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A 24-hour recording of Radio New Zealand National. The following rundown is sourced from the broadcaster’s website. Note some overseas/copyright restricted items may not appear in the supplied rundown:
01 April 2015
===12:04 AM. | All Night Programme===
=DESCRIPTION=
Including: 12:05 Music after Midnight; 12:30 Insight (RNZ); 1:15 Primary People (RNZ); 2:05 The Forum (BBC); 3:05 A50 and Ernest Trugood, by John Trenwith (5 of 10, RNZ); 3:30 Diversions (RNZ); 5:10 Witness (BBC); 5:50 The Day in Parliament (RNZ)
===6:00 AM. | Morning Report===
=DESCRIPTION=
[40th anniversary of Morning Report]
Radio New Zealand's three-hour breakfast news show with news and interviews, bulletins on the hour and half-hour, including: 6:18 Pacific News 6:22 Rural News 6:27 and 8:45 Te Manu Korihi News 6:44 and 7:41 NZ Newspapers 6:47 Business News 7:42 and 8:34 Sports News 6:46 and 7:24 Traffic
=AUDIO=
06:00
Top Stories for Wednesday 1 April 2015
BODY:
Labour says the Government's new housing scheme is simply adding fuel to the fire for first home buyers, we'll get Nick Smith's response. Grant Elliot and his fellow Black Caps bask in the golden glow of a rapturous homecoming and a rare display of unity as Parliament unites in the name of animal welfare.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 28'46"
06:06
Sports News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'00"
06:11
Iraqi PM says Tikrit taken from Islamic State
BODY:
Iraq's Prime Minister is claiming a significant victory against Islamic State with the retaking of former dictator Saddam Hussain's birthplace Tikrit.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Iraq, Islamic State, Tikrit
Duration: 2'25"
06:17
Pacific News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
The latest from the Pacific region.
Topics: Pacific
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'55"
06:24
Morning Rural News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sector.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 4'19"
06:28
Te Manu Korihi News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
The Māori Language Commission says it can't afford to hire a new chief executive, because the position's salary is capped at 200-thousand dollars; The owner of a Māori forestry company says the industry's growing mechanisation has put forestry contracting businesses under financial stress, in turn putting workers more at risk; The Māori leader at Te Papa Tongarewa, Arapata Hakiwai, is eager to set up a register to record Māori artefacts held overseas; The Chairman of a Ngai Tahu hapu is offering to give a Taranaki tribe guidance as it moves into post Treaty settlement mode.
Topics: te ao Māori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'31"
06:41
HomeStart scheme comes into effect today
BODY:
The Government says its HomeStart scheme, which comes into effect today, will help up to 90-thousand New Zealanders into their first home over the next five years.
Topics: housing, politics
Regions:
Tags: HomeStart
Duration: 1'58"
06:44
Big Chinese property company eyes New Zealand
BODY:
One of China's largest property companies, Galaxy Group, is eyeing investment opportunities in New Zealand.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: China, Galaxy Group
Duration: 2'31"
06:47
40th birthday of Morning Report
BODY:
It's our 40th birthday today
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: Morning Report, birthday
Duration: 1'01"
06:49
Building consents fall
BODY:
Rising construction costs are being blamed as the possible cause of yet another decline in the number of new building consents.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: building consents
Duration: 2'04"
06:51
A2 Milk times debut on ASX to launch in the United States
BODY:
The A2 Milk Company has timed its debut on the Australian Stock Exchange, with news that it will be soon be selling its product in the United States.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: A2 Milk Company
Duration: 1'58"
06:53
Business confidence rises
BODY:
Business confidence continues to climb as firms feel good about the robust pace of economic growth.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Business confidence
Duration: 1'27"
06:55
Jade Software opens new offices in Europe and Indonesia
BODY:
Jade Software says it expects to become the world's number one supplier of operating systems for mixed cargo ports, within three years, even though the capital investment required for expansion will hit its bottom line, this year.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Jade Software
Duration: 1'51"
06:56
Semble's new payment service signals end to credit/debit cards
BODY:
The wallet-less world has arrived for some New Zealand bank customers.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: wallet-less world
Duration: 2'01"
06:58
Morning markets for 1 April 2015
BODY:
On Wall St, stocks have fallen.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 57"
07:07
Sports News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'58"
07:11
HomeStart Scheme comes into effect
BODY:
A new housing subsidy scheme is expected to help up to 90-thousand New Zealanders into their first home over the next five years.
Topics: politics, housing
Regions:
Tags: Homestart scheme
Duration: 2'57"
07:14
Housing Minister talks about the new Homestart scheme
BODY:
The Minister of Housing, Nick Smith has been listening to that.
Topics: politics, housing
Regions:
Tags: Homestart scheme
Duration: 4'29"
07:19
About a thousand fans welcome home the Black Caps
BODY:
About a thousand fans welcomed home the Black Caps in downtown Auckland last night.
Topics: sport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Black Caps, Cricket World Cup
Duration: 3'24"
07:23
RNZ cricket reporter looks back at Vettori legacy
BODY:
As Carla Penman reported, Daniel Vettori has officially announced his retirement from international cricket.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: Daniel Vettori
Duration: 2'15"
07:25
Morning Report marks 40 years on air
BODY:
We went to air for the first time 40 years ago today. We are proud to have been on air so long. To mark our anniversary we've gone to our archives..
Topics: history, media
Regions:
Tags: Morning Report
Duration: 8'06"
07:36
America's Cup regatta on the line today
BODY:
The future of Auckland's America's Cup regatta and Team New Zealand's involvement in the competition is expected to be decided today.
Topics: sport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: America's Cup, Auckland's America's Cup regatta
Duration: 3'48"
07:40
Public say no to Victoria Square redesign
BODY:
Hundreds of Cantabrians gathered in Christchurch last night to deliver the Government a strong message - leave the city's Victoria Square alone.
