Nine To Noon for Monday 11 March 2024

09:05 What is happening to consumers' power bills, with low-use fixed charges coming off? 

Power companies are alerting some consumers to another increase to their bills as low-use fixed charges continue to be phased out. And it is not now clear a review of the policy to be done by the Ministry of Businesss, Innovation and Employment will go ahead. From April 1 electricity retailers will be able to increase their daily charges from $1.03 per day to $1.38. The phase-out began in 2022 and was set to go for five years. It is on track to increase again to $1.72 next April - if the current Government doesn't intervene. The previous Government decided to phase out the low-use fixed charges which are paid by around 60 percent of households - arguing it was unfair for higher-use households to pay more for distribution. The chair of the Consumer Advocacy Council, Deborah Hart, talks to Kathryn. 

09:15 Earthquake testing in a giant shaking lab in China 

New Zealand engineers and researchers have been at one of the world's biggest earthquake laboratories in Shanghai to test low-impact solutions for earthquake resilience. The Chinese lab at Tongji University can simulate the effect of earthquakes on three-storey buildings and is one of the world's biggest laboratories of its type. Engineers and researchers from the Earthquake Commission, Building Research Association of New Zealand and Auckland and Canterbury universities took their building innovations to test at the Chinese facility. Professor Greg MacRae, who co-ordinated the ongoing research, spoke to Kathryn about some of the innovations. The Earthquake Commission's head of research Natalie Balfour joined the conversation and spoke about how the research could be used to improve earthquake strengthening and building resilience. 

09.35 Cutting edge technology helps the IRD nab would-be fraudsters 

Data released by Inland Revenue shows a new multi-million dollar technology upgrade is making a big difference in curbing tax fraud. One of the largest and most ambitious of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the 1.5-billion-dollar business transformation programme was completed in June last year. Since then IRD has screened ten million tax returns using the new tools which identified risks in more than 200,000 tax returns and stopped them for manual review. Tracey Lloyd is head of the department's Compliance Strategy and Innovation unit.

09:45 Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney

Sweden will raise its flag at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, after officially become the 32nd member of the western defence alliance. Over in France, President Emmanuel Macron is planning to lead a campaign for the EU to enshrine abortion access under the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights. Ireland has rejected changes to rewrite parts of the constitution seen as outdated - but there's criticism the issue was presented to the public in a confusing way. And in Portugal, people are heading to the polls in a tight election race.

10:05 Underwater adventurer Oliver Steeds' quest to explore species hidden in the depths of the planet     

Oliver Steeds began his career as a journalist and documentary filmmaker, gaining a public profile for his adventurous spirit and dedication to solving historical mysteries. In 2015 he co-founded Nekton, a not-for-profit research foundation and a UK-registered charity established to accelerate the scientific exploration and protection of the ocean. Ocean Census is one of Nekton's key initiatives, aimed at cataloguing marine biodiversity and filling significant gaps in the global understanding of oceanic life. Its most recent expedition was in New Zealand's Bounty Trough, south of the Chatham Islands, discovering hundreds of new and potentially new ocean species. Oliver Steeds speaks to Kathryn Ryan.

10:35 Book review: Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux 

Louise O'Brien reviews Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux published by Penguin Random House

10:45 Around the motu: Matthew Rosenberg in Invercargill

Matthew focuses on the state of emergency for the Bluecliffs area. The threat of erosion to the community is acute and work is continuing to find ways to clear the site  to make it safe.
 

Matthew Rosenberg is a Local Democracy Reporter based at the Otago Daily Times, Invercargill. 

11:05 Political commentators Neale Jones and Brigitte Morten

Time is up on the Government's 100-day priority plan - Neale and Brigitte talk about what's been achieved. Also up for discussion is the new $20b transport plan, a new fast-track bill for big projects, what could happen to the food in schools programme, and the Greens' new co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital.

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis.

11:30 The challenge of creating plant-based nutrition drinks for the tiniest tastebuds

Ten percent of infants have a food allergy by the age of one - and one of the most common is to dairy. That can pose quite a challenge to baby formula makers, one of which is Haven, a New Zealand-based producer of infant formula. In addition to its whole-milk, A2 cow and goat formulations it's now adding an Oat-based toddler drink. Kathryn is joined by Haven CEO Kara Fleming.

11:45 Urban Issue: How wheelchair accessibility can benefit us all

Bill McKay looks at how designing public spaces with wheelchair accessibility at the forefront can benefit everyone, and not just those with obvious disabilities. The term 'universal design' conveys the idea that features such as ramps, wider doorways and so on, can cater to the very young and the old, pregnant people, the sick, the physically impaired and even fit and healthy people who may be carrying groceries or other burdens. Bill examines how much of this concept is written into the New Zealand Building Code, and where the gaps are.

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