Nine To Noon for Monday 23 September 2024

09:05 Former District Court judge discusses impact of planned sentencing law changes

In a bid to meet its crime reduction targets, a bill to tighten sentences and reduce judicial discretion has been introduced to parliament by the Justice Minister. The changes include capping the discount a judge can apply to 40 percent of the maximum penalty, preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse, encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing and amending the principles of sentencing to boost the rights of the victim. In a separate amendment to the Sentencing Act the Government is also bringing back the Three Strikes law. The Ministry of Justice predicts as a result the prison population will lift by 1350 at a cost to the state of $150m over 10 years. David Harvey was a district court judge from 1989 until 2016 and then from 2018 until 2021 on an Acting Warrant. He speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:30 Children's music charity Arohanui Strings faces funding crisis

The viability of a successful charity that provides kids in low socio-economic areas with music lessons hangs in the balance after it failed to secure funding from Creative New Zealand. Wellington's Arohanui Strings began in 2010 with one after school class in Lower Hutt and has since ballooned to classes across Naenae, Taita, Stokes Valley, Wainuiomata, Newtown, Miramar and Mt Cook with about 5000 children having gone through the programme. Last year the organisation's work was recognised at the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards, where it won the Education and Child Youth Development Award. In previous years it has increasingly relied on funding from the government arts organisation - Creative NZ - however this year it was unsuccessful. Creative NZ had  400 applications asking for nearly $40m from its Arts Organisations and Groups Fund this year, of which it was able to approve just over $8m. Donald Armstrong is the associate concertmaster for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and is a tutor and board member at Arohanui Strings, he talks to Kathryn Ryan alongside Margaret Guldborg who is the organisation's programme director. 

09:45 Europe: Germany's far-right heat, France's fragile new govt

Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney looks at the result of a regional election in Germany which saw Olaf Scholz's party only just fending off the far-right, anti-immigrant AfD party. France has its most right-wing government in a decade, but will it survive confidence vote in the coming weeks? The new EU Commission has been unveiled, with security a new top priority and Storm Boris has hit Italy particularly badly after leaving a trail of destruction across central Europe.

10:05 Blind surfer Matt Formston on riding the world's biggest wave

Matt Formston is a world champion surfer,  Australian Paralympian, cyclist, author, executive coach and motivational speaker. Now he can add to his list having surfed the world's biggest wave - at Nazare, in Portugal. His feat is the subject of the film The Blind Sea, currently screening in cinemas here. At the age of five, Matt Formston lost 95 per cent of his vision from macular distrophy. He's been a vocal advocate for disability rights and says the film is all about proving that people with disabilities can achieve incredible things.

10:35 Book review: The Empusium by Olga Torkarczuk

Stella Chrysostomou of Volume Books reviews The Empusium by Olga Torkarczuk, published by Text Publishing

10:45 Around the motu: Amy Williams in Auckland

 

The deadline is looming for Auckland Council's buyout of properties damaged in the 2023 Anniversary weekend floods, but so far only half of those affected have signed up. Amy has been talking to a Kainga Ora tenant furious that she was not told her house was on a flood plain, and then she was moved to a house where there'd been a shooting, that she was not told about.  Also Amy looks at Mayor Wayne Brown's proposed second harbour crossing, and talks to Kathryn about a globally recognised rock attraction at Muriwai.

11:05 Political commentators Neale Jones and Liam Hehir

Neale, Liam and  Kathryn discuss a range of law and order issues, including gang patch legislation, violent crime data and the adding of more police officers to community patrol teams. Also the latest GDP figure and what’s happening in the transport portfolio.

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.

Liam Hehir is a Palmerston North lawyer, political commentator and a National Party member.

11:25 The food company feeding those who struggle to swallow

When Sam Bridgewater's stepdad was going through cancer and couldn't swallow normal food, it sparked what is now a global business. The Pure Food Company is a food making and delivery business that now services hospitals and rest homes around New Zealand, Australia and more recently in France. The company was started in 2013 when Sam saw his stepdad's recovery was slowed by his poor nutrition. He saw a gap in the market learning that older people require twice as much protein as elite athletes and most were getting about half of what they needed. The Pure Food Co makes pureed foods frozen into known food shapes like broccoli or cauliflower - but they have more nutrients. Other products include snacks and smoothies. The company's now working with every hospital in New Zealand and 80 per cent of the aged care facilities. Sam and co-founder Maia Royal won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in the services category last week. Sam talks to Kathryn about the journey the business has been on.

11:45 From Pre-fab to De-fab: Two examples of building waste reduction

Urban issues correspondent Bill McKay looks at two different building methods that are both good at minimising construction waste. He looks at a pre-fabricated pensioner housing project in Pt Chevalier and compares it to what he calls de-fabrication - where damaged houses are moved to a different site and repaired, rather than being demolished.

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