Nine To Noon for Tuesday 24 May 2022

 

 

09:05 Flood and quake prone West Coast's urgent need for Civil Defence controllers

There is concern on the flood and earthquake prone West Coast as its ageing civil defence controllers retire with no locals to replace them. The Grey and Buller District Mayors say their regions are vulnerable when another major weather event strikes, and completely exposed if the Alpine Fault ruptures. A new report has found there are insufficient named and qualified civil defence controllers in the region.A group of six emergency controllers from outside the West Coast are to be appointed as Civil Defence Emergency controllers as a backstop. But if and when a major civil defence emergency occurs, the regions top CD leadership would be elsewhere. Kathryn speaks with Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson and Buller District Mayor Jamie Cleine.

09:30 Supplementary science resource gets thumbs up from pupils

A quarter of the country's primary and intermediate schools are now signed up to receive The House of Science resource kits and the waiting list is growing. Former High School teacher, Chris Duggan founded the programme to supply hands on learning kits to subscriber schools aimed at raising science literacy. There's now a waiting list. She talks to Kathryn about the ongoing demand along with Ngongotahā Primary  principal Craig McFadyen who says there's much excitement at his school every time the Big Blue Box of House of Science goodies arrives 

 

09:45 USA correspondent Kelsey Snell - baby formula crisis

Dominating the news in the US is the Michigan formula plant shutdown causing a shortage of baby formula. This has resulted in the Biden administration taking steps to ease the situation. Product is being flown in from overseas. Also the US President has signed off $40 billion in additional aid to Ukraine.
 

Kelsey Snell is a congressional correspondent for NPR, based in Washington DC.

 

10:05 Anthony Horowitz: Licensed to thrill

One of Britain's most successful contemporary writers, Anthony Horowitz' work spans books, TV, films, plays and journalism.  He's perhaps best known for Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War, his Sherlock Holmes novels and the teen spy series Alex Rider. Anthony already has two James Bond novels under his belt, Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day.  Now he's got another one on his ejector seat. With a Mind to a Kill is the final part of a trilogy for the Ian Fleming Estate.  Set partly in 1960's East Berlin and Moscow it's classic Bond territory, with all the gadgets and the girls. Bond novels have sold more than 60 million copies since Casino Royale in 1953. They sparked the hugely successful film franchise. We first saw Sean Connery as 007 in Dr No in 1962.  Anthony was awarded an OBE for his services to literature in January 2014. He tells Kathryn Ryan Bond has been a great companion to write about.

10:35 Book review: The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Campbell

Sally Wenley reviews The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Campbell, published by Simon & Schuster

10:45 The Reading

Part 2 of Mansfield by C K Stead, told by Danielle Cormack.

11:05 Business commentator Pattrick Smellie

Pattrick explains why Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's trip to the United States is so important, both economically and politically. Also the looming global food and energy crisis created by the Ukraine war, and what it might mean here.

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 couple protecting Kaikōura's precious banded dotterels 

A couple with a shared love of conservation have devoted the last seven years to protecting the banded dotterel living on the shores of Kaikōura. The birds nest on the sand, making them particularly vulnerable to predators - especially cats - as well as tide and storm surges, and disturbance from people who can't spot the well-camouflaged birds. Dotterels, or tūturiwhatu, are critically endangered, with numbers estimated to be around 19,000 nationally. Ailsa McGilvary-Howard and her husband Ted Howard spend their time monitoring the nests and eggs, trapping predators, researching and tracking flightpaths, advocating for cat containment, and much more. Last year, the pair were honoured with a Queen's Service Medal for their conservation work. 

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Andrew reviews what the budget means for the TVNZ/RNZ merger, takes a look at media coverage of the Australian election, and remembers a media stalwart, Brian Gaynor. 

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: Tawa
Artist: MA
 

Track: A Little of Your Love
Artist: Haim
 

Track: Love is Everywhere

Artist: Wilco

Track: You've Got To Move
Artist: Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens