Sunday Morning for Sunday 21 February 2021

7:10 The top three tips for warding off cyber attacks

The NZ Cyber Security Summit, on in Wellington this coming Wednesday, is calling for New Zealanders to get smarter about protecting their digital systems. Last year, CERT NZ, the government entity that tracks cyber breaches, received 5712 reports of cyber incidents which cost mostly small businesses $14.2 million. NZTech chief executive, Graeme Muller, says 13 businesses lost more than $100,000 each, most commonly through the unauthorised transfer of money, after the companies email accounts were compromised. Graeme says the pandemic has exacerbated an already skyrocketing number of cyber attacks. But he tells Jim, there are fairly easy ways to stop 80 percent of attacks.

7:32 The House

Parliament this week was pretty truncated, with limited business and many of the MPs watching from home. But it did have something unusual - an urgent debate. We'll hear more about this from Phil Smith in The House - our report from Parliament.

7:45  Calling Home: Sarah Argyle in Arnhem, the Netherlands

Despite the hassles and frustrations that Covid-19 has brought with it, Sarah Argyle has thoroughly enjoyed her experience of living abroad in the Netherlands with fiance JJ for the past two years. The Cantabrian lives in the trendy Klarendal neighbourhood, which is just on the cusp of the Arnhem central city area. That's where she's Calling Home from this morning.

8:10  Could a more meaty diet make cats kill less wildlife?

Domestic cats appear to hunt less when their diets are richer in animal-sourced protein, according to a newly-released study out of the University of Exeter in England. The study suggests that feeding cats more meat could help reduce their impact on wildlife. Lead study author Professor Robbie McDonald is with us to discuss this research, and how playing with your cat more often can also help catch and kill fewer animals.  

8:23 Why food sticks to non-stick frying pans

Have you ever felt frustrated when food sticks to your non-stick pans? New research out of the Czech Republic explains why it happens. Travis Clive-Griffin is a kitchen consultant who has been a chef for the past 30 years. He has owned tapas bar, Salute in Greytown, Wairarapa and more recently, The Screening Room in Masterton. Travis chats to Jim about what chefs learn about Teflon cookware that the rest of us may not know.

8:32 How spending time in nature can benefit your skin

Research shows that when we spend time outdoors, we are more active. And in addition to the benefits of physical activity, there are numerous benefits of engagement with nature, including stress reduction, better sleep and cognition, mood improvement and even superior skin microbiome. Health geographer Dr Amber Pearson explains how time spent in nature can benefit us all.

8:40 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 big news stories from Aotearoa and abroad. They'll be looking at the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake, vaccines, the attire of young women in our schools, riding bikes on the footpath and the New Zealand 'terrorist' arrested at the border in Turkey. 

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at how the media coped with the sudden switch of Covid-19 alert levels this week. Also: why a big win in court for Harry and Meghan half a world away may worry the media here - and why Facebook walked away from news in Australia 

9:37 Covid-19 update with Professor Michael Baker

After an eventful week of lockdown in Auckland and the arrival of the saviour vaccines, we welcome back the prominent public health physician from the University of Otago Wellington, Professor Michael Baker. He joins the show to discuss the deployment of the vaccine, the Papatoetoe outbreak, and the merits of saliva testing. 

10:06  Director Samantha Stark on 'Framing Britney Spears' 

At 39, Britney Spears remains stuck in a court-sanctioned conservatorship, unable to control her fortune. The New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears follows the pop star's court battle with her father for control of her estate.  The documentary, playing on ThreeNow.co.nz,  examines the intense scrutiny, ridicule, slut-shaming and ever-present paparazzi Spears was subject to in as she struggled to cope with fame and motherhood. Director Samantha Stark talks to Jim about Spears' career, the #FreeBritney movement and how the documentary has forced apologies from the likes of Justin Timberlake and MTV host Sarah Silverman, for their treatment of the pop star.

10.25  Earth 2: The online game that's got teens buying 'property'

A new augmented reality and virtual reality game is testing the boundaries of cryptocurrencies and property ownership. Earth 2 is a virtual version of planet earth, split into 5.1 trillion land 'tiles' each measuring ten metres squared. The tiles can be bought and sold for profit and in the next phase, developers claim those who buy the virtual land will be able to mine resources, rent properties, earn income taxes, or even earn cash from advertisements on their land. Jim talks to Sunday Morning's tech correspondent Helen Baxter from Mohawk Media.

10:46 Questions remain over NZ visa application centre in Beijing 

Canada's Globe and Mail reported this week that the Beijing visa application centre used by New Zealand has close links to Chinese security police, which Immigration New Zealand has confirmed, raising the prospect that information could be accessed by the Beijing Public Security Bureau. Asia correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe was part of the team that broke the story. He joins the show to discuss this and other stories out of China. 

11:05 The Musical Chair: Erana James

Having burst onto the cinematic scene while still in high school in 2017 with a lead role in the film The Changeover, Kiwi actress Erana James' career has continued on an upward trajectory ever since, with her current role in the hugely-popular Amazon Prime survivial drama The Wilds signalling her arrival on the international stage. She's in the Musical Chair this morning.

11:35 Peter Lester on the Prada Cup Final

The Prada Cup final series kicked back into action yesterday, with Challenger of Record Luna Rossa needing only three more victories over Ineos Team UK to advance to the America's Cup final against holders Team New Zealand. Veteran yachting commentator and three-time America's Cup competitor Peter Lester joins the show fresh from attending today's pre-race meeting with all the latest news

11:43 James Goodman: 'Trump is simply too lazy to run again'

He's sitting third overall in the favoured odds to win the 2024 U.S. election (after Kamala Harris and then Joe Biden), but James Goodman, distinguished professor of history at Rutgers University, Newark, says there's little to no chance of Donald Trump running again. Why? Because he is simply too lazy to put in the work required.