Saturday Morning

8.10 Should all drugs be decriminalised?

More than 150 experts have signed an open letter calling on the NZ Government to legalise and regulate all psychoactive substances. 

The letter marks the launch of the Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, which aims to reduce the negative consequences of drug use in a way that upholds people's dignity and rights.

It's an idea already in practice in different corners of the world - including Portugal where possession of illicit substances for personal use was decriminalised in 2001.

Canada followed in January 2023, with the province of British Columbia, kicking off a three-year trial that allows adults to possess up to 2.5 grams of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine or meth without being arrested, charged, or having their drugs seized - except around schools and airports. 

However, just over a year into the project it has come under increasing pressure from opponents who have called it a 'harmful experiment'. 

Recently some of the measures have been rolled back. Public drug use is now re-criminalised, while drug possession in private homes is still legal.

Joining us to discuss are Dr Nuno Capaz, of Lisbon's Dissuasion Commission of Drug Addiction,  Dr Lindsey Richardson from the BC Centre on Substance Use, and Dr Fiona Hutton,  a member of the Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa.

8:40 Blooming magic: Toby de Lacey from the Chelsea Flower Show

Gardeners flock to the 'Chelsea Flower Show' for ideas about cutting-edge garden design and to see fabulous floral displays.

Floral designer Toby de Lacey - a regular behind the scenes - is also instrumental in the simultaneous free flower show 'Chelsea in Bloom' held on Kings Road.

Toby came to floristry following a career in engineering, making carbon fibre parts for the Formula 1 and Aerospace. He has only recently returned to the UK after a summer in New Zealand, where he spent time foraging for wild flowers and creating displays.

9:05 Matt Brown: What if Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis debated God

American film director and script writer Matt Brown's new movie, just about to be released in cinemas here, is 'Freud's Last Session'.

It stars Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode as two of the greatest minds of the 20th century - father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud and Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis.

The film follows the story of the pair doing battle over the existence of God, the future of mankind, and the complex relationships that made them who they are.

9:35 Opera director Simon Phillips: A new spin on 'Le comte Ory'

The 1828 comic opera 'Le comte Ory' has been given a facelift by internationally acclaimed director Simon Phillips ('North by Northwest', 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert', 'The Elixir of Love'). Instead of being set in medieval France, this reworked production takes place in present-day Aotearoa, but sung in French with English subtitles.

Written by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, 'Le comte Ory' tells the story of a young count who is a cunning swindler, dedicated to seducing women. The NZ Opera production features the singing talents of lyric tenor Manase Latu, soprano Emma Pearson, mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp, and baritone Moses Mackay.

'Le comte Ory' will be playing at Auckland's Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on 30th of May and 1st of June, followed by performances in Wellington and Christchurch. Tickets and info are here.

10:05 Pasi Vainikka: The next step in the food revolution

Creating food from 'thin air' sounds like a futuristic dream.

But it's a future that's already arrived in the form of Solar Foods - Europe's first factory dedicated to making human food from electricity and air. What started with hydrogen oxidising microbes has resulted in Solein - a non-farmed yellowish protein product.

After several years of lab experiments, production is underway in Vantaa, near the Finnish capital of Helsinki. The goal? To produce 160 tonnes of food a year.

Solar Foods co-founder and chief executive Pasi Vainikka says Solein is a crucial next step in the food revolution. 

10:40 Aussie Lego Masters create retrofuturistic world 

After wowing audiences in Australia, a retrofuturistic exhibition created by two winners of smash hit television show Lego Masters is coming to Auckland.

The RELICS exhibition takes place in the imagined future of 2530, when the human race has departed Earth due to the collapse of the environment. In the absence of people, Lego minifigures have taken over discarded artifacts - inhabiting a VW Beetle, a grandfather clock, and a jukebox with their own intricate environments.

11:05 Jake Adelstein: A unique view into Japan's seedy underbelly

Having grown up in Missouri, Jake Adelstein moved to Japan at age 19 to study Japanese literature. A few years later, he became the first non-Japanese staff writer at Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the country's largest newspapers, where as a rookie reporter he was put on the police beat. Before long he was immersed in the underbelly of Japan, reporting on organised crime and the shady dealings of yakuza bosses.

Adelstein's first book, a dramatic memoir entitled Tokyo Vice was published in 2009, and eventually turned into a popular television series by HBO Max. Now he is poised to release the follow-up, Tokyo Noir, which has been billed as equal parts history lesson and true crime exposé.

11:25 Show me the money: The website revealing how much jobs might pay

Recruiters are reporting an unprecedented jump in job applications in the wake of thousands of layoffs across the public and private sectors.

But for those seeking new work, a key question often remains shrouded in mystery, 'What's the salary?' Fortunately there is a tool that can shed some light.

Driven by a desire to promote salary transparency, Auckland-based web analytics consultant Tony Lu developed What's The Salary in 2019. Since then, there have been over a million searches, with demand up a reported 25 percent compared to a year ago. 

11:40 Kate De Goldi: reading for pleasure

Kate De Goldi is one of New Zealand's most celebrated authors, an Arts Foundation Laureate, and a voracious reader.

She joins Susie to share three books she's loved; Ironopolis by Glen James Brown, James by Percival Everett, and The Trip by Paul Beavis.

 

 

Books featured on this programme:

Tokyo Noir
by Jake Adelstein
ISBN: 9781761380235
Published by ‎Scribe 

Ironopolis 
by Glen James Brown
ISBN: 9781914595608
Published by Pan Macmillan

James 
by Percival Everett
ISBN: 9780385550369
Published by Doubleday

The Trip 
by Paul Beavis.
ISBN: 9781912678648
Published by Little Steps