Nine To Noon for Tuesday 14 April 2020

 

09:05 Schools set to start term two - online

Term two of the school year is set to start tomorrow, looking vastly different to term one. Teachers will be delivering lessons to students online, while two new educational TV channels will begin broadcasting in English and Māori as part of a $88m package to support remote learning. Laptops and modems are being delivered this week to the estimated 80,000 families that lack the devices at home to learn online. At the weekend Education Minister Chris Hipkins said a return to school by students was likely to happen "in waves", possibly as early as April 29 - a week after the lockdown is scheduled to lift. For more detail on what the term will look like for teachers and students, Kathryn is joined by Education Secretary Iona Holsted.

09:20 Grant Robertson on Treasury forecasts

The Treasury has just released seven scenarios looking at how the economy is faring -  and could fare - depending on how long the country stays at Level 4 lockdown. At best, the Treasury says unemployment can be kept below 10%, and return to 5% next year with additional government support. At worst - with more time required in Level Four - it says unemployment could reach 17-point-five to 26 percent. The Finance Minister Grant Robertson joins Kathryn to discuss.

09:30 Climate change advisor urges care over economic stimulus post Covid

The government's independent climate change advisor is urging the government to stimulate the economy post-pandemic in a way that keeps climate change progress happening. The Government is looking to fund large "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects to boost the economy after the lockdown. Dr Rod Carr, chair of the Climate Change Commission and former deputy Reserve Bank Governor, has written to senior ministers warning that the wrong type of investments could compound today's climate crisis with a future one. He says by making the right decisions, the government can both stimulate the economic recovery, while moving the country towards the goal of being a productive, sustainable, climate-resilient economy.

09:45 US correspondent Ron Elving - Dr Fauci falls foul of President

Ron Elving talks to Kathryn about the big issues in the US, including business being eager to reopen and the medical world highly reluctant. And President Trump is fueling speculation over the future of public health advisor, Dr Anthony Fauci who said in a  CNN interview more could have been done to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
 

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

10:05 Anne Tyler: Red Head at the Side of the Road

Pulitzer-prize winning American author Anne Tyler speaks with Kathryn Ryan about her 23rd book Red Head at the Side of the Road. Anne won the Pulitzer prize for Breathing Lessons in 1989, The Accidental Tourist was adapted into an acclaimed movie, and she has sold over ten million books around the world. Her newest novel is everything you would expect from Anne Tyler.  Once again, with just a few master strokes of her pen, Tyler paints wonderfully descriptive bittersweet and empathetic portraits of people's lives and worlds.  This time her protagonist is Micah the I.T. guy, who mistakes inanimate objects for something way more interesting.

10:35 Book review - One of Them by Michael Cashman

 Ralph McAllister reviews One of Them by Michael Cashman, published by Bloomsbury.

10:45 The Reading

Goneville, episode 10, final episode. Written and read by Nick Bollinger.

11:05 Political commentators Hooton & Mills

It's a crucial week, as the government weighs a shift to level three, Treasury estimates the damage of Covid-19 on the economy, and actual unemployment figures are released. Matthew Hooton and Stephen Mills discuss what will this might mean for the election date.

Matthew Hooton is an Auckland based consultant and lobbyist. Stephen Mills is the executive director of UMR Research and former political adviser to two Labour governments.

11:30 Alcohol: A dangerous love affair?

While coping with the lockdown might have you reaching for the wine - or something stronger - George Seber would caution against that. He's an Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Auckland  University and has crunched the numbers on the harm caused by the $4b New Zealanders spend on alcohol each year. His book, co-authored with his friend Dr Graeme Woodfield, is called 'Alcohol: A Dangerous Love Affair' and looks at how even moderate amounts can still have adverse health effects.

11:45 Nature watching with kids

 

Kennedy Warne with some natural history ways to keep kids occupied and engaged with nature. 
iNaturalist NZ - Mātaki Taiao  has a myriad of activities children can around their homes to record, learn and then share their natural history discoveries on online.  Also Wild Dunedin has created a site called "Your Wild Bubble" with lots of ideas for kids.  Even though confined to home, during your bubble walk around the neighbourhood there is much to observe. Plants, pets,fungi (it's the season), starlings, spiders in the pantry, moths on the window, vegetables, weeds and moss in the footpath, street trees, and lichens on your letterbox.