Sunday Morning for Sunday 9 March 2025

8:10  Professor Al Gillespie: NZ's place in a fractured world

Waikato University's International Law professor Alexander Gillespie joins Jim to talk about the war in Ukraine and which way New Zealand should go in its alliance.  

8:20 The Sunday Morning Quiz with Jack Waley-Cohen 

Quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen is back with his Sunday Morning question.  

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC's infamous quiz show 'Only Connect', known for being both really hard - and at the same time totally obvious.  

Wake up your brain and have a go! 

8:30 Calling Home: Chris Thompson from Belgium 

Chris Thompson started his musical career by playing in bands as a teenager in Hamilton in the 1960s. He’s gone on to have a successful solo career and has worked with some of the biggest names in music.  

Thompson is known for his work with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, specifically for his lead vocal on the hit ‘Blinded by the Light’. He’s currently writing a musical and joins Jim from his home in Belgium. 

9:10 Mediawatch  

Mediawatch looks at concern over a sudden change of direction - and possibly leadership - at one of our biggest media companies. Also: Wellington’s water woes - and how the media handled a sudden rush of top-level resignations. 

9:40 Scam Factories: how scammers can be the victims 

While scammers are swindling people around the globe out of billions of dollars each year, there’s another lesser-known set of victims hidden out of sight – the scammers themselves. Many are tricked into scamming jobs, and are then trapped in compounds in South East Asia and subjected to violence. 

Ivan Franceschini is a lecturer in Chinese Studies at The University of Melbourne and contributed to The Conversation’s series on Scam Factories. He joins Jim to discuss. 

10:10 Chaka Khan gets ready to touch down in Auckland 

Ten-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan is heading to Auckland for a one-off show next month. Khan who is otherwise known as ‘The Queen of Funk’ has recorded more than 2000 songs during her 50-year career, including ‘I'm Every Woman’, ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘I Feel For You’. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. 

Khan joins Jim ahead of her whirlwind visit to Auckland, where she will perform one concert at the Civic Theatre on 16 April. 

10:30 Best Song Eva: Harriet Moir  

Harriet Moir is a comedian, celebrant, MC, actor, singer, and a solo mum to two teenage girls. She also suffers from a rare voice disorder called Mixed Spasmodic Dysphonia.  

Last month, Moir was named Best Comedian at the Dunedin Comedy Awards and she is about to kick off her new solo show Just Eat The Damn Sausage at Dunedin Fringe.  She tells Jim about the song she thinks is the best of all time.

11:10 Kathryn Mannix: the importance of being frank about death 

Dr Kathryn Mannix was a consultant in palliative medicine in the North of England for 20 years.  Her first book With the End in Mind, originally published in 2017, became an international bestseller.  

Mannix believes that by naming death and describing the process, clinicians can have honest, frank and helpful conversations with patients and families that promote better planning for end-of-life care.  

She is in New Zealand to speak to palliative care doctors. She'll also be giving public lectures and book readings across the country. 

11:35 Where do Kiwis cut back when we feel the pinch? 

Emanuel Kalafetalis from Research New Zealand joins Jim to discuss the results of a recent survey that asked if people are cutting back on their spending, and if so, what is being cut? 

11:45 Can insoles sort your sore feet? 

Listeners last October will have heard AUT Professor Patria Hume talk about her study into insoles. 

Patria joins us once again to talk about the results and this time she’s looking for volunteers with sore heels or plantar fasciitis for phase two of her study.