Saturday Morning

After a 16 year hiatus, Vietnamese-Australian writer Nam Le returned to the literary scene with his award-winning poetry collection '36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem'. An unapologetic interrogation of what it means to be a part of a diaspora, Le took the much-coveted Book of the Year prize at last year's New South Wales Literary Awards Le's parents left Vietnam by boat as refugees when he was one year old, eventually settling in Melbourne - an experience he grappled with in the title story of his previous short story collection, 'The Boat'. He spoke to Kate about his upcoming trip to NZ to perform poetry as a part of WORD Christcurch early next month.

Farming is one of New Zealand's proudest industries, built on resilience, hard work and getting the job done. But it's also one of our deadliest workplaces. Now two women are determined to change that, one is helping reshape the culture of farm safety from the top down, the other is living it every day on the land, sharing the realities of farming with thousands online. Mihi spoke to Chloe Butcher-Herries and Lindy Nelson to find out how they did it.

Beavers are back on the scene in the West London suburb of Ealing. The semi-aquatic rodents were reintroduced to a local park by conservationists three years ago - the first time they'd had the privilege of dam and lodge-building in the area in 400 years. In the time since then, the wetland and dam construction have helped with flooding in an area previously assaulted by flooding on a regular basis.

The City Rail Link is about three and a half kilometres of tunnels and will be the country's largest transport infrastructure project to date. It's set to speed up public transport in the city, creating more connections and modernise So have all the road cones been worth it? Mihi checked in with Joel Rowan who's Auckland Transports, communications manager for the City Rail Link.

Dr David White is a serial entrepreneur, behind medical technology like nosebuds that enhance airflow through the power of humming - and a wearable device that tracks stress and recovery. Well this week he's been revealed as a finalist in this year's Kiwinet Awards, vying for the coveted BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur award. He popped into the Auckland studio to talk to Mihi.

Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Gwen Isaac ('Ms. Information', 'Where There is Life') has turned the lens to her own life, exploring growing up with a bipolar mother in small town New Zealand. Gwen's mother, Merrilyn Isaac, nicknamed "Mad Merry", was a gifted painter living with bipolar disorder in the 80's - a time when little was understood about the condition. Her life became that of local folklore. 'Be Merry' marks Gwen's most personal documentary to date, documenting her return to her Far North hometown to untangle fact from family legend, and motherhood from mental illness. She speaks with Kate Rodger ahead of the upcoming Christchurch and Wellington NZIFF screenings.

Vikas Swarup is a man of myriad talents - he's juggled the lives of both international diplomat and globally-acclaimed writer. His debut novel Q&A went on to form the basis for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Oscars and put India on the world pop cultural stage in a way like never before. Swarup is back with another tale of an underdog up against astronomical odds to try and survive and prosper with his latest novel, The Girl with the Seven Lives. He told Kate it's Slumdog Millionaire meets Arabian Nights, following the story of a 25-year-old woman named Devi who has been kidnapped and must tell her life story to her captor while searching for a way to escape.

Even 250 years on from the sea voyages that made his name and set our colonial history in motion, Captain Cook remains a much-discussed figure here in Aotearoa. He's one of the most controversial figures in our country's history, conscripted into the 'culture wars' - a symbol of colonial sins to some, a hero and pioneer to others. Historian Tony Ballantyne has taken on the mammoth task of unweaving the tangled web of Cook's legacy in his new book, 'Captain Cook and Unsettled Afterlives', he told Mihi about how he's sorted the legacy of Cook into three eras that have all come to define his reception in modern New Zealand.

Defending the Caveman is the longest running comedy on Broadway ever, seen around the world by more than eight million people - and it's coming to Auckland.

Harry Sinclair has made New Zealand's first stop-motion Claymation feature film Kiri and Lou go Raaa!

New research has revealed a surprising chapter in the history of one of our most iconic plants, the harakeke, or flax.

Few bands have changed the sound of pop music quite like The Human League. They created some of the biggest hits of the '80s.

Scientists have evidence chewing is good for the brain and can even ward-off Alzheimer's.

The latest on the economic horizon.

A survivor's story - the unexploded bombs that kill and injure up to 20 people a year in the Solomon Islands.

With November's mid-terms the next big date in the Trump election cycle, people are wondering what could come next.

A new cancer treatment being developed at Cambridge University's Precision Breast Cancer Institute is returning results the global medical community is watching closely.

This week Claire Mabey was announced as the winner of the Lynley Dodd Children's Writers Award. Claire's she's the founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington, and books editor at The Spinoff. She's also a beloved children's writer. Her new children's book Cass & the Beast comes out on the 4th of August. She speaks with Susie Ferguson.

Grassroots Recycling is a volunteer-run scheme that has diverted more than 200,000 food and beverage cartons from landfill in the Nelson region. Since its inception in 2022, it has mobilised volunteers, cafés and families to repurpose hard-to-recycle materials. It's also Plastic Free July - so for a little inspiration let's talk to organiser Jemima Jones to talk about the initiative.

When you think of Antarctica it's more likely that cold and ice come to mind than magma and ash; but the continent is home to the largest volcanic region on Earth. Far more than an icy wilderness; beneath Antarctica's ice lies a geologically active continent shaped by volcanoes, rifting, earthquakes and mountain building. Places like Mount Erebus, Scott Base and the Ross Sea are some of the most scientifically important locations on Earth. Graham Leonard is a Volcanologist and Principal Scientist at Earth Sciences NZ. He speaks with Mihi Forbes.

The Commonwealth Games are underway in Glasgow, one of those rare tournaments celebrating para-athletes in tandem with other competitors. For tetraplegic rugby player Dr Amanda Lowry breaking her neck hasn't stopped her from competing. She's on court on Saturday in fact, at a national Wheelchair Rugby League competition in Porirua. Amanda's is an incredible story - and one she's using to advocate for others. Her PhD thesis A body that needs a body is an unflinching look at highly impaired para-athletes and the critical role carers play - and the recognition they deserve. Amanda has presented at the International Paralympics Committee, and wants para-athletes to shine in an able bodied arena.

90's icon, Macy Gray is heading to New Zealand. Since breaking out with the 1990's megahit 'I try', Macy's gone on to sell millions of albums, earn numerous awards (including a Grammy), and is regarded as one of the greatest R&B and soul artists of her generation. Macy Gray's impact is huge, and she's back this October, touring the country with six shows. She speaks with Susie Ferguson about overcoming a lack of confidence, the power of being a 'diva', and what's in stall for New Zealand fans.

Shakespeare's OG thriller Macbeth is as relatable today as it was 420 years ago. And it's coming to Auckland. In-demand director Ben Kilby-Henson's Macbeth exists in a giant underground world, a sewer system used as a refuge after an unspecified catastrophe above ground. Macbeth himself is an ageing soldier with PTSD, the witches are played by children. This modern reimagining has all the original verse. Greed, ambition and lust for power still reign supreme. Susie speaks with Ben, the person behind all this.

A funeral in New Zealand can cost between $8,000-15,000, and it keeps getting more expensive. So, can death be done with dignity, without debt, and with out a funeral director? When do you need a coffin and when don't you? What are the pros and cons of cremation versus burial? These are some of the questions addressed by funeral reformer Fergus Wheeler, one of a network of volunteers from the Far North to Invercargill, presenting a series of workshops.

New Zealand and Scotland have a similar population size, but while our youth prison population hovers around 130 to 160, Scotland's is currently zero. It's an incredible feat given Glasgow was dubbed the murder capital of Europe by the WHO. It's all thanks to the country's Violence Reduction Unit, which flipped the script and targeted youth crime by treating it as a public health issue. As a result homicides, attempted murders and serious assaults plummeted and stayed low. Mihi Forbes asked the head of the unit, Jimmy Paul how they did it.

Dealing with grief? Have you tried training a hawk? Reckoning with her dads death, historian Helen Macdonald, did just that. It became the subject of her best-selling memoir H is For Hawk, and now it's a Bafta-nominated movie starring Claire Foy, who many will know from The Crown where she portrayed the Queen. It's coming to cinemas on July 30th.

A strong and shallow earthquake jolted the central North Island at 4.51am, around five kilometres southwest of Taumarunui, Measuring 5.9, and only nine kilometres deep, the intensity was severe - felt as far as Auckland, right down to the top of the South Island. Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton joins MIhi.

The cameraman behind award-winning images that helped to bring Sir David Attenborough's conservation work to life, is being remembered in a special charity event 'A Night to Remember' in Queenstown.

Chef and food waste expert Del Holland is back to share her tips on getting savvy in the kitchen, without compromising on taste.

Dunedin born Sarah Foster Sproull is one of New Zealand's top choreographers. Her work 'Ultra Folly' is making its way around the country as part of the Royal New Zealand ballet's winter season.

For generations, the story of the Bounty has been told as an adventure - a dramatic clash between Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian. But for the descendants of those who survived, it's something far more personal. A handwritten register recording births, marriages and deaths is returning to the South Pacific after more than 170 years in Britain.

This week we lost a screen legend, and according to all accounts - a top bloke. Sam made a huge impact on stars of our stage and screen in their own right, Oscar Kightley and Sara Wiseman - who pay tribute.