Topics: politics
Regions: Canterbury
Tags: Victoria Square
Duration: 3'10"
07:46
MPs support ban on animal testing of cosmetics
BODY:
MPs have unanimously supported a ban on animal testing of cosmetics.
Topics: politics, law
Regions:
Tags: animal testing of cosmetics, animal testing
Duration: 2'21"
07:49
Lawyers, politicians, rape survivors, create national plan
BODY:
A group of prominent anti-rape and sexual violence advocates have come together to form a national set of goals to combat rape culture.
Topics: law, crime
Regions:
Tags: anti-rape, sexual violence, anti-rape and sexual violence advocates, rape culture.
Duration: 3'34"
07:52
EPA slated at energy conference
BODY:
The Environmental Protection Authority was subjected to blistering criticism at an energy conference in Auckland yesterday.
Topics: environment
Regions:
Tags: Environmental Protection Authority
Duration: 3'15"
07:56
Kauri dieback disease forces parks closure
BODY:
The kauri dieback disease has forced the government to close a reserve on Auckland's North Shore.
Topics: environment
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: kauri dieback disease
Duration: 3'08"
08:07
Sports News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 1'59"
08:10
Labour critical of HomeStart scheme
BODY:
The Government's new housing subsidy scheme kicks in today and will bring some young couples dreams of gaining a foot on the property ladder a step closer.
Topics: housing, politics
Regions:
Tags: Homestart scheme
Duration: 4'43"
08:15
NZ Cricket chief executive reflects on World Cup
BODY:
One of the legends of New Zealand cricket, Daniel Vettori, has retired from the Black Caps more than 18 years after his first Test.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: cricket, Daniel Vettori
Duration: 4'51"
08:20
Australian media criticises cricketers over final behaviour
BODY:
While the Black Caps have been playing down the on-field conduct of the Australian cricketers during Sunday's World Cup final, the Australian media are criticising their country's lack of sportsmanship.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: cricket, verbally abuse
Duration: 4'27"
08:25
Queen's castle staff eyeing industrial action
BODY:
The Queen's staff at Windsor Castle are set to take industrial action for the first time ever, over what they say is low pay.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Queen's staff, low pay, Windsor Castle
Duration: 2'50"
08:28
Markets Update for 1 April 2015
BODY:
A brief update of movements in the financial sector.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 1'01"
08:35
Vanuatu still in emergency phase of recovery
BODY:
It's been more than two weeks since Cyclone Pam tore through the Pacific and many of the island nations affected by the storm are still in the emergency stages of recovery
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Vanuatu, Cyclone Pam
Duration: 4'04"
08:39
What next for cyclone ravaged Vanuatu?
BODY:
Koroi Hawkins has recently returned from Vanuatu where he has been covering Cyclone Pam's aftermath for Radio New Zealand.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu
Duration: 3'50"
08:44
Te Manu Korihi News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
The Māori Language Commission says it can't afford to hire a new chief executive, because the position's salary is capped at 200-thousand dollars; The owner of a Māori forestry company says the industry's growing mechanisation has put forestry contracting businesses under financial stress, in turn putting workers more at risk; The Chairman of a Ngai Tahu hapu is offering to give a Taranaki tribe guidance as it moves into post Treaty settlement mode; The Māori leader at Te Papa Tongarewa, Arapata Hakiwai, is eager to set up a register to record Māori artefacts held overseas.
Topics: te ao Māori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'24"
08:48
Pasifika Festival "too commercial"
BODY:
A south Auckland local board chairman says the annual Pasifika Festival is becoming too commercial and Auckland Council's events company needs to be stopped.
Topics: Pacific
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Pasifika Festival
Duration: 3'33"
08:51
New dental school to match the best in Australia
BODY:
Otago University says its new national dental school will catch it up to the best in Australia.
Topics: health
Regions: Otago
Tags: national dental school
Duration: 2'45"
08:54
Visa frauds keep Immigration authorities on toes
BODY:
Immigration New Zealand is having to work hard to keep up with the new and inventive ways some immigrants are coming up with to beat the system.
Topics: refugees and migrants, crime
Regions:
Tags: fraud
Duration: 2'45"
08:57
Newspapers play gentle April Fool's jokes on readers
BODY:
April Fool's day is traditionally the day newspapers have a little bit of a laugh at their readers expense.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: comedy
Duration: 50"
=SHOW NOTES=
===9:06 AM. | Nine To Noon===
=DESCRIPTION=
Current affairs and topics of interest, including: 10:45 The Reading: The Dwarf Who Moved, by Peter Williams QC (7 of 8, RNZ)
=AUDIO=
09:06
Chch furious that Air NZ has pulled direct flight from Asia
BODY:
Vicki Buck is the Deputy Mayor of Christchurch, Celia Wade-Brown is the Mayor of Wellington.
Topics: transport
Regions: Canterbury
Tags: International flights, accessible tourism, tourism, Christchurch, Air New Zealand
Duration: 20'14"
09:26
Pet shops speak out on puppy mills
BODY:
The industry body for pet shops speaks out on the issue of puppy farming. Yesterday on the programme we discussed growing concern that online selling allows puppy mills to thrive, whereby dogs are bred intensively for commercial gain. Trade Me is working with animal rights groups to introduce new guidelines so that breeding histories are provided and animals for sale are microchipped. Tony Fraser is on the board of the Pet Industry Association which represents about half of the country's pet shops and has decades of experience as a pet shop owner. Peter Dunne is the Director and Secretary of the NZ Kennel Club.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: animals, dogs, animal welfare, Trade Me, pets
Duration: 14'35"
09:40
Australia correspondent Karen Middleton
BODY:
Reaction to the Germanwings air crash. Campaign on family violence. Major anti-competition enquiry results revealed today. Doping in sport.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Australia
Duration: 11'06"
09:52
Otago locals sceptical over police inquiry on sheep deaths
BODY:
Concern from locals in rural Otago over a police investigation into the case of 215 sheep found dead on two Ngapara farms in June last year. Police say the sheep were killed by dogs, but locals are questioning that. Inspector Jason Guthrie is the Otago Coastal Area Commander.
