Nine To Noon for Thursday 17 February 2022

 

 

09:05 Dozens of deaths a year from preventable overdoses : Drug Foundation

A new report finds dozens of people die each year from preventable drug overdoses, and New Zealand drug laws block the use of new harm reduction measures succeeding overseas. The Drug Foundation's 2022 State of the Nation Report finds opioid overdoses kill around 46 people each year, while synthetic cannabinoids have contributed to at least 51 deaths between 2016 and 2020. The report also finds drug related deaths for Maori are three times the rate for non-Maori. The Drug Foundation says that while changes to drug laws in 2019 have seen a 13 per cent reduction in convictions for low-level drug offences, the results have been far less than hoped. Kathryn speaks with Executive Director of the Drug Foundation, Sarah Helm.

09:30 The importance of food texture 

So many foods are polarising, oysters are a classic example. Yvonne Kuiper has been studying how the brain responds to the texture of food . She talks to Kathryn about how the findings could be used for health improvements. Yvonne is a doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland's science faculty.

09:40 $200m Silverlake/NZR deal

New Zealand Rugby has announced the US equity firm Silver Lake is to invest $200 million in a new commercial entity that will control all revenue-generating assets of New Zealand Rugby.  The agreement is subject to ratification by the Provincial Unions and Māori Rugby Board. Kathryn speaks with RNZ sports reporter, Barry Guy, who was at the announcement in Wellington.

09:45 UK: Prince Andrew settles, Britain's role in Ukraine crisis, Boris in the balance

UK correspondent Hugo Gye joins Kathryn to talk about Prince Andrew's decision to settle the lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giiffre - is that really the end of the matter? The UK is seeking to take a leading role in Nato's response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, to show it's engaging with Europe post-Brexit. Boris Johnson is due to announce his "living with Covid" plan next week - but in the meantime he's yet to respond to a request from the police to detail exactly why he attended a number of apparently illegal parties in 10 Downing Street while Covid rules were still in place.

10:05 An anatomy of pain: how the mind and body experiences pain

One of the UK's leading doctors in pain medicine says despite pain being a universal human experience, very little is still understood about the mechanics of it. As a result, much of the medications and interventions we have for pain are fairly rudimentary. Dr Abdul Lalkhen has been working in pain-related areas; from anesthesiology to pain management, for over two decades, and has now written Pain: The Science of the Feeling Brain. Dr Lalkhen is a member of the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Royal College of Anesthetists in the UK and is a visiting professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

10:35 Book review: The Islands by Emily Brugman

Jessie Bray Sharpin reviews The Islands by Emily Brugman, published by Allen & Unwin   

10:45 The Reading

Simon Ferry reads the first part of Turaki Domain  by Justin Eade.

11:05 Technology with Tony Grasso

Tony joins Kathryn to talk about the latest in cyber security issues - including how a company lost hundreds of thousands of dollars through an intercepted email in which the scammer simply changed the company's bank account, which wasn't picked up by the bank. He wonders, why do banks not check the company name against the account number? Could QR codes be used in phishing attacks and is there really such a thing as a malware-free network?

11:30 High level security committee to meet over protests

A powerful committee of government officials is to convene at parliament over the ongoing protest and blockade.
ODESC, the Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Coordination, will meet today. A statement from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet says the meeting is to "ensure there's a shared understanding of the situation and that all risks and potential implications have been identified". Kathryn speaks with RNZ's Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch.

11:35 Tweens to teens: The muddle of the middle school years

The "middle years" of 11 to 15 year-olds can be a bit of a muddle, when children are stepping away from the influence of their parents and into that of their peers - and social media influencers. Kathryn Gray is head of Middle School at St Margaret's College in Christchurch and recently received an honours award from Independent Schools NZ for her work in Middle School Education. She joins Kathryn to talk about the unique social, emotional and academic needs children - particularly girls - need at this time. And what parents can do to let their child explore  new interests and influences, while still respecting and preserving their privacy.

11:45 Film and TV: Inventing Anna, King Richard, Severance

Film and TV correspondent Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to talk about the new Shona Rhimes series Inventing Anna (Netflix), based on the life of fraudster Anna Delvey who pretended to be a German heiress. He'll also talk about Severance (Apple TV+), in which an office worker for a large US drug company agrees to surgery that will separate his home and work memories. And King Richard (cinemas) is a docu-drama on the rise of Venus and Serena Williams that focuses on their dad, played by Will Smith.

 

Music played in this show

Artist: Helado Negro
Track: Outside the Outside
Time played: 10:37