Nine To Noon for Monday 28 August 2023

 

 

09:05 Can the EU's new rules really rein in the worst of Big Tech?

Some of the world's biggest tech companies are now subject to new laws in European Union that are aimed at minimising harmful online content while protecting users' privacy. Last Friday the 19 largest platforms in the world - including the likes of Meta, Google, Amazon, Alibaba and TikTok - became subject to the EU's Digital Services Act. It requires them to do things like flag illegal online content and products, ban targeted ads and so-called 'dark patterns' that manipulate or trick users, introduce transparency measures, and mitigate the risk of disinformation, election manipulation and cyber violence and harm to women and children. Non-compliance could see fines of up to six percent of global turnover - and it's expected the new law will have a flow on effect outside the European Union. So have the platforms moved to make the required changes? And how has the new legislation been greeted in the United States, where most of the Big Tech companies are based? Kathryn speaks to the EU's envoy to the US, Gerard de Graaf, who is based in Silicon Valley. He's here for the Diplosphere Conference - focused on what the advance of AI means for all of us -  that's happening in Wellington tomorrow.

09:30 Rising profits responsible for over half of domestic inflation

New research has found rising profits have contributed to over half of domestic inflation in New Zealand during the cost of living crisis, according to a new report by FIRST Union, the Council of Trade Unions and lobby group Action Station. It argues that contrary to the public narrative, rising wages are only responsible for less than a third of domestic inflation, over the 18 months to December last year. The report says corporations seized the opportunity to increase their profit margins off the back of major struggles; most notably the Covid-19 pandemic, and severe weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle. Kathryn speaks with Edward Miller, a researcher and policy analyst at FIRST Union. In an earlier report published last year, he calculated that corporate profits spiked by 39 per cent in the year to March 2022, which he described as "the biggest increase ever seen".

09:45 Middle East correspondent Sebastian Usher

Sebastian  says among the number of issues in Israel at the moment is the controversial judicial overhaul and the intensifying conflict with Palestinians. In Syria, there’ve been days of anti- government protests in the south of the country, Sebastian backgrounds what’s motivating them and assesses the threat they pose to President Bashar al-Assad. And there's been a disturbing report about the hundreds of Ethiopian migrants killed in the past year at the Saudi Arabia border with Yemen.

Sebastian Usher is a BBC Middle East analyst, editor and reporter.

10:05 A secret child of the Catholic Church 

When Brendan Watkins was a child, he was told he had been adopted through a catholic welfare agency in Melbourne in the 1960s. As an adult, he eventually tracked down his biological mother, and was stunned to learn she was a Catholic nun, and wanted nothing to do with him. It was another 30 years before a DNA test revealed the identity of his father; he was a Catholic priest. For Brendan, it was the end of a decades-long search, which had been obstructed by the Catholic Church, bent on protecting the identity of his father. Brendan Watkins speaks to Kathryn about finally telling his story in his memoir, Tell No One. 

10:35 Book review: The Waters by Carl Nixon

Louise Ward reviews The Waters by Carl Nixon published by Penguin Random House NZ    
 

10:45 Around the motu: Simon Wilson in Auckland

Simon looks at recent sport in the City of Sails. He says Auckland's all excited with the Warriors in the top 4 in the NRL, although it's unclear if they'll be able to play at their home stadium, Mt Smart. Up the Wahs fever has hit town. Simon also talks to Kathryn about the impact the FIFA Women's World Cup has had on the city, and how Auckland Transport coped with the influx of fans. And the bus driver shortage is no longer, but there are still major issues with the ferries. He also gives an update on how Queen Street's facelift is going and why some residents affected by Cyclone Gabrielle are still in limbo.

Simon Wilson is a Senior Writer NZ Herald
 

11:05 Political commentators Dale Husband & Tim Hurdle

Correspondents Dale Husband and Tim Hurdle join Kathryn to discuss Chris Hipkins ruling out any possibility of Labour working with New Zealand First and Winston Peters post-election - even as the party creeps up in the polls. They'll also talk about what to expect in the last week of Parliament, the passage of the Three Waters legislation, the boon to National Party coffers, the contempt ruling against National MP Tim van de Molen and what the PREFU opening of the books might reveal in two weeks.

Dale Husband is a long time broadcaster and Radio Waatea presenter hosting a Maori focused current affairs programme.

Tim Hurdle is a former National senior adviser, was the National Party Campaign Director in 2020. He is a director of several companies, including Museum Street Strategies, a public affairs firm.

11:30 Coffee Supreme marks 30 years: From Wellington cafe to global coffee business

Coffee Supreme is celebrating 30 years in the business, which began in a small Wellington cafe and has expanded into cafes around New Zealand, Australia and Japan. The company roasts locally in each market, with a seasonal focus on its beans and blends and long relationships with its growers in South America. To mark its anniversary, the company has released a book called "Open Sesame" which is the perfect coffee table book charting the changes over the years. Kathryn is joined by Andrew Low - Coffee Supreme's CEO - and Natalie Guest, who's been with the company for 10 years across a variety of jobs and is now its New Zealand wholesale manager.

 

11:45 How the built environment is manipulating you

Urban issues correspondent Bill McKay looks at how the built environment isn't as neutral as you'd think - it can be racist, sexist, elitist, ageist and ableist - and subtly and frequently manipulating us. He looks at the example of supermarkets, a place that is supposed to be easy and efficient for us to shop but uses design to get us to buy more.

Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.