Susan Waugh Face to face with an albatross

Susan Waugh Face to face with an albatross Photo: Supplied

08:10 Choose Clean Water

Marnie Prickett is part of group touring around the country to draw attention to diminishing water quality.

She is part of the Choose Clean Water tour, traveling down the east coast of both islands, then up the west, finally finishing in Waitangi on Waitangi Day. The group will be filming their travels, engaging with locals to find out about what's polluting our waterways and what people are doing to restore their streams, lakes and rivers.

On the tour she will be stopping to see Jill Roberts in Geraldine. Jill has been a resident in the town for 10 years and has seen the water quality of the river diminish quite significantly.

08:25 How to age well

New Zealand has an aging population, and so often that's painted as some kind of doomsday scenario. But with medical advances, education, awareness and personal activity trackers, many can expect to live a long, healthy life making valuable contributions to society and the economy.

More than $14.5 million are being pumped into a nationwide challenge designed to help Kiwis age well, and 2016 will see lots of ideas and initiatives being trialled.

Auckland University Head of the School of Population Health Ngaire Kerse

Auckland University Head of the School of Population Health Ngaire Kerse Photo: Supplied

Katikati's Dancing Divas

Katikati's Dancing Divas Photo: Christine Donehue

Wairarapa Times-Age editor Andrew Bonallack

Wairarapa Times-Age editor Andrew Bonallack Photo: Supplied

08:45 Andrew Bonallack - Wairarapa Correspondent

Editor of daily newspaper the Wairarapa Times-Age Andrew Bonallack talks about the big issues facing newspapers, his district and what makes Wairarapa so special.

09:06 Gardening: Organic gardening

Dell McLeod and Simon Johnston from Dunedin are behind Organic Veg/Edible Gardening Advice - Aotearoa, New Zealand. Dell set it up a year ago and since then it has attracted hundreds of people from around New Zealand, and even some in Australia who want to share ideas and stories about organic gardening.

09:28 Citizen Science – Spotlight on moths

Moths tend to fly under the radar when it comes to scientific research despite the fact they're important pollinators for plants and food source for native birds.

But a new Citizen Science project in Otago is literally putting the spotlight on them.

Dr Barbara Anderson is overseeing the project Shedding Light on the Night with the help of several Otago schools, the Orokonui Ecosanctuary north of Dunedin and some of her colleagues at Landcare Research.

09:40 Musical Dynasties – Don and Tony Wilson

Don Wilson was a member of Ebony, The Heartbreakers and wrote The Ballad of Happy Feet about a penguin that turned up on the Kapiti Coast a few years ago. He's due to release a new album in 2016 and his back catalogue is being digitally remastered and re-released.

Tony Wilson was a founding member of metal band Civilian Down and spent time honing his craft in London, where he recorded his album Time In Space.

Tony and Don Wilson warming up in the studio with Lynn Freeman

Tony and Don Wilson warming up in the studio with Lynn Freeman Photo: RNZ/Zoe George

Dr Mike King

Dr Mike King Photo: Supplied

10:07 Animal welfare

From the Saudi lamb deaths to beaten bobby calves and puppy mills, animal welfare has been in the news a lot.

Dr Mike King from Otago University's Bioethics Centre, and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy Andrew Moore lecture discuss whether to experiment on animals, how best to treat them, whether to eat them, and which of them (if any) it is ethically okay to have as pets.

10:30 Live The Dream - Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic

23 year old Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic has a 16 month old son, and they and her partner live with her family in West Auckland. Even with all that support, she's found it a struggle at times to complete her tertiary education.

She's coming up with ways to help young Maori mums who don't have a support network or sense of identity they can rely on. Jessikha’s been chosen for the Live the Dream accelerator programme that's part of Inspiring Stories.

Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic

Jessikha Leatham-Vlasic Photo: Supplied

10:45 The Road to Rio (Part 1): rowing and running

What does it take for some of our top athletes to get on the Road to Rio? The Olympic Games start in August but many of our athletes hoping to qualify for the New Zealand Olympic team have everything to play for still. In two parts, starting with two Olympic events which get a lot of attention in New Zealand - running and rowing - we speak to Olympic Gold medalist and five-time world champion in the single sculls Mahe Drysdale, 800m runner and Olympic hopeful Angie Petty and women's World Champs Gold winning lightweight double rower and Olympic hopeful Sophie MacKenzie.

Angie Petty, Mahe Drysdale and Sophie MacKenzie

Angie Petty, Mahe Drysdale and Sophie MacKenzie Photo: Supplied

11:06 Collectibles (Part 1): Furniture, toys and art

Can you resist the allure of an antiques shop window, do you forage for treasures in op shops or on Trade Me or have you ever crossed the threshold of an auction house?

Geoffrey Anderson who is one of the last valuers of antique furniture in Dunedin, Auckland toy collector Warwick Henderson, and Director of Applied and Fine Art at auction house Dunbar Sloane Helena Walker guide us through some current trends in collectibles.

11:30 Te Papa: penguins and petrels

What makes the perfect penguin nest box? Senior Curator of Sciences at Te Papa Susan Waugh's is researching Southern Ocean seabirds over summer. Among her interests are the effects of an El Nino on the little penguins at Motuara Island in Marlborough and Westland petrels.

11:45 The Secrets of RNZ: Audio Oddities (Part 3)

The Weekend travels back in time to the pre-RNZ days in 1971 of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.

11:50 Buskers – John Arden

After working on a farm, keyboard player John Arden moved to Wellington to pursue his passion for music.

Music played in this show

Artist: Wet Wings
Song: Willow Peak
Composer: Wet Wings
Album: Willow Peak
Label: Lil' Chief
Played at: 8:10, 9:06, 10:06, 11:05 (The Weekend's Theme)


Artist: Aretha Franklin
Song: Old Landmark
Composer: Brunner
Album: Amazing Grace
Label: Rhino 275627
Played at: 08:22

Artist: Phillipa Hansen
Song: Glistening Waters
Composer: Phillipa Hansen
Album: Pure Delight: Music of Wairarapa
Label: Wairapa CD 001
Played at: 08:45

Artist: Redbone
Song: Come And Get Your Love
Composer: Lolly Vegas
Album: Come and Get Your Redbone: The Best of Redbone
Label: Epic 622128
Played at: 09:25

Artist: Don Wilson
Song: Ribbon of Silver (Live on RNZ)
Composer: Don Wilson
Played at: 09:43

Artist: The Heartbreakers
Song: Computer Man
Composer: Morris, Wilson
Album: Computer Man
Label: Vertigo 6036 915
Played at: 09:49

Artist: Tony Wilson
Song: Cage (Live on RNZ)
Composer: Tony Wilson
Played at: 09:57

Artist: Damon Albarn & Chen Shi-Zheng
Song: Monkey Bee
Composer: Damon Albarn & Chen Shi-Zheng
Album: Monkey: Journey To The West
Label: XL 403882
Played at: 10:26

Artist: Kate Tempest
Song: The Beigeness
Composer: Tempest
Album: Everybody Down
Label: Big Dada
Played at: 10:41

Artist: The Fourmyula
Song: Hampden Tennis Club
Composer: Mason, Richardson
Album: The Complete Fourmyula
Label: EMI 650427
Played at: 11:28

Artist: John Arden
Song: Way Too Long (Live on RNZ)
Composer: John Arden
Played at: 11:51

Artist: John Arden
Song: My Wonderful (Live on RNZ)
Composer: John Arden
Played at: 11:58