Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw

Statehouse News Bureau chief Karen Kasler joins us ahead of Super Tuesday, the day when the largest number of US States hold their Presidential Primary elections. Former president Donald Trump is once again the leading republican candidate. His only challenger, former Govenor of South Carolina Nikki Haley currently trails him by almost 100 delegates. This is even though according to Ms Haley's spokeswomen "There are 70% of Americans who don't want another Biden-Trump rematch and 60% of Americans who think Biden and Trump are both too old".

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward joins us to unpick the relationship between King Charles III and his mother the late Queen Elizabeth II. With her unparalleled access and deep understanding of the monarchy, Seward delves into the intricate dynamics of this pivotal relationship within the royal family offering unprecedented insights into the bond between mother and child. Her latest book "My Mother & I" is out now via Simon & Schuster.

On the weekend of March 23rd of SailGP returns to Whakaraupo, Lyttleton Harbour. With the New Zealand team currently in second place just behind Australia, a home win could see them sail to the top of the leaderboard. Legendary sailing duo, best mates Peter Burling (Co-CEO and Driver) and Blair Tuke (Co-CEO and Wing Trimmer) join Jim to talk about life on the waves, and to pick their best sailing song of all time.

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests isometric exercises like wall sitting (or wall squats) help reduce blood pressure more effectively than other forms of exercise - including weight training, high-intensity intervals (HIIT), and simple aerobic movements. Dr Jim Wiles is principal lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK. He joins Jim on Sunday Morning to discuss the study and whether we should all be incorporating the wall sit into our routines.

Boeing 737 Maxes with loose bolts; on one plane a door plug blew out, leaving a hole in the side of the aircraft. Airbuses too with problems, one only remedied because a passenger noticed four missing screws on the plane's wing. Statistically we're told that being in a plane is 19 times safer than being in a car. Is that still true? Shawn Pruchnicki is a former airline pilot who's now a professor of aviation safety at Ohio State University .

For over thirty years Rangahau Aotearoa Research New Zealand has helped dozens of government and not-for-profit organisations understand what Aotearoans are thinking across a range of social issues. In the lead up to Waitangi Day they conducted a nationally representative survey to uncover people's key issues of concern. Research NZ managing partner Emanuel Kalafatelis joins Jim to discuss the surprising results.

An estimated 30-40% of the global population suffer from allergies, be they hay, peanut, lactose or something less common. That's billions of people, and the number just keeps rising. According to Medical anthropologist and Associate Professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology Theresa MacPhail " Our very old immune systems can't keep up with modern lifestyles and diets. In her book Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World Theresa examines the mostly unwanted phenomenon that has us sneezing, coughing, and carrying around epi-pens. She joins Jim Mora to discuss: What are allergies? Why do we have them? And is there anything we can do about it?

The orthodoxy of exercise science is being challenged, in a study out of Finland. The claim is that vigorous exercise does not necessarily help you live longer, and too much - as well as too little - may even accelerate the ageing process.
The study examined the lives of 11,000 pairs of same-sex twins over a 45-year period. Comparing the different exercise levels of twins showed that whilst exercise can help prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes there was no convincing evidence it lengthened lifespans. In fact, the most active had a biological age1.8 years older than those who were only moderately active.
The studies' author, Dr Laura Joenssu of the University of Jyväskylä joins Jim to explain more.

Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 is in cinemas now. The follow up to the hugely successful The Dry sees five women taking part in a corporate hiking retreat with only four coming out the other side. Australian actor Eric Bana stars as detective Aaron Falk who heads off into the Victorian mountain ranges to get to investigate the disappearance. Filmed on location Eric described filming as "pretty brutal" & "a real physical challenge to cast and crew", but ultimately worthwhile. "We really loved being where we were, once you took the leeches out." He joins Jim Mora to discuss his formidable career, acting techniques and his latest role.

Dr Zazie Todd, Sunday Morning's go-to expert on both cats and dogs joins us once again with more scientific, pragmatic and joyful ways to lead happy lives with our pets. She's the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She's the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and she's currently putting the finishing touches to a book on fear and anxiety in dogs, due out this year.

Songstress Ali Harper is currently starring in production The Supper Club at Circa Theatre in Wellington - which is taking audiences back in time to the glitz of the 1920s. The production, directed by Ian Harman and soundtracked by bandleader Tom McLeod, features songs from the glamorous twenties through to the present day The star of the show Ali Harper joins Jim on Sunday Morning to tell us all about the production which runs until 17 February.