Nine To Noon for Wednesday 4 August 2021

 

09:05 Lisa Carrington: Paddling into the history books

Canoeist Lisa Carrington may paddle her way into the history books at the Tokyo Olympics.
Yesterday she won two gold medals in less than two hours, and she's targetting gold in the K1 500 and K4 500. Lisa Carrington is currently on a par with with two other legendary paddlers Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald, and equestrian Sir Mark Todd, as New Zealand's most decorated Olympic athletes. Could she go even further? Kathryn speaks with Ian Ferguson.

09:20 James Hardie claimants' lawyer calls for building product inquiry

The multi million dollar court case against James Hardie has ended mid-trial, leaving homeowners with nothing.
More than 1000 people were collectively seeking over two hundred million dollars against the cladding manufacturer, claiming Harditex cement and fibre cladding system caused problems including damp, mould and rot in their houses. But now there's been a settlement that's resulted in a payout for James Hardie and nothing for the claimants.  It follows Harbour Litigation Funding, which was backing the homeowners, withdrawing its support.  Adina Thorn is the lawyer who took the case on behalf of the affected homeowners. She says an inquiry into building products is urgently needed.

09:30 Allied health professionals say they're under-utilised

Allied health professionals who work alongside doctors, nurses and dentists say they are being under-utilised and could help deliver better health outcomes. But they say the system needs to change. There are 30 thousand allied health professionals around the country including audiologists, dietitians, physiotherapy, psychologists, social workers, chiropractors and acupuncturists. The organisation representing many of them, Allied Health Aotearoa, says public hospitals and GP practices are under tremendous pressure, which could be allieviated if their members were publicly-funded and fully integrated into the health system. Kathryn speaks with spokesperson, Auckland dietitian Kath Eastwood.

09:45 NSW Covid deepens social divide, tech creators turn multi-billionaires

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to look at how Covid infection rates remain stubbornly high at about 200 daily in New South Wales, while the situation is deepening the social divide between wealthier and more working class suburbs. Two young tech entrepreneurs have turned themselves into multi-billionaires with the $39b merger of their Afterpay venture to US company Square - it's the biggest merger in Australian corporate history. Days of Abandonment, a film being made in Sydney, has been abandoned by its star and producer Natalie Portman, and Australia's athletes have won a lot of medals - but their behaviour in Tokyo before they flew out isn't winning them plaudits. 

10:05 Journalist Jessica Mudditt on her time in Myanmar

Jessica Mudditt had the opportunity to live and work in Myanmar, during a brief window of history when it opened up to the world and experimented with democracy. She and her then-husband Sherpa travelled to Myanmar in 2012 following a three-year stint in Bangladesh, when she was offered a job at The Myanmar Times. At the time the military junta had eased its grip on the country and had allowed for some democratic reforms, including the release of pro-democracy leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi from house arrest. Jessica worked through the momentous openly-contested elections in 2015, which delivered a landslide victory to  Aung Sun Suu Kyi's party. She's documented this in her book Our Home in Myanmar and joins Kathryn to talk about why they had to leave.

10:35 Book review -  The Foghorn's Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast by Jennifer Lucy Allan

Kiran Dass reviews The Foghorn's Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast by Jennifer Lucy Allan, published by White Rabbit

10:45 The Reading

Duet, part eight. Written by David Hill, read by Kip Chapman.

10:54 Unemployment falls to 4 per cent

The unemployment rate has fallen to 4 per cent in the three months ended June, down from 4.7 pct in the previous quarter. Wages grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent. This is the second quarter the jobless rate has fallen and was widely predicted by pundits who see the economy continuing to rebound. RNZ's Business Editor Gyles Beckford says it will put more pressure on the Reserve Bank over raising interest rates.

11:05 Music with Jess Fu

Music reviewer Jess Fu joins Kathryn to share a new single from Te Kaahu, a project from Otautahi-born musician Em Walker, dedicated to her kuia. She'll also play a song from Phoebe Rings, a four-piece dream-pop band from Tāmaki Makaurau and a track from blind South Sudanese asylum seeker Gordon Koang's 12th album.

11:20 Beachcombing the seashores of the Southern Hemisphere

Marine biologist Ceridwen Fraser describes beaches as our windows to the ocean. Sea foam, ambergris, giant squids, stranded whales, seaweed, shells, plastic, dead birds, shoes and pieces of planes or rockets - they're all things we can find on the sea shore and they all tell stories about life, death and the dynamic processes of the sea. Ceridwen tells Kathryn about her new book Beachcombing - a guide to the seashores of the Southern Hemisphere. 

11:45 What impact is the property market and Covid having on separations?

Divorce and family law expert Jeremy Sutton joins Kathryn to look at the pressures that can be generated over the family home when couples separate and how the extension of the bright line test has changed the way couples resolve their property interests. He'll also talk about how parents can be divided over the issue of vaccination, and how that could lead to mediation and the Family Court needing to weigh in.

 

Music played in this show

Artist:       Joshua Henry
Song:     Stand Up
Time:     09:35

Artist:      Louis Baker
Song:     Brighter Day
Time:     10:09