Nine To Noon

Covid-19: Thousands of retail jobs could be affected

March 18, 2020 20:25 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MB

The retail sector is braced for thousands of job losses as the number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand increases.

Covid-19. Why does New Zealand need to 'test, test, test' ?

March 18, 2020 20:10 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MB

With more confirmed cases of Covid-19 are expected to be announced later today, after the total number of cases here jumped by eight to twenty yesterday, a public health research says it's time for us to roll out community testing.

Art: Representing historical art narratives

March 17, 2020 22:49 - 9 minutes - 9.14 MB

Arts correspondent Julia Waite talks about some exhibitions she's seen lately that have found new narratives when it comes to abstraction. She'll also talk about how women are being increasingly represented, and what's happening in places like Central and South America, as well as the Middle East.

Law meets theatre in Pop Up Globe collaboration

March 17, 2020 22:26 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB

A different take on sponsoring the arts is seeing lawyers take centre stage at Pop Up Globe. Thanks to a unique sponsorship approach with law firm Anthony Harper aspiring young lawyers have been using Shakespeare plays to hone their court-room skills. The theme that was to be explored this year was intellectual property and related matters that occur in the new play Emilia, currently making its international premiere at Auckland's Pop-up Globe, directed by Miriama McDowell. Emilia plays ...

Book review - AUP New Poets 6

March 17, 2020 21:41 - 4 minutes - 4.33 MB

Chris Tse reviews AUP New Poets 6 by Ben Kemp, Vanessa Crofskey and Chris Stewart. This collection is published by Auckland University Press.

Bagpipes: a family playing together

March 17, 2020 21:22 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MB

Southlander Brendon Fairbairn is keeping his Scottish ancestry alive to the tune of the bagpipes! Not only is he an A grade solo piper, he makes bagpipes too, by hand. The talent runs in the family, his wife Fiona and their two children Liam and Jessica competed with him at the New Zealand Pipe Band Championships in Invercargill at the weekend.

Australia's Covid cases double in two days

March 17, 2020 21:06 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MB

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton looks at the impact of Covid-19 in Australia, with an announcement on mass gatherings expected shortly. Qantas has axed 90 per cent of its international flights and big festivals and sports events are off. Australians are being warned to return home as soon as they can, because they soon be unable to. A new $10b package is expected to be targeted at the worst-hit industries.

Global airlines will go bankrupt soon: Centre for Aviation

March 17, 2020 20:54 - 6 minutes - 5.57 MB

A Sydney airline analysis and consulting firm is warning most airlines will be bankrupt by May unless urgent action is taken. With large swathes of the globe effectively in lock down, and extensive travel restrictions and border closures, carriers are grounding services and air travel dwindling rapidly.Trading in Air New Zealand shares remains on hold - while the airline is in talks with the government - its major shareholder. Air New Zealand has drastically slashed its international ser...

Eldercare sector : protecting the elderly, screening visitors

March 17, 2020 20:32 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

The aged care sector has formed an industry task force to deal with the challenges posed by Covid-19, and is now bringing in restrictions on visitors in line with Ministry of Health pandemic safety protocols.

Will New Zealand's Covid-19 stimulus package be enough?

March 17, 2020 20:06 - 23 minutes - 22 MB

Grant Robertson talks to Kathryn Ryan about his unprecedented $12-point-one billion dollar stimulus package. It includes wage subsidies of $5.1 billion, which for employers means $585 a week for full time staff, and $350 a week for part time staff capped at $150,000 per business, $126million for self-isolation support, $500 million for health and a bump in benefits. But already he's admitting not all jobs will be saved.

Finding stillness in the constant Babble

March 16, 2020 22:27 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MB

Auckland Arts Festival event, Babble brings young South Auckland voices to the stage. Kathryn talks to Babble director, Scotty Cotter and performer Hunter Karaka about navigating a noisy world.

Book review - Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor

March 16, 2020 21:42 - 3 minutes - 3.24 MB

John King reviews Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, Text Publishing.

MBS: Saudi Arabia's 'Mr Everything'

March 16, 2020 21:17 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB

New York Times Beirut bureau chief, Ben Hubbard, has written a gripping portrait of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his mythic rise to power. Also known as MBS, the prince has been linked to the grisly killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, and using big tech to spy on dissidents. Ben Hubbard has been reporting out of the Middle East for 15 years and is fluent in Arabic. His book is called 'MBS: The rise to power of Mohammed bin Salman'.

