Nights for Thursday 21 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

Did you ever hear something on the radio that rocked your world, and after hearing it nothing seemed the same again?

Tonight, Michele Amas reads the concluding episode of the four-part story 'Cotton-Eyed Joe' written by Susy Pointon.

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 I Was There When: Hokey Pokey ice-cream was invented

Every Thursday we speak to people who were on the scene during a big moment in New Zealand's history.

Tonight Emile Donovan talks to ice-cream legend, Brian Simon who was there when hokey pokey ice cream was invented. 

9:30 'I'm Still Growing': Josiah Morgan on his new poetry collection

Josiah Morgan is only 22 years old and has already published four books as well as being a theatre maker and a sexual health educator in high schools across Aotearoa.

The Otautahi/Christchurch artist, who whakapapas to Kāi Tahu and Ngāti Maniapoto, has just released a new book of poetry called I'm still Growing.

It's a queer poetry collection which contemplates the relationship between love and violence, and it's already received critical acclaim.

Josiah Morgan speaks to Emile Donovan.

10:17 Why local feta cheese producers need a new name 

What's in a name?  A lot if you are a New Zealand producer of feta cheese

Under the new free trade agreement with the European Union,  New Zealand cheese makers won't be allowed to use the name 'feta'.

They have nine years to come up with an alternative, but what would be a good replacement? And is it enough time to market a new name?

 Professor of Marketing at Massey University Bodo Lang joins Emile Donovan.

10:30 Fred who?

If you share a workplace or home with someone under the age of 30 - or if you are just a person in New Zealand over the past week - you probably would have heard the name Fred Again.

The UK DJ has made headlines by announcing last minutes shows in Wellington and Auckland - which have all sold out.

So who is this Fred and why are people going crazy trying to get tickets to see him perform?

RNZ's very own Maggie Tweedie joins Emile Donovan to explain what all the fuss is about.

10:45 Who will succeed the Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama is one of the most recognisable figures in the world - but the future of this position is shrouded in doubt and mystery

The 14th and current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is 88 years old, and living in India, having been exiled from his homeland of Tibet in 1959 following an uprising against China, which annexed Tibet in the early 1950s. 

Since then, the issue of who will succeed him in this role has become a pressing question for Tibet, and Tibetan Buddhism more broadly, as there are fears the traditional process of selection may not be respected by Chinese authorities, who assert that important reincarnations within Tibetan Buddhism must get approval from the government. 

John Powers is an honorary professor of Asian Studies and Buddhism at Deakin University in Melbourne - and speaks to Emile Donovan. 

 

11:07 The Mixtape

In 1997 the all-Māori band Katchafire began as a Bob Marley tribute band and, with their unique compositions, soon took Kirikiriroa Hamilton by storm.

Two and a half decades later and six albums under their belt they are now a household name in New Zealand and the world. 

As the frontman of Katchafire Logan Bell has one of Aotearoa's most recognisable singing voices. He joins Maggie Tweedie to select the sounds that have influenced his life in music.