Nine To Noon for Tuesday 19 May 2020

 

 

09:05 Transmission Gully. Forgotten highway?

Big questions remain over the future of New Zealand's biggest Public Private Partnership Project, Transmission Gully, as discussions take place between the major stakeholders. Slated to open in November, the construction of the 27km stretch of motorway, north of the capital, has now been delayed into mid next year. The bill has already grown by nearly 200 million from an original estimate of 850 million dollars. Road Transport Forum New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett and Porirua City Council Mayor Anita Baker join Kathryn to discuss.

09:20 Political poll results with Hooton and Jones

 Politics commentators Matthew Hooton and Neale Jones talk to Kathryn about the results of the latest Newshub Reid-Research, which spells bad news for National and shows that Labour leader Jacinda Ardern could comfortably lead alone. 
The poll has Labour on 56.5 percentage points - up 14 - while National slumps down 12.7 percentage points to 30.6. The Greens sneak in just above the 5 percent threshold while New Zealand First falls to 2.7 percent.

09:30 Seven reasons why Kiwis can cope with Covid

The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented and stressful time for many people around the world, but a new paper suggests Kiwis are pretty well-placed to get through it. The Social Welbeing Agency report looks at why anxiety and fear have been a natural response to Covid-19, and cites seven reasons why New Zealanders might in a better position than they think to get through. Kathryn talks to the paper's co-author, Professor Richie Poulton, who is the Agency's chief science advisor and also director of the long-running Dunedin Study at the University of Otago, which has been tracking the lives of 1000 people for 45 years.

09:45 USA correspondent Susan Davis

Susan Davis talks to Kathryn about what President Trump has described as this generation's Manhattan Project, the search for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Susan Davis is a congressional correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast.

10:05 True crime, family secrets and hidden trauma

Journalist and best selling author Bob Kolker is a skilled practitioner at unearthing murky real-life dramas and transforming them into compelling reading. His first book, "Lost Girls", the story of a serial killer targeting prostitutes in Long Island, was acclaimed for its sympathetic take on the disappearance of America's discarded women.  It is now a film on Netflix. Also on Netflix, the HBO film Bad Education, about a dashing, but embezzling school boss,  was part inspired by a story he wrote for New York magazine. His latest book, "Hidden Valley Road", tells the tragic story of the Galvin family. Of 10 sons, six were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Bob tells Kathryn Ryan how they became the subject of study by researchers and how he came to pen their tale.

10:35 Book review - Yes to Life in Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl

Sonja de Friez reviews Yes to Life in Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl, published by Penguin Random House.

10:45 The Reading

CK Stead's My Name Was Judas read by Stuart Devenie.  Part 7 of 13.  

11:05 Business commentator Rod Oram

The budget, a fraught takeover and shareholders enthusiastic response to $2 billion of rights issues on the NZX.
 

11:30 Little book helps firefighters' kids deal with big feelings

For some children, the nature of what mum and dad does can be very scary. Kris Kennett is a Dunedin-based firefighter, who had an idea to put together a book that aims to reassure children about what their parent is doing, if they run out the door at a moment's notice. He's a member of the New Zealand Firefighters Welfare Society, and he approached children's author Avril McDonald about the idea for a book - and the resulting product is The Wolf was Not Sleeping, which will be distributed to brigades around the country.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

The ongoing fall-out from the NZME and Stuff merger battle, plus no details in the budget of an additional bail out for commercial media.

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.