Saturday Morning

Chasing the scoop in a war zone

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Turning her caustic gaze to the moral delima of reporting on someone else's misery, is journalist and writer Phoebe Greenwood. 

Grassroots film wins big at NZ Screen Awards

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An historical account of the battle of Ōrākau took the prize for Best Film in a pool of audience favourites at the New Zealand Screen Awards.

Elodie Harper - Boudicca's Daughter

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed British author and ancient Rome nerd Elodie Harper has turned her attention to Boudicca and her daughters in her latest novel. She traces th...

Life in the extreme: Radiation swallowing fungi

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1986 the world watched in horror as radiation spewed from reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine - then part of the So...

Professor Robert Weinkove: Cutting edge cancer treatment

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taken as a group, blood cancers are the fifth most common type of cancer in New Zealand - affecting around one in twenty people during their lifetime....

This weekend in sport

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There's a lot of football news this weekend and fresh off the back of Liam Lawson's re-signing in Formula 1, the Grand Prix championship is up for gra...

Susan Edmunds: Open banking

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Banking done better is the promise behind Open Banking which started in New Zealand this week. It's a buzzword that you might have heard floating arou...

Latest from Europe & the US

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ukrainian and European officials have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "wasting time" after ceasefire talks ended in a stalemate. Putin sen...

Reinstated: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ousted Te Pati Maori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has been awarded a temporary court order to reinstate her into Te Pati Maori. Her case was heard by Justi...

The reality of rates caps

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lots of ratepayers will welcome it but reduced services, delayed repairs and outdated sports grounds are among the possible costs to ratepayers with c...

UN on racial discrimination in New Zealand

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva has expressed concern over continuing reports of racially motivated attacks...

Kate Williams: From law firm to flower field

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Williams did a 180 on her career and she couldn't be happier. She runs her Canterbury flower farm alongside her husband, as a place for the commu...

Restoring NZ's link to the Titanic

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A grave in a Christchurch cemetery serves as a reminder to a love lost in one of the world's most famous maritime disasters - the sinking of the Titan...

A taniwha tale with children's author Gavin Bishop

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning children's book writer and illustrator, Gavin Bishop has over 70 books to show for the last five decades of his life. His latest work is...

Jordi Webber: From Rotorua to Ancient Rome

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kiwi actor and musician Jordi Webber has just joined the cast of the New Zealand-filmed series Spartacus: House of Ashur. 

Easy Christmas prep with chef Del Holland

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our food regular Del Holland is back this week to get us cracking on Christmas prep. 

Hira Nathan: Living a more intentional life

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An electrician by day, best-selling writer Hira Nathan's latest book is a bilingual journal about using matauranga Māori every day to set up healthi...

Andrew Williams: Composing in Te Reo

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Welsh man has won the waiata category in the Compose Aotearoa! national choral composition competition - for works with substantial Te Reo Maori con...

Gina Rippon: The Lost Girls of Autism

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned British brain scientist Gina Rippon delves into emerging science in The Lost Girls of Autism. 

Baby poo and long-term health

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No one looks forward to a dirty nappy, but poo samples collected by parents for the UK's Baby Biome Study are proving to be a valuable source of infor...

Stranger Things Kiwi star Nell Fisher

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The final season of Stranger Things started dropping on Thursday, featuring 14 year old London-based Kiwi actor Nell Fisher in the role of Holly Whee...

Star Trek Lego

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lego's USS Enterprise is now out, and Pete Robson from the Wellington Lego User Group is desperate to get his hands on one!

Taniwha's Den

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A first-of-its-kind indigenous economic summit aimed at bringing together business and investment leaders is taking place today. 

Feral cats - how many are there?

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Feral cats are now being added to the predator free 2050 list, and one scientist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute is determined to figure out how m...

Labour plans ahead

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Labour is holding its AGM in Auckland this weekend With the economy front and centre of peoples' minds this year - and the party said to be working on...

