RDU 98.5 FM

The mighty Alphabethead came down to the RDUnit to play an epic set and this is the reult. On tour for the Flying NUN 30th Anniversary he also played at local venues The Roastery and darkroom - mean!

Spanky talks to the education spokesman for the Maori Party on the inevitable clashes with Act over policy. What will National do with their two fueding kiddies?

Spanky talks about Act's New Plymouth Chairman Morris Hey confronting John Key in a mall about not honouring Nationals deal with ACT on the Epsom candidate...sounds like someone got the wrong end of the stick.

Spanky grills Nicky Wagner, National MP for Christchurch, as well as coversations with musician Timothy Blackman and Professor Leo Paul Dana on the Amish community. He also gets the latest news from Tauranga from Dr Brett Gartrell who is in charge of the beach clean up and chats to New Scientist blogger Michael Slezak.

Spanky talks to Kath Taylor, Chief Executive of Maritime NZ about the Rena boat disaster as well as Catherine Savage, Chief Executive of Maori Tertiary Education Orgnaisation Te Tapuae o Rehua on her submission to the Central City Draft Plan meetings and talks about movie "Shark Night" with movie reviewer Andrew Todd.

We spoke to good ol’ Garry Moore this morning, the God Father of our fair city because we really wanted to hear his opinion ob Bob Parker’s media attention during the quake aftermath. There was a report which was amended, written by the senior civil defense manager at ECan that said Bob’s media presence contributed to a crisis situation being depicted by the media. ALSO we wanted to find out a little bit more about the ‘community’ he lived in for 10 years.

Next up was a Dr. of psychology - William Helton - who’s been looking into dogs of all shapes and sizes and comparing their intelligence, or at least working out whether size has anything to do with the ability to be trained. It’s kind of hard to explain, so have a listen

We spoke with some very interesting people this morning, a Professor and a Doctor. First up with the Professor, John Blunt who has been involved in researching sponge growing off the coast of Kaikoura, that has remarkable properties that could be used in the fight against cancer. Anything to do with moving forward in the battle against the Big C is worth talking about in our books, so have a listen:

We also had a really interesting talk with a gentleman by the name of Gordon McKenzie. Now he belongs to a group called The Aetherius Society, who for lack of a better explanation (and everybody basically wants to know) believe in aliens. Oh there’s much more to it than just that, so you should definitely check out the link to their website, but one thing in particular which caught our interest was their walk up Mt. Wakefield on Christmas Eve. What’s it all for? Find out here:

How about Phil Goff ay? He’s a good man, and as per usual on a Wednesday morning he called at his allocated time (8:15am) for a chat about all things current in politics. Today we covered the Pike River Coal liquidation, why Labour has pulled its support for the Government’s Maori backed law change of the foreshore and seabed issue, further evidence of Pansy Wong’s business dealings conducted on tax payer’s money and the racial spat between Trevor Mallard and Tau Henare. Juicy stuff!

Also on the show this morning was that bonny wee lass, Sam McSorley, our resident medical herbalist. Today Sam brought in her dog Basil who was VERy cute and they talked to us about alcohol. Is there a particular type of booze to avoid during the festiv season, how much is too much? What is it doing to our bodies? Have a listen and take it easy this Christmas ALRIGHT?

we had a yarn with a fella by the name of Tony who works at Place Makers in Motueka - the recently awarded ‘Best Town in New Zealand’. We wanted to speak with someone who wasn’t involved with promotions or any marketing to do with the town, someone who was a salt of the earth kind of person who lived and worked there and knew what went into make the place so special. And here he is, ladies and gentlemen. Tony.

So the highlight of the show (apart from a visit from Spanky) this morning was a chat with Daisy from Kitty Daisy and Lewis - a family band from the UK who are playing at Al’s Bar on the 14th Jan. Check them out, they’ve got a great old school rock n roll feel and really get your foot tapping. Here’s an interview with Daisy, she’s the eldest of her siblings.

Also on the show this morning I had a chat with Kiwi explorer Mike Allsop who’s on a crusade to track down mysterious artifacts - the hand bone and part of a skull of a Yeti. There is a long and ingrossing story behind the theft of the bones, which Mike is determined to get to the bottom of, and return them to their rightful owners. Have a listen to Mike’s story, and also check out his website returnthehand.com.

I spoke with Michael Bennett who directed a wonderful New Zealand film called Matariki, it had its world premiere at Toronto Film Festival which is HUGE! Michael’s background is in writing/directing in TV an short films so having his first feature debut over in Canada is really exiciting. The flick stars some notable Kiwi personalities as well as Don McGlashan as musical director and composer so Matariki showcases New Zealand music, actors (both established and up and coming) as well culture. Have a listen to Michael talk about the process of making Matariki and check out the trailer. Matariki is showing at Rialto Cinema in Christchurch from Dec 9th - that’s tomorrow!

Also on the show this morning I had a chat with Anton Heyrick who runs a company called Christchurch Paranormal Investigators NZ. Last time we spoke he was looking into a restless ghost at the Jailhouse Hostel in Addington and now Anton’s got a brand new team with flash new gear and is ready to bust some ghosts. Or at least make sure they’re getting the attention and respect they deserve.

Well I was at it alone this morning, as Spanky is off for a few days in preparation for his ordination this coming Sunday when we will emerge THE REVEREND Spanky Moore. Very exciting! Anyhoo, I think the show went OK and thank you to everyone for getting involved and all your encouraging texts. I even conducted an interview or two, first up was Jimi from Emporium who are now sponsoring Breakfast With Spanky on Tuesdays! Awesome, so we welcomed the crew into the breakfast family, have a listen to find out what’s hot in store right now.

Also on the show this morning, we spoke with Barb Warren who looks after the Ohoka Farmer’s Market across the Waimak there. She’s recruiting more stall holders, in particular wanting students to give it a go - you just need produce or items that you have made yourself. There are a couple of gaps in the market - specialist meats is one in particular, or perhaps crystal healing? If you are interested then give Barb a yell through their website. www.ohokafarmersmarket.co.nz

Right, on the show this morning Spanky had a chat with his dear Dad (who I had the pleasure of meeting face to face last week when he dropped off some amazing organic lamb). We talk with Spanky’s Dad usually when we’re changing seasons, and especially now we’re heading towards a formidable drought. Never quite sure why this segment was called Let’s Get Agro, sure there’s a good pun there, but Mr. Moore doesn’t sound like an agro kind of guy. Oh well have a listen and hear a little more about the Moore’s farming history and how Spanky and his brothers basically put a halt to it all.

Also on the show this morning, we had a chat with the CEO of that powerful organisation NZ Pork about the abolition of sow crates - or at least the phasing out of them, with the plan to have them all gone by 2015. Sam McIvor is the man, he gave us NZ Pork’s feeling about the move which is all well and good, but then just at the end of the interview he very subtly (as subtle as a punch in the face) segued into informing us how we could eat pork for every meal of the day. Nice one Sam, we need more marketing staff like you!