RNZ: Saturday Morning

Listed on the YWCA's Y25 women and gender-diverse community changemakers for 2026, Mariner Fagaiava is a journalist, broadcaster and youth advocate who has been proudly telling the story of South Auckland's Pasifika and rainbow communities. She joins Saturday Morning to tell us about her mahi helping the young, the trans and the Pasifika to see themselves reflected in the media and positions of leadership.

In the next 25 years, $1.6 trillion is predicted to pass to the next generation Fair to say, there are plenty of us out there who are either writing our wills or being written into one. But how much does the average Kiwi understand about the legal labyrinth of succession law? To help us chart our way through, we've got lawyer Holly Egerton - she's a general practice lawyer but also helps demystify the legal world through social media.

Famed opera The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet is coming to New Zealand this month with a modernised update from New Zealand Opera in partnership with State Opera South Australia. Lead players Madison Nonoa and Anthony Robin Schneider join Saturday Morning to talk about what it takes to perform at this level and what The Pearl Fishers means to people in 2026.

She was approached by an undercover recruiter in a Canberra bookshop in 2011, and within months she was deep in the belly of the beast of the Providence movement, a Korean religious group that's been accused of cult-like behaviour. Now on the other side of her time with Providence, Liz Cameron has written books and spoken publicly about what it's like to be brainwashed. She speaks with Saturday Morning ahead of her appearance at Decult 2026 in Christchurch next month.

Scientists in Australia are using CRISPR technology, which allows them to edit out specific genes to open up the treatment options for people with blood cancer. Professor Marco Herold and his team at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute have been focused on helping patients who're resistant to lymphoma drugs, and now, they think they've achieved something that could help alleviate the lives of millions of people.

Last night was awards night at Wellington's famous event where avant-garde fashion takes centre stage - that's the World of Wearable Art. It's the biggest, boldest most creative event on the fashion calendar and traditionally the winner joins us the day after the night before.

We're all aware of the potential harm social media can cause young people, but what about gaming? Platforms like Roblox and Minecraft might seem like a safe option, but the online communities they offer are far from it. Kids end up chatting and playing with people they've never have met in real life - making them potential targets for grooming and exploitation That's something 19-year-old Caden Scott saw first-hand when a friend was targeted. He's co-founded a start-up called Azonic which he hopes will help law enforcement investigate online crime.

Deep in the heart of Auckland's North Shore, the seemingly uninterrupted suburbia is punctuated by an oasis of native bush. It's no accident - a group of local volunteers has been hard at work for 50 years allowing Centennial Park in Campbells Bay to flourish. Centennial Park Bush Society chair Richard Hursthouse has been part of planting 24,000 trees over his two decades with the organisations which is focused on ripping out weeds, knocking back rats and planting a greener future. He joins Saturday Morning to talk about urban ngahere and restoring native flora and fauna to our cityscape.

Musician and long-time Warriors superfan Peter Urlich joins us to talk the Wahs ahead of Sunday's big game, including the meteoric rise of the team in recent years and what it means for rugby league. Also - how does it feel for Urlich to hear the Warriors victory song he wrote thunder out from the stands, as fans will be hoping will be the case this Sunday evening at Auckland's Eden Park.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori starts on Monday and so if you've always wanted to try, there's no better time! For some that desire to learn a bit of te reo, and find out more about te Ao Maori comes through sport... it's front and centre for some, from the All Blacks haka, and now the Warriors haka. In other sports it may be a little less visible but no less important. Representing New Zealand Cricket we welcomed Pou Tikanga David Bhana and White Fern Eden Carson who won the ICC Women's T20 and a bronze medal at the Birmingham Common wealth Games. First Emile asked about Eden's exposure to te reo as a child.

Eagle vs Shark, What We Do in the Shadows, 800 Words, Funny Girls - Jackie van Beek has been an ubiquitous face in the Australasian comedy scene for nigh on two decades. Now she's appearing in a sci-fi splatter satire Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant, which came out this week and is described by critics as 'one of the strangest films they've seen in a decade' Now, this chat with Emile contains several references to the full gamut of the human anatomy. Not because Jackie relishes the P word, but because it's necessary to describe the plotline of the film. Nonetheless, if you do have little ones listening and you don't want to expose them to that - keep your ear pods in.

One of the world's best-known crime writers, Richard Osman has attracted millions of fans with his distinctive mix of mystery, humour and memorable characters. Building on the success of his Thursday Murder Club series he's now launched a new series featuring an unlikely team of amateur sleuths - with his latest novel We Chase Shadows that comes out next week. But Osman also talked to Emile about being a master-multitasker, one of the minds behind hit podcast The Rest is Entertainment, game show creator and panelist and presenter on shows like Pointless, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You, and Taskmaster.

