Sunday Morning for Sunday 5 August 2018

7:11 Dr Andrew Marshall: get on with folic acid fortification

A report released on Friday, co-authored by former chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman and the Royal Society Te Aparangi, and commissioned by the Ministry of Health, has found that mandatory folic acid fortification in bread is definitely linked to lower rates of birth defects. It's been a subject talked about for years, but the report concludes once and for all that mandatory fortification is the best way to avoid many neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida. Dr Andrew Marshall is a paediatrician for the Capital & Coast District Health Board and an advocate of mandatory folic acid. 

7:20 Timaru: does it appeal to you?

Timaru is trying to attract Aucklanders to live and has created a campaign that features billboards luring people to a town that has a 7 minute commute. Nigel Davenport is chief executive of Aoraki Development, which commissioned the campaign.

7.30 The House

This week: The House talks to two of Trevor Mallard’s side-kick speakers, Anne Tolley and Poto Williams.

7:47 Rangiriri Paa: cultural site an example of collaboration

A scaled representation of Rangiriri Paa in North Waikato has won an excellence award from the Institute of Public Administration NZ, adding to a swag of other awards since the cultural development opened late last year. Rangiriri Paa is the site of the 1863 Battle of Rangiriri but it was significantly damaged when SH1 was rerouted in 1965. Recent development of the Rangiriri section of the Waikato expressway meant the highway was shifted west of the Paa site, allowing the original paa to be restored. NZTA's director of regional relationships Parekawhia McLean and project manager Peter Murphy explain.  

8:10 Insight: Water - Who Pays?

Flushing the toilet, washing the dishes, showering, watering the garden - every time we use water we're relying on water infrastructure. The pipes under our cities, towns and homes deliver not just drinking water, they also take away our waste. But local councils, especially those outside the main centres, say they can't afford the upkeep of the pipes they own and struggle to pay for necessary upgrades. Laura Dooney has been on the road to gauge the scale of the challenge facing those dealing with water supplies.

8.38 The future for food and farm: discussion on alternative protein

Following the reaction to Air New Zealand offering a meat-free burger on some flights, we take a closer look at the world of alternative proteins. Plant and Food research scientist Dr Jocelyn Eason, Beef and Lamb New Zealand’s Lee-Ann Marsh and KPMG agribusiness economist Ian Proudfoot share their expertise on the impact and flow-on effects of plant-based meat products in the future.  

9.06 Mediawatch

With Colin Peacock. How personality contests dominated the contest of ideas in political coverage this past week. Also a court ruling that gives media some freedom from fear of defamation - and can ‘constructive journalism’ stop people turning off the news?

9.37 Professor Colin Wilson and supervolcanoes

The secrets of super volcanoes have been a lifelong fascination for Professor Colin Wilson. He’s turned his childhood obsession into a research career earning him the Royal Society’s top research award in 2017, the Rutherford Medal. He’s now on a speaker series around the country visiting 22 venues sharing his knowledge about super volcanoes.

10.04 Beck Dorey-Stein: life as a White House transcriber  

Former White House stenographer Beck Dorey-Stein has written a behind-the-scenes memoir from inside the White House, under former US President Barack Obama. "From the Corner of the Oval Office  - one Woman's True Story of her Accidental Career in the Obama White House" recently made the NY Times bestseller list. Stein was 25 when a job came along that changed her life.  

10.34 Andy Ellis: from rugby boots to gumboots

Former All Black and Crusaders half-back Andy Ellis is just as comfortable in gumboots as he is in rugby boots. He’s a landscape gardener who with his side-kick Danny Kamo has shown off his skills at the Ellerslie Flower Show as well as in the gardens of some of New Zealand’s best known sports people such Richie McCaw, Sir Richard Hadlee, Keiran Read, and and other celebs including Al Brown and Jason Gunn. Ellis’s landcape gardening book profiles the and his idea, and is called Kiwi Back Yard.

11.04 Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton: adding Treehouse storeys forever

Author Andy Griffiths and illustrator Terry Denton created a children's book phenomenon in 2011 with their book The 13-Storey Treehouse, featuring zombie kittens, burp banks and a two million dollar shop hit the shelves. It was such a hit with the kids, they've added 13 storeys to every book since and now they're up to The 104-Storey Treehouse, their eighth in the series Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton were in New Zealand recently for a short tour, bringing their Treehouse to life on stage.

11:41 Ying Hsien Tan: from the law bar to the wine bar  

Supermarkets are still where most of us pick up our bottles of wine. It's convenient, often a better price, and there's plenty of choice. New World supermarket runs its own annual wine awards, this year is its 16th year and a main consideration is the wines must be under $25. One of the 16 judges is Ying Hsien Tan, Singapore's only master of wine.

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