Podcast appearances and mentions of Susie Ferguson

90's icon, Macy Gray is heading to New Zealand. Since breaking out with the 1990's megahit 'I try', Macy's gone on to sell millions of albums, earn numerous awards (including a Grammy), and is regarded as one of the greatest R&B and soul artists of her generation. Macy Gray's impact is huge, and she's back this October, touring the country with six shows. She speaks with Susie Ferguson about overcoming a lack of confidence, the power of being a 'diva', and what's in stall for New Zealand fans.

This week Claire Mabey was announced as the winner of the Lynley Dodd Children's Writers Award. Claire's she's the founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington, and books editor at The Spinoff. She's also a beloved children's writer. Her new children's book Cass & the Beast comes out on the 4th of August. She speaks with Susie Ferguson.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is opening at the Auckland War Memorial Museum later this month, showcasing a hundred astounding images of our changing world. Pauline Robert is the manager and judge of the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the world famous Natural History Museum in London. She talks to Susie Ferguson about what makes a winning photo.

Pharmacist by day and award-winning writer by night, Zoulfa Katouh loves to break stereotypes. Her latest novel The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue follows a Syrian American teenager called Jihad - a word accurately translated as struggle or striving. Susie Ferguson speaks with Zoulfa about overcoming prejudice.

Concerned that their dairy farm was both financially and environmentally unsustainable, the Hogg family decided to return to their organic roots. Sam Hogg led the farm's conversion to permaculture - and increased their profits by a staggering 500%. He talks to Susie Ferguson about how he did it!

Rachael King is one of New Zealand's best-known children's authors and former Director of the WORD Christchurch Writers and Readers Festival. Her work combines Scottish folklore with New Zealand sensibilities. Rachael's novel Secrets at Red Rocks has been adapted into the Emmy award-winning TV series, filmed in Wellington. She's back with her latest offering Song of the Saltings - a folk horror for young adult readers. Rachael speaks with Susie Ferguson about where her ideas come from - and her turn as a contestant on the new season of The Traitors reality TV show.

Our resident reader Kate de Goldi is back with her latest picks - an American novel The Gossip Columnist's Daughter by Peter Ormer and a New Zealand picture book You Can't Pat a Fish by Ruth Paul. Kate's a novelist, Arts Foundation Laureate and the Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador. She talks to Susie Ferguson about why these are must haves for any bedside table.

Christine Dawood's husband and 19- year-old son died on board the doomed Titan submersible. Today she refuses to blame anyone for the tragedy. She tells Susie Ferguson the whole story.

The push for a ban on social media for under-16s has been paused despite both National and Labour supporting it. Several other countries are moving to restrict young people's access to social media, following Australia's lead. Meanwhile, new research shows children who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop depression and anxiety as teenagers. Dr Chen Shen from Imperial College's School of Public Health manages this large-scale Study of Cognition in Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) and joins Susie Ferguson from London.

Brigitte, Lianne and Susie Ferguson discuss recent events in politics including the Government's response to rising fuel prices and shortages. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

We're almost a month into autumn and there's a definite nip in the air which means that flu season - and the flu shot - isn't far away. Maybe you'll also be thinking about whether or not to get a COVID booster. But imagine if there was one vaccine that could protect you against both of those - and more. Well a recently published American study suggests that a universal vaccine may very well be possible. Dr Bali Pulendran is a Professor at Standford University's School of Medicine, Director of its Institute for Immunology, Transplantation and Infection and senior author of the study. He talks to Susie Ferguson about what this could mean in the face of another global pandemic.

Susie Ferguson is out and about at this weekend's CubaDupa festival in central Wellington. Visitors can enjoy art, music, theatre - and of course plenty of food! Organisers say it is a fitting end to summer after some tough times. Susie catches up with event director Bianca Bailey.

Simon's live update for Radio New Zealand's "Saturday Morning", with Susie Ferguson presenting. A look-back at 2025, and look ahead to the New Year.

