Nine To Noon for Monday 5 July 2021

09:05 The cost and extent of substandard housing

As of last week, private rental properties must now comply with healthy homes standards within 90 days of any new tenancy, but state houses have two years longer, and currently only a sixth of them meet the standards. Kainga Ora owns 66,000 properties and has until July 2023 to ensure they are all fully insulated, have good quality curtains or blinds, a fixed heating source, extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms, and no drainage or moisture issues. So far, only just over 11,000 state houses meet the standard. Meanwhile the government is spending millions of dollars a year on interventions to limit the damage to the health of those who live in sub-standard housing - the Health Ministry's Healthy Homes Initiative got an additional $30 million in this year's budget to provide literal stop-gap measures to make homes more habitable, such as providing better curtains. Kathryn speaks with a Kainga Ora tenant in the Wellington region, about the cold and mouldy home she lives in with her five children, one of whom has been diagnosed with rheumatic fever. Also with Phil Squire, Fair Energy Manager with the Sustainability Trust in Wellington, and Nik Gregg, co-founder of Sustainability Options in Tauranga.

09:20  'Digital is best' excludes NZ's most vulnerable 

The Citizens Advice Bureau says thousands of New Zealanders are being left behind as government agencies shut their doors and shift to online services, in a bid to cut costs. The organisation says since it started collecting data at the end of 2019, 18,074 of their clients reported they were struggling with digital exclusion -  due to difficulty accessing a computer or the internet, a lack of digital literacy skills, or other barriers like language, literacy, finances and disability. The Citizens Advice Bureau says more and more government agencies are withdrawing their physical presence in communities, closing down offices and shutting down helplines. It's calling it a clear case of cost-shifting, with the volunteer-run organisation being left to bridge the gap. Andrew Hubbard is the acting chief executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau. He tells Kathryn how the assumption that 'digital is best' excludes New Zealand's most vulnerable.

09:45 Europe correspondent Thomas Sparrow

Thomas joins Kathryn to look at how the contagious Delta coronavirus variant is posing a significant challenge to Europe's pandemic strategy as many people are on the move during the European football championship. German chancellor Angela Merkel is filling up her calendar with "lasts" as her term draws to a close. And diplomatic problems continue to mount between Europe and Belarus.

10:05  Breaking gender stereotypes in the fishing industry

Tamzin Henderson is breaking gender stereotypes in the fishing industry. With her sister Lana, Tamzin runs a boat chandlery and fishing supply shop in Blenheim, the only female-run store of its kind in the country. The pair also lead fishing tours, specialising in trips for women. Her love for the ocean runs deep - in her spare time, Tamzin is a photographer with a particular passion for New Zealand's sea birds. Her photography has taken her to Antarctica, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Falklands and a bit closer to home, the Chatham Islands. 

10:35 Book review:  The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas

Mary Fawcett from Schrödinger's Books in Petone reviews The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas, published by Penguin Random.

10:45 The Reading

Hand Me Down World, episode eleven. Written by Lloyd Jones.

11:05 Political commentators Jones & Morten

Brigitte Morten and Neale Jones join Kathryn to look at whether the PM has made a misstep over hate speech, is it part of a desire to speed up action on some changes - and what are the risks in that? 

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.

Brigitte Morten is a senior consultant with public and commercial law firm Franks & Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government. 

11:30 Eat Well for Less with Ganesh Raj

Life is better when you eat better. That's the philosophy of chef and restaurateur Ganesh Raj. He's been helping Kiwis cook nutritious meals, at an affordable cost on the TV show Eat Well for Less, which he co-hosts with Michael Van de Elzen. Together they've been rummaging around in the fridges, pantries and shopping trollies of New Zealand families, taking stock of the simple mistakes people make and helping them to find better ways to shop and cook. Ganesh Raj talks to Kathryn about their new book, Eat Well for Less New Zealand.

11:45 Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne

Kennedy joins Kathryn to talk about a recent icy trip in Southland's Takitimu Mountains, and also about Nic Low's new book describing walking in the footsteps of his ancestors in the Southern Alps.

Music played in this show

Title: Message to you, Rudy 

Artist: The Specials 

Time Broadcast: 9.35am