USA correspondent Ron Elving on America's shutdown

March 16, 2020 21:07 - 10 minutes - 10 MB

Covid-19 is shutting down much of America yet somehow leaving a substantial minority unmoved. The intense Donald Trump supporters apparently deem it disloyal to the president to take any precautions at all. And what had been a tardy response by the White House has become another skirmish in the running war between the president and the realities around him. Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

Auckland Council responds to land-bankers' criticism

March 16, 2020 20:52 - 8 minutes - 7.36 MB

One of the country's biggest land-bankers, Garry Robertson, says local council compliance hurdles and delays are a major headache for people like him, and developers - and must shoulder some of the blame for the housing crisis. Mr Robertson estimates the land he's purchased and sold to developers has been turned into 15 thousand sections and now house tens of thousands of people. He's been involved with some of Auckland's best known new housing areas including Milldale, Silverdale, Flat ...

What are supermarkets doing to keep shelves stocked?

March 16, 2020 20:37 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MB

As the Covid-19 pandemic fuels panic buying around the world, what assurances can supermarkets give customers about whether they can get food and other items when they need them? Kathryn is joined by Kiri Hannifin, who's Countdown's General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Quality, Safety and Sustainability, and Foodstuff's North Island CEO Chris Quin to look at what they are doing for their customers and workers.

Adrian Orr: what more can the central bank do?

March 16, 2020 20:08 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

The Finance Minister Grant Robertson will unveil a multi-billion dollar rescue plan later today, to help combat the deepening impact of the Covid-19, expected to be worse than the Global Financial Crisis. Yesterday the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate to an all time low of zero-point-two-five percent (0.25%) and says that will remain in place for at least the next 12 months.It was a coordinated approach with central banks around the world. In the United States the benchmark Federa...

Public solidarity in the time of social isolation

March 15, 2020 22:48 - 10 minutes - 9.99 MB

Kennedy Warne joins Kathryn to talk about stories from the past and present that show the importance of public solidarity as we cope with a pandemic. He also pays tribute to a tenacious tree: the pohutakawa.

Easy, low-cost vegan meals

March 15, 2020 22:34 - 13 minutes - 12 MB

Jackie Norman and Gareth Scurr share vegan recipes for busy people - all developed in their camper van kitchen.

Book review - Indelicacy by Amina Cain

March 15, 2020 21:43 - 3 minutes - 2.94 MB

Gail Pittaway reviews Indelicacy by Amina Cain, which is published by Text Publishing.

Councils must share blame for housing crisis: land-banker

March 15, 2020 21:13 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

One of the country's biggest land-bankers, who has been involved with some of Auckland's best known new housing areas including Milldale, Silverdale, Flat Bush, Pokeno and Tuakau, says local council compliance hurdles and delays are a huge part of the housing crisis. Garry Robertson estimates over the past two decades the green fields land he has purchased has been turned into 15,000 sections around the country, which now house tens of thousands of people. He says he's become increasingl...

Shares slide as market opens

March 15, 2020 21:06 - 6 minutes - 6.21 MB

The New Zealand stock exchange has just opened 1.3 per cent down on Friday's close. Earlier the Reserve Bank governor cut the benchmark interest rate to the lowest level ever and trading in Air New Zealand shares was halted. RNZ business editor Gyles Beckford.

European nations under strict lockdown

March 15, 2020 20:51 - 8 minutes - 8.02 MB

Correspondent Seamus Kearney joins Kathryn to talk about the shock reverberating around Europe as governments moved rapidly to impose unprecedented, strict lockdowns on millions of citizens, closing schools, shops and restaurants and urging people to stay at home.

Schools and Education Ministry discuss contingency plans

March 15, 2020 20:45 - 4 minutes - 4.58 MB

School principals and the Ministry of Education are discussing contingency plans, should school closures eventuate if the coronavirus pandemic worsens here. Internationally there have already been a raft of sweeping measures and mass closures to try to stem the spread of the virus. Kathryn is joined by Principals' Federation President Perry Rush.

Reserve Bank coronavirus cut - what impact will it have?

March 15, 2020 20:19 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MB

The Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate to a record low of 0.25 per cent this morning, as the country steps up its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The cut was made ahead of the announcement from the government tomorrow of an economic package to ease the impact of a downturn on businesses - and their employees. Kathryn talks to Jarrod Kerr, Kiwibank's chief economist and Kirk Hope of Business New Zealand.

Air New Zealand in share trading halt

March 15, 2020 20:09 - 10 minutes - 9.57 MB

Air New Zealand has placed itself into a share-trading halt today to allow it to thoroughly assess the operational and financial impacts of global travel restrictions. It says it is further reducing capacity across its network as Covid-19 affects travel demand. It also says the airline will be a smaller airline requiring fewer resources, including fewer people. Air New Zealand is to reduce long-haul flights by 85 percent over the coming months. Andy Bowley, an aviation analyst at Forsyth...

COVID-19 hits multiple sports fixtures

March 12, 2020 22:33 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MB

Stuff National Correspondent specialising in sport, Dana Johanssen discusses the impact of COVID-19 on a range of sporting fixtures, looks ahead to Netball's ANZ premiership and the NRL season which both get under way this weekend. Also, the ramifications of the rebrand of its second-tier men's team "the All Blacks XV".

