This week in on the dial, we talk sport, we’re barefoot at the supermarket, and we hear from film-maker Anna Duckworth and comedian Cori Gonzalez-Macuer.
Host Megan Whelan Photo: Unknown
This week, we’re talking about sport, and New Zealanders’ relationship with it. Are we too sport mad, or is it the only way we have to express our national identity?
Three-quarters of adults take part in some sort of sporting activity each week. (That makes New Zealand amongst the highest in the world, Sport NZ says [PDF Link].) But we’re also pretty good at other things, so why is sport still so dominant?
Host Megan Whelan heads to Auckland’s north shore, for a chat with the chief executive of the New Zealand Breakers, Richard Clarke. She then chats to Auckland university’s Toni Bruce.
VIDEO: This really happened - reality is hitting home #champions #breakernation #webelieved http://t.co/rgPyOyfnoD
— New Zealand Breakers (@NZBreakers) March 9, 2015
When you move to a new country, there’s always a period of adaptation, where stereotypes and myths meet reality. No, Canadians don’t live in igloos, but yes, the Montréal winter can be almost unbearably cold. Carla Green investigates kiwis’ propensity to go barefoot.
Carla Green goes barefoot in Dunedin Photo: Supplied
The web series $1 Reserve is an exploration of Auckland’s suburbs through Trademe transactions. The ten episode series tells the story of Zoe who sold all of her boyfriend’s prized possessions on Trade Me in a misguided revenge plot and now must track down all the buyers in the hopes of winning back his stuff and hopefully his heart.
Producer Anna Duckworth tells Oliver Page “we definitely wanted to show a cross-section of Auckland… to try to have as much diversity as possible within the characters and within the scenes.” But beyond Auckland, Anna still sees the content as being relatable. “I think the idea of online auctions is pretty universally relatable and so I hope that everyone, in every city can relate to this strange way of interacting with people that we otherwise wouldn’t.”
And it's fair to say that Cori Gonzalez-Macuer’s relationship with comedy has been, at times, ambivalent – despite a decade in the industry and a Billy T award. But his standout role in Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s vampire movie, What We Do in the Shadows, has opened new doors for him.
I've never ever listened to a podcast and I don't know what Reddit is. There, I said it.
— Cori Gonzalez-Macuer (@corigm) March 20, 2015
Cori’s just spent time gigging and networking in the US off the back of the film's success – it had a wide release in the States thanks to a massive crowdfunding campaign. He’s come back to perform at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, and spoke to Charlotte Graham.
On the Dial was produced by Megan Whelan, with technical production by Jeremy Veal, and financial assistance from NZ on Air. Our music was composed and performed by Eddie Johnston, and the cover image was made by Hadley Donaldson.
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