30 with Guyon Espiner

Longevity expert Stephen Cave explains to Guyon how living to 150 years old could soon be a reality, and why the consequences of immortality would be horrific for all aspects of our world.

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Season 1 Episode 5

The ancient quest for human immortality has collided with ultra-modern developments in biology and AI. Billion-dollar start-ups, funded by tech moguls, seek to add decades to human life. 

But philosopher and writer Stephen Cave, a researcher at Cambridge University in Britain, says life extension technology is fraught with ethical problems. 

Guyon Espiner talked to Stephen about why we need to start taking the promise of extending our lifespans seriously.

"The claim that we're on the verge of defeating ageing or disease is an ancient one, as old as human history. Ancient Egyptian papyri were talking about the elixir of life. Mummification was just a backup plan for them. Throughout history we see these kinds of claims repeated, over and over again, and the one thing that all these people who claim to have found some kind of rejuvenation elixir have in common, is that they're now all six feet under pushing up daisies." 

"So why should we think this time is different? Well, I think there are a number of reasons. One of them is the reality of scientific and technological breakthroughs. Life expectancy has doubled in the last 150 years from around 40 to around 80 or so in industrialised countries." 

"Now, a lot of that has been from tackling infant mortality. If a lot of people die very young in their first few years, then that pushes down the averages. In industrialised countries, since the 1950s, life expectancy has continued to creep up at about two years per decade. And that's through treatments at the end of life - making cancer diagnoses that would have rapidly been terminal manageable and  heart disease and so on." 

"Life expectancies are genuinely creeping up to unprecedented levels. And right now, there are vast amounts of money and huge amounts of talent being poured into the anti-ageing research industry." 

The modern quest for the Fountain of Youth is being driven by billionaires with money to spend

"They might make breakthroughs, but whether it's in time for them to achieve what they want, who knows? Because there is a very long history of the super-rich and powerful investing their resources into the pursuit of anti-ageing. It is the one thing that insults their power, the one thing that right now, money can't buy. They're still getting older.  …

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Former Greens Co-Leader James Shaw on why the party should consider working with National in future, why he's been called a "tree Tory", and what he's got planned after politics.

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Season 1 Episode 4

James Shaw has bowed out of politics after nearly 10 years as co-leader of the Green Party. He took the Greens into cabinet for the first time and wrestled with the future of the planet as climate change minister. 

Last year the Greens gained 15 MPs - their biggest caucus ever. But James Shaw leaves Parliament with his party reeling from a series of resignations and scandals, and questions about whether it's become too close to Labour and strayed too far from its mission. 

The state of New Zealand right now

"I think we're going through a rough patch, as a country and as a planet, and so I think that's a vibe check on how people are feeling right now, rather than a statement of what's factually so. You know, I have a bit of a dark view of where things are at right now as well."

"It's going to be a bit of a cliché, but I scan the news, and I see what the current government is up to, and I've been sitting 10 metres across the aisle from them whilst they've been doing it over the course of the last six months, and a lot of it appals me.

But I'm also really conscious that these things are temporary. Inflation is temporary; the state of Global Affairs waxes and wanes over time. We go through periods of high unemployment, low unemployment, and so on. So, if you try to take a long arc of history view, some of those things become, in some ways, less significant, because they are always there in one form or another."

"I think that there are things that we have not been paying attention to for some decades - infrastructure, increasing inequality in terms of socio-economic stratification, and so on. But I also think that we're a more progressive, much more multicultural, more tolerant, more inclusive society than we were 40 years ago." 

Are you optimistic about our country's future?

Yeah, I am. 

The health of the Green Party

"The most recent polls have had us on about 14%, which is a historic high watermark. And yes, I know it's been an incredibly rough year. You've talked about resignations and scandals, but actually, the death of Efeso Collins was really the greatest blow, and has been very, very hard for our caucus and for our staff.  …

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ACT leader David Seymour tells Guyon how it feels being part of the coalition Government, what race-based policies he'd like to change, and whether we can really afford tax cuts.

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Season 1 Episode 3

Just a few years back, ACT's David Seymour led a party of one. Now he's one of New Zealand's most powerful, influential and controversial politicians. And he's destined to be Deputy Prime Minister next year. 

ACT aims to continue the unfinished business of right-wing economic reforms started in the mid 1980s, but is David Seymour's agenda a recipe for increased prosperity, or increased inequality?

Guyon Espiner sat down for a frank and honest discussion with David Seymour about finally being at the decision-making table with Christopher Luxon and political rival Winston Peters.

"I've always seen politics as a very hot contest,  I think it's extremely collegial, for a couple of reasons. You've got three parties that want this government to be a success - their success is tied to the success of the government. 

