Sunday Morning for Sunday 14 March 2021

7:10 Christchurch mosque shooting widow returns to New Zealand 

A national remembrance service to mark the second anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks took place yesterday afternoon. In attendance was Dr Hamimah Tuyan, whose husband Zekeriya was the 51st fatality. Hamimah re-joins the show to look back on the service and her return to New Zealand after spending the last two years living in Singapore. 

7:18 Irregular sleep patterns linked to bad moods, depression 

The more variation in our wake up and sleep time, the worse mood and more chances of depression symptoms we're likely to experience. That's the finding from a new study, conducted by a team from the University of Michigan. Yu Fang is the lead author of the study and a research specialist at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute. 

7.32 The House

Revenge porn, medicinal cannabis, safe zones for abortion clinics and miscarriage bereavement leave have been tackled by MPs in this Parliament's first day of debate for bills from Non-Ministers.

7:45 What are NFTs and why are they selling for millions? 

NFTs or Non-Fungible Tokens are digital collectibles that are unique, with a record of ownership that exist on a crypto technology blockchain, usually Ethereum. They can be tangible items like art or intangible like digital art which can be copyable but only has one owner. Sunday Morning tech correspondent Helen Baxter explains. 

8:10 Calling Home: David Shearer in Juba, South Sudan 

Former Labour MP David Shearer has just delivered his final briefing to the UN Security Council as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General United Nations Mission in South Sudan, capping off a four-year tenure in Juba that has been filled with remarkable highlights. He's Calling Home from the newest capital city in the world.

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

On the Weekend Panel this morning are Lavina Good and Mike Williams. They'll be looking at the second anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks, the war of words over the 501s, the Greens' crack at the government over its Covid-19 vaccine rollout, and whether Ashley Bloomfield needed to apologise for being feted by the Black Caps. 

9:06 Mediawatch

Against the backdrop of claims of 'cancel culture' and more public money for journalism, Mediawatch asks National's spokesperson why she fears the media won't bite the hand that feeds them. Also: a look at the reaction to the big royal TV interview this week  - and the PM dropping out of a weekly radio interview. 

9:39 Why do we trust smiles when they're so easy to fake? 

Research shows that people tend to rate a smiling person as more honest and likeable, and someone they want to cooperate with. But if smiles are so easy to fake, which we know they are, why should we trust them? Alexander Danvers is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona. To better understand smiles, psychologists like him have turned to a branch of evolutionary biology called signalling theory for insight. 

9:51 Why you should answer quickly to be believed 

When people pause before answering a question, even just momentarily, their answers are perceived to be less sincere and credible than if they had replied immediately, according to new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Lead study author Dr. Ignazio Ziano explains how it all works. 

10:06 What near-death experiences reveal about life and beyond 

10:40 My Current Song: Sam Charlesworth, 'Girl in the Wind' 

Eighteen-year-old bedroom musician Sam Charlesworth recently released his striking sophomore album 'The Duality Of The Human Mind.' He joins Sunday Morning to discuss being a self-taught musician, the themes in his music, and moving to Dunedin to study Music and Marine Science, as well as taking advantage of the surf.

11:05 America's Cup preview with Peter Lester 

The one-sided contest that many were expecting to see in the America's Cup finals series has failed to materialise, with challengers Luna Rossa proving they can match holders Team New Zealand over the first couple of days of racing. Veteran sailing commentator and former America's Cup participant Peter Lester joins the show to preview today's racing. 

11:19 Digital health tools associated with weight loss

A ground-breaking new study has found that self-monitoring using digital health tools -- including apps, wearables and websites -- is associated with weight loss. Study co-author Dr Shelley Patel, from the Stanford University School of Medicine, specialises in researching digital health strategies for obesity treatment and prevention. She joins the show to discuss the study, which was published online in Obesity, The Obesity Society's flagship journal. 

11:29 Unearthing the strangest books ever written 

British author Edward Brooke-Hitching has rare books running through his veins. He grew up in London in a rare book shop run by his father Franklin, and he is a descendant of 19th-century printer and bibliographer William Blades. Brooke-Hitching is perhaps best known for his series of best-selling atlas books, but his latest title The Madman's Library makes use of 10-years research to delve into the world of unusual tomes, from a Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein and a book so small it's invisible to the human eye.

11:50 Survey: New Zealand has changed as a result of the CHCH terror attack 

Three quarters of the New Zealanders polled in the latest Research New Zealand survey believe New Zealand has changed as a result of the Christchurch terror attack in 2019 -- compared to the 56% of people who thought New Zealand would change as a result of the shootings when polled two years ago. Emanuel Kalafatelis joins the show with the results.