Sunday Morning

There was a time when Mudlark-artist Nicola White was part of the high-pressure banking world in London, but she reached a point in her life when she wanted to do something she was really passionate about. Nicola had been casually 'mudlarking' on the River Thames for years, but around six years ago she decided to turn her hobby into a full time occupation. Nicola joins the show to discuss mudlarking, the art she makes from her finds, and some of the treasures and fascinating messages in bottles she's discovered over the years.

Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world, with World Health Organisation global estimates suggesting that 5% of adults worldwide suffer in some way. Around half of those people with depression have treatment-resistant depression. But researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine say they are now able to treat depression in 80% of participants with treatment-resistant depression by stimulating their brains with magnets. And the treatment itself only takes five days to complete. Nolan Williams is the study's co-author and assistant professor of psychiatry at Stanford. He's with us to discuss the procedure, which is called Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT).

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, is about to go on trial in Manhattan for sex trafficking charges after 15 months on remand. Prosecutors allege Maxwell, 59, participated in illegal conduct against girls as young as 14, sex-trafficked them with Epstein, and lied about her actions. The British socialite, who could face a prison sentence of up to 80 years, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial, which is expected to last between three and six weeks, is scheduled to start on Monday (Tuesday NZ time). And while it's Maxwell facing the charges, Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, will be sharing centre stage. New York-based journalist Victoria Bekiempis is covering the trial for The Guardian.

Master storyteller Ken Follett is one of the best-selling authors of the past 50 years, with over 178 million sales of his 32 books in print. The Welsh writer's latest book, Never, marks a return to the genre that marked the beginning of his career, the espionage novel. Set in modern day America, Never - Follett's first contemporary thriller in more than a decade - follows the story of a female President of the United States as she fights a global crisis that threatens to lead to a Third World War that few will survive. Follett, who spends a year researching and planning his books, joins the show to discuss Never and how he goes about his craft.

Ex-National leader Judith Collins wrote the opening lines of her party leadership epitaph when she suddenly demoted rival Simon Bridges during the week, having accused him of "serious misconduct" at a party event five years ago. The backlash against the former opposition leader, who had endured months of poor polling, was swift, with a crisis caucus meeting quickly turning into a vote of no confidence that sealed Collins' fate. The hasty departure ended a 499-day tenure that saw the Papakura MP constantly struggle for relevance. The new National leader will be selected on Tuesday, and will be the party's fourth in less than two years. Richard Harman is the editor of the Politik website and a former Chief TVNZ Political Correspondent. He's with us to look at 'Crusher' Collins' crash and burn, and what the National party needs to do now to bounce back.

Istanbul is reported to be home to some 400,000 to 600,000 stray dogs and cats, hence why locals in Turkey's largest city sometimes refer to it as 'Catstanbul.' But it's the exploits of a local canine that's grabbing the headlines -- for all the right reasons -- at the moment. Boji is a street dog who came to the attention of municipal officers recently when he was seen catching rides around the city on its ferries, trams and subway cars. They took him in, gave him some health checks, and put a tracer collar on him so they could keep an eye on where he was and how far he was travelling (up to 30 kilometres a day). Now, Boji is a fully-blown local celebrity who has his own social media accounts and is loved by nearly everyone. Istanbul-based photographer Chris McGrath spent a day following Boji on his daily commutes.

Bridges burned, Collins crushed, Reti takes the reins; Just fed-up farmers - or 'the radical right in gumboots'? ; New bid to get tech titans pay for NZ news.

Joining us on the Weekend Panel this morning are PR consultant Ali Jones and Dr Chris Gallavin, who is chief executive of the Sisters of Compassion Group. Among other topics, they'll be discussing who can lead the National party out of the darkness, increasing levels of community violence, the human rights issues with our new traffic lights, and will higher-rise housing be a solution or a new problem?

New Zealander Dr Gary McLean is back with us on Sunday Morning to look at the latest Covid-19 developments. Professor McLean will discuss the spread of the dangerous new Omicron variant (and its 33 different mutations), why vaccines aren't doing all we first expected them to do, how a new booster every six months might be the best course of action for the next few years, and how we all need to get used to Covid, like influenza, as a constant presence in our lives.

Dr André Brett is a historian, researcher and writer who specialises in Australian and New Zealand history, in particular histories of politics, railways, the environment, and the economy. The Wollongong-based New Zealander's latest book, Can't Get There from Here: New Zealand's Shrinking Passenger Rail Network, 1920-2020, traces the expansion and - more commonly - the contraction of New Zealand's passenger rail network over the last century. Indeed, New Zealand now has less than 1500km of track for passenger services - the lowest total since the 1870s - while only Wellington and Auckland have meaningful everyday rail transport. Dr Brett is with us to discuss the new book, the role rail has played in New Zealanders' lives over the years, and how we have been left with an attenuated passenger railway that is unfit for the 21st century.