Nights for Monday 11 March 2024

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.

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8:30 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 nine of 'Fake Baby', written by Amy McDaid and read here by Alisha Jacob and Nigel Collins.

9:05 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 Whakataukī of the Week with Stacey Morrison

Broadcaster, te reo Māori champion and host of RNZ podcast Healthy or Hoax Stacey Morrison joins Emile Donovan to share a whakataukī close to her heart.

"Ka whati te tai, ka pao te tōrea"

"When the tide recedes, the tōrea strikes"

9:30 'Gene editing is all around us' - molecular biologist Revel Drummond

The new National-led government has signalled big changes to how the country navigates and regulates gene editing technologies, with new legislation due by the end of 2024.

New Zealand has been described as having one of the most restrictive systems in the world when it comes to gene editing, and some experts say we are missing out on billions of dollars in industry, as well as the products that could cut our climate emissions and safeguard our crops for the future.

But when it comes to making changes to the world around us, is it a case of we don't know what we don't know?

Revel Drummond is a scientist at crown research entity Plant and Food Research in Auckland, and has recently returned from international meetings with regulators in America, Canada and Australia. 

He joins Emile Donovan.

10:17 'Manipulated' photo of Princess Kate shows we can't trust what we see

The Princess of Wales has been out of the public eye for some months, with the official explanation being abdominal surgery.

A photo sent out on Sunday (UK) by Kensington Palace of Princess Kate and her three children has been retracted by four photo agencies.

The agencies say the image does not meet publication standards due to concerns the photo has been manipulated.

It's a very high profile instance of sorting truth from fabrication in the digital world, in what psychologist and AI commentator Paul Duignan calls a 'trustability crisis'.

He joins Emile Donovan from Wellington.

10:30 Sports with Bryan Waddle

Nights' sports correspondent Bryan Waddle is in the hot seat recapping New Zealand's tragic cricket performance, Joseph Parker's win in Saudi Arabia on the path to the world heavyweight title, and the Warriors' first game of the year.

10:45 BBC World Lookahead

BBC reporter Rob Hugh-Jones joins Emile Donovan to take a look at the events making headlines internationally, including Russia's presidential election, an historic week for the NATO military alliance, and officials facing charges in Libya over negligence after the flooding last year that claimed thousands of lives.

11:07 Nashville Babylon

Every week on Nashville Babylon Mark Rogers presents the very best in country, soul and rock 'n' roll.

On this week's Nashville Babylon there's tracks from Little Feat and Warren Zevon, a country rocker courtesy of Wanda Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald covering a Cream classic plus a song from New Zealand singer Heather Weir.