The southern hemisphere has had no shortage of aviation pioneers. In New Zealand we celebrate the exploits of Richard Pearse and Jean Batten while Australia has Sir Charles Kingsford Smith - the first person to pilot a flight between our two countries. This year marks the 90th anniversary of Kingsford Smith's disappearance on a flight from England to Australia. While some wreckage later washed up near Burma, now known as Myanmar, what happened to Kingsford-Smith and his co-pilot has remained a mystery - until now. Award-winning Australian film maker Damien Lay spent over twenty years scouting for wreckage and presents his account of why and how their plane, The Lady Southern Cross went down, in his book Of Air and Men. He talks to Susie Ferguson about his mission to uncover the truth.

What does the future of democracy look like? Pretty bleak, sometimes - but The Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, suggests that perhaps the fate of democracy rests not in the hands of politicians, but in those of ordinary people. In a new collection of essays titled How to Save Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand (Te Herenga Waka University Press), Geoffrey outlines a roadmap for democratic renewal, urging those reading not to surrender to pessimism, but to look to the power of ordinary citizens in affecting change. Geoffrey joins Susie Ferguson to discuss the path to democratic revitalisation in his new book.

Consumer confidence has fallen to a 10-month low as the high cost of living and weak housing and labour markets continue to have an impact. The ANZ-Roy Morgan survey on Friday also revealed consumers' perceptions of their personal financial situations had fallen to their lowest level since October 2023. Financial mentors say the cost of living is particularly concerning for those on fixed incomes like pensioners. This week an RNZ survey showed even retirees who have paid off their homes are struggling as rates and insurance costs increase. Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson joins Susie Ferguson from Wellington.

Neale Jones and Liam Hehir dissect the week's politics with Susie Ferguson. 

This week saw the the final few days of the coronial inquest into the death of olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore. Olivia's Mum Nienke and her step dad Chris Middleton spoke to Susie Ferguson from their Christchurch home.

The US Secretary of State says America may abandon peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in days if no progress is shown. US correspondent Simon Marks speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Abdulzarak Gurnah's new novel Theft is his first since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. He talks to Susie Ferguson about this coming-of-age story and the impact of his win. 

Simon's live update for Radio New Zealand's "Saturday Morning" with Susie Ferguson presenting.

The death knell was sounded for the Treaty Principles Bill at its second - and final - reading this week. All parties except ACT voted against the bill, with 11 votes in favour and 112 against. Newsroom's political editor Laura Walters talks to Susie Ferguson.

To top off our 50th anniversary celebrations some very familiar voices from the past are joining us again. With us in the Wellington studio are Geoff Robinson, Kim Hill, and Susie Ferguson and in Auckland we have Guyon Espiner.

Wellington speech and language therapist Christian Wright talks with Susie Ferguson about developing comprehension in toddlers and when to be concerned if understanding, speaking and learning do not seem to be coming easily.

There were three things Susie Ferguson was never going to do; climb Mt Everest, run a marathon or write a book. However a serendipitous podcast interview with my good friend Frank nudged her to capture her experiences as a war correspondent, radio journalist and woman - the result is "Bloody Minded."  Susie shares her experiences of being bullied and even publicly shamed by a teacher while navigating the tricky dynamics of an all-girls school.  Her candid reflections on enduring undiagnosed endometriosis while reporting from Iraq, display her resilience and humour.  From her love story with husband Lee, to the intense bonds formed in war zones,and the challenges of transitioning into motherhood, Susie's book is moving and memorable. Join us for a heartfelt exploration of adaptability, determination, and the bonds that define our lives. Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker.

Susie Ferguson opens up about becoming a war correspondent at only 25, while taking 15 painkillers a day to cope with her then undiagnosed endometriosis. 

Join Susie Ferguson and Mihingarangi Forbes for our refreshed Saturday Morning show.

Susie Ferguson's listener feedback for saturday morning 6 July 2024

A "miserable" moment on the banks of Lake Wakatipu was the initial inspiration for Matt Heath's new book A Life Less Punishing: 13 Ways To Love the Life You've Got. The radio host and writer tells Susie Ferguson we all have the power to change our own mindset for the better.

You might remember women "getting their colours done" in the 1980s. Thanks to social media, the art of analysing which shades complement a person's natural colouring is again having a moment. Rachel Bilu of Colour Lab Stylist tells Susie Ferguson about the benefits.

