Nine To Noon for Tuesday 12 March 2024

09:05 Attracting school leavers to careers in desperately labour-short horticulture industry 

Secondary school horticulture and agribusiness programmes are seen as an integral tool for attracting more workers to primary industries.There is a serious labour shortage in the horticulture, part filled by the RSE - Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, which allows for overseas recruitment for seasonal work. Another initiative is the Agribusiness in Schools programme. It provides a pathway for students to seek tertiary training and ultimately jobs. Last year close to 11,000 students took Agriculture or Horticulture at secondary schools around the country, with a further 524 taking Agribusiness as a subject. Kathryn talks to Hort NZ Chief Executive Nadine Tunley and also to the director of  the Agribusiness in Schools programme, Craig Preston - Dr Preston heads the initiative at John McGlashan College in Dunedin.

09:25 Is Tonga's taxing of unhealthy foods having an impact?

It's ten years since Tonga moved to tax some unhealthy food and make other healthier food more affordable. Since then, other Pacific nations have followed suit. Andrea Teng, from Otago University's department of public health has been monitoring progress and says New Zealand could take note.

09:35 New report warns valuable soil being lost under urban development

A new report warns there is not enough being done to protect healthy soil in urban areas - and it could have consequences during heavy rain events. Soil plays a crucial role in stormwater drainage, and it also helps foster green spaces in cities by allowing room for tree roots to spread. But the latest report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says residential development is putting soil under pressure. Large amounts of soil are often removed during earthworks, and not restored during landscaping. In other cases, it is simply paved over. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton joins Nine to Noon to explain why it is a concern, and what can be done.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Ron Elving has the takeaways from President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech, and the highly controversial Republican response. And a weekend of dueling rallies have unfolded in the state of Georgia, between President Biden and rival presidential candidate Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the first of former President Trump's criminal trials may be just two weeks away - but he's once again seeking to delay it.

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

10:05 Surgeon Ineke Meredith on balancing a career in medicine and business

Dr Ineke Meredith is a surgeon with a subspecialty interest in breast cancer and breast reconstruction.She spent her childhood between Auckland and Samoa, moving to New Zealand to study medicine. She has published research articles in international peer-reviewed medical journals on breast cancer and reconstruction, cancer rates among Pacific peoples in New Zealand, and has participated in international collaborations on cancer rates in diaspora. Ineke Meredith is also the founder and director of Fur Love, a canine skincare company.  She speaks to Kathryn Ryan about her new memoir, On Call: Stories from my life as a surgeon, a daughter and a mother.

10:35 Book review: Small Hours by Bobby Palmer 

Louise Ward of Wardini Books reviews Small Hours by Bobby Palmer published by Hachette

Pub by: Hachette
RRP: $37.99

10:45 Around the motu: David Hill in North Canterbury

The Kaikōura District Council will notify a change to the Kaikōura District Plan tomorrow. This will strengthen lighting regulations and will allow the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust to apply for dark sky sanctuary status for the district and dark sky community status for the town from the International Dark-sky Association. And David explains why Waimakariri has reacted to a letter from the Christchurch City Council appealing for contributions to the operating costs of Te Kaha, Christchurch stadium.

11:05 Business commentator Victoria Young

Victoria Young has just returned from Bangkok, where she attended a conference which largely focused on scams and how the private sector could get involved in shutting them down. While she was there, she stopped in to Fonterra's Thailand office, to see how the company is expanding into international markets, including fast-food chains and convenience stores. Finally, a look at how bitcoin is entering the mainstream, and why it's too big to ignore.

BusinessDesk investigations editor, Victoria Young visited Bangkok as the recipient of a Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative grant.

11:30 History: the genesis of Tongariro National Park 

Historian Dr Jock Phillips' has spent a career uncovering and documenting Aotearoa New Zealand's past, today he's going to focus on Tongariro - the country's first National park,  which began with the 'gift' of the Ngāto Tuwharetoa chief, Horonuku Te Heu Heu in 1887.

11:45 Sports-chat with Sam Ackerman