Topics: crime, rural
Regions: Otago
Tags: sheep killings
Duration: 8'01"
10:12
How not to talk to your children
BODY:
Carol Dweck is a Stanford University psychologist specialising in what motivates people and she says telling kids they're "smart" is one of the worst things people can do. Professor Dweck's research shows that reinforcing the idea to students that they've achieved something because they worked hard means they are more likely to try harder and perform better.
Topics: life and society
Regions:
Tags: children, parenting
Duration: 30'42"
10:42
Book review: 'A Place Called Winter' by Patrick Gale
BODY:
Published by Headline. Reviewed by Louise O'Brien.
Topics: books
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 5'03"
11:07
Marty Duda's artist of the week: Billy Idol
BODY:
Billy Idol began his career fronting late 70s punk band Generation X, releasing three albums and a handful of catchy hit singles before heading out on his own in the early 1980s. Billy quickly became a staple on MTV thanks to groundbreaking videos like White Wedding and Rebel Yell. The music was pretty good too and along with guitarist Steve Stevens, Billy became one of the biggest stars of the 80s. But Billy's partying ways finally caught up to him in the 90s and he barely survived the decade. He's now back in form and has released his latest album, 'Kings & Queens Of The Underground', with Stevens back in the fold. Billy Idol performs at Auckland's Vector Arena Wednesday night along with 70's rockers Cheap Trick.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags: Billy Idol, Marty Duda
Duration: 25'39"
11:32
Employment Law with Charles McGuinness
BODY:
Charles McGuinness is an employment lawyer with DLA Phillips Fox. Today he discusses zero hour contracts, and the case of a local authority which has been granted an interim injunction against a former worker who posted a tell all video online.
Topics: law
Regions:
Tags: employment
Duration: 16'43"
11:49
Science commentator, Siouxsie Wiles
BODY:
Siouxsie Wiles on how to create a bullet-proof password.
Topics: technology
Regions:
Tags: IT security, online security, passwords
Duration: 10'03"
=SHOW NOTES=
09:05 Christchurch furious that Air NZ has pulled last direct flight from Asia to the city
Vicki Buck is the Deputy Mayor of Christchurch.
09:08 Is Air New Zealand abandoning regional airlines
Celia Wade-Brown, Mayor of Wellington.
09:25 Pet shops speak out on puppy mills
The industry body for pet shops speaks out on the issue of puppy farming. Yesterday on the programme we discussed growing concern that online selling allows puppy mills to thrive, whereby dogs are bred intensively for commercial gain. TradeMe is working with animal rights groups to introduce new guidelines so that breeding histories are provided and animals for sale are micro chipped.
Tony Fraser is on the board of the Pet Industry Association which represents about half of the country's pet shops and has decades of experience as a pet shop owner. Peter Dunne is the Director and Secretary of the NZ Kennel Club.
09:30 Is our obsession with anti-bacteria hand soaps doing us more harm than good?
Scientists say the widespread use of the anti-microbial Triclosan is damaging the environment and driving antibiotic resistance. Dr Louis Trembley is a ecotoxicologist at Nelson based Cawthron Institute.
09:40 Australia correspondent Karen Middleton
09:52 Otago locals sceptical over police inquiry on sheep deaths
Concern from locals in rural Otago over a police investigation into the case of 215 sheep found dead on two Ngapara farms in June last year. Police say the sheep were killed by dogs, but locals are questioning that. Inspector Jason Guthrie is the Otago Coastal Area Commander.
10:05 How not to talk to your children - when should parents praise their children and how should that praise be given?
Carol Dweck is a Stanford University psychologist specialising in what motivates people and she says telling kids they're "smart" is one of the worst things people can do.
Professor Dweck's research shows that reinforcing the idea to students that they've achieved something because they worked hard means they are more likely to try harder and perform better.
10:35 Book review: 'A Place Called Winter' by Patrick Gale
Published by Headline. Reviewed by Louise O'Brien.
10:45 The Reading: 'The Dwarf Who Moved' by Peter Williams QC
Observations and anecdotes from the life of New Zealand's pre-eminent criminal defence lawyer. (Part 7 of 8, RNZ).
11:05 Marty Duda's artist of the week: Billy Idol
Billy Idol began his career fronting late 70s punk band Generation X, releasing three albums and a handful of catchy hit singles before heading out on his own in the early 1980s. Billy quickly became a staple on MTV thanks to groundbreaking videos like White Wedding and Rebel Yell. The music was pretty good too and along with guitarist Steve Stevens, Billy became one of the biggest stars of the 80s. But Billy’s partying ways finally caught up to him in the 90s and he barely survived the decade. He’s now back in form and has released his latest album, 'Kings & Queens Of The Underground', with Stevens back in the fold. Billy Idol performs at Auckland’s Vector Arena Wednesday night along with 70’s rockers Cheap Trick.
1. Your Generation – Generation X taken from 1977 single (Chrysalis)
2 White Wedding – Billy Idol taken from 1982 album, “Billy Idol” (Chrysalis)
3. To Be A Lover – Billy Idol taken from 1986 album, “Whiplash Smile” (Chrysalis)
4. Postcards From The Past – Billy Idol taken from 2014 album, “Kings & Queens Of The Underground” (BFI)
11:30 Employment Law with Charles McGuinness
Charles McGuinness is an employment lawyer with DLA Phillips Fox. Today he discusses zero hour contracts, and the case of a local authority which has been granted an interim injunction against a former worker who posted a tell all video online.