After making her name on television, Kiwi actress Sara Wiseman returns to the Auckland stage this month in the acclaimed medical drama The Effect. She talks to Susie Ferguson about theatre acting, "getting over herself" to audition for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and why Aotearoa needs to embrace local storytelling like Australia does.

As private corporations invest billions in the space race, tighter regulation of their off-Earth activity is urgently needed, says British philosopher AC Grayling. "If you could put in place a set of really robust and binding and enforceable agreements which would restrain people from acting badly in outer space, our future selves would thank us," he tells Susie Ferguson.

The assumption that people actually mean 'unlovable' or 'unworthy' when they describe themselves as 'fat' reveals the harsh bias we have against bigger bodies, says writer and podcaster Aubrey Gordon. "It's rare that I say I'm fat without someone saying 'no, you're not, you're beautiful' which is a wild assumption to make that those things can't coexist," she tells Susie Ferguson.

Listener feedback for 27th January 2024 saturday morning with Susie Ferguson.

A project led by Cook Islands environmentalist Alanna Smith, is taking advantage of an anatomical quirk to track turtles' movements around her home country of Rarotonga. The director of NGO Ipukarea Society is utilising AI facial recognition software to identify turtles by their facial patterns - which are unique, like fingerprints. She joins Susie Ferguson to talk about this citizen science project, which has been running for a year.

When ACT's Brooke van Velden won the Auckland seat of Tamaki at the election, it was a triumph of shrewd campaigning. But it was also a failure for Christian conservatism in mainstream politics. In this bonus episode of Focus on Politics, Susie Ferguson takes a close look at the meaning of Tamaki.

In the recent election ACT pulled off one of its most impressive feats - with Brooke van Velden flipping the seat of Tāmaki. National's Simon O'Connor had held it with majority of over 8,000, but that dissolved in the face of the challenge from ACT's deputy leader. Susie Ferguson takes a look at the Tāmaki electorate.

As the Hawke's Bay sun begins to dry out the silt piles left by Cyclone Gabrielle, the dust problem is becoming so bad, some residents are leaving their homes. There's still up to 1.5 million cubic metres of debris to shift, much of it sitting in heaps on the edges of properties and orchards, ready for collection. Hawke's Bay Regional Council has secured enough funding to move 200,000 cubic metres of it over this month and next, but past that point, funding to finish the job is uncertain. But as the piles crust over, and are then disrupted, it's whipping them up into plumes of dust. Scientists are gathering in the region to analyse how much of an issue this is likely to be as El Nino arrives. Esk Valley resident Steve Wheeler's lifestyle block was buried under two metres of silt during the cyclone. While much of it is cleared away, he says the dust is getting extreme, he's moving house to another area today and he says he's not the first. Steve, along with NIWA air quality scientist Elizabeth Somervell and Silt Recovery Taskforce lead Darren de Klerk, speak to Susie Ferguson.

Miriam Margolyes "can't resist naughtiness". The actor famed for her character roles and her outrageous chat show appearances is described as someone for whom currency is laughter - by any means possible: outrage, obscenity, and occasional flatulence. Despite recent heart surgery and a body she describes as "crumbling concrete", the 82-year-old is refusing to slow down. Miriam will be in New Zealand this summer to shoot Holy Days - a film about a group of nuns fighting a development order, starring alongside Judy Davis and Joanna Scanlan, and has just finished her second memoir: Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life. She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Simon's live update for Radio New Zealand's "Morning Report" with Susie Ferguson presenting. #Election2024 #politics #Trump #Biden #polls #USpolitics #news

For the past 29 years, Matthew O'Sullivan has been working to fill in the gaps of New Zealand's military history. He's the official 'keeper of photographs' at the Air Force Museum in Christchurch, which is home to an archive containing more than one million snapshots - documenting both the Air force and Defence Force over the years. Some images date back to World War II, and a handful of negatives even go right back to the 1920s. As well as conserving the collection, Matthew often gets requests from the public hoping to track down images of long-lost relatives, or from far-away towns who want to memorialise our country's role in the war. Matthew O'Sullivan speaks with Susie Ferguson.

