Nine To Noon for Wednesday 28 June 2023

 

09:05 Two university Vice Chancellors calling for cooperation to end funding woes

A $128m bailout for cash-strapped universities will still not be enough to prevent major job losses at the Universities of Otago and Victoria.  Yesterday the government announced the rescue package for tertiary institutions which have struggled with falling enrollments, biting inflation and the lingering effects of Covid.The University of Otago is dealing with a $60m deficit, and Victoria University a $33m deficit.  Both universities are proposing sweeping job cuts.The funding will however buy universities some time and is being welcomed as a move in the right direction.  Kathryn speaks with Helen Nicholson, the acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of Otago and Nic Smith, the Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington.

09:30 Are microgrids the answer to reliable power in Kiwi homes?

As the power went out for many in the Hawke's Bay during Cyclone Gabrielle, the vulnerability of the country's electricity network was laid bare. But a team of researchers at Canterbury University are hoping to explore the value of microgrids in delivering some self reliance for households when it comes to power generation. Microgrids are a small power system that can be installed in individual homes and businesses, allowing them to generate and store power for themselves and others in their neighbourbood. Dr Jeremy Watson is leading the research team that will investigate and design new controllers that optimise microgrid use through solar and other methods of energy generation.

09:45 Australia: Working permit cost soars, support for the Voice slumps, no Swiftie scalpers

Australia correspondent Annika Smethurst joins Kathryn to talk about how the cost of a working holiday maker visa will jump by $130 on Saturday to $640 - with the potential it could be cut to one year. There are concerns about the effect it could have on regional Australia. Support for the Voice to Parliament has slumped in the latest poll, along with Albanese's ratings. And ticket scalpers beware - the Victorian government has declared Taylor Swift's concert next year a "major event", meaning ticket scalping laws will apply to protect fans from being ripped off.

Annika Smethurst is political editor at The Age

10:05 Why we need to laugh more for our health

"You've got to laugh" is an oft used expression. Dr Ros Ben-Moshe says for our wellbeing, we actually do HAVE to laugh more. She is a positivity, resilience and laughter-as-therapy academic at La Trobe University in Melbourne. She's a researcher and author and teaches positive psychology. Dr Ben-Moshe says there's a huge body of evidence that laughter - whether a spontaneous belly laugh, or intentional giggle, can release happy hormones; dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Her latest book is called The Laughter Effect: How to Build Joy, Resilience and Positivity into Your Life.

10:35 Book review: My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar    

Ralph McAllister reviews My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar, published by Penguin Random House

 

10:45 Around the motu : David Williams in Christchurch

David looks at national air quality standards, how to improve them and how Christchurch is shaping up. Also the community safety intiatives have been implemented following the Royal Commission into the Christchurch terror attack, have all the recommendations come to pass?. And he has an update on the controversial temporary cycleway near Hagley Park. 

David Williams is a South Island reporter for Newsroom

11:05 Music with Kirsten Zemke: ASMR sounds

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or ASMR is a perception phenomenon that generates a bioelectric current through auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory or perceptive stimuli. When it passes through the nerves it can produce a pleasant feeling, or a trancelike feeling of relaxation and euphoria. Kirsten plays some songs that contain some ASMR sounds, including one from Benee that was specially made in conjunction with mental health and neuroscientists to help reduce anxious feelings.

Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Auckland's School of Social Sciences.

11:20 Forgotten female photographers front and centre: Lissa Mitchell

A beautiful new book puts New Zealand's forgotten female photographers back in the frame.   History has largely forgotten women who first took photographs, not to mention those who made it in front of the lens.  Here, curator of historical photography at Te Papa Tongarewa, Lissa Mitchell's new book shines a light on women's contribution, both amateur and professional, in early photographic studios and on location. She walks Kathryn through Through Shaded Glass: Women and Photography in Aotearoa New Zealand 1860 -1960, from Te Papa Press. 

11:45 Science: Morning sickness hormone found, gut bug's role in endometriosis

Science correspondent Dr Siouxsie Wiles joins Kathryn to talk about how researchers have identified a hormone linked with morning sickness which may help with the development of new treatments for extreme morning sickness at least. It appears morning sickness comes from a hormone called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) which is made by the foetus which women have different susceptibilities to. A new study suggests a bacterium commonly found in the gut and mouth could play a role in the development of endometriosis. And between 1993 and 2010, humans have managed to tilt the axis of the Earth by 80 centimetres - all by pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere.

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

 

 

 

Music played in this show

Track: Feel it Still 
Artist: Portugal. The Man
Time Played: 9:45am