Afternoons for Tuesday 19 October 2021

1:00 COVID Update LIVE 

1:15  Bipartisan announcement on housing density

In an unusual move, the government has announced a bipartisan solution to make it easier to build more houses. 

That includes allowing up to three homes three storeys high to be built on most sites without resource consent, a change from district plans which typically only allow for one home of up to two storeys.

Economist Brad Olsen joins us to talk about these new housing density rules and their potential impact.

1:20 The potential of blue carbon credit market for NZ

Most of us have heard of carbon credits but what about blue carbon credits?

The Nature Conservancy is assessing six wetlands sites in New Zealand for their blue carbon potential. 

To find out what that means, conservation director Carl McGuinness joins Jesse on the show. 

1:30 Literary community shocked by grant to Narrative Muse

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is providing $500,000 to an company called Narrative Muse as part of the $374 million Covid recovery package for the arts sector.

Steve Braunias, writer and editor of Newsroom's books section, has written about the grant and joins Jesse to talk about what this grant means and the reaction to it!

1:40 Mountain hut sells unseen for a great price 

Ever feel like going bush? Getting off-grid?

Well, the sale of a 1930s log cabin in Arthurs Pass caught our eye...it's just been sold without the buyer ever stepping foot inside or knowing the history of the hut.

We thought we would invite the previous owner Gerald Adams on the show to tell us a little bit about its special history and the famous baker behind its construction.

1:50 Tech Tuesday with Daniel Watson

Every Tuesday owner and managing director of Vertech IT services, Daniel Watson joins Jesse to talk about tech issues. This week he explains how the release of Windows 11 is vastly different from its roll outs of days gone by. 

2:10 Book Critic: Claire Mabey 

 

2:20 Music feature: Songs dedicated to NZ by NZ musicians 

For today's music feature we're playing jukebox with New Zealand musicians. 

We've asked seven artists to dedicate a song to the nation, and they'll be joining us to tell us about their choices.

3:10 Devon Michael reflects on how he nearly became famous 

A long time ago, in what feels like a galaxy far, far away, Devon Michael was a child actor chosen from a group of 3,000 to audition for the part of young Anakin Skywalker, who would become Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. He was 9 years old when he  went to Skywalker Ranch, did a screen test with Natalie Portman, but another child actor got the part. What might have been changed his life. His "What if" is the subject of a new short documentary, Almost Famous: The Unchosen One.   

3:30 Spoken Feature: BBC Witness 

In 2006, Scott Jurek, one of the world's best ultramarathon runners, travelled to the remote canyons of Northern Mexico to race the best athletes from an ancient Mexican tribe. The Tarahumara (taramara) have a tradition of running huge distances and they gave Jurek one of his toughest races, inspiring the best-selling book, Born To Run. Scott Jurek talked to Simon Watts in 2014. 

3:45 The Panel with Alexia Russell and Guy Williams