Last month we spoke with FIFA's Head of Pitch Infrastructure, Ewen Hodge. He's responsible for some of the most important grass in the world. He's joins us to discuss how the grass is going after all this footy.

Peter Hambleton is perhaps better known as Glóin in The Hobbit trilogy. But he's ditched the Dwarf costume and put down his axe to do battle with people we pay our rates to, in a new stage comedy called Local Library, opening at Circa next weekend.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Homosexual Law Reform Act. Welby Ings is a queer activist, who in the early 1980s established Gay Rights of Taihape, an advocacy group for rural queers. He's also a renowned film-director.

The bird flu's now in New Zealand - what could it mean for our native bird populations? The Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre's Keith Woodley explains the risks.

The Football World Cup is in its final throes this weekend with the play-off for 3rd and 4th between France and England tomorrow at 9am.

Kalina Silverman is the founder of a global movement Big Talk; she wants everyone to skip the small talk to make room for big conversations

Our resident gardening expert is back, this time to talk about all things Matariki. Hannah Zwartz has over 30 years' experience gardening professionally, including looking after the herb and succulent areas at Wellington Botanic Garden and running community market gardens in the Hutt Valley. She speaks with Paddy Gower about making the most of this time of year and answers your listener questions.

Majic won Best Maori Female Solo Artist at the Waiata Maori Music Awards in 2015 and she's putting together a concert which is next weekend to mark Matariki. She's undertaken the task on behalf of her iwi - Ngaati Whatua Orakei - which is the host this year of the national hautapu ceremony which you'll have heard a bit from here on RNZ National yesterday.

From a home perched impossibly on the side of hills, to a flat pack build that needs only three people to put together - our landscape hosts some rather unique dwellings. Simon Devitt is an award-winning photographer, and Andrea Stevens is a writer with a background in architecture. Together they've teamed up, collating New Zealand's most interesting homes into a coffee table book called 'Cape to Bluff'. They speak with Paddy Gower.

Poi E is right up there with iconic Kiwi songs. The chart-topping waiata is 42 years old and still going strong. The Patea Maori Club is still going strong too - they were performing just last night. Paddy is joined by Laura Maruera, who as chair person keeps the club in line. She joins Paddy from Patea, along with foundational members, twins Bib and Bub.

Now, granted, it is a long weekend - and you have every right to put your feet up and relax - but if you're worried about becoming a winter couch potato, then this might be for you. The Winter 31 Club is a 31 day yoga challenge inspired by Matariki. Katie Deare is from the Sun Salute Yoga Centre in Hamilton to talk it over.

The Doc Edge Festival is on at the moment with screenings at all the main centres. There's even a Virtual Cinema launching at the end of the month - so no one is missing out. Always close to the action was our very own Mihi Forbes who Paddy speaks with live from the launch of the latest important chapter in the NZ Wars series: Stories of Waerenga-a-Hika

Veteran war correspondent Cameron Bennett joins Paddy to talk about the NZ Wars documentary: Stories of Waerenga-a-Hika. Cameron's directed the doco about the six day siege at Waerenga-a-Hika, a pa site close to Gisborne.

Two things you'll find in Golden Bay are horopito and takahe, and they're two things that father daughter duo Peter and Lucy Butler have put together. Peter Butler transitioned from a failing organic kiwifruit orchard to successfully farming the native horopito plant. He's also behind Health Post - New Zealand's largest natural health and wellness store - which is 100% NZ family-owned - founded by his late wife, Linley. It runs on the principle you shouldn't profit from people's ill health, and ultimately led to the establishment of HealthPost Nature Trust. Together with his daughter Lucy Butler, they have recently released takahe onto the Onetahua Farewell Spit, after their team to put up an impressive predator-proof fence. The father-daughter duo join Paddy.

A recent study has revealed that there are vast and mysterious underground networks of fungi right under our feet. These organisms are so small they can't be seen by the naked eye, yet they're foundational to the health of soil and the wellbeing of plants. Katie Field is a Professor in Plant-Soil Processes at the University of Sheffield. She joins Paddy.

Those of us who sit at a desk for most of the day know the importance of taking a break. New research has figured out exactly how often we should get up and move around. The study found taking a short walking break every 20 minutes reduces blood sugar and insulin. University of Otago PhD graduate and lecturer in physical activity and nutrition behaviour at AUT Dr Jen Gale is the lead author in the study. She speaks with Paddy Gower.

One of the most senior figures in global anti-doping is a New Zealander. David Howman is Chairman of the International Athletics Integrity Unit which polices athletics. But before that, David spent 13 years at the World Anti Doping Agency as it's director general. Paddy speaks with him about developments this week which have seen the International Olympic Committee provisionally lift its suspension of Russia.