Saturday Morning for Saturday 31 May 2025

 

7.11 Deputy Prime Minister handover

New Zealand has a new Deputy Prime Minister as of today, with the out-going Deputy, Winston Peters handing over after 18 months in the role, and the in-coming Deputy David Seymour taking the baton for the rest of the term.

Rather than select one Deputy Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon instead selected two, both the leaders of New Zealand First and ACT were to share the role for half the term.

So how did Peters do and what can we expect from Seymour?

Mihi speaks to the Right Honourable Sir Don McKinnon who was the 12th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand serving from 1990 to 1996 under Sir Jim Bolger for the National government.  

7.21 Urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into the removal of the Māori Health Authority

This week we've been tracking the urgent inquiry by the Waitangi Tribunal into the dis-establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority

The claimants say it's clear the crown has no plan to replace it - in order to rectify the health inequities Maori face.

Janice Kuka is one of the lead claimants, she's Managing Director of Ngā Mataapuna Oranga, a kaupapa Māori primary health organisation in the Western Bay of Plenty, she talks to Susie.

7.31 Digging into the 'white genocide' claims in South Africa

Looking overseas now and tech billionaire Elon Musk has quit US President Donald Trump's administration.

South African born, Musk has had a lot of influence over the president and was in the room when Trump made false claims of a white genocide to the visiting South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

To dig into where that idea comes from and how South Africans are being affected, Susie speaks to Dr Oscar Van Heerden, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg.

7.42 Samoa's political turmoil

After months of political instability and surviving two motions of no confidence, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has finally conceded to an early election.

The government's budget was voted down at its first reading in Parliament this week, forcing the Prime Minister's hand.

Parliament will be dissolved next week, and the country will have an early return to the polls.

RNZ Pacific journalist Grace Fiava'ai, who broke the story of Fiame's dissolution, explains what led to it.

7.50 Photographing life around Ōpōtiki

Photographer Jazmin Tainui Mihi Paget-Knebel recently won the Kīingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award.

The 22-year-old of Te Whānau a Apanui, Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine descent won for a striking frame of a child on horseback - and if you look at her instagram page you'll see many such insights into life around Ōpōtiki.

She talks to Mihi and Susie.

8.11 Proto: an ancient language, mother to many tongues

Thousands of miles apart, people who speak English, Icelandic or Iranic use more or less the same words: star, stjarna, stare.

All three of these languages - and hundreds more - share a single ancient ancestor, spread by ancient peoples far and wide.  Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language. But, Proto Indo European is a language that has been dead for thousands of years and was never written down.

British science journalist Laura Spinney's epic tale Proto - How One Ancient Language Went Global retraces its steps.

Spinney has written for the New Scientist, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. She speaks with Susie.

8.40 Maori and Pasifika art takes the MET

A delegation of seven Māori and Pasifika artists are at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, for the grand reopening of the Arts of Oceania Galleries. The galleries are housed in the newly imagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, of the MET, which has been closed for renovations since 2021. The Oceania Galleries have 500 years of art from our region.

And it was in these galleries that the 1984 Te Māori exhibition took place, a huge step in the journey to elevate Māori and Pacific art from being viewed as 'anthropological artefacts' - to a living, dynamic cultural expression.

Overseeing The Arts of Oceania galleries in New York is MET Curator Maia Nuku.  Mihi speaks with Maia and Puamiria Parata-Goodall, who was a rangatahi performer for Te Māori when it toured the US from 1984-1986.

9.06 Digital Twin: Liann Zhang, Julie Chan is Dead

Psychological thriller writer Liann Zhang's debut novel Julie Chan is Dead satirises Instagram and Tiktok stars, social media, status and obsession.

When Julie Chan steals her dead identical twin's internet sensation persona she inherits her sponsorship deals, her followers, her wealth, her whole life.  Julie Chan had nothing. Her twin sister has everything.

Liann Zhang is a second-generation Chinese Canadian, who after a short stint as a skincare content creator, graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in psychology and criminology. Liann speaks with Susie.

9.30 Living next to an active volcano

Taranaki Mounga is one of New Zealand's about a dozen active volcanos - but what does that actually mean for locals?

Volcanologist and GNS principal scientist Graham Leonard shares the latest research and preparedness advice.

9.45 More than hockey - Ruamata

Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey (the first documentary ever to be entirely in Te Reo Māori) was a remarkable story of pride, passion, and determination capturing the journey of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata's rise to the upper echelons of hockey in Aotearoa, as they became the first Māori immersion school in a century to compete in the prestigious Rankin Cup.

It was the subject of an RNZ online series and was nominated for Best Documentary Series and won Best Māori Programme at the New Zealand TV Awards.

Ruamata Series Two is back, and this season its definitely more than hockey. The hockey players are taking their skills and language further afield to South Africa.

Ruamata 2 is released at 5pm on Monday on www.rnz.co.nz

Series Producer Kereama Wright joins Mihi.

10.06 Grace Curtis: The Best is Yet to Come

It's often described as the silent killer - on average, about 500 New Zealanders die each year by suicide, more than in motor accidents and drownings combined. And behind each of those deaths, are families and friends whose lives are changed forever.

Mental health advocate Grace Curtis knows the full weight of that all too well - she was 22 when she lost her father to suicide. Since then, she's created a mental health movement called Cool Change NZ and finished a double degree in Law and Political Science at the University of Canterbury.

Grace chronicles her personal journey through deep grief to advocacy and healing in The Best is Yet to Come.

If you are affected by this story, to get help:

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.

Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202

Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)

Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz

In an emergency call 111.

10.38 The fight for clean air in NZ schools

As winter approaches, so do the germs, and as every parent knows schools are prime breeding grounds for winter illnesses.

Dr Amanda Kvalsvig is one of New Zealand's top epidemiologosts, with a background in clinical paediatrics. She says there's relatively simple steps we can take to help reduce winter nasties - as well as our exposure to covid.

She's the lead researcher of Co-Search, a COVID-19 research collaborative led by Professor Michael Baker as well as SYMBIOTIC, a programme which aims to investigate the two-way relationships between infectious disease and long-term conditions.

Amanda's also one of many health professionals who've lent their support to Aotearoa Covid Action, a grassroots advocacy group currently petitioning the government to make changes to improve air quality in schools. 

11.06 Playing Favourites with Cameron Bennett

Veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker Cameron Bennett is perhaps best known for his work as a foreign correspondent, covering conflicts around the world which cemented him as one of the country's most recognisable faces in current affairs.

In a career spanning more than 25 years at TVNZ, he went on to host Sunday before turning his hand to documentary filmmaking, with a specific focus on New Zealand history.

He's currently executive producer of Te Ao with Moana, a current affairs programme on Whakaata Māori, and works on RNZ's NZ Wars series, making history-focused documentaries alongside Vincent O'Malley and other prominent iwi historians.

He plays some favourite tracks.

Music played in this show

Artist: Fazerdaze
Song: Soft Power
Time played: 9.30