Nine To Noon for Friday 3 February 2023

 

09:05 Kaitaki returns to Cook Strait - is the ship safe?

Six days after losing power in Cook Strait and drifting close to rocks on Wellington's south coast - the Interislander ferry, Kaitaki has just returned to service, but carrying freight only for the next two weeks. The cause of last Saturday's power cut was a fault in the ship's engine cooling system caused by a leaky connection. 864 people were on board. Interislander Executive General Manager Walter Rushbrook says only after further performance and assurance checks will Kaitaki resume taking passengers.

09:20 Government refuses to measure unmet elective surgery need: health expert

A group of health experts say more and more people are unable to get hospital treatment for non-urgent but important health problems, but successive governments, and the Ministry of Health have blocked efforts to quantify the unmet need. The group of surgeons, public health researchers, and health academics,  led by Christchurch surgeon and founder of the Charity Hospital, Professor Phil Bagshaw, have written an editorial in the Medical Journal, published this morning. They say hernia, cataract, gynaecological and dental surgeries are examples of operations needed by many patients who aren't getting them. But they say that repeated calls for proper measuring of the need have been knocked back at every turn, even though they are standard practice in North America, Europe and Scandinavia. Professor Phil Bagshaw says that until the true extent of the need is measured, the government's health reforms can never be said to be delivering.

09:30 Auckland floods: Why were there so many slips?

As flood-weary Aucklanders continue their clean-up from this week's heavy rain, many are dealing with slips that are affecting their property. Hills and cliffs around any number of suburbs in the city have been subject to landslides, with homes around them given red or yellow stickers. But what makes a property vulnerable to slips? Are there any warning signs one is imminent, and if so is there anything you can do? One of those who has been out assessing slips around Auckland over the past few days is Paul Fletcher, an associate at geotechnical engineering firm ENGEO.

Slip advice from Auckland Emergency Management

To report slips on private land contact the landowner, or if you are the landowner, your insurance company. For landslides that might affect public land, contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101. For landslides that might affect public roads, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553.

09:45 Asia correspondent Elizabeth Beattie

Two years on from a brutal military coup in Myanmar, pro-democracy activists have held silent protests to mark the date, while others have gathered outside embassies. The Junta also announced this week that the nationwide state of emergency will be extended, delaying elections that were expected in August. And this week, Hong Kong has imposed stringent restrictions around Cannabidiol declaring it a dangerous drug on the same level as heroin. Possession and consumption of CBD is punishable by a hefty fine and seven years in prison. Importing, exporting or manufacturing CBD is punishable by life imprisonment.
 

Elizabeth Beattie is a journalist  based in Tokyo
 

10:05 How science can help your New Year's Resolutions

How are your new year's resolution going? If you've already given up on them, you're not alone; researchers have found that most people have abandoned their resolutions and slipped back into old habits by mid-March. So why is it so hard to form good habits, but so easy to make bad ones? Whether you resolved to eat better, exercise more, get organised, or spend less money, despite best intentions, we tend to sabotage ourselves; by being impulsive, forgetful or even just a bit lazy. These are all very human traits, so how can we turn our weaknesses around to work for us? Kathryn speaks to Professor Katy Milkman, who has devoted her career to the study of behaviour change. She's the author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and is a professor at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and co-directs the Behavior Change For Good Initiative. 

10:35 Book Review: Three of the best from 2022:  All the Broken Places by John Boyne, Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson and House of Fortune by Jessie Burton

Ralph McAllister reviews three of his favourite books from last year: All the Broken Places by John Boyne, published by Penguin; Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson, published by Penguin and House of Fortune by Jessie Burton, published by Pan MacMillan

10:45 Around the motu : Todd Niall in Auckland

Todd reports from the city of slips, silt, shocking weather devastation and survival stories. He looks at the role of the New Minister for Auckland against a chorus of criticism of the way Mayor Wayne Brown has handled the event. How are central and local Government going to work together?.

11:05 Music reviewer Jeremy Taylor

New music from Tiny Ruins and Iggy Pop, plus tracks from a few of the legendary musicians who passed over the holidays

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman

Sam breaks down the big announcements that hang over the head of New Zealand Football - with undesirable outcomes seen as a real threat. We assess where the Black Caps are before their home ‘summer’ after a forgettable trip to India as we look at the week’s winners and losers. 

11:45 The week that was

Comedians Te Radar and Irene Pink with a revelation from the Queen of organisation and tidiness, Marie Kondo, that she's given up on extreme tidiness in her home.