Nine To Noon for Thursday 23 February 2023

09:05   "We need help immediately" - Hawkes Bay horticulture giant

One of Hawkes Bay biggest vegetable and fruit growers says he has grave concerns for the region's food producers if more signifigant financial help doesn't arrive quickly. Apatu Farms has supplied some of the country's biggest food brands since the 1960s including Watties and McCains. Paul Apatu runs the business with his brother Mark, employing more than two hundred people at this time of year, including 40 RSE workers from Tonga who arrived just a month ago. 60 per cent - or 1000 hectares - of crops on the Heretaunga Plains are either totally destroyed or severly damaged.  He speaks to Susie about the the government's initial grant of $40,000 and what more is needed.

09:20  Cook Strait Chaos: Interislander boss apologies

KiwiRail has apologised over the stranding of passengers either side of Cook Strait, due to more engine problems. The Kaiaarahi ferry was taken out service after an engineering problem on Monday, and the Kaitaki is only delivering freight after it lost power and got stranded at sea last month.  One of the Bluebridge vessels also suffered engine trouble on Friday but is back in service now.  Some passengers say they've been cancelled multiple times, have not been able to rebook and refunds are taking too long. Susie speaks with one woman, trying to make a  mercy dash from Nelson to be with her parents in flooded Hawkes Bay, was forced to abandon her car in Picton, fly to Wellington, and buy another car to drive north. She says communications with both ferry companies have been terrible. Susie also speaks with Interislander's Executive General Manager Walter Rushbrook.

09:40 Questions over Southern Lakes Ultra marathon

Serious questions are being asked of the Southern Lakes Ultra Marathon director, after runners were brought down from a mountain-side in wild weather, and spent two nights in evacuation centres. Participants, local councillors and support groups have raised concerns, including the adequacy of gearlists for altitude. Seven participants and one official were airlifted to hospital and treated in Queenstown hospital for mild hypothermia and moderate to minor injuries. Multiple personal locator beacons were set off. The multi-day endurance race involving over 100 runners is set to continue. Ultra runner, chair of Arrowtown business association and former Otago Civil Defence Emergency Manager Jimmy Sygrove speaks with Susie.

09:45 UK correspondent Dan Bloom

Rishi Sunak has come under pressure at Prime Minister's Questions over his handling of talks to break a deadlock which has lasted three years since Brexit. The British PM and his team have been working for months on changes to the 'Northern Ireland protocol', which imposes some EU rules on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as part of Brexit, even though both areas are both part of the UK. Also Kate Forbes' disastrous bid to become First Minister of Scotland following Nicola Sturgeon's resignation. And a four-day week trial hailed as a success by campaigners.
 

Dan Bloom is deputy editor of Politico London Playbook based in Westminster.

10:05 What lies beneath the ice: Dr Joshu Mountjoy

Just back from navigating through retreating Antarctic ice, Dr Joshu Mountjoy tells Susie what's been discovered in uncharted territory.  It's the latest Antarctic mission researching the marine food chain and climate change, using robotic video cameras to better understand and protect the environment.  Almost forty researchers and crew have just completed a six-week science voyage deep into the waters of Antarctica, on board Tangaroa.  Their mission is to better understand the ecosystem and ocean physics in the Ross Sea, as well as assess the impacts of climate change.  Dr Joshu Mounttoy is voyage leader and NIWA marine geoscientist.

 

10:35 Book review: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Louise O'Brien reviews Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press   

10:45  Around the motu : David Hill in North Canterbury 

David Hill is in Kaikoura today where the local A&P show returns after Covid forced its cancellation last year.  In 2016 the Kaikōura A&P Association came close to folding due to a lack of committee members and then the 2016 earthquake led to the 2017 show being cancelled. Also the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust has voted to begin the process of applying for dark sky sanctuary status with the International Dark Sky Association.

 David Hill is Local Democracy Reporter with North Canterbury News, based in Rangiora.

 

11:05 New technology with Tony Grasso

Tony talks to Susie Ferguson about a group of Chinese scientists who recently quietly posted a paper purporting to show how a combination of classical and quantum computing techniques, plus a powerful enough quantum computer, could shred modern-day encryption. Also he discusses why the biggest security threat to any organisation is their staff, not the ninja cyber security break ins. And Australia and now New Zealand are to ban Chinese based security cameras, but why?.


 Tony Grasso is Principal Consultant at cybersecurity firm TitaniumDefence. He worked at GCHQ in the UK and is a former Intelligence Officer in New Zealand.

11:20 What mums and dads are most worried about

An annual survey of over 1200 parents in New Zealand conducted annually by nib and global research company One Picture, has shone a light of the big issues for mums and dads. Among them - worries about their children's physical and mental health, sleep, and behavioural issues. Maori parents were worried about their children experiencing prejudice.  Neuroplasticity educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis discusses the survey findings with Susie Ferguson.

11:45 What James Croot has been watching

James Croot reviews three movies : Women Talking, Aftersun and Missing. Also Apple TV's The Reluctant Traveller.