, and Covid-19 before Christmas; our parliamentary programme The House has an overview of the bills that were passed. 

7:45 Calling Home: Dave Cole in Hoi An, Vietnam 

Dave and Christie Cole live in Hoi An, Vietnam. In 2015, they quit their jobs, sold all their belongings and property and left New Zealand to explore the world, house-sitting, and renting houses, staying a few months in each place and exploring, volunteering, learning new languages and the guitar. Now they've settled in Hoi An, which on Friday celebrated the 21st anniversary being declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Chris Wikaira and Josie Pagani 

On the Weekend Panel this morning, Chris Wikaira, a director of the Wellington public relations firm BRG, is joined by current and international affairs commentator Josie Pagani. They'll discuss the New Zealand climate emergency, our social housing crisis, the need for more sick leave, and Stuff's apology for past racist journalism. 

9:06 Mediawatch

9.45 Taranaki Hard - growing up in Waitara now

Fly-on-the-wall documentaries are nothing new. They're a pretty standard way of making reality TV - and they're cheap to make. And you might think you've seen more enough of them on your screens in recent years. But on Monday evenings on Three, a new local series is breathing new life into the genre by giving us a genuine glimpse of  life in small-town New Zealand. 'Taranaki Hard' get up close and remarkably personal with a diverse bunch of young people in the town of Waitara in Taranaki.  Charlotte Hobson is the producer.

10:04 'Not even a good war could bring the US together' 

Former US diplomat Brett Bruen was responsible for America's global brand at the White House, where he served as Director of Global Engagement under President Barack Obama. Bruen, who is the President of the Global Situation Room, says Donald Trump has destroyed decades of diplomatic work in his four-year tenure, and those hoping for a quick fix under Joe Biden are in for a rude awakening. 

10:40 'China's economic juggernaut is rolling again'   

We spoke to New Zealander Lew Dagger several times at the start of this pandemic when China was in lockdown. Lew's lived in China for 20 years and has been honoured for it. His main mission in China has been helping attract people back to the countryside and away from those enormous cities. Lew's back in New Zealand and joins the show from quarantine in Auckland. 

10:52 Wish4Fish: A fishing dream come true despite disability

Bryce Dinneen has been fishing since he was a boy, wharf fishing, surfcasting, and boatfishing. But in 2007 he became a tetraplegic after a shallow water diving accident.   He's dedicated his life to building a wheelchair accessible fishing vessel. After several years of sausage sizzles and gala dinners, a shiny silver catamaran is in the final stages of completion in a boat-builder's shed in Mt Maunganui, due for launch in January.

11:05 'How poker taught me to embrace uncertainty'

Having been down on her luck and at sea in her personal life, American writer Maria Konnikova sought out her life answers in the game of poker. Within a year, she was a national champion and had amassed more than $80,000 in winnings from one tournament alone. She joins the show to discuss her remarkable experience, which is outlined in her new book, The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win. 

11:46 Why Donald Trump has been bad for comedy

Donald Trump has been compulsive viewing for many people throughout the world over the course of his first and likely only term as US president. However, writer Joe Berkowitz argues he has been bad for comedy. Berkowitz joins the show to discuss how the incessant mocking of the 45th president stole comedy's thunder, and why he has just written a book about cheese.