Music reviewer: Grant Smithies

March 12, 2020 22:11 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

After ten years performing live, Lyttelton musician Kate Owen releases her debut album today. We'll hear a track from that alongside gems from Afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor, early Washington garage band The Sonics and "the Female Preacher", funk pioneer Lyn Collins.

Book review - Blueberries by Ellena Savage

March 12, 2020 22:07 - 3 minutes - 3.66 MB

David Hill reviews Blueberries by Ellena Savage, which is published by Text Publishing.

Auckland's Pasifika Festival cancelled

March 12, 2020 21:58 - 2 minutes - 1.98 MB

RNZ reporter Katie Scotcher reports from the Auckland Council where Mayor Phil Goff has announced this weekend's Pasifika Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

Does free will truly exist?

March 12, 2020 21:07 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

Dr Hannah Critchlow is a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge. Her debut book, 'The Science of Fate: Why Your Future is More Predictable Than You Think' examines how much of our life is predetermined at birth and to what extent we are in control of our destiny.

Tasman Glacier backcountry hut 'moves'

March 12, 2020 20:44 - 6 minutes - 5.97 MB

A new backcountry hut in The Tasman Glacier is set to become the latest example of how we're adapting to the rigours of climate change. The new Beetham Valley hut in the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park which will house up to five people, is being built as a "moveable" mountain hut. That means the hut, is being constructed so it can be moved as the glacier recedes, or if local tracks become more difficult to access. Johnny McFarlane Project Director with Beca Ltd is with us from the Aoraki/M...

Advice to employers coping with Covid-19 isolation

March 12, 2020 20:31 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

More than 9000 New Zealanders are in isolation as the country deals with the global outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus, but what issues is this throwing up for employers? Earlier this week the Ministry of Health advised people to stay home if they have mild cold symptoms, to help slow the spread of the virus. But what happens if employees can't work from home? Or have used up their sick leave? The Employers and Manufacturers Association has more than 7000 members from Taupo northwards....

Travel bans cause dismay and uncertainty, markets plunge

March 12, 2020 20:09 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

There's massive uncertainty in the travel and export sectors due to Covid-19, amid the escalating lock downs in Europe and the United States, and with new travel restrictions on the cards for New Zealand. Global share markets have fallen dramatically in response to the US travel ban, which the EU has said was taken 'unilaterally and without consultation'. The latest ban comes as the global travel industry is already struggling and several airlines have gone under. Aviation commentator, I...

High Maintenance, cooking show bonanza and Downhill

March 11, 2020 22:48 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MB

Film and TV reviewer Chris Schulz looks at High Maintenance, a comedy-drama about a New York drug dealer. He's also addicted to cooking shows and sums up a few he's been watching, including The Chef Show, Jamie Oliver's Meat-free Meals and Ugly Delicious. Chris also reviews Downhill, a movie with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus that's billed as "a different kind of disaster movie".

SMS SOS: Text message parenting advice

March 11, 2020 22:28 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MB

A new pilot programme running through the University of Auckland allows parents to access parenting advice via an SMS text message. 'MyTeen' is for parents of 10-15 year olds, and participants have reported feeling more competent as parents, less stressed and more connected with their adolescents. Researcher Dr Joanna Chu joins Kathryn to talk about how the pilot could be expanded, as is happy to answer listeners' questions about parenting younger teenagers. Email us at Nine to Noon, or ...

Don't knock the IT dept, Techweek, working from home etiquette

March 11, 2020 22:06 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MB

Technology correspondent Sarah Putt looks at how the Treasury 'hack' highlights how important an IT department really is. She'll look at Techweek, and why it's focused on how connected New Zealanders really are and as Covid-19 forces more people to work from home, what should people be thinking of to keep themselves - and their company - digitally safe?

Book review - Weather by Jenny Offill

March 11, 2020 21:38 - 5 minutes - 5.05 MB

Kiran Dass of Time Out Bookstore reviews Weather by Jenny Offill, published by Granta.

Australian dietitian and YouTuber debunks kitchen hacks

March 11, 2020 21:07 - 30 minutes - 28 MB

So called 'kitchen hacks', cookery short-cuts that seem too good to be true, have millions of views, but do they actually work? Ann Reardon, an Australian dietitian and host of one of YouTube's biggest baking shows, "How To Cook That' has been investigating, and finds that the recipes don't work.