Ukraine latest

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff has resigned following an anti corruption raid on his home. Andriy Yermak has been by Zelensky...

The most significant changes to regional councils in decades

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The government says there's too much duplication and confusion and that low turn out in recent local elections shows regional councils lost their soci...

Kate de Goldi - Reading for Pleasure

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kate de Goldi is a novelist and the Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador. This week she's talking Irish literature with Guyon Espiner.

NZ photography: earliest to AI - Athol McCredie

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer, writer, and for almost 25 years, Te Papa's curator of photography Athol McCredie knows his stuff! In fact, McCredie's 2015 collection of...

Protesting fishermen take to Auckland streets

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recreational fishermen from around the country are converging on Auckland this morning in protest of The Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Act. 

Navigating career change with Dr Galia BarHava

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the eminent close of one year and start of another, it's a time when many of us start to take stock of where we are in life and where we want to...

Calling all cheese lovers

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick McGuigan and Carlos Yescas are two cheese connoisseurs, who together set out in search of the world's best 100 cheeses.

The thinking behind the world's greatest thinkers

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hugh Mackay explores twenty-five profound quotes from some of the world's greatest thinkers, from Confucius and Plato to Susan Sontag and Gloria Stein...

Distinguished Professor Cliff Abraham: How memories are made

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How good is your memory? Are you more 'memory like a sieve'? Photographic or somewhere in the middle? And have you ever wondered why that is? 

Dr Jonathan Mathias Lassiter: Mental health in marginalised communities

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Lassiter works primarily with marginalised communities at a time when the US no longer feels like a safe or welcoming place for many. 

From Baldrick to Alfred the Great - Sir Tony Robinson: having fun with history

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Tony Robinson is perhaps best known for playing dogsbody Baldrick in British sitcom Blackadder. But that's just one highlight of his 50-year actin...

The cycling economy

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Not only are New Zealand's cycle trails helping get more and more people outdoors but they are also boosting the economy by $1.28 billion a year. 

Increased risk of earthquakes with climate change

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A world-first study by the University of Auckland contributes to the growing body of evidence that climate change effects the likelihood of earthquake...

Dame Sue Bagshaw: Puberty blockers

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The government has put the brakes on the use of puberty blockers which delay the onset of puberty in children and young people experiencing gender dys...

Latest from the Middle East

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the UN Security Council voted to adopt a plan by US President Donald Trump for Gaza, Israel launched a strike and Trump hosted the Saudi Crown Pri...

The future of MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This weekend people from Tai Tokerau will gather in Kaikohe for a hui with MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. She was expelled from Te Pāti Māori last week. ...

Rising tensions: NZ First vs ACT

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MMP is all about compromise but it appears some serious rifts are appearing in our coalition government. 

Kereama Taepa's ambitious augmented reality art

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kereama Taepa's work 'Whakairo' has been described as one of the most ambitious augmented reality art experiences ever shown in a New Zealand gallery....

Liam Dann: AI bubble fears and "green shoots"

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Investors are fearful that the AI bubble may be about to burst but what are the wider implications if that happens? 

Nick Tupara: Waeranga A Hika 160 years on

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week hundreds will commemorate the loss, arrest and deportation of their ancestors in a siege that took place 160 years ago on Waeranga A Hika. ...

Corey Baker: Dancing with the celebrities

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corey Baker's career has taken him from Hornby to Hollywood. The choreographer and filmmaker has worked with Lady Gaga, Tim Burton and Dua Lipa, among...

Hamish McKenzie: The impact of independent journalism

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Otago-born Hamish McKenzie co-founded subscription publishing start-up Substack and is its Chief Writing Officer. 

Lars Wittig: A new way of working

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hybrid working - and the option of flexible workspaces - is a worldwide trend that is also being adopted here. 

Pill Rolling Fingers: The experience of Early Onset Parkinson's

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A recent recipient of a coveted Marsden grant to research early-onset Parkinson's was diagnosed with the disease herself, age 41. 

