Nine To Noon for Tuesday 3 August 2021

 

 

09:05 Bereaved, unvaccinated and stranded in NSW

An Auckland barrister who travelled to Sydney to be with her dying mother early last month says she is trapped in New South Wales, despite having followed all the guidance of the New Zealand government. Fazilat Shah went to Sydney on the second of July after her mother suffered a severe heart attack the previous day. She died a week later. Ms Shah's return flight was booked for the 24th of July, but growing covid infections in New South Wales saw our government close the border. She has applied for a managed return flight to New Zealand but so far has had four flights cancelled - because she cannot secure a place in Managed Isolation and Quarantine. Ms Shah says she is isolated from her family in New Zealand, grieving alone, unvaccinated, and her legal practice and clients here are suffering.

09:15 Consternation over equity of MIQ allocations

Following on from the David Willett's interview we brought you yesterday - where Mr Willetts has travelled to Singapore for potentially life extending medical care for blood cancer, without a confirmed MIQ bed for his return. Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ Chief Executive Officer, Peter Fergusson says it is astounding some of the country's most vulnerable people are being caught up in an MIQ lottery.

09:20 Horticulture and wine industries: Get RSE workers in asap

The horticulture and wine industries are welcoming a government announcement of more seasonal workers from the Pacific, but say the unpredictability of Covid makes it prudent to move quickly. From next month RSE workers from Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will be allowed into New Zealand without the need to undergo managed isolation. There's currently only half of the 14,400 RSE workers in the country. Lynn discusses what the announcement means for growers with Kate Hellstrom, CEO of Summerfruit NZ and James Dicey, an Otago-based viticulturist and director of Grape Vision, a company that helps people develop and run vineyards.

09:35 Geography's affect on young people's mental health

A new study assessing the relationship between young people's mental health and where they grow up could influence urban and rural planning.  Researchers at the University of Canterbury are mapping localities and investigating whether living near gaming venues, takeaways and liquor stores, or green and blue areas like parks and rivers are linked to mental health.  One in four young Kiwis have a mental health issue before they turn 18, with Māori and Pasifika over-represented.  It's hoped this will help community advocates to persuade policy makers to take heed, and include findings from the two-year study in future planning.  Co-investigator on this project, senior lecturer in public health at the Geo Health Lab at the School of Health Sciences University of Canterbury  Matt Hobbs speaks with Lynn Freeman.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving - Delta cases multiply

Ron talks to Lynn about the surge of Covid Delta variant cases in the US and ow new medical advice says it's as contagious as chickenpox. Also, a group of senators  has finalised legislative language for the long-awaited bipartisan physical infrastructure deal, bringing the Senate one step closer to passing a top priority for President Joe Biden.
 

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

10:05 Reserve Bank signals further crackdown on mortgage lending

The government and Reserve Bank have agreed on new moves to tighten mortgage lending, including tougher loan to value ratios, debt to income ratios, to cool the housing market. The central bank says it will begin consultation with retail banks later this month and changes may be in place in October. Lynn speaks with RNZ Business Editor, Gyles Beckford.

10:10 Robert Hillman on his new novel and giving voice to others

Robert Hillman grew up in rural Victoria, Australia, where the practical job as a butcher's apprentice his father had helped to secure him failed to appeal. So, at the tender age of 16 he fled by boat to the other side of the world, bartering his way from Europe through the Middle East, all the while with typewriter in hand. His adventure is captured in his 2004 award-winning memoir The Boy in the Green Suit. With more than 60 works to his name, Robert has also helped give voice to many others. He helped Zahra Ghahramani detail her imprisonment in an Iranian jail as a college student in My Life as a Traitor. In The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif  he helps Najaf Mazari tell of his early life as a shepherd boy in Afghanistan, his capture and torture by the Taliban and his time in an Australian detention camp. He's also written a number of works of fiction, and his latest novel is The Bride of Almond Tree, set in post-World War II Australia and Russia. 

10:35 Book review - Great Works by Oscar Mardell

Stella Chrysostomou of Volume Books in Nelson reviews Great Works by Oscar Mardell, published by Death of Workers Whilst Building Skyscrapers.

Stella says: Oscar Mardell is an Auckland poet whose freezing works poems are a clever addition to the tradition of New Zealand gothic literature. With the nostalgia for the stink of the slaughter yards, the adherence to the architects of such vast structures on our landscape and the pithy analysis of our colonial pastoral history, these poems are delightful as well as contemplative.

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

11:30 New book helps young Kiwis understand the 1981 Springbok Tour

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the controversial Springbok rugby tour that divided the country, and a new book is helping young New Zealanders to understand the issues that made it so divisive. It's from former teacher-turned-author Anne Kayes, and starts out in March 2020 under lockdown when the main character, Liza, tries to explain to her children what a fraught time it was in 1981. The story is told in flashbacks to 15-year-old Liza, and Anne says she leaned on some of her own memories and experiences of the time, as well as extensive research and interviews with activists, including John Minto. The result, In Our Own Back Yard, is a snapshot of New Zealand society at two pivotal moments -  pandemic and Tour. 

11:45 Financial Planner Liz Koh - How to do a budget and stick to it

Liz talks to Kathryn about how to set up a money management system that works!. She says the system can help you to look after your money automatically with minimal effort. This follows the report released last week by the Retirement Commission which shows that, of people who do budgets, only 1 in 4 make them work.

Liz Koh is a financial planner and specialising in retirement planning. This discussion is of a general nature, and does not constitute financial advice.

 

Music played in this show

Artist: Tiny Ruins

Track: Olympic Girls

Time played: 11:30