UK unveils £30bn stimulus to combat effects of Coronavirus

March 11, 2020 20:51 - 8 minutes - 7.53 MB

UK correspondent Hugo Gye joins Kathryn to talk about how the UK is handling its Covid-19 response, stopping short of banning mass gatherings or advising people to work at home. He'll look at new Chancellor Rishi Sunak's first Budget and the £30bn stimulus package designed to combat any downturn from coronavirus. The first round of UK-EU talks ended last week in disagreement, what hope for next week's second round and 38 Conservatives voted against the Prime Minister's plans to allow Hua...

Should porn literacy be taught in schools?

March 11, 2020 20:28 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MB

Clinical psychologist Robyn Salisbury believes porn literacy be on the sex education curriculum. She has edited a book Free to be Children: Preventing child sexual abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a blueprint for combating the country's appalling child abuse statistics, and contains chapters from experts in a range of fields offering advice on what can be done better. Alexandra Green is one of the contributors. She is the manager of psychological services at the Kia Marama special tr...

Drought declared in all of North Island, parts of South

March 11, 2020 20:09 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MB

The Government has officially classified drought conditions over all of the North Island, parts of the South and the Chathams as a large-scale adverse event. A $2 million package to support farmers will be available through to June 2021. Kathryn talks to Jim Galloway, president of Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay and Winton Dalley who heads up the Hurunui adverse events committee about what the drought designation means. She'll also talk to NIWA meterologist Ben Noll about whether a cyclone...

The Covid curve, caterpillar plastic eaters

March 10, 2020 22:50 - 8 minutes - 8.04 MB

Science commentator Siouxsie Wiles updates Kathryn on developments with Covid-19 - and why we all need to help flatten the Covid curve. She'll also look at how the beeswax-melting digestive system of a caterpillar could hold the secret to solving plastic pollution, after researchers fed plastic bags to wax moth larvae and discovered some of their gut bacteria thrived on the unusual diet. She'll also look at a study of over 30 different species of amphibians and found many emitted a fluor...

Demystifying anxiety with psychiatrist Mark Cross

March 10, 2020 22:25 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MB

In recent years, people have been speaking more openly about mental health issues and feeling anxious or unsure about things. Dr Mark Cross talks to Kathryn about anxiety from a professional standpoint, but also a very personal one. He has suffered from anxiety all his life and many of his patients are also affected by it. His book Anxiety addresses the causes and treatments.

Book review - Amnesty by Aravind Adiga

March 10, 2020 21:40 - 3 minutes - 3.65 MB

Sally Wenley reviews Amnesty by Aravind Adiga, which is published by Pan Macmillan. This novel follows the journey of an illegal immigrant in Australia, weaving mystery, culture and wit into the storyline. Adiga's writing is quirky, engaging and intelligent.

Fighting sedentary tendencies with active design

March 10, 2020 21:16 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MB

Bums on seats and getting them off them is the area of focus for the University of Alberta's Professor John Spence. Part of the answer lies in doing things that are FUN - that's an acronym for 'fulfilling', 'useful' or 'necessary'. Professor Spence has been applying his expertise in this area by looking at initiatives to get adolescents active. He's Principal Investigator on the Dunedin based BEATS (Built Environment and Active Transport to School) research programme which provides an ev...

Australia set to release Covid-19 stimulus package

March 10, 2020 21:07 - 8 minutes - 8.14 MB

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche joins Kathryn to talk about plans by the Federal government to spend billions to help protect Australians against coronavirus, as the number of cases there climbs over 100. He'll also talk about plans by the country's privacy watchdog to sue Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica data breach and the $2m reward offered to solve a 30-year-old cold case in Sydney.

Could ignoring rahui in a National Park threaten its status?

March 10, 2020 20:36 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MB

There's a warning the World Heritage status of Tongariro National Park could be threatened by people flouting rahui in the area. The Park has been under a rahui, or temporary restriction, twice already this year after the deaths of two trampers on the Tongariro Crossing. But DOC says the rahui are being ignored, largely by New Zealanders. While rahui are not legally enforceable, they're culturally significant - and continued flouting of rahui could lead to the Park having its designation...

WorkSafe fronts up on low investigation numbers

March 10, 2020 20:09 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MB

WorkSafe's Chief Executive Phil Parkes joins Kathryn to respond to criticism the agency isn't taking on enough investigations. Earlier in the week we heard from a health and safety lawyer and union representatives who were concerned at the declining trend in the numbers of investigations WorkSafe is conducting. Last year there were 108 workplace deaths and 31,000 injuries. WorkSafe was established as a standalone agency after Pike River, with the aim of reducing workplace deaths by a qua...

RNZ ad spat, Gold Quill to famous photo and mosque attack

March 09, 2020 22:48 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MB

Media commentator Andrew Holden looks at how the coverage of women's sport has changed, as a famous photo becomes the first ever to win a Gold Quill at the Melbourne Press Club's annual awards. He'll also look at the challenging week ahead for the media in covering the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings and touches on the media spat over RNZ's advertising. Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and ...

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