Saturday Morning for Saturday 15 March 2025

7.11 Six years since Christchurch mosque attacks

The call to prayer will be broadcast nationwide on RNZ at 1.39 this afternoon - the exact time a white supremacist terrorist unleashed a hail of bullets, killing 51 people and injuring 89 more at the Masjid al Noor and the Linwood Islamic Centre.

A Royal Commission into the attack led to 44 recommendations but the coalition government ended its response to the Royal Commission last August, scrapping 8 recommendations.

Anjum Rahman, is from Inclusion Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, and former spokesperson for the Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand.

She joins Susie from Hamilton.

 

7.19 Ukraine war: Will the ceasefire go through?

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of dragging out the ceasefire process.

Meanwhile US president Trump has hailed talks on Friday between his envoy and Putin as "good and productive"

A proposal for a 30-day ceasefire was fully accepted by Zelensky but when Putin first spoke on it - he had many conditions.

Vitaliy Shevchenko - the BBC's Russia and Ukraine specialist and also host of the podcast, Ukrainecast - speaks to Mihi.

 

7.30 Māori business on the big stage at summit

Representatives of more than 100 companies, from 15 countries have been in Auckland this week for the government's Infrastructure Investment Summit.  

Between them, the companies control six trillion dollars in assets and the government is hoping to create a pipeline of investment. 

Among the speakers were the big hitters of te iwi Māori, including Chair of Waikato-Tainui's executive Tukoroirangi Morgan who said he told the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last year, if they attend they don't want to be tekoteko or carved figures sitting in the crowd.

I started by asking Tukoroirangi what he thought about the summit.

 

7.38 The PM in India

Today Prime Minister Christopher Luxon jets off on his latest diplomatic effort, heading to India while his Deputy Winston Peters prepares to go to the US.

India's projected to be the world's third-largest economy by 2028 and the US is already one of our most important trading partners.

Mr Luxon will be hoping to generate some good news headlines after another bad week for the government's cut-price school lunch programme.

RNZ Deputy Political reporter Craig McCulloch is travelling with the PM.

Susie asked him to tell me about the focus of the trip to India.

 

7.46 Making recyclable silicone using sulphur

Silicones are used for everything, from bakeware, to life-saving medical equipment, to the prosthetics in the film industry.

The global silicone market was valued at more than 32 billion dollars in 2022 and it continues to grow.

But silicone is extremely hard to recycle and most used silicone goes to landfill.

Our next guest Dr Erin Leitao, associate professor of chemical sciences at Auckland University, has created a silicone that can be remoulded and reused by adding in sulphur.

 

7.53 Suzanne Porter: Putting together Womad

Susie is live from the Bowl of Brooklands at Ngāmotu New Plymouth - where WOMAD 2025 kicked off last night and goes until late on Sunday.

CEO of the Taranaki Arts Fetival Trust, who puts on Womad, and Event Director, Suzanne Porter speaks to her about putting the event together.

8.11 Mapping out Long Covid on the body

Having Long Covid can be an extremely isolating experience, patients may not look unwell, but they have debilitating symptoms like shortness of breath, muscle pain or extreme fatigue.

Sufferers say it's hard to explain what's happening, but now there's another language to help them communicate.

It's called "body mapping" and is bringing positive results to Long Covid patients. 

Oxford University research fellow Maaret Yokela-Pansini teamed up with colleague Professor Beth Greenhough to use body mapping for their project Visualising Long Covid, with the help of charity Long Covid Support.

Former professional rower turned Long Covid advocate, Oonagh Cousins, says body mapping allowed her to reflect on how the illness is experienced in different parts of the body.

Maaret and Oonagh speak to Mihi.

8.30 Liam Dann: Trade Wars, investment and misery

Tariffs on steel and aluminium came into effect on Wednesday, what impact is that expected to have on NZ?  Plus the Government's investment summit, and where do we sit on the misery index?  New Zealand Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann unpacks what's on the economic horizon.

8:45 Womad: 47 SOUL

47SOUL is a Palestinian Shamstep group. In fact they founded the genre!

The musical collective formed in Jordan in 2013, and take their influence from hip-hop, electronica and R&B - and melded it with the sounds of Dabke, a traditional folk dance, and other Shaa'bi roots music from the Levantine region.

47SOUL has a big following across Arab countries, the global Arab diaspora and beyond.  Band members Tareq Abu Kwaik - known by his stage name El Far3i, and Ramzy Suleiman, known as Z the People speak with Susie.

9.06 Polyamory for Dummies

The idea of non-monogamy has long been a controversial one, linked with heartache and promiscuity. But polyamory's gaining traction, including online in the last few years, with influencers normalising the lifestyle and its benefits. 