11:45 Science commentator, Siouxsie Wiles
1. Glowing tampon test!
2. Speaking of glowing…. Bioluminescent mushrooms!
3. Should parents let children have a sip of alcohol?
4. How to make an unhackable password - the solution is called Diceware.
===Noon | Midday Report===
=DESCRIPTION=
Radio New Zealand news, followed by updates and reports until 1.00pm, including: 12:16 Business News 12:26 Sport 12:34 Rural News 12:43 Worldwatch
=AUDIO=
12:00
Midday News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
New housing subsidies come into play today - but prices continue to rise higher and faster and the Goverment takes action against dairy farms not paying immigrants the minimum wage.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 15'09"
12:17
Kiwi Property portfolio value rises 2.6%
BODY:
The overall value of Kiwi Property Group's portfolio has risen by 57-million dollars in the past year, largely due to the strength of Auckland's property market.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Kiwi Property Group
Duration: 1'10"
12:18
Asking prices reach new record
BODY:
Asking prices for homes continue to climb.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: house prices
Duration: 1'20"
12:19
Diligent Board Member Services appoints new CEO
BODY:
Diligent Board Member Services founder, Alex Sodi, is stepping aside as the company leader, to make room for Brian Stafford, who takes over as president and chief executive, effective today.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Diligent
Duration: 1'37"
12:21
MYOB plans to raise money from IPO
BODY:
The accounting software company, MYOB, says it plans to raise up to about 834-million Australian dollars in an initial public offering of shares, across the Tasman.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: MYOB
Duration: 29"
12:24
Midday markets for 1 April 2015
BODY:
For the latest from the markets we're joined by James Malden at Macquarie Private Wealth.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 1'59"
12:26
Midday Sports News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
Another New Zealand cricketer is set to announce his retirement within the next 24 hours.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'47"
12:35
Midday Rural News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
News from the rural and farming sectors.
Topics: rural, farming
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 8'24"
=SHOW NOTES=
===1:06 PM. | Afternoons===
=DESCRIPTION=
Information and debate, people and places around NZ
=AUDIO=
13:08
Your song - I won't back down
BODY:
Sully Alsop from Wairarapa has chosen 'I won't back down' by Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 12'04"
13:20
Music Trivia game
BODY:
No clues here, sorry!
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 18'28"
14:09
Lost or Found - Andy Davidhazy
BODY:
It's four minutes long. And it's a sequence of a man's face staring out at you, a series of 2660 selfie photographs edited together. The man's face is pretty much in the same position in every frame, but behind him, the landscape changes quickly. You get to know the face rather well. It belongs to photographer Andy Davidhazy, and Andy took a selfie for each mile of a huge walk he made, from Mexico to Canada. A walk of 2,660 miles, or 4,280 kilometres.
EXTENDED BODY:
In a four minute long video sequence, a man's face stares out at you, while the landscape changes quickly behind him. It is a series of 2660 selfie photographs edited together.
Photographer Andy Davidhazy was looking for a challenge, something that would kick-start him to achieve some of his life goals, so he decided to take a walk. A huge walk - from Mexico to Canada - 2,660 miles, or 4,280 kilometres, and he took a selfie at the end of each mile he travelled.
Andy Davidhazy talks to Simon Mercep about his incredible journey.
Visit the Lost or Found website to view the video. Warning: video has a strobe effect.
Topics: arts
Regions:
Tags: Andy Davidhazy
Duration: 12'21"
14:22
Nelson Clock Tower - John Rodgers
BODY:
This Sunday daylight savings comes to an end and at 2am our clocks will go back an hour. One man who will be wide awake and on the job is clock technician John Rodgers. He's based in Nelson and his job is to maintain the town clock.
Topics: technology
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 10'30"
14:47
Feature album - Duets
BODY:
We're featuring the new Van Morrison album, "Duets" - just out - which revisits 16 tracks from his catalogue with the help of some big name guests, including Mick Hucknall, Mavis Staples, Natalie Cole, Steve Winwood, Joss Stone, and Michael Buble.
Topics: music
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 11'06"
15:08
Online
BODY:
Paul Brislen on Meerkat, Periscope, Semble and Google trying to map the human body.
Topics: technology, internet
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 21'50"
15:35
Changi Prison Survivor
BODY:
Roland de Bruyne is an elderly Malaysian Aucklander and a survivor of the infamous Changi Prison during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WW2. Last year his children discovered letters and photos taken during his internment on a camera smuggled into the prison. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to meet Roland, now 91, to hear his incredible story of survival.
EXTENDED BODY:
'Help is on the way' – pamphlets distributed after Allies liberated Singapore in 1945
Weeds can’t be killed, they can survive anything! - Jean de Bruyne, daughter of Roland de Bruyne, Changi/Sime Road Internment Camp Survivor.
Gallery: Changi Prison survivor
The dining table is littered with Roland de Bruyne's memorabilia. The objects are imbued with grave meaning; faded love letters to his sweetheart Low Swan Tin on crumpled Australian Red Cross paper, albums of sepia photographs, British Army pamphlets, a fragment of rusted bomber shrapnel wrapped in tissue.
When Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, the British had prayed that relief forces might arrive, but it wasn’t meant to be.
During the Fall of Singapore that year the Imperial Japanese Army detained around 3000 civilians in Changi Prison, built to house only 600. The British Army Barracks nearby became a prisoner of war camp, housing around 50,000 allied British and Australian troops. Changi Prison and the nearby Prisoner of War (POW) camp were rife with sickness and death. 73 years later and a world away in Auckland, one survivor tells me his story.
