Sunday Morning for Sunday 20 August 2023

8:10 Dr Gary McLean: Is covid really in the rear-view mirror? 

As the last of the Covid-19 restrictions are dropped in New Zealand, hospitalisations are on the rise and the implications of long covid are only starting to emerge.  

Throughout the height of the Covid pandemic we talked regularly with New Zealander Dr Gary Mclean, an emeritus professor at London Metropolitan University, and immunology researcher at Imperial College. 

8:30 Frances Cook: How the housing crisis is shaping modern relationships. 

Jane Austen once said "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Whilst we’d all be happy to see that idea consigned to the dustbin of literary history, it seems it may have currency again. With some even asking if the requirements of modern dating, and finding a life partner, are becoming reminiscent of Jane Austen's time… because of housing costs. 

Frances Cook, BusinessDesk investments editor, podcaster and best-selling author of Your Money, Your Future and Tales from a Financial Hot Mess joins us 

9:10 Mediawatch  

Mediawatch looks at media coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup - and the legacy it might leave for our media. Also - persistent reporting that has lifted the lid on abuse of migrant workers and human trafficking in New Zealand. 

9:35 Calling Home: Dr Nick Laing in Northern Uganda 

Dr. Nick Laing, originally from Christchurch has been living and working in Northern Uganda for several years where he is the co-founder and country director of OneDay Health which operates 36 Remote rural health centers in the region. 

10:10 Dai Henwood: The Comedy Treatment 

Dai Henwood is one of our best-known comedians, star of Dancing With The Stars, Seven Days, Family Feud and Legomasters.  

Following his cancer diagnosis, he’s just finished his latest round of chemo and has gotten together with his mates, some of the biggest names in comedy, to host a night of stand-up comedy to raise money for The Cancer Society. 

10:20 Pedro DiNezio: Why is the eastern Pacific Ocean cooling?  

Scientists have been researching the cooling ocean east of New Zealand for a while, but more recently it has really been getting attention.  

Dr Pedro DiNezio is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado’s department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He calls it "the most important unanswered question in climate science". 

10:40 Sarah Gregorius: Women’s World Cup final excitement builds 

England and Spain go head-to-head at Stadium Australia in the World Cup final later. 

Joining us for her thoughts on this game is one of our most illustrious footballers. Sarah Gregorius from Lower Hutt played nearly a hundred games for the Football Ferns competing in three World Cups and going on to play for AFC Amsterdam. 

Throughout the tournament, Sarah has provided her unique insight and analysis on Sky Sports and while of course keeping up the day job as the FIFPRO World Players Union as its Director of global policy and strategic relations. 

11:10 Fletcher McKenzie: Enthralling tales from New Zealand pilots 

What's it like to land a jet on an aircraft carrier or have your Cessna crash in flames in rugged farmland?  Aviation expert and pilot Fletcher McKenzie has interviewed dozens of kiwi pilots who've flown all sorts of planes all around the world for his book From the Pilot's Seat: Kiwi Adventurers in the Sky. 

11:30 Paula Marantz Cohen: Good conversation is a basic human need 

A face-to-face amiable debate, the polite airing of contrary view seems to be becoming increasingly rare. Are we losing the art of conversation? 

Dr Paula Marantz Cohen is the distinguished professor of literature at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her book Talking Cure: An Essay on the Civilizing Power of Conversation looks at the art of good conversation, how it connects us in ways that social media never can and explains why simply talking to each other freely and without guile may be the cure to what ails our troubled society.