Nine To Noon for Tuesday 15 October 2024

09:05 Privatising airport security touted

The Transport Minister is looking at potentially privatising aviation security at airports around the country. This comes as the Civil Aviation Authority - which runs the Aviation Security Service -  has proposed a 146 per cent increase in passenger safety levies, in the face of a 100 million dollar plus shortfall. Simeon Brown has put out a discussion document, which includes the possibility of airport security being run by airports, airlines and private security companies. Mr Brown says he understands the passenger levy needs to rise as it hasn't been reviewed since 2017, but he has ruled out any more funding for CAA from July next year. The union E Tu represents many aviation security staff - spokesperson Michael Wood, a former Labour Transport Minister, says aviation security is a core regulatory service which should not be privatised to a for-profit organisation.

09:15 Pharmacies lament funding shortfall following annual contract renewal

A 2.5 percent funding increase for pharmacies is half of what Health New Zealand's own figures show the sector needs in order to meet cost pressures. The Integrated Community Pharmacy Services Agreement sets out the terms by which Health New Zealand funds pharmacies for their work. It's mostly linked to the dispensing of prescriptions. It states there be a national review each year - and that this review will consider cost pressure adjustments. However the Pharmacy Guild which negotiates on behalf of pharmacy owners at this review says this year Health NZ came to the table with a low-ball number and wouldn't budge. They were given a take-it-or leave funding increase of 2.51 per cent, despite cost pressures estimated by Health NZ's own figures putting the amount required at 5.62 per cent. GPs, who concluded their annual review talks just ahead of the pharmacists were offered a 4 percent lift but also were allowed to increase their co-payment fees making it in real terms about 5.8 pct. Pharmacists have very few options to bridge the revenue gap, and with workforce pressures already at a boiling point, there are fears this will spell the end for some community entities. Kathryn speaks to chief executive of the Pharmacy Guild Andrew Gaudin and owner of Mangawhai Pharmacy Lanny Wong.

09:30 South Dunedin needs help with climate adaptation now: councillor

Nearly 50 properties across Dunedin were red or yellow-stickered in the floods which hit the city and surrounds ten days ago. Many of them are in low lying South Dunedin where some residents are struggling to find accommodation, with others moving from motel to motel every few days. Options for climate adaptation in that part of the city has been the primary focus of the South Dunedin Future working group -  run by the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council. Earlier this year Dunedin City Council applied to Treasury's National Resilience Plan for $132.5m to buy up at risk South Dunedin properties, but was knocked back. The decision was raised with the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell when they visited Dunedin in the wake of the rain event: neither of them had ever heard of it. But Prime Minister Luxon said the government's approach is to develop a nationwide climate adaption framework- to be revealed early next year -  not a "bespoke response". Sophie Barker is a Dunedin City Councillor who's part of the South Dunedin Future working group.

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

Donald Trump has threatened to use of national guard or military to handle his political opponents .. meanwhile Kamala Harris, is targeting Latino and Black voters, as well as young voters, after evidence that some in those reliably democratic groups are swaying Republican. And FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has put up a website debunking lies about the government's Hurricane Milton response.

Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk.

10:05 How did we come to be called 'Kiwis'?

How did residents of Aotearoa New Zealand come to be called by the name of a flightless brown bird and a hairy fruit from China? It's a question cultural historian Richard Wolfe has set out to answer in his latest book Kiwi: A Curious Case of National Identity. He explores the kiwi's natural history and its early use in brand names, trademarks and symbols. He also looks at its particular association with the military - and the connection to a boot polish that originated in Australia. So when did we start to attribute particular values and traits to being 'Kiwi'? And how did the Chinese gooseberry end up as 'kiwifruit' - something Queen Elizabeth once admitted was her favourite fruit? Richard Wolfe joins Kathryn to explain what he found.

10:35 Book review: A Wild Life by Shaun Barnett 

Peter Laurenson reviews A Wild Life by Shaun Barnett published by Potton & Burton

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

North Canterbury has five projects included among 149 projects in the Government's Fast Track Approvals Bill. David outlines what they are and community reaction. Also attacks on native birds by dogs are causing concern in Kaikōura. The latest incident involved two little penguins / kororā found outside their burrow, next to a rock wall on the Esplanade.And the Waimakariri District Council and other agencies are taking a stand against 4WDs on the Ashley Rakahuri River.

Local Democracy Reporter with North Canterbury News, based in Rangiora

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Vista's boardroom tussle with Potentia takes another turn as MYOB chair drops out of running. NZ's largest private company investor Direct Capital is celebrating 30 years this week since its founding in 1994. And one of Australia's oldest and largest private equity firms has struck about one-third of its deals in New Zealand. Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) managing director Cameron Blanks recently visited NZ with a packed day of meetings, including at smart metering firm Intellihub.  

Rebecca Stevenson is a senior journalist at BusinessDesk.

11:30 Anna Yeoman: in praise of geckos and skinks

From her earliest childhood, Anna Yeoman loved New Zealand's wildlife and wild landscapes. Five years ago she began volunteering at Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary in Central Otago, and fell in love with lizards. Aotearoa is home to some of the most diverse and fascinating lizards on the planet: some camouflaged and hard to spot;  some incredibly brightly coloured; some living in alpine areas, and others in seabird burrows. Anna Yeoman began writing about geckos and skinks for magazines including New Zealand Geographic and North & South.  She's now a ranger at Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary and has published a book about the lizards she loves so much.

11:45 Sports correspondent Glen Larmer

Glen discusses New Zealand's progress in defending the America's Cup, strong performances across the board at the National Provincial Championship, and more.