Roland de Bruyne is Eurasian, 91 years old this year, born in 1924 in Penang, Malaysia. He was imprisoned by the Japanese Military, along with his entire family and 3000 other civilians in Changi/Sime Road Internment Camp in Singapore during the Second World War simply because they were Eurasian.
Image: Roland de Bruyne and daughter Jean de Bruyne
They were stripped of clothing and belongings, starved and forced into hard labor. The tiny black and white photos that Roland shows me were taken by him on a camera smuggled into the prison. In one photo, almost naked, Roland's friend is a skeletal figure in a loin-cloth. This was all the clothing they were allowed.
Miraculously Roland's whole family, all except one, survived. Roland's little brother Jimmy died from dysentery at the age of five during the war. Jean notes that perhaps a small mercy that little Jimmy died before the family were interned in Changi. "It's one of the ravages of war."
Roland's daughter Jean de Bruyne states proudly that “You can’t kill weeds.” Jean tells me her father is remarkably healthy for a 91 year old, let alone a survivor of Changi. If the prison ordeal couldn't kill him then almost nothing would. The tenacity to live runs strong within the de Bruyne family.
Jean's home in Greenhithe, Auckland is a serene retreat; surrounded by lush bush and peaceful, just the kind of home a survivor of 91 needs to quietly reside in. As Roland talks Jean sits close by, helping her father remember which story to explore. He has a lifetime of memories to share. Roland begins by explaining his Eurasian/Malaysian ethnic heritage. He's a product of British and Dutch colonisation of the East:
“Both my grandparents were Eurasian; both first generation born in Penang in the late 1800’s. My father was the son of a Dutchman who married a Burmese woman. My mother was the product of Scottish Engineer, James Irving (my grandfather) who married a Malay woman.” Roland family are now four generations of Eurasians, counting daughter Jean and her children.
Roland is an “old-free”. He attended Penang Free School in George Town, Penang, a British government secondary school first established in 1816, almost 200 years ago. Roland grew up during the last era of British Imperialism.
Roland remembers most vividly his friends at school, Sikh boys, the sons of officers with the British Army. The Sikh boys all hoped to gain scholarships to attend the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst.
Penang Free School was also attended by many Japanese children, ironically some parents turned out to be secret service spies for the Japanese Military.
Roland vividly recalls around 1936, the first time he had tried sushi and learned to bow. He was taught by his Japanese classmates during their farewell, they were returning to their motherland with their parents. It was a national call to service by the Imperial Japanese Army.
One of his Japanese school friend's enlisted and died as a Kamikaze. All the Sikh classmates except one lost their lives fighting the Japanese. After the war, the sole surviving Sikh friend came back home to kiss the floor, thanking God for his life.
Low Swan Tin was Roland's childhood sweetheart. Their families lived next door to each other in Penang. Swan Tin was almost the same age as Roland. they played together every day. They were destined to be together even though Low's "true-blue" Chinese family strongly disapproved of her marriage to a young "half-caste" Eurasian man.
Roland graduated from college and trained as a ships engineer with the Straits Steam Ship Company, a shipping firm that operated cargo and passenger boats around Southeast Asia; India, Hong Kong. He was 19 and serving long months at sea on cargo and passenger ships. While at sea Roland wrote to his sweetheart all the time, they would see each other whenever he was in port.
When Roland returned to Singapore the Japanese had invaded. Singapore was renamed Syonan-to (Light of the South). Roland and his family were interned in Changi alongside thousands of others. Jean reads out his internment camp registration card: "Sime Road Internment Camp: Name: R.I. de Bruyne, Hut: 130, Relationship: Son."
Swan Tin's Chinese family stayed on in Penang and escaped internment but they too endured the Japanese occupation.
One hundred grams of rice per day, that was our food ration. We were lucky if we got some vegetables.
The Japanese Military were notorious for starving inmates. Worse still was the death railway, the 415km of railway that the Japanese Empire began building in 1943 to connect Burma and Thailand during their Burma Campaign.
If starvation and sickness didn't kill you then the 'death railway' would.
Many POWs from Changi were sent to work there. Roland says that for every railway sleeper, there was one death. Over 100,000 Allied POWs lost their lives to this railway.
I ask Roland about the cruelty of the Japanese Military during his internment: "Cruelty was like this: starvation, no clothes, bore-holes in the ground for latrines. There were about 1000 fellas, all of us crowded together in one hut."
As a young and fit man Roland was sent to work reconstituting railway sleepers for the 'death railway'. He worked in chain-gangs, digging up sleepers and granite to be sent on to Thailand to fortify the railway. Those in his group that fell sick to dysentery, malaria or cholera were left to die. "There was a separate shack for sick fellas. Six burials a day, they buried six people a day, just from my section of camp in Changi/Simes."
Jean tells me that one very courageous childhood friend traveled from Penang to Singapore to smuggle a small camera to Roland during his internment in Changi. This was so that Roland and his family could capture evidence of the atrocities taking place.
On liberation day, 1945 when the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, the Japanese Commander in charge of Changi walked down to the public square and took his own life by Seppuku.
Roland tells me that in 1945 after the Allies liberated Singapore and freed the POWs and civilians, some POWs died after being fed too much good food all at once, killed by unwitting acts of kindness.
The biggest problem for the Allies was the sudden influx of people they had to feed and house, now that the Allies had thousands of Japanese POWs, alongside freed citizens and their own troops.
Jean reads from a declaration on how to transition back to civilian life, written on pamphlets dropped from the air, distributed by the Royal Air Force:
"The Japanese forces have surrendered unconditionally and the war is over. We will get supplies to you as soon as humanely possible and will make arrangements to get you out, owing to the distances involved it may be sometime...
