Saturday Morning for Saturday 3 February 2024

8:10 Koala conservationist Rebecca Johnson

Chief Scientist at the world's biggest museum, wildlife forensic scientist and conservation geneticist Rebecca Johnson is a leading researcher in koala conservation.

The iconic Aussie marsupial is hostage to climate change and chlamydia.

Dr Johnson came to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from Australia, where she was chief investigator of the Koala Genome Consortium.  

As Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, Rebecca helped put the Australian Museum on the map as a global leader in wildlife forensic science and applied conservation genomics.

Rebecca is passionate about protecting threatened species, reducing the illegal trade of wildlife and the importance of STEM. She's been recognised as one of the 30 inaugural "SuperStars of STEM" by Science and Technology Australia.

8:35 EVs: can the voltage keep up with the mileage?

Line company Vector's recently created electric vehicle trends tracker shows EV ownership in Auckland is up almost 200% in two years.  

This growth begs the question: is the city's infrastructure prepared?  Moreover, when the cars leave the city, can you charge them? Will small town New Zealand's electricity supply stand the burden?

Vector Chief Executive Simon MacKenzie joins Susie.

8:45 World champion axeman Adam Lowe

Fourteen times world woodchopping champion, Adam Lowe manages the South Island Wood Chopping team, bound for New South Wales for a big grudge match.

He joins Susie for which blade, what wood, how fast and too strong.  

This year he's taking the first mixed-team to the block.

9:05 Patricia Grace: Bird Child 

Patricia Grace is one of Aotearoa's most celebrated Māori fiction authors.

She won the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction for Potiki in 1987, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2001 with Dogside Story.

She has a new collection of short stories, Bird Child and Other Stories, which spans mythology and contemporary Māori life and reimagines ancient tales.

The cover art is courtesy of granddaughter Miriama Grace-Smith.

9:30 Ros Atkins: The Art of Explanation

If you're explaining, you're losing - so said Ronald Reagan.

Not so for the BBC's explainer-in-chief Ros Atkins, whose video explainers go viral, watched by millions of people.

And he has a tried and true method, honed over decades - from university days and through years on radio and TV.

He shares all his tips and tricks in his book The Art of Explanation.

10:05 Australian of the Year: Melanoma researcher Georgina Long 

Last Thursday melanoma researcher Professor Georgina Long was announced as Australian of the Year, along with colleague and friend Professor Richard Scolyer. 

As co-medical directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, the pair are credited with saving thousands of lives. 

Their pioneering immunotherapy treatments for advanced forms of the cancer have resulted in 5 year survival rates increasing from less than 5% to more than 50%.

In June of last year Professor Scolyer was diagnosed with glioblastoma IDH wild-type, a cancer that is usually fatal within six to nine months. 

Rather than undergoing traditional treatment, Prof Scolyer decided to experiment on himself, with Professor Long designing world-first treatments based on their melanoma work.

He spoke with Kim Hill back in September last year.

10:40 Boot Scootin' Boogie with Tom Sainsbury and Lara Fischel-Chisholm: 

Acclaimed actor, comedian, director and writer and "Snapchat Dude" Tom Sainsbury has another lesser known talent.

Along with Lara Fischel-Chisholm he's one half of comedy dance troupe, Dynamotion.

Their "camp, and country" Auckland Arts Festival show in March Boot Scootin' Boogie promises old fashioned barn dance fun.

11:00 Playing Favourites with Kiran Parbhu

Something of an all-round Renaissance man, Kiran Parbhu joins Susie to share some favourite songs.

A fourth generation Kiwi of Indian ancestry, Kiran came to fame when Māori language advocate Matai Rangi Smith praised his fluency of Te Reo.

Kiran was captaining Matai's Air New Zealand flight at the time. He posted about the encounter on Facebook, getting over 13,000 likes.

Kiran also trains young people to become pilots. In his spare time he's a mural artist, photographer, woodworker and sportsman.

 

 

 

The Art of Explanation
By Ros Atkins 
Published by Wildfire
ISBN: 9781472298447

Bird Child  
By Patricia Grace
ISBN: 9781776950546
Published by Penguin 
 

 

 

Music played in this show

Song: Tumblin' Down.
Artist:Maria Dallas
Time played: 10:43

Song: Kōrukutia (Bathe in the River)
Artist: Hollie Smith, Don McGlashan
Time played: 11:05

Song: Summer, Highland Falls
Artist: Billy Joel
Time played: 11:20

Song: Traces of you
Artist: Anoushka Shankar ft. Norah Jones
Time played: 11:30

Song: Octopus's Garden
Artist: The Beatles
Time played: 11:40

Song: Simply the Best  - from 'Schitt's Creek'
Artist: Noah Reid
Time played: 11:50

Song: Sunchyme (Radio Edit)
Artist: Dario G
Time played: 11:57