Nine To Noon for Thursday 7 March 2024

09:05 Advocates call for family violence visa to be made easier

Advocates say migrant women who are victims of family violence are finding themselves in situations where they have to return to live with an abuser because of cumbersome visa rules. They want the Government to act on recommendations it received from a select committee in 2022 to make the victims of family violence visa accessible to more migrants who need it. The biggest obstacle has been the requirement on victims - largely women - to prove they can't return to their home country due to the impacts of stigma or lack of financial support. The family violence visa gives them six months to work here, but just 43 people a year received it in the last five years. Community Law advocates say victims are often going back to dangerous homes because they are not getting visas and other support systems they need to leave. Dhilum Nightingale is a barrister with Kate Sheppard Chambers who works with Community Law providing immigration legal advice to victims of family violence in ethnic communities. Sarah Croskery-Hewitt is a leading researcher on this issue and is a former community lawyer with Community Law.

09:25 Inside the rise and fall of Hillsong Church

New Zealand born Brian Houston built a global brand after founding the Hillsong Pentecostal church in Australia. Starting with a small congregation which gathered in a Sydney school hall, it grew to gaining a weekly attendance of more than 150,000 people worldwide. Justin Bieber, some of the Kardashians and the former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison were amongst attendees. But when the church was at the height of its popularity, it was rocked by a series of scandals and fraud allegations and Brian Houston was charged with concealing his father's sexual abuse of a minor. He's since been acquitted, but by then the megachurch he founded had disowned him. In his new book Mine Is The Kingdom, Australian investigative journalist David Hardaker takes the reader inside the rise and dramatic fall of Brian Houston and the tarnishing of Hillsong.

09:45 UK: Hunt's spring Budget, PM's chore boasts, another Royal down

UK correspondent Matthew Parris breaks down what's in chancellor Jeremy Hunt's spring budget, including a cut to national insurance rates and a tax on the liquid used in vapes. An interview for International Women's Day may not have gone the way Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expected and Queen Camilla joins the list of Royals off-duty at the moment.

10:05 Natano Keni and Sarita So on balancing a theatre and life partnership 

Natano Keni and Sarita So are both actors, writers and directors, as well as co-founders of their production company I Ken So...and also, husband and wife. Their production O le Pepelo, Le Gaoi Ma Le Pala'ai - The Liar, the Thief and the Coward opens at Auckland's Waterfront Theatre tonight as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. It's a dark comedy about leadership and tradition in Samoa - what happens when a proud chief falls ill and refuses to name a successor. Natano is Samoan, born and raised in the Hutt, while Sarita's parents fled the Cambodia's Khmer Rouge for New Zealand. She's explored their story and her connection to it in her solo play Digging to Cambodia.

10:35 Book review: Marcia Williams: The Life and Times of Baroness Falkender by Linda McDougall 

Dean Bedford reviews Marcia Williams: The Life and Times of Baroness Falkender by Linda McDougall published by Biteback Publishing

10:45 Around the motu: Libby Kirkby McLeod in Hamilton

The Hamilton City Council  has voted to ask Hamiltonians if they were willing to cut staff and services as rates are set to rise. There's concern for some children living in emergency housing have nowhere to play. Libby also talks to Kathryn about some unwanted reptiles in Waikato waterways, and Hamilton has a new temporary art feature, the Boon Sculpture Trail.

11:05 TVNZ proposes to cut jobs

TVNZ is looking to cut 68 jobs from the business. The company - which at December had 735 full-time employees - recently reported a half-year loss of $16.8 million. It follows the announced closure of rival Three's news division Newshub. This all comes as the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill is debated, something that could force large businesses like Facebook and Google to negotiate to pay for the news they use. The presenter of RNZ's Mediawatch is Colin Peacock.

11:10 Tech: Meta dumps Aussie media deal, bad week for Apple

Technology correspondent Bill Bennett breaks down the end of the relationship between Australian media and Meta, which walked away from the country's news media bargaining code. How much was the deal and what impact will its end have on local companies? Europe is ramping up efforts to reign in the tech giants, Apple's been fined  €1.8 billion and it's also dropped a 10-year project to build a self-driving electric car.

11:25 Parenting : Why social media friendships are crucial for young adolescents 

It is a vexed issue for many parents, how to navigate the social media tightrope with their children and be aware of the dangers. Dr Mandy Truong is a public health researcher from the Australian Institute of Family Studies who is across the positive aspects of online activity. She says having friends is critical for early adolescents but so too is social media. She has written a paper which pulls together research evidence about the influence of positive peer relationships for 8-14 year olds - and how it affects their social and emotional development.

11:45 Screentime: Beyond Utopia, Kāinga Whenua, James Must-a-pic His Mum a Man

Film and TV reviewer Tamar Munch joins Kathryn to talk about documentary Beyond Utopia (DocPlay) which looks at the network of safe houses and "underground railroads" used by North Korean defectors to get to freedom. She'll also talk about Kāinga Whenua (Whakaata Maori and Maori+), which follows Pio Terei as he discovers how people are reconnecting with their whenua, and James Must-a-pic His Mum a Man (TVNZ+) which is a hilarious new dating show.

Do you need help?

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111.

Other places to seek help:

Women's Refuge
For women and children. 0800 733 843

Shine
Free call 0508 744 633 domestic abuse helpline for women and men, daily 9am-11pm.

Shakti
24-hour Crisis Line 0800 742 284: 0800SHAKTI

Oranga Tamariki
0508 326 459

It's Not OK
0800 456 450

Youthline
0800 376 633 or text free 234

Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura - Outing Violence
Information about how partner and sexual violence affects Rainbow communities

Outline Aotearoa
0800 688 5463 (0800 OUTLINE) for Rainbow support. 6-9pm every day

Free counselling service NEED TO TALK?
Free call or text 1737 any time

 

Music played in this show

Track: Lost in Translation
Artist: Sammy Alixander
Time played: 9:55am

Track: Young Americans
Artist: David Bowie
Time played: 10:35am

Track: Seven Nation Army
Artist: The White Stripes
Time played: 10:40am

Track: Wavy
Artist: Muroki
Time played: 11:45am