Sunday Morning for Sunday 27 September 2020

7:11 'Weather bomb' update with Philip Duncan 

A significant severe weather event is expected to affect much of the country over the weekend. This 'weather bomb' will grow so large over the Southern Ocean it will bring strong winds, snow and sub zero wind chills to parts of the lower South Island and gales may spread as far north as Auckland City. WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan delivers the latest. 

7:20 Covid-19 truth and lies - can New Zealanders tell the difference? 

The latest Research New Zealand survey set out to establish to what extent New Zealanders believe various facts and alternative (or conspiracy) theories around Covid-19. The survey found that while the majority of Kiwis did not believe Covid-19 conspiracy theories, the real cause of the pandemic is largely not known - with 20% believing the disease came from a lab. Research NZ's Emanuel Kalafatelis joins the show to discuss. 

7:40 Calling Home: Kingsley Edney in Leeds, England

Life in the university town of Leeds has changed vastly this year due to disruptions caused by Covid-19. Kingsley Edney lectures in Politics and International Relations of China at the University of Leeds, and lives with his family on the edge of the city's greenbelt. Kingsley is Calling Home this week to share a slice of life from Northern England.

8:12 More millennials moving back in with mum and dad

In the United States, recently released data shows that for the first time ever, the majority of 18-34 year olds are now living at home with their parents. On this side of the globe, young adults were increasingly dependent on their parents in order to get ahead - even before Covid-19 hit. Now that upward trend is continuing, with more millennials moving back in with mum and dad. Dr Kate Prickett from Victoria University's Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families joins the show to discuss.

8:25 Covid-19 puts halt on incredible no-flight world tour 

Six and a half years ago, Torbjørn 'Thor' Pedersen set out on a mission to visit every nation in the world in a single journey, without taking a single flight. The 41-year-old Danish native is now only nine countries away from completing his world-first adventure -- with one of those remaining nations being New Zealand -- but he has been trapped in Hong Kong for the last 35 weeks because of Covid-19. 

8:41 The Weekend Panel with Jane Clifton and Richard Harman 

Our weekend panellists Jane Clifton and Richard Harman offer their thoughts on the past week's news from Aotearoa and abroad. Among the topics today, they'll be looking at the first leaders debate -- and the subsequent fallout -- and whether we need to be doing more around the curtailing of hate speech. 

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at the recent revelations of alleged abuse at an Auckland School - and why it didn't shock those covering the issue of abuse in state care which is currently being aired by a Royal Commission.  Also - this week's first TV leaders election debate - and the 'dark news poetry' of push notifications.

9:38 Mystery of 'monstrous' cats reignited in South Island

For more than 50 years the presence of wild puma-like cats in the South Island has been a keenly debated topic. Two sightings of "monstrous" cats earlier this month in North Canterbury have again reignited the mystery and speculation. DOC biodiversity officer Dean Nelson has been based in Twizel for several years and joins the show to discuss the sightings and the problems feral cats pose for the region.

9:52 My Current Song: Jan Preston - 'Honky Tonk Song'

Queen of the boogie piano Jan Preston used her time during Sydney's lockdown to get into the studio and lay down tracks for her new album, Piano Boogie Woman. Now, on this side of the Tasman, Jan is ready to hit the road for a 20-date tour to celebrate the record's release. 

10:08 'We moved into the wilderness and embraced insecurity' 

Miriam Lancewood's first book, Woman in the Wilderness, told her story of living for seven years in the New Zealand bush with her husband, hunting and gathering, and roaming the mountains like nomads. Her gripping sequel to the international bestseller, Wild at Heart, tells the story of what happened after that. The new book is about living on the edge and embracing insecurity, while remaining unfettered by society's norms. 

10:43am Weather: NZTA Roads and Auckland Harbour Bridge update 

The weather is expected to get worse across New Zealand this morning in this one-in-every-five years sort of storm. Along with the weather itself come all the other sorts of safety considerations, especially on our roads. Joining the show is Neil Walker, the NZTA Waka Kotahi Senior Journey Manager.

10:48 US Supreme Court replacement announcement 

US president Donald Trump will announce his Supreme Court nomination to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg today, with two federal appeals court judges, Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa, considered the front-runners for the role. US correspondent Karen Kasler joins the show with the latest. 

11:05 Kiwi at the helm of melanoma treatment breakthrough in Covid-ravaged Peru 

Covid-19 has been brutal in Peru, with strikes and demonstrations on the rise across the country as the government grapples with having the highest death rate per population in the world. But it's not all doom and gloom. New Zealand professor Patrick Emanuel (who featured on Calling Home in 2019) is part of a team who have invented a new way of doing surgery for melanoma in a remote fashion. He joins the show to discuss his new treatment breakthrough and being tested for Covid-19 14 times already. 

11:22 Tour de force through 70 years of pop history 

New Zealander Thomas Scovell lives in London and has recently had his first child, a daughter named Sadie, whose birth has sparked his new music venture. Welcome to 4xLife - a 16-year daddy-daughter project where they'll listen to one month in pop history every week -- starting with January 1950 and ending in September 2020. And they're inviting you along for the ride. 

11:34 How the next pandemic could be engineered by terrorists 

The next major pandemic could be inflicted by terrorists unleashing a bio-engineered virus on to the world, according to distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School, Vivek Wadwha. In fact, you can already go on the internet and buy a US$350 kit that lets you start editing bacteria. In an essay for Foreign Policy, Wadwha writes that it is too late to stop the spread of these global technologies. He joins the show to discuss the threat.