You will help us and yourselves if you act as follows; stay in your camp until further orders ... list your most urgent necessities ... if you have been starved or underfed for long periods, do not eat large quantities of solid food, fruit or vegetables at first, it is dangerous for you to do so..."
Roland finally walked out of Changi Prison in September 1945, almost three years after his internment and some months after liberation. On the day of Roland's release and on the back of his internment registration card an autograph is scribbled: Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Roland hadn't see Swan Tin for most of the war. How did it feel to be a free man? Lucky to be alive.
Roland writes to Swan Tin from the Changi/Sime Road Transit Camp. His letter, on Australian Red Cross paper is dated 20 October, 1945:
"Hello Swan Tin,
Vic and I have just returned from a morning walk when one of the boys told us that they had a letter for me ... well I told him to show it to me first. Before he knew where he was, there was food and there were fags and I read and re-read your letter until I could almost remember all of its words ..."
There was no petrol, no transport. Roland got on a bicycle and somehow made it home to Penang.
After surviving his ordeal in Changi, Roland and Swan Tin reunited and finally married in 1951, six years after the war and after winning-over Swan Tin's disapproving Chinese family.
Image: Swan Tin, Roland's childhood sweetheart and wife
I ask Roland of all survivors of his community, who is left? Jean reminds her father, "All your friends have died now Dad, the only ones left of the camp will be Uncle Vic, Aunty Jessie ... all survivors of Changi have remained friends to this day, until they die. Dad's the last one standing."
Wearing her bright red t'shirt emblazoned with it's iconic image, Jean de Bruyne is a passionate volunteer with the NZ Red Cross. The Red Cross in New Zealand is currently celebrating its centenary.
“New Zealand Red Cross has been part of the fabric of our country for nearly a century. In 1914, at the start of the First World War (WWI), ad hoc Red Cross groups began raising money and sending medical supplies to New Zealand troops overseas. During the wartime effort for both WWI and the Second World War (WWII), New Zealand Red Cross groups worked in conjunction with the Order of St John as a joint council.”
Jean holds up her father's love letters to her mother on the Red Cross paper. These letters were not discovered by the family until two years ago. It is a poignant reminder for Jean. Her parents reconnected through this fragile form of communication. "The Second World War is very, very large in our family psyche. Although we never experienced the war personally its talked about on a constant basis. What the war has done for Dad's generation and our generation is teach us tenacity, the importance of family relationships and the importance of community."
Roland holds up a tiny parcel, dated 11 Jan 1945, 10:30am. It's a fragment of rusted shrapnel from an anti-personal bomber. Roland tells me these fragments littered the ground like snow. Jean shows me a tiny black and white photo taken just outside Changi at the time. It's a public commemoration site, studded with so many white crosses.
Shrapnel from a bomber
Lest we forget. Those that lost their lives to Singapore.
Thank you to Sound Archives for use of the following archival tracks used in the making of this programme.
Archival audio supplied by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
Topics: refugees and migrants, life and society
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: Anzacs, POWs, Changi Prison, WW2
Duration: 11'49"
15:46
The Panel pre-show for 1 April 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 16'03"
=SHOW NOTES=
1:10 Your Song
I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers chosen by Sully Alsop from Masterton
1:20 Music Trivia game
No clues here, sorry!
2:10 Lost or Found - Andy Davidhazy
It's four minutes long. And it's a sequence of a man's face staring out at you, a series of 2660 selfie photographs edited together. The man's face is pretty much in the same position in every frame, but behind him, the landscape changes quickly. You get to know the face rather well. It belongs to photographer Andy Davidhazy, and Andy took a selfie for each mile of a huge walk he made, from Mexico to Canada. A walk of 2,660 miles, or 4,280 kilometres.
2:20 Nelson Clock Tower - John Rodgers
This Sunday daylight savings comes to an end and at 2am our clocks will go back an hour. One man who will be wide awake and on the job is clock technician John Rodgers. He's based in Nelson and his job is to maintain the town clock.
2:30 NZ Reading
A short story by Fiona Stewart Sussman, called The Bottom Line - Gus Ezra's doctor dreads having to tell his patient and friend, an 88 year old Jewish Auschwitz survivor, that he will have to fail him for his driving licence.
2:45 Feature album
Duets - Van Morrison (2015)
3:10 Online
Paul Brislen on Meerkat, Periscope, Semble and Google trying to map the human body.
3:30 Eyewitness
An elderly Malaysian Aucklander and survivor of Changi Prison during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in W.W.2. tells Lynda Chanwai-Earle his incredible story of survival.
3:45 The Panel Pre-Show
===4:06 PM. | The Panel===
=DESCRIPTION=
An hour of discussion featuring a range of panellists from right along the opinion spectrum (RNZ)
=AUDIO=
15:46
The Panel pre-show for 1 April 2015
BODY:
Your feedback, and a preview of the guests and topics on The Panel.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 16'03"
16:09
The Panel with Jock Anderson and Jane Bowron (Part 1)
BODY:
Mark Lundy is again found guilty, his guilt re-emphasised, re-decided, by a Wellington High Court jury. He killed his wife Christine and daughter Amber in 2001. Should Child Youth and Family Services be required to intervene in cases of childhood obesity?
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 21'06"
16:10
Mark Lundy found guilty
BODY:
His guilt re-emphasised, re-decided, by a Wellington High Court jury. He killed his wife Christine and daughter Amber in 2001.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 12'29"
16:22
CYF and childhood obesity
BODY:
Should Child Youth and Family Services be required to intervene in cases of childhood obesity?
