Saturday Morning

8:11 Gracie McGonigal: Breaking down barriers with Bridgerton 

As Bridgerton fans around the world binge on part two of its fourth season this week, the Regency era romance has continued to make a statement about diversity and inclusion. 

 In a reimagining of Britain during the reign of King George III and Queen Charlotte, rank, title and wealth are not the sole purview of the white aristocracy. In fact the "ton", as the upper class is known, is racially diverse and inclusive.  

This season goes a step further with the introduction of a character called Hazel, a young maid with a disability. Hazel is played by 23-year-old Gracie McGonigal who has a congenital limb deficiency. 

Gracie talks to Mihingarangi about what this role means for the visibility of disabled actors plus she shares some behind the scenes stories from the set of Netflix' global hit.   

8:35 Professor Robert Sapolsky: Life Without Free Will

Is there such a thing as free will or are our actions pre-determined by our genes and the environment we grow up in? 

Eminent neuro and behavioural scientist Robert Sapolsky explores this and more in his book Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will. 

A professor of biology, neurology and neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, Robert Sapolsky explains to Susie how we can all lead better lives even if we don't have as many choices as we think we do.   

9:05 Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel: Ignore the wellness rules and live longer

From "fibermaxxing" to cortisol hacking, are you sick and tired of the over-prescribed wellness industry? Author of Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel singles out six rules to ignore and some basic things do instead.

Dr. Emanuel is Vice Provost of Global Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania, former Obama White House Health Policy Adviser and member of Biden's transition Covid-19 Advisory Board. He was a key architect of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) and author of Which Country Has the World's Best Health Care?

9:30 Ross Harrison on the largest US military build-up in Iran since 2003

This week US and Iranian delegations failed to make a breakthrough that could avert potential US strikes amid a massive military build-up.

The threat of those strikes saw New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peter's reiterate official advice for New Zealanders to leave Iran.

Pressure is mounting on Iran externally and internally. This week anti-government protests spread to at least 13 universities.

Mihi speaks to Ross Harrison, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC and author of "Decoding Iran's Foreign Policy" on whether we are edging closer to a peaceful outcome through diplomacy or to a US attack on Iran.

9:50 Liam Dann: The green shoots of economic growth 

Regular commentator and Business Editor at Large for the NZ Herald, Liam Dann joins us to discuss the latest signs of economic recovery, whether we can outperform Australia and alternative ways to manage inflation.

10:05 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Behind the headlines

This week Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his Waitangi medal. 

Andrew Lownie is a British historian and royal biographer who has scrutinised the former Prince's business dealings and links with Jeffrey Epstein. His book Entitled examines his and Sarah Ferguson's lives and he tells Susie their acquaintance with Epstein began earlier, continued longer and was more frequent than reported. 

10:35 Douglas Boyd: Say your stories

Sit down and listen to your nanna! Interviews are a precious form of oral history: a combination of remembering and forgetting, story and silence. 

So says Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries, Douglas Boyd.  His Oral History: A Very Short Introduction looks at the preservation of voices and memories through interviews and storytelling. 

Boyd is a recent president of the Oral History Association and author of Crawfish Bottom: Recovering a Lost Kentucky Community (2011). 

11:05 David Klein: For the love of birds (and Wellington) 

Calling all bird lovers! 

In a celebration of our feathery friends, David Klein shares fun scientific facts with a dollop of silly at the Wellington Fringe Festival in the aptly named David Klein presents: Birds. 

A former winner of Best Newcomer, David has since taken his unique brand of scientific storytelling across the ditch to Melbourne's Fringe Festival where he performed Towards a Better Understanding of the Universe and around the country by bike with Tour de Science. 

David catches up with Susie to explain the inspiration behind his latest show and why Wellington provides the perfect perch.   

11:30 Tapeta Wehi and Karen Grylls reunite for Ihi. Wehi. Mana.

Two powerhouses of performing arts will come together next month for a very special show. 

Ihi. Wehi. Mana. will celebrate a remarkable 45 years of the legendary kapa haka group Te Waka Huia.

The rōpu will again be teaming up with esteemed choral leader Karen Grylls who's put together a special one-off choir that will share the stage with Te Waka Huia for the first time since 1996.

Mihi speaks to Karen and Tapeta on what will be a night of celebration.