Nights

This week's overseas correspondent, Will Flockton is on the line from Brighton England, which may not be getting the (Ba(t)yeau Tapastry - but it will get Britney Spears.

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A few years back - the then Prime Minister - John Key started a programme for promising young New Zealanders from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The current prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is keeping the programme going - in fact she'll be meeting current and past participants at a gathering in Auckland tomorrow evening.

We find out more from one of this year's participants, Taylor Jo, former participant Milan Siluuga and Taff Wikaira from the Ministry of Youth Development.

Nights' Economist, Brian Easton questions whether the Labour-led Government will significantly change economic policy from the one that the previous National Government bequeathed them.

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With pregnancy very much in the news currently, it's worth acknowledging that for some, getting pregnant isn't always that straight forward.

Len Blackwell, an honorary research fellow at Massey University is hoping to make things a little easier.  He's working on a simple test which enables women to determine exactly when they're most fertile.

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Nights' amenable astronomer, Dr Alan Gilmour is back for our first journey into space of 2018.  He'll be illuminating topics including the Total Eclipse of the Moon and Why is Earth Magnetized and Venus Not?

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New Zealand guitarist Paul Bosauder plays flamenco with true Iberian passion.  Paul has returned from Andalusia in Southern Spain where he lives to tour the country. Paul did a one-off performance live on Nights on RNZ National with Bryan Crump  recently to coincide with his debut album release. He talked with Bryan about the history of flamenco...and played some of his own original material.

The Coopers Crescent Community Group are lighting up a little bit of Otara this Christmas. We talk to one of the organisers Swanie Nelson.

Bryan Crump conducts his own choir The Doubtful Sounds in a "noir" version of 'Santa Claus is Coming To Town' with Garry Smith on solo.

Photographer Raymond Sagapolutele is our South Auckland cultural ambassador tonight.

Earlier today, the Howard League held a literacy and driver's licence graduation for prisoners at Mt Eden Corrections Facility in Auckland. Among the graduates, is a 64-year-old prisoner who is learning to read and write properly for the with the help of a Howard League volunteer.