Sunday Morning for Sunday 7 March 2021

7:10 Richard McGregor: 'China doesn't want to have to invade Taiwan' 

A number of big issues were addressed at the Two Sessions, the major event of the Chinese political calendar which opened during the week. Richard McGregor is a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. He looks at the big problems China's leader Xi Jinping is currently facing, including the problematic China-Taiwan divide, and China's new five-year plan. 

7.32 The House

Each party at Parliament has a leader of course, but is actually managed by senior MPs called whips. One party this Parliament has a record 65 MPs - that's a huge teach to manage. So they also have the largest ever number of whips - still only four though. Phil Smith talks to two of them on The House - our report from Parliament.

7:45 Calling Home: Clint Heine in London 

Clint Heine is the founder of the popular Kiwis in London Facebook page, which attracts nearly 90,000 followers and is something of a one-stop shop for Kiwis (and some Aussies) looking for jobs, flats, events and generally helping each other out with life in London. He's normally based in Twickenham, but is Calling Home from Ostrow Wielkopolski in Poland this morning.  

8:13 Do you look like your name? 

Is there something about your face that reveals your name? The answer is yes. In a new series of studies, researchers have found that participants shown ID-style photos of people they'd never met were able to recognise the first name of the depicted person well above the chance level. Dr Anne Laure Sellier is part of the research team that found that the stereotype that a given society has of a first name can influence the way people look.

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Mike Williams and Lavina Good 

On the Weekend Panel this morning are Lavina Good and Mike Williams. Among other things, they'll be discussing the past week's lockdown in Auckland and the Papatoetoe cluster, the Tamakis' hurried exit from town, the tsunami threat New Zealand faced during the week, and six Dr Seuss books being pulled from publication.  

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at  the blame game played out in the media over the latest Covid cluster; broadcasting bosses facing questions in Parliament - and how the media scrambled to cover Friday's tsunami and earthquake emergency.

9:39 Why happiness doesn't cost any money at all 

A new study out of McGill University shows that people in societies where money plays a minimal role - places like the Solomon Islands and Bangladesh - can have a level of happiness comparable to Scandinavian countries which typically rate highest in the world. The study's senior author, Professor Eric Galbraith, first got the idea of this research when he visited Laos 20 years ago and was struck by how genuinely happy the people there were. 

10:06 Gabriel Byrne: 'We all walk with ghosts' 

Hollywood leading man Gabriel Byrne has played some memorable roles in his prolific film career, but his new autobiography, Walking With Ghosts, could be his boldest and most dramatic work yet. The book contains some astounding reading, including the revelation that Byrne was sexually abused by priests from the age of eight. And while he shares a few Hollywood tidbits along the way, it isn't your typical salacious memoir. Byrne joins Sunday Morning to discuss writing the book, his sobriety, and the #metoo movement. 

10:44 Protection against Covid-19 ranks as NZ's biggest issue 

Fifty percent of New Zealanders surveyed in Research New Zealand's latest poll have ranked protecting Kiwis against Covid-19 as NZ's most pressing issue, followed by the availability of affordable housing (31%) and NZ's economic stability (26%). Research NZ Managing Partner Emanuel Kalafatelis is with us to discuss the results.

11:05 Crowded House keyboardist's 'arrival' 35 years in the making 

He's one of the most acclaimed and eclectic producers of his generation, having worked with everyone from Los Lobos to Randy Newman to Pearl Jam - not to mention producing the first three Crowded House albums. And now Mitchell Froom, after years of chasing by Neil Finn, is playing keys in Crowded House, as the iconic Kiwi band sets off on its 'Whatever You Want' NZ tour, which will see them performing 12 shows at 10 different venues. Froom joins the show to discuss his longstanding association with the band and the experience of producing over 120 different albums over the past 30+ years. 

11:26 The champion of Kiwi children's poverty charities 

Philanthropist Liz Greive is spending her senior years doing everything possible to support New Zealanders in her age cohort - elders and senior citizens - play an important role for New Zealand's children through the organisation she founded, Spend My Super. She joins the show on New Zealand Children's Day to discuss Spend My Super and her unbridled passion for eradicating child poverty in New Zealand.  

11:38 Oprah interview promises 'personal revelations' from Meghan Markle 

The hype machine is building around the airing of Oprah Winfrey's exclusive interview with Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex, which will air on Three on Tuesday night at 7:30pm. Slate writer Heather Schwedel says there is likely to be some intriguing revelations, particularly from Meghan Markle.

11:51 The benefits of 'exercise snacking'

There's good news for people who are finding it difficult to get to the gym during the pandemic - research has found that 'exercise snacking', or bite-sized bursts of activity throughout the day can be highly effective in boosting your energy and improving productivity. Scott Lear is a Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He joins Sunday Morning to explain.