Dr Jaime Grant is an activist, researcher, and sex coach who has taken workshops around the world to help people understand their sexual desires. She's the host of the Just Sex podcast and has had a polyamorous lifestyle for over 40 years.

She's also the author of a how-to guide, Polyamory For Dummies which does exactly what it says on the cover - explaining, from start to finish, how non-monogamy works in the real world.

9.30 Dr Simon Talbot: Campaigning for moral injury change

Dr Simon Talbot is a pioneer in hand and arm transplantation, the Director of the Upper Extremity Transplant Program at the world-renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and an associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.

Simon's corrective transplant surgeries are incredible feats of modern medicine. But in many other areas, the world of healthcare is not only falling behind but failing to protect the very people that keep it running. 

Moral injury is an injury to someone's moral conscience, for example having to make a decision or witness something that goes against a personal moral code. It's an area close to Simon's heart, affecting thousands if not millions of workers in healthcare systems around the world. Simon is campaigning for a systematic change and speaks to Mihi.

9.50 WOMAD: Queen Omega

Star of the global dancehall-reggae scene, from Trinidad and Tobago, Queen Omega has been blazing a trail for over 20 years, performing at some of the world's biggest reggae festivals.

Her 2023 recording of No Love was a phenomenal international success, capturing the imagination of a new generation and attracting more than 53 million views on YouTube.  Queenie speaks with Susie

10.05 Jojo Moyes

Journalist turned number one New York Times best-selling author and screenwriter, Jojo Moyes is back with a new book. We All Live Here tells of 42 year old Lila, a divorcee managing a crumbling house, wayward children and her long-lost father's unexpected return.  It's described as a realistic and hugely funny observation of middle age.
Jojo speaks with Susie about the importance of middle-aged women seeing themselves in literature and films, and keeping on keeping on, even after her first three books were rejected.

10.38 WOMAD: Nitin Sawhney

British musician, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney CBE is a formidable talent across many genres, from his own brand of British electronic and fusion music, to composing for orchestras and has collaborated with everyone from Paul McCartney, to Annie Lennox to Pink Floyd.

He's a recipient of an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award, has recorded more than 20 solo albums, composed more than 70 film and TV scores and performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. He has 8 honorary doctorates and is a Booker prize judge.  As well as that, he had an award winning comedy career.

11.05 WOMAD: Jordyn with a Why

Māori-Samoan R&B artist, Raglan-based Jordyn Rapana, aka Jordyn with a Why, is a making her mark with soulful, dynamic performances.  Winner of the 2024 APRA Maioha Award and nominated for Best Māori Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards, Jordyn's music blends R&B, neo-soul, and pop to tell powerful stories of identity, cultural heritage, and language reclamation.

11.20 Talented farmer changing narratives for ex-prisoners

Our next guest is someone with an incredible story of how farming turned his life around.

Ben Purua is a finalist for Kiwibank's Young New Zealander of the Year and currently holds the title of Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer of the Year and was named Dairy Manager of the Year for the Central Plateau region.

The talented farmer grew up in a cycle of crime and at 15 years old was charged with manslaughter, serving time at Waikeria Prison.

There, he discovered his passion for farming and now supports ex-prisoners and troubled youth into agriculture.

Ben is in Tirau and speaks to Mihi.

11.35 Liam Lawson at the Melbourne Grand Prix

Pukekohe local Liam Lawson is competing for the first time as a permanent driver for Red Bull Racing at the Australian Grand Prix.

RNZ's own Ben Strang is in Melbourne soaking up the atmosphere and speaks to Mihi.

11.40 WOMAD: Talisk

Said to be one of the most talked-about folk bands of the 21st century, Scottish band Talisk have been ripping up stereotypes and redefining folk music for the last ten years. With more than 15-million streams, sold-out shows across five continents, major TV appearances and headline appearances at festivals the world over, including WOMAD, the Scottish trio has amassed a global following, playing instruments in a whole new way. Mohsen Amini (concertina), Benedict Morris (violin) and Charlie Galloway (guitar) have earnt major awards for their explosively energetic sound.

 

Music played in this show

Song: Ghost Town
Artist: 47SOUL
Time played: 8.45

Song: No Love Dub Plate
Artist: Queen Omega Little Lion Sound
Time played: 9.47

Song: Darling Boy, ft Guy Garvey
Artist: Nitin Sawnhey
Time played: 10.36

Song: He Rei Niho
Artist: Jordyn with a Why
Time played: 11.05

Song: Intro to Shamstep
Artist: 47SOUL
Time played: 11.25

Song: Echo
Artist: Talisk
Time played: 11.45

Song: Farewell
Artist: Talisk
Time played: 11.58