Saturday Morning

7:12 The end of open plan classrooms 

This week education has been in the spotlight with news the government will no longer build big, barn yard style open plan classrooms. Instead, Education Minister Erica Stanford said after years of different government flip-flops - now it will only build single-cell classrooms. 

The announcement came in the same week as results from this year's NCEA numeracy and literacy tests.

The results showed that pass rates improved overall but that most teenagers in Northland and South Auckland failed. 

Judy Bruce, AUT's Senior Lecturer in Education talks to Susie Ferguson about why flexibility is key when it comes to good educational outcomes.  

7:19 Update from Gaza 

This week Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country 'deeply regrets' the killing of three people in Gaza's only Catholic Church.

The church had become a shelter for Gaza's Christian community in the war, and on Friday Pope Leo the 14th said he's "deeply saddened" by the strike.

Also this week, at the controversial aid centres - controlled by Israel and the US - some 20 people were killed in a crush for food and water.

On the ground in Gaza, Médecins Sans Frontières - Doctors Without Borders, describes the situation as "human carnage".

Nicole Lessard, MSF's Nursing Activity Manager speaks to Mihi from Gaza.

7:26 Counting the cost: flood clean up in Nelson Tasman 

A week on from last week's devastating storm and locals in Nelson Tasman are still cleaning up - and beginning to count the cost.  

It was the second deluge in as many weeks as a state of emergency was declared and residents had to be evacuated.

The government has announced a $500,000 relief package but Tasman's mayor has said the final cost could be more than a hundred times that.  

Orchardist Andy Drummond grows kiwifruit and apples in Riwaka and the Motueka Valley and suffered damage to crops, machinery and buildings.   

He speaks with Susie about what their community needs going forward. 

7:34 Iwi leader on discovery of French maritime artifact  

One of New Zealand's oldest European artifacts has been located in the waters of Doubtless Bay in the Far North.

The anchor once belonged to the French ship Saint Jean Baptiste which was captained by Jean-Francois Marie de Surville.

In a storm in 1769 they lost an anchor and had to cut two more loose. Two of them have already been found - and the 3rd was discovered by Kelly Tarlton in 1982 - however the co-ordinates were misplaced until now.

Several of the Saint Jean Baptiste crew members had scurvy and were nursed back to health by members of Ngāti Kahu.

Chair of Ngāti Kahu and Professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland Margaret Mutu, talks to Mihingarangi about why de Surville's encounters with Māori left a scar.

7:45 Writing a wish list to go with your will 

This week is Wills Week in New Zealand and a Taupō mum and her 13-year-old son have created a list of wishes - in the form of a book - to be read in conjunction with that legal document.

Suzanne Stevenson speaks to Mihi about why she wanted to help families have those difficult conversations before it's too late.

7:50 Why the grass is greener for award winning exporter 

Last night the Tauranga based company Trimax Mowing Systems was announced as Exporter of the Year for the Bay of Plenty.

They've sold more than 33,000 mowers worldwide - with their designs used on some PGA golf courses in the United States, even at Windsor Castle in the UK.

Chief Executive Michael Sievwright joins Susie to explain what this means to the family-owned business.

8:11 Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji 

Emojis are the world's newest language - but where did they come from, where are they going, and what do they mean?

We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, and even our sex lives. 

In his new book Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji writer Keith Houston explores the history of the emoji from its birth in 1990s Japan, through to the Western explosion in the 2000s.  

Keith Houston is an author of several books about punctuation and the founder of the blog Shady Characters. He joins Susie to explain the ever-expanding emoji lexicon. 

8:42 Digging up the shame of the past 

If you've seen the Judy Dench film Philomena, you'll be familiar with the Magdalene laundries - institutions for "fallen women" that operated from the 18th to the late 20th century. They were particularly prevalent in Ireland, where an estimated 30,000 women were confined. 

Last Monday, excavators began work at St. Mary's Mother-and-Baby Home in Tuam where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth from 1925 to 1961. 

Experts from several countries are working together to search for and identify the remains of hundreds of babies and young children who died there.  

Sarah-Anne Buckley is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of modern Irish social history. She joins Mihingarangi to discuss this unprecedented excavation project. 

9:05 Chicago the Musical: putting a showstopping spin on a scandal

Chicago is coming to Auckland with its celebrity cocktail of murder, media and music.   

The story of two young women seduced by fame, it premiered 50 years ago but its message continues to resonate with modern audiences. 

Starring Lady Killer Jackie Clarke as the infamous Mama Morton and directed by theatre icon Michael Hurst, Chicago the Musical is opening for a limited run at the Bruce Mason Centre. 

Jackie and Michael talk to Mihingarangi about how they're putting their own spin on this celebrated stage play. 

9:25 Sameer Pandya: Our Beautiful Boys

"Can you ever really know your kids?" That's the question at the heart of Sameer Pandya's new novel Our Beautiful Boys.

Centred on three teenage "all stars" who attend a party in a deserted cave that ends with the school bully being seriously injured, the book explores the dynamics of masculinity, race, privilege, and the conflict that arises when all these collide.

An award-winning author and Associate Professor in Asian-American studies at the University of California, Sameer tells Susie why these themes will resonate with parents everywhere. 

9:47 Water and wildfire: partnering with NASA for a more sustainable planet

Space may be the final frontier, but it is also an increasingly viable one for New Zealand as our scientists partner with NASA to engage in mutually beneficial research. 

Scion, an arm of the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science is collaborating with NASA on two studies which have grown out of a shared need to respond more effectively to the challenges of climate change and to better manage scarce resources.     

Scion lead researchers Shana Gross and Dean Meason talk to Mihingarangi about how this collaboration could help limit the damage from wildfires and improve our decision making around water and land use.    

10:06 Telling stories through sign language: A Quiet Love

Three deaf couples navigate love, parenting, and identity in the deeply personal documentary A Quiet Love.  

The film follows a decades-long forbidden romance across a religious divide, an LGBTQI+ couple navigating parenthood with deaf and hearing children, and a deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing a life-altering choice. 

Director Garry Keane speaks with Mihingarangi about making Ireland's first feature documentary in Irish Sign Language. 

A Quiet Love shows in Wellington and Christchurch tonight and is streaming as part of the Doc Edge festival. 

10:30 New research on Auckland's volcanos

Auckland residents may or may not be aware that they've set up shop on a volcanic field. 

While an eruption in Auckland is very unlikely to happen, the volcanic field is technically still active. It's made up of 53 volcanic centres scattered across the city. 

Volcanologist and GNS principal scientist Graham Leonard joins Susie and Mihi to explain what this means. 

10.50 Reviving Lake Ōmāpere

Next week a group from the Lake Ōmāpere Trust in the Far North will head to Brisbane to present at the World Lake Conference. They were invited based on their plan to return the lake to ecological health.

The small rōpū going includes 93 year old kuia Ani Martin, the brains behind the project, travelling overseas for the first time. Lake Omapere Trustee Marise Stuart and Ani Martin speak with Susie.

11:05 Playing Favourites with Kiran Dass

Playing favourites this week is music aficionado, book reviewer, literary festival director, writing awards judge and literary champion, Kiran Dass.

In between spins, Kiran chats to Susie and Mihi about being Programme Director of WORD Christchurch, the literary festival taking place in Ōtautahi in August, how poetry can help out with dating - and her own passion for DJing.