Saturday Morning

7:09 Update on Israel and Gaza

In a major escalation, Israel's security council has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.

It's drawn strong criticism from several world leaders with the UN now holding an urgent Security Council meeting tomorrow. The UN says a take over will be catastrophic for Palestinians and Israeli hostages.

Germany says it will halt exports of military equipment to Israel. It comes as pressure mounts on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza where hunger and malnutrition are spreading.

The Guardian's Washington DC bureau chief David Smith joins Perlina Lau with the latest reaction.

7:18 The cost of commuting: road user charges

There's a big shake up coming to the way we pay for our roads. The government wants to replace the petrol tax with electronic road user charges.

At the moment petrol users pay a fuel excise duty of about 70 cents a litre at the pump. But diesel, electric and heavy vehicles pay road user charges based on how far they travel.

Head of Advocacy for the motor industry lobby group the Motor Trade Association James McDowell joins talks to Mihingarangi Forbes about what this will mean for the average driver.

07:23 Tāmaki Makaurau By-election: Oriini Kaipara

In less than a month the highly contested Tāmaki Makaurau Māori electorate will be decided in a by-election triggered by the passing of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp in June.

She won the seat in 2023, beating Labour's Peeni Henare by just 42 votes.

Challenging Henare this time is well known broadcaster turned political nominee for Te Pāti Māori - Oriini Kaipara. While they both represent sitting parties, Kelvyn Alp is standing for NZ Loyal, Sherry-Lee Matene as an independent and Hannah Tamaki is also running for Vision West. 

Oriini made headlines internationally as the first wahine Māori to wear moko kauae presenting mainstream news.

She talks to Mihi about her decision to run.

7:35 Learning financial literacy at school

From 2027 it'll be compulsory for students from year 1 to 10 to be taught financial literacy. 

A new national report card on financial literacy shows only 23% of New Zealanders rate their financial knowledge as "excellent". Most of us see ourselves as only "average" with money.

The report was from insurance company Partners Life and Banqer - an organisation already teaching financial literacy in schools and host of the Money Month Challenge.

Chief Customers Solutions Office at Partners Life, Kate Dron speaks to Perlina about some of the most common pitfalls - like losing out through avoidable fees. 

7:42 Stress and sleep

Sleep should be restful but sometimes it isn't.

New research from the University of Otago has found that when we're asleep, stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off in a steady rhythm about once every hour.

Karl Iremonger is Associate Professor at the University of Otago's department of Physiology and Director of the 
Centre for Neuroendocrinology. He talks to Mihi about this world-first research that could reveal how these patterns affect health, mood, and sleep.

7:48 Nectar of the gods

The New Zealand hop Nectaron has been ranked 5th most desirable in the U.S market with its unique tropical flavour.

An example of New Zealand ventures punching above their weight, Nectaron and the team at Plant and Food Research are finalists in this year's KiwiNet Awards, which recognise the successful commercialisation of scientific discoveries. 

Plant and Food Research is part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute and officially, Kerry Templeton is the Science Team Leader - Hops but he prefers to be called a hop breeder.

Kerry joins Perlina to explain what's so special about their brewing process - and how Nectaron got its name.

7:53 Cat crazy: CatVideoFest

CatVideoFest was originally scheduled in cinemas for just one weekend but has proved so popular, the 75-minute, family-friendly compilation of the internet's best cat content has been extended across the country, continuing to raise funds for local animal charities and delighting audiences of all ages.
 
Director Will Braden talks to Mihi and Perlina about the viral popularity of our furry friends.

8.13 Telling Tales: Sue Vice

The current controversy over the authenticity of Raynor Winn's The Salt Path has given rise to a broader discussion about the nature and prevalence of literary hoaxes. Should a memoir be held to the same standard of accuracy as an autobiography? How do we distinguish fact from personal truth, perception from pure fraud?

Professor Sue Vice is a lecturer at the University of Sheffield's School of English and the author of Textual Deceptions: False Memoirs and Literary Hoaxes in the Contemporary Era.  Sue explains to Perlina she became interested in this field after herself falling victim to a literary hoax as a reader, many years ago.

8.36 Trailblazing Tech: Julia Pahina and Eteroa Lafaele

Pacific people make up 4.4% of the tech industry, something that the founders of Fibre Fale are working to improve. Founded by Julia Pahina and Eteroa Lafaele in 2022 to grow representation and pathways for Pacific people in tech, they've already reached over 3 million people online and over 10,000 in person through events and programmes. 

