Nine To Noon for Tuesday 2 November 2021

09:05 Three Waters: Minister responds to outpouring of opposition

The government's plans to push ahead with its three waters reforms have been called the "theft of local assets" , "disappointing", "devastating" and "unacceptable" by some councils,  while others are welcoming the plan as a relief to ratepayers. Billions of dollars worth of council-owned drinking, waste and stormwater infrastructure and services assets are to be amalgamated into four regional bodies. Councils had been given the right to opt out of the reforms, but last week Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta reversed that, saying the reforms are a "quantum shift in the way water services are delivered" which require every council to be involved. She speaks with Kathryn Ryan about the concerns that have been raised and how they'll be addressed.

09:30 Lessons from Canada on caring for covid patients at home

As more Covid 19 positive patients are allowed to isolate at home , family doctors are planning for how to care for them. Recently we spoke with Bryan Betty from the College of GPs about the shortage of pulse oximeters and the role of these devices in caring for Covid patients who're at home. Professor Dee Mangin is a GP in Ontario, Canada, and Professor of Family Medicine at McMaster University and University of Otago. She has led the primary care covid response for Ontario and says knowing a patient well has proven to be an extremely potent asset during the pandemic.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Ron Elving explains why President Joe Biden's appearance at COP26 will be a test of him on a world stage. Also the US Supreme Court tackles abortion and guns, huge spending bills are on the brink in Congress and the significance of statewide elections in Virginia and New Jersey for Democrats.

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

 

10:05 The devil you know - inside the minds of the most violent criminals   

Pioneering British psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Gwen Adshead has spent more than spent 30 years working inside prisons and with offenders at Broadmoor Hospital - this is where some of the UK's most notorious criminals are detained. The case studies in her book, The Devil You Know,  are drawn from many individual cases, including serial killers and stalkers. Dr Adshead tells Kathryn that she has come to think of her patients as survivors of a disaster.

 

10:35 Book review: Pony by R J Palacio

Mary Wadsworth of Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop Auckland reviews Pony by R J Palacio, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading

In the last episode of  'The Larnachs',  William has killed himself,  leaving Conny and Dougie to deal with the aftermath. Michele Amas and Owen Scott read the final episode of  'The Larnachs'  by Owen Marshall.

11:05 Business commentator Pattrick Smellie - supermarket duopoly, 3 Waters & COP26 

Pattrick has been closely following the Supermarkets inquiry, where the rubber is meeting the road with the duopoly terrified of being required either to divest stores to create a competitor or to pull apart the vertically integrated supply chain from warehouse to supermarket shelf. Also an assessment of how well the Three Waters policy has been sold, and Climate Change Minister James Shaw will head to COP26 in Glasgow with improved emissions reduction targets on his mind.

Pattrick Smellie is the editor and co-founder of BusinessDesk and has reported on the New Zealand economy and business since 1983.

11:30 Citizens Advice Bureau: clients at limit of financial resilience

With the Covid-19 pandemic putting more people under financial pressure, the Citizens Advice Bureau says it's pushed people to the very limits of their financial resilience. The organisation supports people on a range of social, economic and legal matters. It says it's seeing people increasingly out of options, with maxed out credit cards and struggling to make loan repayments. Kathryn speaks to Citizens Advice Bureau acting chief executive Andrew Hubbard, about the advice they are giving clients about managing their debt. 

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden- COP26 coverage

The climate change conference in Glasgow throws up highly complex issues which demand detailed knowledge by reporters there. Andrew believes Stuff is the strongest local outlet, with a dedicated climate change website (Forever Project). Climate change is just one of many complex subjects facing media outlets at the moment: Covid-19 and epidemiology, Three Waters and the Resource Management Act. Andrew tells Kathryn it's important than newsrooms seek out specialists to provide informed commentary and background. 

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. 

 

Music played in this show

Track: Deadweight 
Artist: Beck 
Broadcast time: 10:35am 

Track: Monkey Man 
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Broadcast time: 10:42am

Track: Wade in the Water 
Artist: Alabama 3
Broadcast time: 11:30am