Nine To Noon for Monday 30 March 2020

 

09:05 Children in state care in lockdown

What is the situation for the six thousand children in state care during Covid 19 lockdown? Nine to Noon has been told some children in foster care were rapidly returned to whanau before the travel restrictions came into force last week,  some to parents living in temporary housing such as motel rooms. Most children in foster care will stay where they are for the next month. But what is the situation for those children and foster families? What extra support will they get? And with extra pressure on families due to the lockdown, how will Oranga Tamariki deal with urgent notifications of possible abuse and neglect? Kathryn speaks with Janet Smart,  General Manager of Caregiver Recruitment and Support for Oranga Tamariki.

09:20 Time to introduce supermarket hours for the elderly? 

With supermarket home delivery services inundated, Grey Power say they'd like to see set hours introduced for older shoppers who can't get on-line or people to help them out. Grey Power's National Vice President Pete Matcham and Countdown's General Manager Corporate Affairs, Quality, Safety and Sustainability Kiri Hannifin speak with Kathryn Ryan.

09:35 Have flu vaccination distribution problems been fixed?

Some medical centres nationwide have been commenting about having trouble getting supplies of the vaccine, despite there being large stocks in the country. For an update on the distribution problem, the Chair of the NZ Medical Association and a GP in Warkworth, Kate Baddock.

09:45 Ugly divisions as the EU debates how to help Covid-struggling countries

Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney joins Kathryn for the latest on Italy, Spain and France's coronavirus tolls and how lockdowns there are being extended, as Russia orders everyone to take a week off work to stop the virus spreading. There's been furious exchanges between leaders of some EU countries in rare public differences over how to help countries struggling with the financial impact of Covid-19, with the idea of pooling mutual debt through 'corona bonds' opposed by more frugal countries like Germany and the Netherlands.

10:05 The Earth Harp: William Close

Meet William Close, the inventor of the musical and engineering wonder The Earth Harp.

It's an instrument with a sound that is part string part environment, with strings that can be over 300 metres long, the length of 6 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

10:35 Book review - Aspiring by Damien Wilkins

Harry Broad reviews Aspiring by Damien Wilkins, published by Massey University Press.

10:45 The Reading

Goneville, episode 1. Written and read by Nick Bollinger.

11:05 Political commentators Hooton and Jones

Politics commentators Matthew Hooton and Neale Jones join Kathryn to discuss the government's economic response to Covid-19, how the Prime Minister's office is keeping a tight rein on the flow of information and the new committee to scrutinise the government's Covid response, which will be chaired by Simon Bridges.

Matthew Hooton is an Auckland based consultant and lobbyist. 

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of Capital Government Relations.

11:30 Lockdown meals from your pantry

Northland's Veggie Tree Cook School creator Anna Valentine with tips on  making nutritious and satisfying lockdown meals from your pantry including :
Tomato & Basil Risotto
Penne 'n' Cheese 
and Chunky Vegetable Soup with Barley & Quinoa

Also Anna says some edible weeds in your garden can provide excellent nutrients.

11:45 The solace of nature and the comfort of literature

Outdoors man Kennedy Warne is, like the rest of us, temporarily restricted to home. But that doesn't mean we can't benefit from getting out into nature, or take comfort in music or a good book - like Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise in Hell: The extraordinary communities that arise in disaster, his own reflections on what's happening, and this resource by New Zealand Geographic.

Kennedy talks to Kathryn about his ideas for helping pass the time during the lockdown.