Our regular space expert former NASA astronomer and science communicator Michelle Thaller joins us to discuss everything beyond the Earth's atmosphere. She's the recipient of Nasa's highest honour, the Exceptional Achievement Medal. From her home in Wisconsin she explained to Emile the possibility of AI data centers in orbit and Nasa's latest telescope as well as answering some questions from listeners.

The All Blacks series against South Africa's Springboks conjures memories of the deep history between two great sporting nations. Despite more than 30 years since the first free and fair elections in South Africa which swept Nelson Mandela to power, access to sport is still deeply affected by the decades spent under apartheid and colonial powers before that. Emile talked to Associate Professor of Sport History at Stellenbosh University Francois Johannes Cleophas, starting with what, if any, power the name 'The All Blacks' carried as he was growing up in South Africa

It turns out not all heroes wear capes, some wear lab coats! In an age where facts seem debatable and the truth can be so easily manipulated, one woman is on a mission to root out mistakes, fraud, and cheats in the scientific world. Dutch microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant Dr Elisabeth Bik is famous for scanning biomedical literature to detect image duplication and research fraud. She spoke to Emile from her home in Amsterdam.

After years of suspense, Auckland's City Rail Link is finally opening on Sunday morning. Former Auckland Mayor Len Brown was one of the infrastructure project's progenitors, with his lobbying for central government support one of the dominoes that had to fall before Auckland could cut the ribbon on its shiniest new toy. Brown joined Emile on the show to discuss his legacy, as written in train lines.

It's 100 years since a Russian ballerina visited our shores and left her name here forever. Everyone knows the pavlova was named after Anna Pavlova, but what's still debated is exactly where and when the dessert got the name, with people on both sides of the Tasman laying claim. Writer and cultural historian Andrew Paul Wood may be the closest to knowing the answer - he's done extensive writing and research on the topic. Whatever its point of origin, the meringue-based dessert has become an icon of our national character and an undebatable part of Kiwiana.

Koroneihana celebrations are in the final days at Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia. The event is a week-long annual celebration of the anniversary of the Maori monarch's accession and coronation. This week Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po welcomed groups from all over the country including a delegation of politicians and iwi leaders who arrived on Friday. RNZ's Maori News Editor Taiha Molyneux brought Paddy up to date.

No matter where you go in the world, you'll find toilets. But Lonely Planet editor Jessica Lockhart has discovered that not all toilets are made equal. In the new edition of Lonely Planet's Toilets of the World, she catalogues the weirdest and wildest loos a traveler may find in their sojourns. That includes Kiwi loos with magnificent views, latrines where toes may lap in the blue Mediterranean, and commodes older than the countries they are in. Lockhart joins Saturday Morning to answer the question - what do our loos say about us?

Jordan Tane is an artist and designer whose experience of growing up takiwatanga - with autism - means she sees the world a little differently. And it's exactly that unique perspective that's seen her land on the YWCA Y25 list of female and gender-diverse changemakers for 2026. Non-verbal until she was five years old, the award-winning designer and PhD student is now creating communication tools for violence prevention within families. It's been a process that she says has helped her reconnect with her own identity as Maori.

This is Home is a new series on whakaata Maori that's about the struggles of a family to hold onto their homestead. It's based in Auckland and sees two sisters Kara and Nina being forced to live together again - but coming up against issues many of us will be familiar with, especially in today's world where many are struggling with the cost of living... they're dealing with financial pressures, personal clashes, family drama... and with a few skeletons in the closet. Two of the show's stars, Keporah Torrance and Ariel Hansen, join Paddy.

Winter flu season has been hitting the country hard, and with it comes all the questions we start to wonder about every year - does being out in the cold make you more likely to get a cold, when can I go back to work after I've been sick, should I get the flu shot? Dr Buzz Burrell is at our bedside to answer all of the questions we might have this sickly season and how to avoid meningococcal disease.

Very few jobs in this country involve launching a rescue mission wearing a wetsuit - to save an animal as big as a bus. But DOC Marine Reserves Ranger Zac Penman is only ever one phone call away from such adventure. He runs the large whale disentanglement team and he's here to tell us how it all works.

Five years after its sold-out debut, Pork and Poll Taxes returns, revisiting the little-known story of New Zealand's Chinese Poll Tax through an epic family tragedy. Writer and performer Talia Pua joins director Chye-Ling Huang to discuss history, migration, belonging, and why this story feels more urgent now than ever. Pork and Poll Taxes is running from 16 - 19 September at Auckland's Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre.