Fran Lebowitz unleashed

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Never short of an opinion, Fran Lebowitz has for decades lambasted the ridiculous. 

The power of the Pause

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For people pleasers who say "yes" too often, setting boundaries can be really hard. 

The Etymology Nerd: How language shapes us

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Language is evolving under the influence of internet slang, algorithms and influencer culture but what does that mean for the future of communication?...

The weekend in sport

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a big weekend of sport involving the Black Caps, the Silver Ferns and the All Whites, the All Blacks are taking on England at Twickenham overnight...

Reaching for the stars: Kiwi tech in space

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zenno Astronautics is partnering with a US company called Portal Space Systems which will use Zenno's technology to launch their spacecraft into orbit...

Changing our climate law

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

COP30 - the 30th annual United Nations climate summit comes as the government faces criticism for its planned amendments to the Climate Change Respons...

Te Pāti Māori: Out but not over

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MP's Tākuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa- Kingi were expelled from the party this week with President John Tamihere accusing them of plotting a lead...

Latest on Trump and Epstein

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In emails released this week, the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein wrote "the dog that hasn't barked is Trump."

Call for police reform

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Organisations working to end sexual violence are calling for comprehensive police reform. 

The tech behind NZ's Earth Science

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Volcanologist and Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist, Graham Leonard is back this week looking at the technology driving new Earth science...

Christian White: an almost accidental author

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He once sold sandwiches but thanks to the overnight success of his debut novel, Christian White can now focus on telling stories - especially scary o...

Chelsea Winter: Nourishing mind, body and soul

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand's best-selling cookbook author Chelsea Winter is back with a brand-new cookbook 'Nourish'. 

PM's Award for Literary Achievement for Non-fiction: Ross Calman

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week historian, te reo Maori translator and author, Ross Calman received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for Non-fiction. 

Saul David: Tunisgrad

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Allied campaign in North Africa was a turning point of World War Two. New Zealand forces including the Maori Battalion were major players. 

Dan Te Whenua Walker: Shaping AI with Te Ao Maori

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Te Whenua Walker is the global co-chair for Indigenous at Microsoft - a group that empowers employees to share, support and celebrate indigenous ...

Priscilla Presley - Life after Elvis

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Priscilla Presley tells Guyon Espiner what she lost and what she found when she walked away from Elvis Presley.

41 years in the making: The Ngāti Pāoa settlement

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

About 500 Ngāti Pāoa iwi members filled the parliamentary gallery this week to witness the house pass their treaty bill. The claim was lodged 41 yea...

Eli Katoa: How was he allowed to play?

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fallout from Tongan forward Eli Katoa's concussion came hard and fast this week resulting in him being hospitalised and requiring brain surgery. ...

A lifetime fighting fires

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today the Paekakariki fire brigade is turning 80. Paekakariki Deputy Chief Aaron Richardson spoke to Guyon ahead of today's celebrations.

Proposed ban on beggars and rough sleepers

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The government has said it is considering a ban on people begging and sleeping rough in central business districts. 

President Trump vs the Mayor of New York

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump has lashed out at New York's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Anita Powell served as Voice Of America's Bureau Chief and Whitehouse ...

Dr Bryan Betty: Youth diabetes on the rise

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diabetes was once considered a condition that only affected older adults but now more and more younger patients are being diagnosed with type 2 diabe...

Temuera Morrison on Lee Tamahori

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Iconic New Zealand film director Lee Tamahori passed away this week aged 75. Temuera Morrison pays tribute to the man who did so much to shape his car...

Tackling garden weeds with Hannah Zwartz

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our resident gardener Hannah Zwartz is back, this time with advice on how to show weeds who's boss. 

Hooked Up: GP turned crime-writer on the dangers of reality TV

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

GP turned award-winning author Fiona Sussman's latest crime novel Hooked Up explores the manipulative nature of reality TV. 

How one man's war on terror became a war on poverty

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Tait was only 17 when he was deployed to Iraq. Now he has written about his inner battle with war - and his search for peace. 

