Nine To Noon for Friday 16 September 2022

 

09:05 Oranga Tamariki's "loose fiscal controls" - Treasury 

A scathing report by Treasury into Oranga Tamariki's finances has described "loose fiscal controls" within the agency and a "weak organisational strategy and direction". Treasury's review into the spending of the $1.1 billion allocated to Oranga Tamariki in the 2019 Well-being Budget were called a "disparate collection of ideas, not governed by a clear organisational strategy". Analysis from Treasury also found Oranga Tamariki's spending per child has significantly increased, without any evidence that this is leading to better outcomes for children. Kathryn speaks to Kelvin Davis, the Minister for Children, and Judge Frances Eivers, the Commissioner for Children. 

09:30 Upsurge: The Bay of Islands arts festival finally moves forward

Dave and Caroline Armstrong took over the job of organising the biennial Upsurge Festival in the Bay of Islands just before Covid hit. It was cancelled last year, postponed in April this year - and will open for eight days from this Sunday. The challenges haven't been confined to Covid - Northland's recent floods made it tricky to get to four schools where students are participating in a show with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Dave and Caroline join Kathryn to discuss the festival - which traverses a wide geographic and demographic space.

09:45 Asia correspondent Ed White

The Chinese leader sets foot on foreign soil for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started with a trip to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; North Korea forms closer ties with Russia, Pakistan takes stock after devas.ating flooding and Hong Kong, the former colonial outpost now back under China's control, mourns the Queen

Ed White is correspondent with the Financial Times in Seoul.

10:05 Landmine clearance expert, ex soldier and author of seven novels

Simon Conway is a landmine clearance expert,  and former British soldier , who for 24 years has worked in the field of demining, including in Cambodia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and now Ukraine. He is head of programmes for the HALO Trust, a British charity doing demining, demobilisation and weapons destruction work in conflict and post conflict areas.  As Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition , he was part of a successful campaign to achieve an international ban on cluster bombs. As well as his international aid work, Simon Conway is also a popular thriller writer.

10:35 Book review

Louise Ward of Wardini Books reviews The Deadly Daylight by Ash Harrier, published by Pantera Press.

10:43 Viv Beck pulls out of Auckland mayoral race

Auckland centre-right mayoral candidate Viv Beck has withdrawn from the contest. Beck said she did not want to split the centre-right vote, but also referred in passing to difficulties facing her campaign. Kathryn speaks with Stuff Senior Auckland affairs reporter Todd Niall.

10:45 The Reading

The Writing Class, episode 9. Written by Stephanie Johnson, and told by Alison Quigan.

11:05 New music with Jeremy Taylor

Globe-straddling Otautahi singer songwriter Marlon Williams gets fun and funky on his third album, the peerless Bobbie Gentry gets a comprehensive career overview, and schoolboy punks the Ambitious Vegetables are reissued on 7" vinyl".

11:30 Sports commentator Dana Johannsen

Dana reviews the thrilling Bledisloe Cup win by the All Blacks last night in Melbourne, looks at the Black Ferns' line-up for the Rugby World Cup and considers the Silver Ferns vs Jamaica this weekend. 

Dana Johannsen is Stuff's National Correspondent specialising in sport.

11:45 The week that was with Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks

 

Music played in this show

Track: Left Hand Free
Artist: Alt-J
Time played: 11:45am