Nights for Wednesday 28 February 2024
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Extinct bird gets new prosthetic leg
10:45 PM.Stolen from the Dannevirke Gallery of History and returned legless, the lucky stuffed huia now has a new lease on life thanks to Wētā Workshops. Read more Audio
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New Zealand's gnarly wāhine celebrated in new surf film
10:30 PM.Over the Undertow aims to disrupt assumptions that women surfers aren't as brave or capable as men. Read more Audio
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Not all smiles for World Rugby's smart mouthguards
10:18 PM.The tech is intended to protect rugby players from serious head injuries, but the rollout is being scrutinised by players and coaches. Read more Audio
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Midweek Mediawatch
9:30 PM.Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Colin Peacock talked to Emile Donovan about the sudden and startling news of Newshub's impending demise in a 'proposal' from the global… Read more Audio
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The language of thanks
9:15 PM.Where do the words 'thanks', 'churr', and 'ta' come from? Sociolinguist Julia de Bres joins Nights to share the origins of how we express gratitude. Read more Audio
8:10 The House
Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament.
8:15 Pacific Waves
A daily current affairs programme that delves deeper into the major stories of the week, through a Pacific lens, and shines a light on issues affecting Pacific people wherever they are in the world. Hosted by Susana Suisuiki.
8:30 Nights Jukebox
Emile Donovan plays your requests - as long as you've got a compelling reason, or a good story with it.
Send in your picks to nights@rnz.co.nz or text 2101.
8:45 The Reading
Tonight, part three of the novel 'Fake Baby' by Amy McDaid, read here by Alisha Jacob and Nigel Collins.
9:07 Nights Quiz
Do you know your stuff? Come on the air and be grilled by Emile Donovan as he dons his quizmaster hat.
If you get an answer right, you move on to the next question. If you get it wrong, your time in the chair is up, and the next caller will be put through. The person with the most correct answers at the end of the run goes in the draw for a weekly prize.
The quiz is themed - find out more about tonight's theme on Nights' Facebook page.
9:15 The language of thanks
Why do we in the English language say thanks, cheers, or ta?
Nights' resident linguist Professor Julia de Bres joins Emile Donovan to explore the language of gratitude.
'Thank' derives from the word 'think' in Old English, with the meaning moving to 'favourable thought or feeling' as time went on, says Julia de Bres. Photo: Public domain
9:30 Midweek Mediawatch
Colin Peacock joins Emile Donovan to recap the shock closure of Newshub, questions posed to government ministers about appearing on alternative online platform Reality Check Radio, and some concerning tech emerging in the football world.
Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
10:17 Not all smiles for smart mouthguards
New smart mouthguards which are intended to protect rugby players from serious head injuries are being scrutinised by players and coaches.
The protective equipment, which have been made mandatory by World Rugby at the elite level, can detect high impact collisions.
But during games in both Super Rugby and the Six Nations at the weekend, players were left confused after being pulled from the field for what seemed to be regulation tackles or falls.
This had led to calls from coaches and players for more development around the mouthguards before they're used as part of rugby's head knock assessments.
World Rugby's Science and Medical Manager Lindsay Starling joins Emile Donovan from the UK.
Anton Lienert-Brown after being forced from the field due to an alert from his smart mouth guard. Photo: Sky Sport
10:30 New documentary showcases woman surfers of Aotearoa
A new documentary aims to challenge the assumptions around women in surfing.
Over the Undertow follows four top young wāhine surfers on a surf trip across the North Island, and delves back into New Zealand's history of pioneering surfing women.
The film is screening now as part of the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival.
Cassia Walton and Lauren Crerar are the co-directors of the film and they join me now from our Auckland and Wellington studios.
Over the Undertow is screening as part of the Aotearoa Surf Film Festival. Photo: Over the Undertow
10:45 Extinct bird gets new prosthetic leg
In 2020, a stuffed female huia was stolen from a display at the Dannevirke Gallery of History during a robbery.
Although the person responsible was caught and the bird was returned, one of the huia's legs was missing.
Thanks to help from Te Papa Tongarewa, Wētā Workshops and a 3D printer, the huia is now back on her perch next to her mate.
The Gallery of History's president Murray Holden joins Emile Donovan.
The rescued huia in 2022 (leg notwithstanding). Photo: Murry Holden
11:07 Pocket Edition
Tami Nielson chooses the songs and shares the secret history and stories of women in country music. Maggie Tweedie plays hip hop from brain orchestra and fresh remixes of New Zealand classics.