Topics: law, life and society, health
Regions:
Tags: CYF, childhood obesity
Duration: 8'15"
16:33
The Moon and its influences
BODY:
It's official, the Moon is NOT to blame for increases in the number of automobile accidents, hospital admissions, births, birth complications, depression, violent behavior, or criminal activity.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: the moon
Duration: 3'43"
16:33
The Panel with Jock Anderson and Jane Bowron (Part 2)
BODY:
It's official, the Moon is NOT to blame for increases in the number of automobile accidents, hospital admissions, births, birth complications, depression, violent behavior, or criminal activity. What the Panelists Jock Anderson and Jane Bowron have been thinking about. Nineteen rest home residents were given two weeks to find a new place to live after the owners announced they were closing the Port View Retirement Community in New Plymouth.were given two weeks to find a new place to live after the owners announced they were closing the Port View Retirement Community in New Plymouth. Another former All Black has rejected the Local Government Commission's proposal to combine the Wellington region's nine existing councils into one.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 26'33"
16:37
Panel says
BODY:
What the Panelists Jock Anderson and Jane Bowron have been thinking about.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 5'44"
16:43
Resthome closure upsets residents
BODY:
Nineteen rest home residents were given two weeks to find a new place to live after the owners announced they were closing the Port View Retirement Community in New Plymouth.were given two weeks to find a new place to live after the owners announced they were closing the Port View Retirement Community in New Plymouth.
Topics: health, life and society, law
Regions: Taranaki
Tags: rest home residents
Duration: 5'52"
16:49
Wellington supercity
BODY:
Another former All Black has rejected the Local Government Commission's proposal to combine the Wellington region's nine existing councils into one.
Topics: politics
Regions: Wellington Region
Tags: supercity
Duration: 1'35"
16:51
Auckland traffic
BODY:
Auckland joins Istanbul, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Salvador on a list of the world's most gridlocked cities.
Topics: transport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: roads, Auckland
Duration: 2'46"
16:53
Investigations into bus driver reading while driving.
BODY:
Ritchies Coachlines in Auckland is urgently investigating a video now on mainstream media of a bus driver reading a newspaper while driving.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: driving
Duration: 1'02"
16:54
House prices up
BODY:
The HomeStart scheme comes into effect today; it offers an eligible couple buying an existing home $10,000, or $20,000 for a new home.
Topics: housing
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 5'04"
=SHOW NOTES=
===5:00 PM. | Checkpoint===
=DESCRIPTION=
Radio New Zealand's two-hour news and current affairs programme
=AUDIO=
17:00
Checkpoint Top Stories for Wednesday 1 April 2015
BODY:
Mark Lundy is found GUILTY of murdering his wife and daughter for a second time. The America's Cup challenger race slips further from New Zealand's grasp and Aucklanders waste 95 hours a year sitting in traffic.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 22'59"
17:08
Mark Lundy found guilty
BODY:
Mark Lundy has been found guilty at his retrial of murdering his wife and daughter and immediately sentenced to life in prison.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 8'40"
17:16
Friend of Christine Lundy's welcomes verdict
BODY:
Christine Lockett was a friend of Christine Lundy's. I spoke to her shortly after the verdict came through.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 1'41"
17:19
America's Cup challenger regatta slips further from Akl's grasp
BODY:
An America's Cup challenger regatta in Auckland looks less likely after a majority of Cup teams indicated they want the entire series to be sailed in Bermuda
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags: America's Cup
Duration: 4'39"
17:24
House prices rise sharply
BODY:
New figures show New Zealand house prices are rising sharply.
Topics: housing
Regions:
Tags: house prices
Duration: 2'56"
17:26
Too many dairy farmers exploiting their workers
BODY:
More evidence today of dairy farmers exploiting their workers with the latest Labour inspector sting uncovering widespread breaches of the law.
Topics: farming, business
Regions:
Tags: dairy workers
Duration: 4'42"
17:34
Today's market update
BODY:
The New Zealand sharemarket is up just 1 point today, with the benchmark NZX 50 index closing at 5,835.
Topics: business, economy
Regions:
Tags: markets
Duration: 2'34"
17:37
Defence has 20 days to decide whether to appeal guilty verdict
BODY:
More now on our top story, Mark Lundy's guilty verdict at his retrial for murdering his wife and daughter. The defence says it is too early to say if they will appeal.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 4'22"
17:42
Panel to begin overhaul of Child, Youth and Family
BODY:
The Government has set up a panel to lead an overhaul of Child, Youth and Family. But the Association of Social Workers is already questioning why no one from families or with a local social worker background is on the independent five person panel.
Topics: health, law
Regions:
Tags: CYF, review panel
Duration: 3'49"
17:46
Akl councillors take iron fisted approach to port expansion
BODY:
Auckland councillors have voted to take what one is calling an iron fisted approach, to try to halt the contentious port expansion.
Topics: transport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: port expansion
Duration: 3'15"
17:49
19 elderly people kicked out of Taranaki rest home
BODY:
Nineteen people living at a rest home in Taranaki have been kicked out and given just two weeks to find somewhere else to stay.
Topics: health
Regions: Taranaki
Tags: rest home closure
Duration: 4'14"
17:53
Mayor supports Ngati Toa's Te Reo aspirations
BODY:
The mayor of Porirua says his city's right behind a local tribe's attempt to keep its language alive.
Topics: te ao Māori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 2'57"
17:56
New Daily Show host under fire for "offensive" tweets
BODY:
He's sexist, racist and anti-semitic - according to some critics of Trevor Noah, the new host of America's long-running TV programme The Daily Show.
Topics: media
Regions:
Tags: television, comedy, The Daily Show
Duration: 3'15"
18:07
Sports News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
An update from the team at RNZ Sport.
Topics: sport
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'09"
18:11
Lundy begins second life term for bludgeoning family
BODY:
Mark Lundy is beginning his second term of life imprisonment tonight after once again being found guilty of murdering his wife and young daughter in Palmerston North 15 years ago.