Going to the dentist doesn't exactly evoke joy for most. But are the days of drilling, filing and pulling teeth soon to be behind us? Hannele Ruohola-Baker spends her days working on what sounds like science fiction - helping people regrow their own teeth. She's a biochemist and stem cell researcher from The University of Washington and part of a team exploring how stem cells can be guided to form tooth structures and even regenerate enamel, opening up the possibility that future dental treatment could involve growing back damaged teeth.

Dr Gary Wynn is one of two psychiatrists who have just been approved to administer and prescribe MDMA in New Zealand - the first time it's been allowed in our history. We've got him on the line to chat about what comes next.

This week devastating flash flooding hit the Nepal-China border, resulting in hundreds missing and many feared dead. This year alone we've already recorded a number of tragic disasters across the planet - heat waves and cyclones, floods and droughts. Some of them could tie to increasingly turbulent weather patterns as the climate changes. But how do we make sense of the link between seismic activity, ocean currents and rising temperatures. Earth Sciences New Zealand principal scientist Graham Leonard joins us to explain what happened in Nepal and shed a bit of light on broader global connectivity.

As co-founder of the CeleBRation Choir at the University of Auckland's Centre for Brain Research back in 2009, music therapist Alison Talmage knows the benefits of a good sing-a-long. She's written a handbook to help other people launch similar initiatives in their communities, so people dealing with serious brain conditions like dementia, strokes and Parkinson's Disease can get together in choirs. It's an initiative that's seen big benefits overseas, as the physical and social effects of singing in groups can help ease the symptoms of neurological conditions. But unlike similar choirs in other countries, Talmage leads a group of singers across a broad swathe of ages and different circumstances.

Many of us yearn to have more balance in our lives, to tune in and be guided by our energy levels. For Dr Jessica Gerbic it's been her career's work as a clinical psychologist she's helped hundreds of people tune in to their mauri - how it ebbs and flows and she's identified 12 stages of mauri she uses to guide her patients through to better, more balanced, brighter lives.

Max Wolf Friedlich is being celebrated for writing the play Job, a testy two-hander which knits together the world of therapy and big tech to create a tense stand-off between actors Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon. But while the play, which recently opened on Broadway, is seeing Wolf Friedlich's name in lights - actor Robert Pattinson has signed on to produce his next stage project - he's attained the spotlight before. The difference is that last time his name wasn't at the forefront. Wolf Friedlich was 'story lead' for Lil Miquela, a constructed online celebrity who took the world by storm back in the late 2010s. Job will be on at Auckland's Q Theatre in September, and you can get your tickets here.

The story of the sinking of the RMS Titanic has transfixed people for over a century now. But with the exhibit Titanic: The Human Story opening this week in Auckland's famous Smith & Caughey's Building, historians are presenting a new angle to this story that plays so large in the public imagination by putting the direct testimony of passengers and crew at the forefront. Leading Titanic expert Claes-Göran Wetterholm was one of the minds behind the new exhibit, and he joins us to reveal what's still being uncovered about this historical tragedy. Get your tickets to the exhibit here.

Evolutionary anthropologist David R Samson has travelled far and wide in his search of sleep secrets, napping in chimpanzee nests and summering with the hunter-gathering Hadza people of Tanzania. In his latest book, The Sleepless Ape, he outlines the curious story of human sleep and how it got us where we are - from the strange fact that we sleep less than other primates despite heavy cognitive loads, to the evolutionary boon of controlling our sleep environments. And if we are just waking up to how deeply sleep impacts us, the question becomes, should we be returning to the sleep habits of our ancestors?

Since last Monday designers from around the motu have been at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland. One of them is Vince Ropitini who has a "commitment to storytelling through design." His career has seen him work overseas and he draws inspiration from his roots in Taranaki.

Sarah O'Neil 'Growing Vegetables: A Simple Guide for New Zealand Gardeners', is a week by week look at what to grow, when, and how.   

Brooklyn-based playwright Mike Lew's work recontextualises Shakespeare's Richard III in a modern high school, with a cast list that puts disabled actors at the forefront.

You know that random ingredient you bought for one recipe, used once, and then banished to the back of the pantry forever? Well, chef and food waste advocate Del Holland is back with ideas on how to use it up.

BAFTA-nominated British-Nigerian actor Fehinti Balogun on climate justice.

Acclaimed actor Deborah Mailman made history as the first Indigenous person inducted into the Logie Awards Hall of Fame this month.

Kate de Goldi ponders the future of reading and literature.

Entomologist Neil Birrell wants to know why we aren't chowing down on creepy-crawlies?

Sex therapist Jo Robertson looks at how the internet's revolutionised sex, relationships and consent for generations of younger people.

For the first time in its history the winner of New Zealand Bartender of the Year has been awarded to a woman. Melanie Walker is known for her tinctures and syrups.