Nine To Noon for Monday 17 June 2024

09:05 Lawyer brutally bashed in courthouse calls for security changes

A lawyer who was brutally beaten in a courthouse lift last year is calling for changes to security protocol, fearing someone else could be injured - or killed. Family lawyer Brintyn Smith was left with a concussion and PTSD after being attacked by someone involved in a case he was working on, in the Whangārei District Court. He also suffered a fracture to his thyroid cartilage, extensive bruising, and cuts in the assault, which only stopped when he pretended to be dead. 35-year-old Isaac Aydon was sentenced to two years and seven months' imprisonment for the attack. Brintyn Smith is calling for better support for lawyers representing children, more security cameras in courts - including in lifts - and better information sharing if people have tried to enter courts with weapons.

09:25 Should NZ have 'Right to Disconnect' laws?

Australia is the latest country to adopt 'Right to Disconnect' laws, and follows similar moves in Spain, France and other European Union countries. The law bans employers from unreasonable contact with workers outside of their normal working hours.  Australian workers are able to complain to the Fair Work Commission if they feel their work oversteps, which could result in a fine. A recent poll here by the recruitment firm Hays conducted on LinkedIn received 24,759 votes, with 82% of professionals saying they had felt pressured to connect to work outside their normal hours. But what do such laws mean in terms of extra costs for business, and potentially removing the flexibility that some employees now enjoy? Kathryn speaks with Dr Amanda Reilly is a senior lecturer in law at Victoria University of Wellington.

09:45 Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney

Tens of thousands have turned out for big rallies against the far right in France, with opinion polls suggesting the party of Marine Le Pen is on course to win a snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron. In a boost for Ukraine, more than 80 countries and world organisations have signed a final declaration at a peace summit in Switzerland, backing the "territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states" as the basis for any future peace deal. The start of the Euro 2024 football championships has been marred by violence as riot police break up clashes between rival Serbia and England fans. And Sweden and Iran have carried out a prisoner exchange this weekend.

10:05 Alison Pouliot: The hidden kingdom of fungi

The concept of biodiversity is often thought to be flora and fauna - but there's another 'F' word... fungi, which comprises a third forgotten kingdom. Alison Pouliot is an ecologist, environmental photographer, natural historian and fungi fanatic, determined to change the way we understand fungi, which is so often misunderstood. Alison's passion for all things fungi, have taken her rummaging through underbrush all around the world, teaching students, and publishing her findings in three books. The latest is Underground Lovers: Encounters with Fungi.

10:35 Book review:  Interesting Times: Some New Zealanders in Republican China by Chris Elder

Harry Broad reviews Interesting Times: Some New Zealanders in Republican China by Chris Elder published by Te Herenga Waka University Press

Published by: Te Herenga Waka University Press
RRP: $40.00

10:45 Around the motu: Kelly Makiha in Rotorua

 

The Government has come out with a more definite plan for motels in Rotorua for emergency housing. This will leave seven motels available - and three others on Fenton Street, which is the southern gateway to the city will no longer be used. And Kelly has details of case where counterfeit money was being printed by a woman in emergency accommodation.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist with the Rotorua Daily Post

11:05 Political commentators Gareth Hughes & Ben Thomas

Gareth and Ben look at what's being dubbed 'scrutiny' week, a change brought about by the last review of Parliament's standing orders that allows select committees to intensively question ministers and senior public servants. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will be before the Finance and Expenditure committee on Wednesday. And there has been another breakdown for the Prime Minister's plane - the NZDF Boeing 757 - as he was trying to get to Japan.

Gareth Hughes is a former Green MP and now works for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa.

Ben Thomas is a former National government press secretary, a columnist and a director of public affairs firm Capital.

11:30 Reduced to Clear: The grocery chain selling dated food for cheap

Reduced to Clear is a small supermarket chain with a point of difference. It only sells groceries which are close to - or just past - their best before date, which are not typically sold at regular stores. And it does so with discounts of between 30% to 80%. Founder Sean Hills opened the first Reduced to Clear in Manukau in 2008, after his career in the food industry opened his eyes to the level of wastage. And he says the concept is a win-win for manufacturers, who otherwise wouldn't sell the goods. Reduced to Clear has just opened its fifteenth store in Christchurch.

11:45 Can social housing be run on a more business-like basis?

Kāinga Ora is set to tighten its belt after an independent review raised alarms over its financial situation. Bill McKay looks at the way social housing is run, and to what extent it could - and should - operate like a business. And will the financial trimming impact Kāinga Ora's broader ambitions, such as urban design, prefabrication experimentation, and waste reduction programmes?

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