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 4'20"
18:15
Analysis from our court reporter
BODY:
Our Court reporter, Ann Marie May has at the High Court in Wellington for the verdict .
Topics: crime
Regions:
Tags: Mark Lundy
Duration: 6'03"
18:22
Buhari in historic Nigeria election win
BODY:
History has been made in Nigeria in the first ever democratic change of power, in Africa's most populous nation.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Nigeria, election
Duration: 7'31"
18:30
Fuel thief sentenced to 1 1/2 years home detention
BODY:
A man who ran a Dunedin service station with fuel stolen from his competitors has been given 18 months home detention.
Topics: crime
Regions: Otago
Tags: Fuel thief
Duration: 2'45"
18:37
Iranian nuclear deal imminent
BODY:
In a matter of hours, we should know if Iran has agreed to curtail its nuclear programme in return for a reduction in the international sanctions against it.
Topics:
Regions:
Tags: Iran, nuclear programme
Duration: 4'07"
18:41
English confirms difference of opinion
BODY:
The Finance Minister has confirmed the chair of Solid Energy resigned because she did not believe any more could be done for the troubled coal company.
Topics: business
Regions:
Tags: Solid Energy
Duration: 3'06"
18:44
MPs tell police to speed up resolving sexual assault cases
BODY:
MPs have been told the police need to put their foot on the accelerator to sort out adult sexual assault cases and police misconduct more efficiently.
Topics: crime, law
Regions:
Tags: police performance
Duration: 3'17"
18:48
Te Manu Korihi News for 1 April 2015
BODY:
The mayor of Porirua says his city's right behind the local tribe's attempt to keep its language alive; The public will get a chance to view historic tupuna portraits - some of which have never before been seen outside whanau collections - at Te Papa this Easter; A Ngai Tahu hapu on the South Island's West Coast is hosting a tribal leadership programme for its rangatahi, or young people.
Topics: te ao Māori
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 3'00"
18:52
Today In Parliament for 1 April 2015 - evening edition
BODY:
Questions to Minister of Small Business and Minister of Defence require the Speaker's intervention. Gerry Brownlee and Winston Peters trade insults in the General Debate.
Topics: politics
Regions:
Tags:
Duration: 5'02"
18:56
Aucklanders wastes 12 working days a year in traffic
BODY:
Aucklanders are wasting the equivalent of about a dozen working days, or 95 hours, a year sitting in traffic.
Topics: transport
Regions: Auckland Region
Tags: roads
Duration: 2'13"
=SHOW NOTES=
===7:06 PM. | Nights===
=DESCRIPTION=
Entertainment and information, including: 7:30 Spectrum: People, places and events in NZ (RNZ) 8:13 Windows on the World: International public radio features and documentaries 9:06 Wednesday Drama: Out Of Frame, by Miranda Wilson; Local Colour, by Mary Scott (RNZ)
=AUDIO=
19:12
Healthy Duck Food
BODY:
A survey has declared that the innocent habit of feeding the ducks is detrimental to both the birds' health as well as the waterways they inhabit - with UK Canal & River Trust environment manager Richard Bennett.
EXTENDED BODY:
There is a long tradition of feeding the ducks in New Zealand, but a UK survey has declared that the innocent habit is detrimental to both the birds' health as well as the waterways they inhabit.
Bryan Crump talks about the study with UK Canal & River Trust environment manager Richard Bennett.
Tips for healthy alternatives to feed to ducks
Related
New Zealanders feed more than 5 million loaves of bread to birds at a cost of more than 12 million dollars
Feeding the ducks in Queenstown Park 1937. 'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19370519-49-2'
Topics: environment, food
Regions:
Tags: UK, ducks, birds, bird feeding
Duration: 20'09"
20:42
Vietnam
BODY:
US-born journalist and correspondent for Bloomberg BNA, Lien Hoang reports from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, pop. 90,730,000 (est. 2014). The 40th anniversary of the Vietnam war's end is on 30 April 2015; Russia and the US are again arguing over use of Vietnam's ports; plus the pros and cons of the soon-to-be-signed TPPA to Vietnam.
Topics: life and society, politics, economy, spiritual practices
Regions:
Tags: Viet Nam, Vietnam, Vietnam War, TPPA
Duration: 15'28"
=SHOW NOTES=
7:10 Healthy Duck Food
A survey has declared that the innocent habit of feeding the ducks is detrimental to both the birds' health as well as the waterways they inhabit – with UK Canal & River Trust environment manager Richard Bennett. See tips for healthy alternatives to feed to ducks.
7:30 Spectrum
People, places and events in New Zealand.
8:10 Windows on the World
International public radio documentaries - visit the Windows on the World web page to find links to these documentaries.
8:40 Vietnam
US-born journalist and correspondent for Bloomberg BNA, Lien Hoang reports from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, pop. 90,730,000 (est. 2014). The 40th anniversary of the Vietnam war's end is on 30 April 2015; Russia and the US are again arguing over use of Vietnam's ports; plus the pros and cons of the soon-to-be-signed TPPA to Vietnam.
9:06 The Wednesday Drama
Out Of Frame by Miranda Wilson and Local Colour by Mary Scott (RNZ).
10:00 Late Edition
A review of the news from Morning Report, Nine to Noon, Afternoons and Checkpoint. Also hear the latest news from around the Pacific on Radio New Zealand International's Dateline Pacific.
11:06 Night Lights Classic Jazz
Sacred Blue - Jazz Goes to Church in the 1960s (WFIU, 6 of 12).
===10:00 PM. | Late Edition===
=DESCRIPTION=
Radio New Zealand news, including Dateline Pacific and the day's best interviews from Radio New Zealand National
===11:06 PM. | None (National)===
=DESCRIPTION=
Sacred Blue - Jazz Goes to Church in the 1960s (WFIU, 6 of 12)