1.15 Dementia in prisons is on the rise

An ageing population in general means an ageing population behind bars, bringing with it the same increased number of prisoners with dementia.

So what happens when a prisoner looses the capacity to understand and remember their crime, is there still the same rationale to keep them in prison?

Clinical and forensic psychologist Ella Kofoed who is doing her PhD research into dementia in prisons at Swinburne University of Technology in Mebourne, she speaks to Jesse.

Prisoners' hands (file photograph)

Photo: 123rf

1:25 Kāpiti Kite Festival getting ready to soar

Colourful kites of all shapes and sizes will be flying high at the Ōtaki Kite Festival this weekend. Festival director Kirsty Doyle joins Jesse to tell us what's happening at the annual event which is now into its 11th year on the Kāpiti Coast.

Otaki Kite Festival and Kāpiti Island

Photo: Supplied

1.35  Design brilliance of an 'eel pump' helping native stocks thrive

It's nearly eel migration season which means short and long fin tuna start their migration from our freshwater streams to Tonga, to breed for the first time at the end of their life.

On this journey, they'll try swim through flood pumps in our rivers and streams which can contribute to significant mortality.

This season a trial of fish-friendly pumps are in place. These have been in the works for around 5 years, a collaboration between Waikato Regional Council, MacEwans Pumping Systems, and Callaghan Innovation.

MacEwans Pumping Systems general manager Tom Bailey talks to Jesse about the trial and it's success.

Longfin eel.

Photo: 123rf

1:45 Feature album: Astral Weeks by Van Morrison

This week's feature album is Astral Weeks by Van Morrison. According to one of our listeners it was the best album ever made.

We play some tracks and talk about the music Van Morrison released in 1968 on the album.

2:10 Television Critic: Pratik Navani

Television critic Pratik Navani tell us what he's been watching. Including: Mr & Mrs Smith and Brothers Sun.

2:20 Made in NZ: Earthmaker

The late Ray Cooper needed a clever way of composting as his wife grew veggies in the back garden, and flowers in the front.

Ray came up with a few prototypes, kept developing them and eventually they tuned into the Earthmaker!

A composter that uses gravity to do the hard work, and... looked a little bit like a Dalek.

Leading industrial designer Michael Smythe designed the prototype and continually redesigns the Earthmaker to be more effective.

We speak to Michael.

Earthmaker compost bin

Earthmaker compost bin Photo: earthmaker.co.nz

2.30 Expert Feature: Shakespeare

We've got a huge topic for our Monday Expert feature today, the man, the myth, the Bard, William Shakespeare.

He is regarded as the finest playwright in history, and some have gone as far as to call him the greatest writer in the English language.

Hamlet, Othello, Romeo & Juliet, that Scottish play... there's so much to cover, so we needed a born-and-bred Shakespeare expert to help us out.

David Lawrence, Shakespeare scholar and artistic director of The Pop-up Globe - he's our Monday expert.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare Photo: Supplied

3:10 John Oates on his legacy and present career

The music career of John Oates is legendary. 

He's in both the Songwriter and Rock and Roll hall of fame as a songwriter, guitarist and one half of the 70's and 80's hit music machine Hall and Oates. 

They churned out number one songs time after time with hits like Rich Girl, Kiss On My List, Private Eyes and Maneater  making them among the best-selling music artists of all time.

But Oates prefers to live in the present rather than the past.

He catches us up on his career as a solo artist  still doing shows, releasing singles, and navigating a music industry that has changed dramatically from the one he started in more than 50 years ago. 

John Oates performing in Tampa Florida, 1982

John Oates performing in Tampa Florida, 1982 Photo: public domain

3:35 Here Now

In this week's Here Now podcast episode, Kadambari Raghukumar continues the conversation around what diaspora creatives make of  those classic stereotypes around their countries. This week, wer'e in Mexico! 

Aerial view showing low visibility due to air pollution in Mexico City, on April 1, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Aerial view showing low visibility due to air pollution in Mexico City, on April 1, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: AFP

3:45 The Panel with Cindy Mitchener and Martin Bosley