Nine To Noon for Wednesday 26 June 2024

09:05 Haumoana residents flee high tide amid coastal battering

Residents in the Hawke's Bay beachside settlement of Haumoana have evacuated overnight, with more than 100 sheltering in Haumoana School. Some reported waves crashing over houses in the night. High tide has just passed. Kathryn speaks to Haumoana resident Amanda Jung, who was told by police to leave in the early hours of the morning. Her husband Paul elected to stay, he describes what he can see.

9:10: Hawke's Bay Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst on situation for low-lying properties

Kathryn speaks with Hawke's Bay mayor Sandra Hazlehurst on the decision to evacuate residents of low-lying suburbs ahead of the high tide expected before 9am.

09:15 Wairoa Mayor Craig Little on state of emergency

The town of Wairoa, badly beaten by Cyclone Gabrielle, has again entered a state of emergency following this latest big rain event. Just after 6am this morning residents received a mobile alert advising them to leave their houses due to rising levels on the Wairoa river. Mayor Craig Little joins Kathryn.

09:30 Nearly 2,000 responses to HRT shortage survey

Thousands of women have responded to a survey on the impact of the shortage of hormone therapy patches,  as pharmacists and doctors call for better communication from Pharmac. A global shortage of HRT patches has hit New Zealand hard - with many women having to shop around different pharmacies, or cut down on patch use to make them last longer. Hawkes Bay GP Samantha Newman launched a survey just over a week ago, asking women how they have been affected by the shortages. So far nearly 2,000 women have responded, and Dr Newman says this illustrates the depth of the problem. Dr Newman tells Kathryn Ryan Pharmac's communication with doctors, patients and pharmacists is woeful. Kathryn also speaks with Auckland Pharmacist Vicky Chan.

 

09:40 Mystery of finfish milky flesh syndome solved

Scientists investigating the milky flesh syndrome affecting snapper and some other finfish has found they're malnourished. In a report just released this morning, Fisheries New Zealand  has found that the fish are skinny and hungry. Director of Science & Information Simon Lawrence says there's also a mix of complex climate factors contributing to their flesh turning milky white. Fishers raised the alarm in 2022, after catching affected snapper and trevally. Testing at the time found no biosecurity of food safety concerns. It has been most prevalent throughout the inner Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland, and around Doubtless Bay near Northland. 

 

09:45 Australia: Assange family welcomes return, Opposition's big nuclear plans

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane joins Kathryn to talk about the likely return this week of Australian citizen Julian Assange following his plea deal with US prosecutors that ends his long-running legal saga. He'll also talk about the massive spend on nuclear power stations pledged by the Opposition coalition.

Bernard Keane is political editor for Crikey.com

10:05 Hawkes Bay Civil Defence group controller Ian Macdonald

The coastal area of Haumoana is one of the worst hit by the storm. Dozens of residents were evacuated in the early hours of the morning and a state of emergency has been declared. Hawkes Bay Civil Defence group controller Ian MacDonald spoke to Kathryn after the latest briefing.

10:10 Italian alpinist and Everest helicopter pilot Simone Moro

Simone Moro has been involved in some extraordinary missions over the years through his high-altitude mountaineering career, and as a helicopter pilot. Growing up in Bergamo, Italy, he began climbing with his father in the nearby alps when he was just 13, igniting a passion which saw him first attempt Everest at age 25. He didn't reach the summit, though he has done four times since. No other alpinist has completed four 'first ascents' during the winter season above 8000m. In 2001, he was traversing the Everest-Lhotse peaks, when he stopped to rescue an English climber, enduring horrific conditions in darkness, on his own, with an extremely high risk of avalanche and without supplementary oxygen. He was also the first European helicopter pilot qualified to fly in Nepal and has undertaken several rescue operations, including the highest long-line rescue at 7,800m on Everest in 2013. And he's in Central Otago to speak at the New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival.

10:35 Hastings Mayor on state of emergency

In Hastings, a coastal state of emergency is in place as big seas batter Haumoana. Around 140 low-lying houses were evacuated early this morning, as a precaution ahead of the high tide, which happened just before 9am. Hastings mayor Sandra Hazelhurst spoke to Kathryn after a briefing.

10:40 Book review: Embracing Hope by Viktor Frankl 

Cynthia Morahan reviews Embracing Hope by Viktor Frankl published by Penguin Random House

10:45 Wairoa Mayor Craig Little: latest on the weather

In the Northern Hawkes Bay town of Wairoa, residents have been evacuating since about 6am. Mayor Craig Little speaks to Kathryn.

10:50 Around the motu : Robin Martin in Taranaki

New Plymouth businesses are concerned about rising inner city crime, as more than 30 people have been trespassed from a pedestrianised space in the CBD, that has become notorious for trouble. And tentacle drums, fire poi and music are set to delight at New Plymouth's Winter Festival of Lights this weekend.

11:05 Music with Ian Chapman: New Dunedin sound 

Demonstrating once again the enormous diversity of the Otepoti Dunedin music scene of 2024, today Ian Chapman showcases new music from four very different acts. From the infectious swamp rockabilly of Bulletproof Convertible - a hugely danceable live act currently making a splash with their series of 'Dead Rocker’s Ball' shows in rural towns - to the beautifully haunting Cohen-esque songwriting and silky vocals of Leigham Fitzpatrick; the extraordinary reinvention of Dunedin drumming legend Marcel Rodeka (of 1970s Mother Goose fame) with his remarkable debut solo EP, and the sophisticated pop/goth electronica of Elenor Rayner's Robots in Love, this morning’s music spot truly has it all.

Ian Chapman is honorary Senior Research Fellow in Music at the University of Otago

 

11:20 Finding joy and purpose in retirement

How much thought have you given to what retirement might look like - not so much the financial element, but the literal day to day, filling your newfound time? Di Murphy recalls the moment her husband John, just one day after leaving his busy law job, collapsed into a stroke; she believes in large part brought on by his purpose - working - grinding to a halt. It prompted some tough conversations with her daughter Kristin Sutherland around what retiring well should look like - in particular, finding meaning and joy in the later years. The mother-daughter duo have used their own experience to grow SMART Retirement; a platform to support people to keep busy and social through their later years. And they have just released a book - Dare to Retire Free; a guide for a fun-filled, not time-filled retirement.

11:45 Science: Relationships + face recognition, chimp self-medication

Science correspondent Jen Martin joins us to talk about how your ability to recognise faces might be affected by how many high-quality close relationships you have. Chimpanzees have been observed going out of their way to find plants with medicinal qualities when they're ill. And a study in rats has found that a key brain signal linked to memory formation deteriorates after broken sleep.

Jen Martin founded the science communication program at the University of Melbourne, runs the espressoscience.com blog and is also the author of Why Am I Like This?: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits.