Saturday Morning

7:08 UN on racial discrimination in New Zealand

The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva has published its findings.

According to a statement, 'The committee expressed grave concern over the 2019 terrorist attack against two mosques in Christchurch' and was 'especially concerned about the persistence of racist hate speech by some politicians and public figures.' Also highlighted was 'its concern over continuing reports of racially motivated attacks' on Māori, Pasifika and other ethnic and religious groups.
 
The committee has asked that New Zealand 'uphold its commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi", work to counter any misinformation and engage in 'full consultation and partnership with Māori'.   
 
These followed a complaint, led by Māori health leader Lady Tureiti Moxon, who argues the government has escalated discrimination against Māori. She speaks to Mihingarangi Forbes.

7:17 The reality of rates caps

Lots of ratepayers will welcome it but reduced services, delayed repairs and outdated sports grounds are among the possible costs to ratepayers with capped rates rises. This week, the Government said it will limit rates rises to 4% a year throughout the country by 2029.

It's been tried overseas with limited success, to the extent a New South Wales mayor has warned our local authority leaders about the risks of rates caps.

Hamilton is New Zealand's fastest growing city. New mayor Tim McIndoe has signalled tough times ahead as the city council scrambles to save money in line with the changes. He joins Susie Ferguson from Kirikiriroa.

7:23 Reinstated: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi

Ousted Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has been awarded a temporary court order to reinstate her in the party. 

Her case was heard by Justice Paul Radich in the High Court at Wellington on Thursday morning.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi was expelled alongside Tākuta Ferris in early November after a period of internal conflict.

She'll now be free to attend this weekend's Te Pāti Māori Annual General Meeting. 

Also offering his response is Co-Leader of Te Pāti Māori Rawiri Waititi. 

Te Pāti Māori says while she has won the reinstatement, three other requests were declined, which were to have party president John Tamihere removed from office, to stop the scheduled AGM and to prevent the party's National Council and Executive from passing further resolutions.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Rawiri Waititi both speak to Mihingarangi Forbes.

7:37 Latest from Europe & the US

Ukrainian and European officials have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "wasting time" after ceasefire talks ended in a stalemate. 

Putin sent Trump officials packing this week after a meeting that yielded no clear way forward.

Meanwhile in San Franscisco, the City Attorney David Chiu is suing 10 corporations over ultra-processed foods.

US Feature Story Correspondent Nick Harper joins Susie live. 

7:45 Susan Edmunds: Open banking

Banking done better is the promise behind Open Banking which started in New Zealand this week.

It's a buzzword that's been floating around for awhile. But now it is actually here, what does it mean and should you even care?

RNZ's money correspondent Susan Edmunds joins Mihingarangi to explain the pros - and any cons.

07:52 This weekend in sport

There's a lot of football news this weekend and fresh off the back of Liam Lawson's re-signing in Formula 1, the Grand Prix championship is up for grabs.

Our resident sports aficionado Jamie Wall joins Susie to share his insights and predictions. 

8:10 Professor Robert Weinkove: Cutting edge cancer treatment 

Taken as a group, blood cancers are the fifth most common type of cancer in New Zealand - affecting around one in twenty people during their lifetime. But some patients are forced to seek help overseas because a treatment that could save them isn’t available here. 

The Wellington based Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is working to change that.

Winner of this year’s Breakthrough Project category in the KiwiNet Awards, Malaghan  is currently conducting phase two of its CAR-T cell therapy clinical trials. The therapy essentially uses the body’s own immune system to target and kill cancer cells.  

Professor Robert Weinkove is the Clinical Director and he speaks to Mihi about the next major step in their push to make it a standard part of cancer care in New Zealand.

8:40 Life in the extreme: Radiation swallowing fungi 

In 1986 the world watched in horror as radiation spewed from reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine - then part of the Soviet Union.
  
Releasing more radioactivity into the atmosphere than the atomic bombs that were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Ngagasaki in World War Two, it prompted a mass evacuation and the enforcement of a 30 kilometre exclusion zone to prevent further contamination and loss of life. It remains the worst nuclear accident in history.

Remarkably however, nature found a way to survive - and award-winning UK science writer, Alex Riley will tell you that there are many other examples of life in the extreme - if you know where to look.   

Alex is the author of Super Natural - How Life Thrives in Impossible Places.  He speaks to Susie about nature's incredible resilience - and what life could look like on other planets.

9:05 Elodie Harper: Boudicca's Daughter

Acclaimed British author and ancient Rome nerd Elodie Harper has turned her attention to Boudicca and her daughters in her latest novel.

She traces the story of the women who grew up in the shadow of the infamous warrior, Boudicca - queen of the British Iceni tribe and mastermind of one of history's greatest revolts. 

Elodie is credited as one of the most important writers of historical fiction today, well known for the Wolf Den Trilogy set in ancient Pompeii - and in this novel, Boudicca's Daughter, Harper takes us into the heart of Nero's Roman empire.

9:35 Grassroots film wins big at NZ Screen Awards 

The award for Best Film at the New Zealand Screen Awards went to a small Māori film company, whose historical account of the battle of Ōrākau took the prize in a pool of audience favourites. The movie, Ka Whawhai Tonu, set inside a fighting pa, tells the story of the last stand in the Waikato war told in te reo Māori, using multiple dialects to represent the different iwi and hapu who came to fight the Crown.

Ka Whawhai Tonu producer Piripi Curtis speaks with Mihi Forbes.

10:06 Chasing the scoop in a war zone

Turning her caustic gaze to the moral dilemma of reporting on someone else's misery, is journalist and writer Phoebe Greenwood. Her debut novel Vulture is a satire of the war news industry and its moral blind spots. 

Phoebe's covered British and foreign affairs for publications including the Guardian, the Spectator and the Sunday Times.

She was based in Jerusalem as a Middle East stringer for the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian between 2010-2013 and a staff editor and correspondent at the Guardian in London from 2013 - 2021, where she continued to commission and file from Israel/Palestine. When she left the Guardian in 2021, she was Assistant Editor of the paper.

She is currently the Europe Editor of Hyphen.

10:35 The ring of fire with Graham Leonard 

The ring of fire is more than just a Johnny Cash song, and it affects us here in the Pacific.

But what is the Pacific Ring of Fire and what drives it?

Volcanologist and Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist, Graham Leonard explains the connection between Kamchatka and Nelson, the Philippines and Taupō, between Westport and Los Angeles, and even the Antartic link to the middle of the Pacific.

10:49 A workplace guide for menopause

For many, conversations about menopause and its effects are difficult, perhaps none more so than with your boss. But now a new guide for employers aims to make employees feel more supported.

With no nationwide awareness campaign in existence, menopause advocate Sarah Connor has teamed up with the Ministry for Women to create a guide for workplaces to broach the subject.

A free webinar is being held next week to talk through the guide - called Making Menopause Work - designed for managers and workmates alike. 

11:06 Ben Shattuck: The History of Sound

The History of Sound is the award-winning book by Ben Shattuck, set to hit the big screen this month with its highly anticipated film adaptation. The book, a collection of twelve stories spanning three centuries, explores love, loss, and the unexpected ways the past resurfaces.  

The title story follows two men during World War I on a mission to document the voices and music of American countrymen. Decades later, the discovery of their recordings links past and present, revealing poignant secrets across time. 

The film, starring Paul Mescal (Gladiator II) and Josh O'Connor (Challengers) is set to hit New Zealand cinemas on December 18th. 

Ben Shattuck is an American writer, painter and curator, when he's not busy adapting his award-winning books into screenplays, he also runs the oldest general store in America, built in 1793, and is the founder and director of the Cuttyhunk Island Writers' Residency. 

11:30 Cats with Jobs

Many of our beloved feline pets love a good, long, lazy snooze. But there are quite a few across the country who have jobs, which they take pretty seriously.

They've been documented in a delightful new book called Cats with Jobs, featuring 45 impressive felines from Invercargill to Kaitaia.

Author Leanne McGregor is the managing editor at Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand, where she helps shepherd books out into the world.

11:45 Hannah Zwartz' gardeners' gift guide

Christmas is fast approaching and if you're looking for a gift for the gardeners in your life, Hannah Zwartz might just have the answers.

Hannah has over 30 years' experience gardening professionally, including looking after the herb and succulent areas at Wellington Botanic Garden and running a community market.