Nine To Noon for Tuesday 28 April 2020

 

09:05 Contact tracing under scrutiny

Contact tracing is critical to New Zealand's ability to combat any further outbreaks of Covid-19, but is two weeks too late to wait for an app that will assist with that? National's health spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says it is, and that it calls into question an assertion by Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield that the country's contact tracing is "gold standard". 

09:20 Tools up: Construction starts under Level 3

The construction sector can get back to work today, albeit with very strict safety rules. Employees will have to work at a distance from each other, some builders and allied trades will have to work in shifts and all work sites will have to have clear records of who was present each day. Kathryn talks through the new construction normal with Rick Herd, chief executive of Naylor Love, David Kelly, chief executive of Master Builders and Chris Alderson, chief executive of Construction Health and Safety New Zealand.

09:30 Banks ask borrowers increasingly tough questions

The largest mortgage broking business in the country says banks are asking borrowers tougher questions, requiring much more detailed information and in some cases, refusing loans because borrowers' jobs or incomes are uncertain.
Loanmarket has 140 mortgage broking franchises around the country and last year wrote $18 billion in mortgages. Kathryn talks with Director Bruce Patten and Chief Executive of the Real Estate Institute, Bindi Norwell.

09:45 US correspondent Ron Elving

Ron talks to Kathryn about the widespread derision of Donald Trump's 'disinfectant injection' comment late last week, as Covid-19cases in the US to top the million mark, with 55-thousand deaths.

After the 'Lysol Fiasco', officials decided to stop the President's briefings, but President Trump has other ideas.

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

10:05 Francesca Cunninghame: saving rare chicks in the Galapagos

Kathryn Ryan speaks with Francesca Cunninghame, a Kiwi committed to bird conservation projects on different sides of the world. One is on the Galapagos Islands, where she's trying to save rare mangrove finch chicks .  The other project is here in Otago, working with Titi (Muttonbird) which is where she should be now, were it not for the fact Francesca is stuck in isolation on the edge of Salasaca, her partner's remote village in the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes.

10:35 Book review - Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising

Harry Broad reviews Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising by Rory Sweetman, published by Four Courts Press.

10:45 The Reading

The Bright Side of My Condition, episode 5 (of 12) . Written by Charlotte Randall, read by Brian Sergent.
(limited web rights)

11:05 Political commentators Hooton & Jones

Matthew Hooton and Neale Jones join Kathryn to discuss the growing scrutiny on the length and the stringency of lockdown level 4 and now level 3. Also whether new business support measures go far enough? And lockdown results in 30-thousand more people signing up for the jobseeker benefit. 

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 Kiwi science stories from the shopping trolley

Liggins Institute's Professor Richard Mithen is the Chief Scientist for the New Zealand High Value Nutrition National Science Challenge. He talks to Kathryn Ryan about the contrasting backstories of kūtai (or green shell mussels), kūmara and kiwi fruit, and the scientific research that's being conducted on them today.

Richard Mithen's is also giving a public lecture on this topic on Thursday 7th May. People interested need to register their interest and then they will receive a link to the webinar.

11:45 Future of local media in the spotlight

Media commentator Andrew Holden looks at why publishers like Stuff will get little direct support from the Government compared to broadcasters. Could a deal that forces digital giants to pay for news content be a game-changer for the global media industry - and which country will crack this first? And why is a project to effectively merge TVNZ and RNZ on ice at a time when the sector is at a cross-roads?

Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne.