Nine To Noon for Thursday 9 December 2021

 

 

09:05 Power demand to soar - how will the system stay secure ?

How are we going to power the country,  as demand for electricity is set to sky-rocket with the transition to a low-carbon economy? New Zealand has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and the Government has a target of a 100 percent renewable electricity system by 2030. How is that renewable power to be generated and how will our electricity infrastructure stay secure and resilient? The Electricity Authority says the future will see a much more decentralised, complex power system, with more two-way power flows, and active consumers who feed excess generation from their own renewable sources back into the grid. The Authority is currently looking at how the regulations and rules may need to change to accomodate this different future. Kathryn speaks with Chief Strategy Officer Dr James Tipping.

09:30 Stronger govt and business lead on climate needed: survey

Research in 10 countries, including New Zealand, into attitudes towards climate change finds individuals think they're doing enough but want better leadership from government and business. The research firm Kantar Public conducted the research in late September in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore and New Zealand. One thousand adults in each country were surveyed. Across the board, respondents believe they are personally are more committed to combating climate change than their government or the business sector. Kathryn speaks with Kantar Public New Zealand Research Director Edward Langley.

 

09:45 UK: Resignation after Downing St party, new restrictions introduced, turtle's long trip

UK correspondent Matthew Parris joins Kathryn to talk about the controversy over a Christmas party held at Number 10 Downing St last year in contravention of Covid rules. It's prompted the resignation overnight of former press-secretary Allegra Stratton from her current role after video emerged of her joking about the party. Meanwhile Boris Johnson has announced further restrictions to tackle the omicron variant as cases rise, a whistleblower claims people were left to die at the hands of the Taliban amid a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and a turtle is on the mend after being blown across the seas from Mexico to wash up on a Welsh beach.

10:05 Bringing eco-design to space missions 

Dr Priyanka Dhopade  is a space sustainability researcher and firmly believes that sustainability should be integrated into projects from inception, at the design phase right through to launch and beyond. With an academic background in aerospace engineering in Canada, Australia and at Oxford University, she is now a  Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Auckland. In 2017, the Women's Engineering Society in the UK, named her as one of the top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35.

 

10:35 Book review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Lisa Finucane reviews The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, pubished by Hachette

10:45 The Reading

Gifted, episode four. Written by Patrick Evans.​

11:05 Tech in '21: Filling connection gaps, reining in big tech, boosting privacy

Technology commentator Bill Bennett joins Kathryn to talk about some of the big trends in tech this year, starting with plugging gaps in broadband coverage and extending the 5G network. It's also been a year regulators have started talking about - but not exactly moving on -  how to rein in big tech and strengthen privacy provisions. But will it matter, if a prediction about how countries like China and Russia are keen to crack encryption through quantum computing is realised? And is firing 900 of your employees over Zoom really the best way to use that technology?

11:25 Parents' top worries revealed in survey

Educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about the things that kiwi parents worry about the most. They're revealed in a nationwide survey of 1200 parents by the health insurer nib New Zealand.
The amount of time children spend on screens , their mental health and balancing work and family are among the top concerns.

11:45 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, Trapped, Power of the Dog

Film and TV correspondent Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to talk about a Christmas documentary that seems too ridiculous to be true - but it is. 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (Apple TV) is the story of a Christmas-obsessed dad in Idaho whose ever-growing festivities pitted him against his neighbours. Chris will also look at what makes Icelandic cop series Trapped  (TVNZ OnDemand) such a winner and he'll review Jane Campion's Power of the Dog (Netflix).