Eteroa is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, Young New Zealander of the Year 2025, NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever 2024 and proud Sāmoan Software Engineer from Cannon's Creek, Porirua.  

Julia is an award-winning trailblazer who has worked in tech all over the world, on a mission to serve Pasifika communities.  Julia and Eteroa speak with Mihi. 

9.05 Defying Ageism: Dr Kiran Rabheru

In 2021 the World Health Organisation considered classifing old age as a disease.

Someone who challenged that classification is Dr Kiran Rabheru, a geriatric psychiatrist and psychiatry professor at the University of Ottawa.

Kiran has worked for more than 40 years with aging populations and is the Chair of the Board of the International Longevity Centre of Canada, a non-profit organisation that's part of a 16 country Global Alliance, serving as a resource for policy makers and governments, to help end ageism against older people while protecting and strengthening their human rights.

9.35 Israeli Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jeff Halper

Nominated "for having worked tirelessly to protect the basic rights of Palestinians from oppression, both from the Israeli occupation regime and violent settlers", long-time Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper and his Palestinian counterpart, Issa Amro, have been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.  

Halper leads political organisation Israeli Committee Against House Demonstrations. He and Issra Amro - who Saturday morning spoke to in June have travelled internationally together on speaking tours to raise awareness of the West Bank settlements - which are expanding at a faster rate this year under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

While it is illegal for Issa to peacefully resist, Jeff continues his work as something of an outlier. He speaks with Perlina.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on 10 October and awarded on 10 December 2025, in Oslo, Norway. 

10.05 Dacre Montgomery: Went Up The Hill  

A modern ghost story shot in Canterbury, written by Canterbury born, Australian based director, Samuel van Grinsven. 

In Went Up The Hill, Jack - played by Stranger Things Dacre Montgomery - travels to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother. There he meets her widow, Jill.

Over the course of several unsettling nights, both are possessed by Elizabeth's ghost, who uses their bodies to communicate with the other from beyond the grave.

Went Up The Hill premiered at the NZIFF on Thursday and is released in cinemas on October 8th.

Perlina speaks with Dacre and Samuel.

10.30 The Life of a Purple Wiggle

Are we there yet? It's a question dreaded by every parent - or anyone for that matter - who has ever been on a long car journey with small children. But popular Australian entertainers - The Wiggles - think they may have come up with a solution to keep the kids happy - and the adults sane - while reducing the amount of time kids spend on their screens.

Purple Wiggle - John Pearce - also known as Big Strong John talks to Mihingarangi about the group's latest venture, their move to better reflect their audience's ethnic diversity and what pulling on the purple jersey means to him.

10.45 The Tripods: All for Nothing? Chris Jones

John Christopher's award-winning Tripods Trilogy was adapted to the small screen, enthralling viewers but leaving them hanging before the end.  

The BBC pulled-out two thirds of the way in leaving it forever unfinished - much to the frustration of millions of viewers worldwide - including here in NZ.

Two Tripods seasons were shown here in 1987 - on prime-time Saturday night telly.  

There are fan groups around the world who have held reunions and fundraisers.One such fan is Chris Jones, who has provided some closure with a new book The Tripods All for Nothing? - the launch of which coincided with a fundraiser for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint and an online charity auction, raising several thousand dollars.

11.06 Linn Lorkin: Music about life well lived

Known for her ability to turn everyday Kiwi life into music, whether she's writing about K Road, a sea-green coat, her Tokoroa childhood or a family walk on the beach, at 82 Linn Lorkin is still performing weekly around Tāmaki Makaurau.

Singer, pianist, songwriter and performer, Linn has played everywhere from dive bars in Copenhagen and piano lounges in Manhattan to Ronnie Scott's in London, Wellington's Downstage Theatre and weekly residencies in Auckland piano bars. She started writing songs unexpectedly late at 35 after a heartbreak in New York. 

Her new book is 101 Songs: The Linn Lorkin Songbook.  It's a vibrant, theatrical and deeply personal collection of her original music, spanning over 40 years. Her iconic song is Karangahape Road. Linn has co-produced 18 albums, co-founded two iconic Kiwi bands and was awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music in 2023.

11.50 Comedy in the garage: Heta Dawson

Heta Dawson runs a unique comedy club in South Auckland - in his garage in Manurewa.

Heta was a finalist in the 2019 Classic Raw Comedy Quest at the International Comedy Festival. He's even hit the stage with his daughter Courtney as well as sat on the board of the New Zealand Comedy Trust. But his latest passion is providing a stage for up and coming stand-ups, and some big names, in an environment those from his multicultural part of Tāmaki feel really comfortable and at home in.