Saturday Morning

Episodes

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  The world's weirdest marathon hits the theatre 07.11.2026 17m

  The Summer Olympics of 1904 were held in St Louis, Missouri and they were the first ever held outside of Europe. But this particular event has gone down in history for hosting a farcical marathon which involved rat poison, hitch-hiking, stolen fruit and dog attacks. The strange tale has been brought to the stage by Nic Sampson who popped in to share a little of it.
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  The Poetry of the Pacific 07.11.2026 27m

  Two poet-artists who've shared a long friendship defined by the waves and the currents of the South Pacific are John Puhiatau Pule and Gregory O'Brien. They've collaborated on a new publication called This Must Be the Island - Liga Hanai e Motu. It features poetry, art and design from both influenced by all corners of the South Pacific, its people and places. Punctuated by sketches, prints and poems the book is a feast for the eyes. During their interview they both treated us to a reading of their personal favourites.
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  Election Day round up 07.11.2026 10m

  On the last day to vote we check in with RNZ hosts Jesse Mulligan and Wallace Chapman ahead of the networks special coverage which starts at 7 o'clock once polls close. There's a big night ahead with in depth analysis of the results as they role in from around the motu. Jesse and Wallace will be hopping from one location to another across a range of spots in Auckland.
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  Uncovering Australia's dark history of Blackbirding 07.11.2026 23m

  Over the ditch, Aussies have become a little more comfortable through the years facing the wreckage of their colonial history and the violence and trauma borne from it. But there's still one dark chapter of their history that many know nothing about: it's the practice of Blackbirding - which our next guest, author Ryan Butta explained is Australia's forgotten slave trade.
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  How AI could help prevent whale strandings 07.11.2026 20m

  Dozens of pilot whales were found stranded on a Wairarapa beach this week and despite the best efforts of conservation groups and concerned locals all the whales perished. Daren Grover from whale rescue group Project Jonah joined us for an update and to talk about a new AI-assisted bit of tech that might give us the ability to predict and prepare for these events in future.
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  Cyber criminals strike again 07.11.2026 22m

  Cyber criminals have once again hacked into supermarket fridges and freezers across France in a bizarre attack for which no one has claimed responsibility - nor have any demands been made. With ever growing cyber-security threats and questions around the vulnerability of infrastructure we invited National Cyber Security Centre head Catriona Robinson to find out the risk factors in Aotearoa and what can be done about them.
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  Black Sheep Returns 31.10.2026 23m

  Ahead of this week's release of Black Sheeps, actor Nathan Meister is here to talk about reprising his role from Black Sheep twenty years ago and Weta Workshop's Stephen Crowe tells us about creating the titular ovine monstrosities.
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  Why do we celebrate Halloween? 31.10.2026 13m

  Academic and pop culture history expert Lorna Piatta-Farnell is here to talk about Halloween and its origins, particularly whether it's an example of an Americanising influence on our culture or a link back to our Celtic social history.
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  Running for Gut Health 31.10.2026 6m

  If you're spectating or running in the marathon in Auckland tomorrow, you might wonder why there's a woman dressed as a giant poo in the race. That's Anna Ross, who along with her team is running to raise awareness and money for gut cancer.
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  Questions with Dr Buzz 31.10.2026 21m

  Saturday Morning's medical expert Dr Buzz Burrell is back to answer listener questions and track what ailments are widespread as we head into summer.
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  The Voice Behind Country Calendar 31.10.2026 23m

  Country Calendar producer and host Dan Henry joins us to talk about helming the longest-running television programme in New Zealand history and how they manage to find a new patch of rural life every week.
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  Searching for Afunakwa 31.10.2026 22m

  Searching for Afunakwa is a documentary and music project that traces the little-known origins of one of the most recognizable pieces of "world music" of the 1990s. Sweet Lullaby, by Deep Forest became a global hit, selling millions of copies and appearing in films, advertisements, and viral videos. But the woman behind the vocals was never acknowledged. DJ Matt Singmin went looking for Afunakwa, deep in the forests of the Solomon Islands
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  Changing How We Look at Kaupapa Maori 31.10.2026 18m

  For more than four decades, Distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith has dedicated himself to validating and advocating for Maori education systems that better serve indigenous peoples. His work identifying and analysing Kaupapa Maori Theory has been transformative in kura, and the world of academia both here and overseas which is why he's been recognised this week with the Te Puawaitanga Research Excellence Medal at the Royal Society Te Aparangi Awards.
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  Tracking the Overseas Elections Making History 31.10.2026 21m

  BBC security Correspondent Frank Gardner joins to give us the latest on the monumental elections that define last week and next week - namely, the elections in Israel and the upcoming midterm decisions to be made by voters in the United States of America.
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  A Breakthrough in Skin Cancer Treatment 31.10.2026 18m

  A deeply compelling innovation has cancer specialists buzzing. An experimental mRNA cancer vaccine which has allowed people with high-risk melanoma to live longer, cancer-free, according to drug companies Moderna and Merck. Medical Oncologist and Melanoma NZ Spokesperson Gareth Rivalland has been leading this from the New Zealand end and will explain what it means.
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  Labour weekend gardening tips and trips 24.10.2026 21m

  Labour weekend is traditionally the long weekend we rip into the garden. There are sales on, the sun (hopefully - whereever you are in the motu) is shining! It's a time for clearing out the weeds and new plantings... a time of new beginnings. The queen of green thumbs, Hannah Zwartz is here to help us make the right choices.
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  En pointe with the ballet classic Sleeping Beauty 24.10.2026 19m

  Sleeping Beauty is back with the Royal New Zealand Ballet this month - and touring around the country. The ballet steps us into a fairytale of magic, telling the story of Princess Aurora, a wicked curse and of course, true love. It's all happening under the watchful, wise eye of Greg Horsman came into the Wellington studio to talk it through.
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  Belonging in Aotearoa 24.10.2026 19m

  More than a century after his great-grandfather arrived in New Zealand, Harpreet Singh still gets told he doesn't belong here. Sikhs have been confronted at public events, racist graffiti has appeared outside schools, and anti-immigration rhetoric has once again entered the public conversation.
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  Talking to your loved one about dementia 24.10.2026 25m

  Three people develop dementia every hour - that's 500 new cases every week. And our aging population means the number of people with dementia is expected to nearly double by 2050. But navigating the disease is incredibly difficult, both for those who have it and their caregivers. Nurse, Naomi Anderson, spent 20 years working in dementia care and says there are ways we can make that journey a whole lot less heartbreaking.
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  Penguins go bush 24.10.2026 17m

  Around the world most people imagine penguins on icebergs and icy plains, while here in Aotearoa we're more likely to see the Little Blue paddling in through the waves and nesting on our bountiful rocky shores. But the elusive Fiordland penguin or tawaki much prefers the living deep in the green over the blue, burrowing under the native trees. Dr Thomas Mattern stopped by for a chat after days out tracking these amazing manu.