A few days ago at an Auckland event senior people from Labour, National and the Greens each signed a pledge to build a 1000 more houses a year in Auckland. Bill McKay joins Susie Ferguson to explain why to him, that's meaningless promise - and to break down just how statistics can be spun. Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.

New Zealand based Griefity is an organisation with a very specific mission: to make a difference for those experiencing grief and loss. Death and the grief that comes with it is something every one of us will come into contact with at some point in our lives. Despite this - we don't always know the right thing to say or do. Griefity, is an online platform, and soon to be app, helping bridge the gaps in bereavement care. It's founder, Corrine Davies, spoke with Susie Ferguson.

DC Central Kitchen is America's most ambitious community kitchen, serving up 13,000 meals daily to those in need. Founded in 1989 and located in the heart of Washington, D.C., a city battling some of the nation's highest homeless and poverty rates. The non-profit earns a whopping ten million annually and runs social ventures including an award-winning farm-to-school model, a training programme that recruits from prisons, and supplying fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets. Mike Curtain is the CEO of DC Central Kitchen. He calls himself a "righteous entrepreneur". Mike is the keynote speaker at The Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance's (AFRA) national Hui being held on September 13th in Christchurch. Mike spoke with Susie Ferguson.

Rheumatic fever rates are on the rise, and have now returned to pre-Covid levels. Despite other high income nations reducing or near eliminating rheumatic fever, New Zealand is still struggling to control the disease. Rheumatic fever is preventable, and Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen says the country has an obligation to eliminate the disease, which disproportionately affects Maori and Pasifika people. He says New Zealand must address over-crowding in homes, and how the health system reaches the most vulnerable. Susie Ferguson speaks to Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen, the chief medical officer at Te Aka Whai Ora, the Maori Health Authority.

Hay fever season is descending, and for the unlucky among us who develop seasonal allergies, it might feel worse than usual this year. Climate change is thought to be driving a significant increase in grass pollens, which is the most common cause of hay fever in New Zealand. While for some spring and summer simply brings on a few sniffles - for others, especially asthmatics, the cold-like symptoms are enough to disrupt work or social activities. Allergy New Zealand chief executive Mark Dixon speaks with Susie Ferguson.

We're in for a huge 24 hours of sport with the All Blacks World Cup campaign finally getting underway, and the Warriors - at last - back in the NRL playoffs. Sports Commentator Sam Ackerman speaks with Susie Ferguson.

It is 20 years since the Boston Globe exposed the abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic church world wide. Two weeks ago The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry's released its interim report into Marylands School for disabled boys in Christchurch, finding widespread sexual and physical abuse of students between 1955 and 1984.The Press newspaper in Christchurch began reporting on the horrors at Marylands School in 2002. Martin Baron was the editor of the Boston Globe, and its award winning Spotlight investigative team which tenaciously uncovered widespread sexual abuse by priests, hushed up by the church paying private settlements to claimants. The story was adapted for the big screen - Spotlight winning two academy awards. He joins Susie Ferguson to talk about the impact of the Spotlight team's work, two decades on.

Budgeting services are calling for an end to attachment orders which take automatic debt repayments from people's benefits. The Ministry of Justice can impose an order on someone who owes money, for instance unpaid court fines, and deduct this from their weekly payments. Because it is easier legally to deduct from a benefit than a wage, 80 percent of the orders are on beneficiaries. Auckland Central Budgeting Consultants says it's adding financial strain on those who can least afford it. In a statement Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni says MSD does not have the authority to consider a challenge to a court attachment order. However staff are instructed to advise clients suffering undue hardship to contact the courts if they want a reassessment. Financial consultant and mentor Tim Maurice speaks with Susie Ferguson.

2021 Great Kiwi Bake Off winner Alby Hailes joins Susie Ferguson to celebrate the release of his debut cookbook 'Good Vibes'. It's a book that connects food with how we feel. And it's the result of a journey that started in a Dunedin scarfie kitchen writing about cheap cooking, to dealing with the challenges of working as a doctor in mental health, of course to his Bake Off win.