Nine To Noon for Tuesday 14 December 2021

 

 

09:05 Sir Brian Roche: how will the traffic light system hold up over summer?

Every region except Northland will be moving to orange traffic light setting on December the 30th. The government made the announcement yesterday after the final cabinet meeting of the year. How will the traffic light system hold up over the summer as the country goes on the move for the holiday period? Are our contact tracing and testing systems up to scratch as hundreds isolate at home? Sir Brian Roche is the chair of the continuous review, improvement and advice group advising the Government on its pandemic response.

09:30 Top of the class: How Leanne Otene goes the extra mile for her tamariki

It's been a tough year for many, but particularly for those working within the education sector. A survey out just last week from the Education Review Office found the pandemic had left teachers feeling more stressed and tired than ever, and student behaviour had gone downhill. But despite a second Covid-disrupted school year and all the challenges it's brought, one Northland principal has shone bright. So bright in fact, she's taken out two top honours in the National Excellence in Teaching Awards - the Outstanding Mentor Award and Founders' Principals Award for Leadership. Leanne Otene has been a principal for 26 years, 15 of them at her current school, Manaia View in Whangarei. She talks to Kathryn about her team, tamariki and their whanau.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Ron talks to Kathryn about the deadly tornadoes in Kentucky and, uncertainty over the direction of the pandemic with the advent of the Omicron Covid strain. Also high inflation is affecting the effort to get the 1.7 trillion-dollar package through the Senate. And the Congressional panel investigating January 6 riot continues its quest for information and witnesses, who are fighting the subpoena or claiming their right against self-incrimination.

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

 

10:05 Skiing to success: iconic ski map artist

 If you've ever been skiing at any of New Zealand's main ski fields, you're going to know Jim Niehues' artwork - although you've probably never given it much thought. He's the artist behind the world's most recognisable ski maps. His hand-painted works of art have mapped over 200 ski fields in the US, Canada, Australia, Chile, Japan, Scotland and Serbia. In New Zealand he's illustrated Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona, Treble Cone and Whakapapa. Mr Nieheus has been described as the "Rembrandt of snow," able to distill epic mountain ranges onto one page, its slopes rendered in light and shade, with enough detail for skiers to map out their route.  And while his treasured works of art will usually be found crumpled in your ski jacket pocket, he says that's the best part - his art truly gets used. Three decades of work has now been collated into a book: The Man Behind the Maps. Kathryn speaks to James Nieheus from his home on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado.

10:35 Book review: Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Cynthia Morahan reviews Love Stories by Trent Dalton, published by HarperCollins.

Cynthia says: This is a perfect book for people who hate small talk. It’s poetic, with little definitions of love throughout.

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Pattrick Smellie

Keith Turner and Heather Simpson have turned up on the board of the national grid operator, Transpower. Pattrick delves into what that means. And the billion dollar government IT project you've never heard any fuss about has just been completed after 8 stressful years by the Inland Revenue Dept. He also talks about what to look for in tomorrow's  half year fiscal and economic update and Budget Policy Statement.

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

11:30 The Cleanery: creating eco cleaning products that work

When he was 14, engineer Mark Sorensen wrote an essay about the plastic packaging problem - and how it might be fixed. Now, nearly three decades later, he and his wife Ellie Brade have created a new cleaning product that does away with plastic bottles. The Cleanery sells small sachets of powder that's added to water in a spray bottle and shaken - then ready to use. The business is one of eight companies chosen to take part in the Climate Change Accelerator programme, run by Creative HQ in Wellington and supported by Callaghan Innovation. And it's caught the attention of the founder of Lewis Road Creamery and marketing guru Peter Cullinane, who has also joined the team to help spread the word.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Andrew Holden traverses the recent ratings and musical chairs in Radio, RNZ launches its youth radio channel, Tahi, and  Sky TV has reported stellar results, prompting analysts to say the company is back from the brink. Does that suggest it's still in play for a takeover?

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.