Toby Manhire: Juggernaught

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and podcaster Toby Manhire is in to talk to Mihi and Guyon about Juggernaut Series Two. 

Postnatal depression: singing the blues away

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry supports what some mothers' groups have known for a while - group singing can help with postnatal depres...

Brendan Canty: Christy

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan's feature film Christy rolls back the issues surrounding the foster-care system for late-teenagers.

Dr Jeremy Lockwood: Dinosaur hunter

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After nearly thirty years as a GP, Dr Jeremy Lockwood hung up his stethoscope and started hunting dinosaurs - swapping human anatomy for ancient bones...

The Governess: Are you clever enough?

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first season of The Chase New Zealand premieres on Monday - Anne Hegerty aka The Governess is one of the chasers they face. 

Racing for men's mental health

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A team of four Kiwi adventurers are taking on NZ Godzone for Movember to raise awareness of men's mental health. 

Ozempic for pets?

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

November is Pet Diabetes Awareness Month and highlights the importance of keeping your pet at a healthy weight. 

Capital gains tax: an international perspective

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Labour announced it will campaign for the next election with a capital gains tax as a key policy and point of difference.

Landmark case over water rights

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday a landmark case will begin in the High Court in Wellington over fresh water. 

Potential for measles outbreak

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A public health academic says there is potential for a serious outbreak of measles in New Zealand given the local transmission rate and low vaccinatio...

Latest from the US

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump threw a nuclear curve ball this week saying he wants to start testing nuclear weapons so the US can keep pace with Russia and China. 

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Queen Shirl'e

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Queen Shirl'e is an Auckland-based hip hop artist and community leader known for for founding the Queen Shirl'e Academy, where she helps young peopl...

Chef Del Holland's kitchen tips + the "Best Ever" Chocolate cake

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chef Del Holland shares her tips for making a proper risotto, what to do with sourdough discard (no you don't have to just throw it out), and a recipe...

These little boots are made for walking - the whole of NZ

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seven years old at the time she walked the entire Te Araroa trail, Emilie Bruce, along with mum Victoria, did the 3-thousand-kilometre walk from Cape ...

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Charlotte Macdonald, Garrison World

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Charlotte Macdonald talks to Mihi about the significance of Auckland's Great South Road in the New Zealand Wars.

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Hare George and Rudy Alejandro

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Live from the Ōtāhuhu Food Festival, Mihi speaks with local foodies Hare George and Rudy Alejandro from The Slush Truck.

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Karen Wilson

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In early times Ōtāhuhu was a bustling trading spot with a portage for waka on the Manukau. Local iwi Chairperson of Te Akitai Waiohua, Karen Wilson ...

Elspeth Sandys: turning trauma into great stories

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A rich seam of themes can be mined from Elspeth Sandys' writing. Trauma has dogged her life. "Some people go to therapy" she says. "I write." 

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Aroha Harris

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aroha Harris is a history lecturer at Auckland University, she shares the story of the Marmaduke Nixon monument in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu. ...

Ōtāhuhu Food Festival: Aute Neli

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mihi is reporting live from the Ōtāhuhu Food Festival throughout the morning. She speaks with Aute Neli from Kiwi Tucker Mussel Fritters.

Recipe for Murder: inside the mushroom trial

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The trial of Erin Patterson captured headlines around the world. 'Recipe for Murder' provides insights into the woman herself and how she was caugh...

Groundbreaking coma research with Dr. Sean Pauzauskie

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, it was believed people in comas could not think or understand but now with new technology, we know this is not always true. 

Sam Dalrymple: creating modern nations

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Dalrymple's debut book explores the collapse of the Indian Empire and how five major partitions between 1931 and 1971 created twelve modern nation...

The Seven Rules of Trust with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an age where information and disinformation is available at the touch of a button, trust is one of the most pressing issues of our time.

Organising the Ōtāhuhu Food Festival

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you are in Tāmaki Makaurau today, you might want to head out to the Ōtāhuhu Food Festival - the country's largest.