Sunday Morning for Sunday 1 August 2021

8:10 Lavina Good live from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics 

We're used to hearing Lavina's voice on the panel on Sunday mornings, but today we find her at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she is working as part of the international commentary team. Lavina will look back on New Zealand's big day on the water yesterday and preview the must-see events to watch today, including Dame Valerie Adams' attempt at winning a fourth Olympic medal in the women's shot put final just after midday. 

8:25 Four-day working week plan picking up steam 

Charlotte Lockhart is the CEO of the not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global project, which she established along with fellow New Zealander Andrew Barnes for like-minded people who are interested in supporting the idea of a 32-hour working week. This week, Mark Takano, a US Representative for California, announced he has introduced legislation for a 4-day week, while Microsoft Japan have also got on board and are claiming a 40% jump in productivity. Charlotte joins us to discuss how things are progressing.  

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Josie Pagani and Chris Wikaira 

Our panellists take a look at some of the big stories and issues from the past week in New Zealand, including what's happening at the Olympics in Tokyo, the All Blacks' new sponsorship deal with British multinational petrochemical company INEOS, and the decision for no action to be taken against Gloriavale by the Labour Inspectorate as workers are deemed volunteers. 

9:06 Mediawatch

This week Mediawatch looks at how the media weighed in on the thorny issue of guns and police officers. Also - Kiwi athletes  strike gold in Tokyo  - and can you call someone a ‘hussey’ on the air these days?

9:37 Calling Home: Tecwyn Evans in Kvidinge, Sweden 

Auckland-born Dunedinite Tecwyn Evans lives in Kvidinge, which is a locality in Skåne County, Sweden, with his wife, Swedish Soprano Susanna Andersson, and their 19-month-old daughter Ayla. Although he lives in southern Sweden -- where he has been based for over a decade now -- he is currently working in Denmark, where he is the Artistic Director of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. He's Calling Home this morning. 

10:06 Dr. Pan Conrad: when science meets religion  

Her fulltime job -- and she's very clear about this -- is as a priest at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Maryland, Virginia, but in her 'other' life, Rev. Pamela 'Pan' Conrad has worked as a member of the tactical operations team for NASA's Mars rover mission, proving that science and religion do sometimes go together. Pan says the scientific and spiritual worlds have always been intertwined for her.   

10:43 Kiwi Sweet Tooth star: 'Bear' role was made for me 

New Zealand-American actress Stefania LaVie Owen stars in the new Netflix series Sweet Tooth which was filmed in New Zealand late last year. The 23-year-old says she knew she needed to play the character as soon as she had read the script. The show is a fantasy drama in a post-apocalyptic world with many parallels to the modern day reality of the pandemic and political unrest. She joins the show to discuss the underlying meaning of the series and the complexities of her character 'Bear'.

11:05 Why life may indeed really begin at 40 

You might be at the stage of your life where you think you peaked in your 20s and 30s and are now enduring something of a slow (and possibly sad) decline, but it is now becoming clear that each era of our lives brings new strengths -- even in old age. Indeed, your best years could still be ahead of you in many respects. Science journalist David Robson is back with us to explain the Seven Primes of Life and why turning 40 should be celebrated, not dreaded. 

11:35 Sniffing, swilling and spitting through the world of wine 

The New Zealand National Wine Tasting Competition final is taking place at the New Zealand School of Food and Wine in the Viaduct this afternoon, with five teams from around the country competing for the National Wine Tasting Trophy after a series of regional events. Celia Hay is the chair of the The New Zealand Sommeliers and Wine Professionals Association and the event organiser. 

11:50 Dawn Raid apology has the power to heal 

The New Zealand Government is making an official apology for the Dawn Raids in Auckland this afternoon. Christine Nurminen, who is co-chair of the Pacific Co-operation Foundation, will be attending with her family. Christine grew up in Ponsonby in the 1970s and remembers the raids being referred to as the 'dog raids', because, she says, the police would send the dogs in to Tongan households first. But Christine believes today's apology could provide an opportunity to update our education, immigration, and other policies, and provide a new discourse for all of us.