Nine To Noon for Wednesday 15 June 2022

 

09:05 Children's Commissioner aghast over moves to scrap role

The Children's Commissioner is aghast that a bill effectively dismantling the role is proceeding, despite the majority of submissions opposing it. The Social Services and Community Select Committee heard hundreds of submissions on the bill - which scraps the statutory position of Children's Commissioner. A new Children and Young Person's Commission is to be established, which would be run by a board of up to six members. This Bill also sees the Children's Commissioner stripped of their power to investigate, no longer handling complaints from children and their families. Children's Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers says the vast majority of submissions opposed the changes and children in care deserve to have a monitor that is independent of Government. Kathryn speaks with Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Children's Commissioner Frances Eivers.

 

09:25 All Whites' hopes dashed in Doha

The All Whites missed out at a shot at the World Cup this morning after a 1-nil lost to Costa Rica in the intercontinental playoff. The South Americans scored first, taking a 1-nil lead in the third minute - which netted them a place at the World Cup in Qatar later this year. Kathryn speaks to former All Whites coach Kevin Fallon.

09:30 Young people, bad debt and financial literacy

When Neil Edmond's children were at school, he became alarmed that they weren't being taught financial literacy.What is a bank account? How does interest work? What's the difference between a credit card and a debit card? Neil was a marketing consultant at the time, but set about researching financial literacy programs for kids and, not finding anything satisfactory, decided to create his own.  He launched MoneyTime in 2018, and the programme is now used by more than 700 primary schools nationwide, as well as in some schools in South Africa, Australia and the United States.  Neil Edmond has just been a finalist in the inaugural Money Inclusion and Awareness Awards  in Singapore.

09:45 Australia: Ardern visit, energy crisis, Rebel outing

Correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about Jacinda Ardern's visit to meet Australia's new Prime Minister, who was sympathetic to Kiwi concerns over deportees but offered no commitment to changing the policy. Australia's cold snap is turning into an energy crisis with old coal-fired power stations failing just as all local gas is being sold offshore at high prices. Will the government find a solution before the weather worsens? And the Sydney Morning Herald is under fire over its columnist's attempt to "out" Rebel Wilson - and his reaction when she did it for him.

10:05 Wendy Davis: Why women should make a fuss

When Wendy Davis was attacked at work the incident wasn't taken seriously.  Like so many women of her generation, she'd been told never to make a fuss. Her attacker, Bradley Robert Edwards, would go on to become a serial killer, leading to one of the longest-running and most expensive murder trials in Australia's history.
Wendy Davis's memoir is Don't Make a Fuss - It's Only the Claremont Serial Killer. It highlights the importance of listening to women when they speak up about assault.  Wendy joins Kathryn from her home in Hobart.

10:30 House prices drop, properties on the market for longer - REINZ

House sales are taking longer to complete, properties are staying on the market for longer and the upward pressure on prices are easing. The Real Estate Institute has just released its residential sales data for May. Median house prices have decreased 4 percent since April, but are up 2.4 percent since this time last year. Meanwhile across New Zealand, the number of houses sold have decreased 28.4 percent annually, from 7,758 houses sold last year, to 5,556 this year. Kathryn speaks to Jen Baird, Chief Executive of REINZ. 

10:35 Book review: Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

Elisabeth Easther reviews Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris, published by Hachette NZ

10:45 The Reading

 'My Father's Ears', part seven. Written by Karen Goa.

11:05  Music: Nubya Garcia, Kiefer, Myele Manzanza, Louisa Williamson

Dave Wilson joins Kathryn to play selections of recently released tracks from a few communities that have popularised music at the intersection of house and other electronic music, jazz, and a few other popular styles.  He'll share a track from London-based saxophonist Nubya Garcia, one from LA-based keyboardist Kiefer, Aotearoa drummer/composer Myele Manzanza and Louisa Williamson.

Dave Wilson is musician, composer, and ethnomusicologist, a senior lecturer at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington.

 

11:20 How COVID has changed our demography

Demographer Professor Paul Spoonley talks with Kathryn about the impact of Covid-19 on our population. New Zealand is one of only three countries to see life expectancy increase during Covid. The birth rate also rose slightly, although population growth has slowed to the OECD average. Paul also discusses how the border reopening and the government's immigration "reset" will impact. Paul is Honorary Research Associate at Massey University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences and chair of Metropolis International, an international network of researchers, policy makers, and community groups engaged in identifying, understanding, and responding to developments in migration and diversity.       

11:45 Science: Polystyrene-eating worms, women's height & blood pressure

Science commentator Dr Siouxsie Wiles joins Kathryn with some interesting studies, including one where Australian researchers found a species of worm able to feed on polystyrene.  A new study has looked at the risk of babies developing neurodevelopmental disorders if the mother had Covid during her pregnancy, and women's blood pressure measurements may be inaccurate because of their height - a Canadian study compared people's blood pressure measured during an arm cuff and another inside their arteries during surgery.

Associate Professor Dr Siouxsie Wiles is the head of Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland.
 

Music played in this show

Track: Oh!
Artist:The Linda Lindas
Time played:10:10