Nine To Noon for Friday 3 March 2023

 

09:05 More pain on way for mortgage holders

More pain is in the pipeline for many mortgaged homeowners, as their loans roll over to much higher interest rates than before. Almost half of all fixed-term mortgages will come up for refixing within the next 12 months. Westpac's acting chief economist Michael Gordon says for some mortgage holders this could mean increases of nearly $1000 a fornight.  Interest rates are at their highest levels since 2008 as the Reserve Bank tightens monetary policy to bring inflation down. Meanwhile latest data from credit bureau Centrix shows that mortgage and arrears have risen sharply. Kathryn speaks with Westpac's Michael Gordon and Centrix managing director Keith McLaughlin.

09:20 Muriwai residents: when can we go home?

Frustrated Muriwai residents are left without answers about when they can go back to their red-stickered homes, after a town-meeting with Auckland council last night.  More than a hundred houses in the West Auckland beach community have been categorised as too dangerous to live in after Cyclone Gabrielle either damaged them, or rendered the land they stand on too unstable.  The council is promising to keep them updated, but says it doesn't know when the land will stop moving.  Kat and Andy Corbett are red-stickered Muriwai residents, currently living in temporary rental accommodation. Kat Corbett was at the meeting and speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:30 Floating solar farms at sea: NZ "ripe for them"

Floating solar panels are being developed to sit on the ocean's surface, providing power to ships and shore. Børge Bjørneklett's Norwegian company, Ocean Sun already has them in operation in the Singapore Strait. Floating solar is also in use on lakes. In New Zealand a 1 megawatt set of solar panels floats on pontoons at the Rosedale wastewater treatment plant, to avoid using valuable land.  Ocean Sun has patented solar panels that are robust in high wind, waves, and strong currents. They sit on a floating rig, resting on a flexible base.  Børge tells Kathryn he thinks New Zealand is ripe for floating solar, both near shore and on artificial lakes or hydro dams.

09:45 Asia correspondent Elizabeth Beattie

China is gears up for its annual "two sessions" meetings, which will begin on Saturday. The political and economic event is where reforms and government appointments are announced. This the first "two sessions" since Covid restrictions were dropped last year, but reporters will still reportedly have to quarantine prior to covering the event. Then, as the events of the G20 in Delhi draw to a close, discussion around the war in Ukraine remains a dividing and key issue.And after being in place for 945-days, Hong Kong has lifted its mask ban. 

Elizabeth Beattie is a journalist  based in Tokyo

10:05 Hamilton - the Broadway hit hitting Auckland

Must-see Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer prize-winning musical hit Hamilton is coming to Tāmaki Makaurau in May and June.  The highly acclaimed production premiered on Broadway in 2015, and on the back of rave reviews in Australia, Hamilton is coming here.  It's the story of American founding father, the first Secretary for the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, told mainly through rap, with more than twenty rnb, jazz and hip-hop numbers. Along with other Maori and Pasifika actors, Kiwi actor Matu Ngaropo plays George Washington in the show.  Kathryn hears why it's all so great from Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller, whose life, he says, shares some parallels with that of Alexander Hamilton.

10:35 Book review:  The Marriage Act by John Marrs

Mary Fawcett of Schrödinger's Books in Petone reviews The Marriage Act by John Marrs, published by Macmillan

10:45 Around the motu : Chris Hyde in Hawkes Bay

Chris talks to Kathryn about the logistics of covering widespread devastation in his patch caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, and about sorting fact from fiction as the rumour mill cranked into action. He says one of the many aspects of the flooding that will  need plenty of attention in coming months are the stopbanks, where there were 30 separate breaches.

Chris Hyde is the editor of Hawkes Bay Today. 

 

 

11:05 New music with Jeremy Taylor

The 8th solo album for former Go-Between Robert Forster, the latest from Dylan's Bootleg series, an anthemic indie rock stomper, and a farewell to De La Soul rapper Trugoy

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman

Big endings and new beginnings beckon all over Aotearoa's sporting world. Sam looks at the Black Caps great escape, the Warriors fresh start, the Breakers return to the big dance and, begrudgingly, the All Blacks coaching circus.
 

11:45 The week that was with

Comedians Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks with the tale of the Welshman who ate a heart shaped potato chip that could have made him rich.