But putting aside the politics, I think there's also the fact that people know that we're in one of those periods which is make or break for New Zealand.  We don't have that sort of shared sense of purpose. People talk about division and lack of trust, and the institutions that they don't trust as much  There's been a lot of talk around the media, but I don't think it's just the media. It's also government. It's almost everybody, really. People don't trust each other as much."

"Related to that is the lack of social mobility. Once upon a time, the incentive was to go to school, work hard, get a job, save some money, put it aside, maybe invest it carefully, and buy a house. Now there's a whole generation of people saying, well, hang on, I did all that stuff. But now I'm coming out as a graduate, I might be earning $50,000, I might have a student loan that's pretty close to that. And to buy anything that looks vaguely like the house my parents had, I'm looking at a million dollars. I've got to save four times my income for a deposit."

How do you rate the quality of the public service?

"Extremely variable. There are people in there who are very capable, and extremely committed. In some areas, I've been blown away by the quality of the advice that we've had." …

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Film director Roseanne Liang tells Guyon about her huge new Hollywood project, why she's obsessed with Terminator 2, and what movies tell us about humanity.

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Season 1 Episode 2

Roseanne Liang is a New Zealand film director going global. She's gained cult status for dystopian web series Creamerie, and WWII creature-feature Shadow in the Cloud.

But the action movie aficionado first made her name with a very personal story - her own love story with her Pākeha husband. My Wedding and Other Secrets became something of a cultural touchstone for the experience of many Asian New Zealanders.

As she talks with Guyon Espiner about her life so far, Liang is preparing to call action on her next movie - a high-octane Hollywood action flick starring Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry. 

"Oh god! I can't tell you that much about it. It is a closely guarded Warner Brothers studio movie. It's a spy versus spy, thriller, action fun movie, which is been described as a Bond versus Bourne mash-up. It's my cup of tea."

"It was a confluence of really some really amazing events. When a short action movie that I made called Do No Harm screened in Sundance and SXSW that year, I signed with one of the biggest agencies in America called WME. Then my former agent left WME to become Halle 's business partner. She always remembered me, and when this project came across their desk, they reached out to me. I talked to both of these incredible women   And we decided that we'd step out and make this this movie together. 

It's a big studio movie, La Femme Nikita meets Mission Impossible. It's very much a modern movie about gender equality, women and feminism, but also just a great, muscular action movie that happens to star two of the most incredible female action stars of our time."

Doctor or Director?

"There's a Sliding Doors-type moment around the late 90s, where I'm about to commit to seven years of undergrad at medical school. Then I got seduced by the dark side of the arts and gave up my place in medical school. I haven't looked back since then. And honestly, I think about the other version of me who's a doctor right now, and I'm quite happy with this particular reality for me."

Parental Guidance …

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Community leader and former boxer Dave Letele tells Guyon his thoughts on the new Government's crackdown on gangs, whether bootcamps really work, and if he'll ever get into the political ring himself.

Content warning: Contains strong language and references to self-harm and alcohol.

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Season 1 Episode 1

Dave Letele's life has been defined by transformation. From a complicated upbringing to a successful boxing career to tipping the scales at more than 200 kg, he's been through countless challenges.

Now he spends his days using what he's learned to help others in need, through his Butterbean Motivation programme.

He tells Guyon what he thinks of the new Government's crackdown on gangs, whether boot camps really work, and if he'll ever get into the political ring himself.

Maunga climbing

"I started my journey getting off the bed and going for a walk at One Tree Hill, massively overweight and extremely depressed, wanting to end my life. But while I was walking these maunga, I wasn't thinking about life. I was just thinking about getting up the hill and how hard it was."

" we were up at Mount Eden, and we had people there from all walks of life. People from LinkedIn, chairmen, CEOs. And then, you had people overcoming addictions. You had former and current gang members. The sun was shining, and it was just a special moment."

"My memory of Mount Eden, as a kid, was playing in the playground there, before or after prison visits. I spoke to some of the people there and a lot of their memories are of looking out of the frosted glass from Mount Eden Prison. And then to be there, free and doing something special, it's just showing them that it's possible and that we're all destined for something better.

Yeah, it was a special moment."

Memories of visiting family in prison

"There were many times when there was my father, or uncles, or family friends that we'd visit in Mount Eden prison. I remember visiting my uncle Bonzo there. And, you know, it was a big thing. We'd get packs of fruit from the dairy, and we'd take them up to the prison. You could take food in, back in those days. And we'd look forward to him bringing out the chocolate. …

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Watch the trailer for 30 with Guyon Espiner - a brand new, in-depth interview show.

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Award-winning journalist and presenter Guyon Espiner goes beyond the headlines to deliver one-on-one, highly crafted and compelling interviews with guests from all areas of life including politics, arts, culture and business.

Each episode of 30 is unedited - what you see is what you get.

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30 with Guyon Espiner is an in-depth interview show featuring some of the most interesting and influential people in our world.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details