Nine To Noon for Friday 18 October 2024

09:05 Darleen Tana's future lies with Speaker

Darleen Tana's future as an MP now lies with parliament's speaker. Last night The Green Party's membership overwhelmingly voted to use the waka jumping legislation to kick Darleen Tana out of Parliament.Ms Tana quit the party in July,  amid allegations of migrant exploitation at her husband's bicycle business, and an investigation that found Darleen Tana `likely knew' about the claims and didn't tell the party. It's the first time the waka-jumping provision has been used since the early 2000s. Former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes joins Kathryn.

09:15 West Coast first region to offer specialist rural medicine training

The West Coast has the green light to train doctors in rural and remote medicine ....what will this mean for health care in less populated regions? Health NZ West Coast is now accredited to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine training. The college is the first in the world dedicated to rural and remote practice. West Coast Chief Medical Officer Brendan Marshall tells Kathryn the programme could see doctors from here and Australia drawn to Coast.

09:30 BNZ expands home loans on Māori owned land

BNZ is expanding its programme of home loans at standard home loan rates for building on iwi land. Banks have traditionally been reluctant to offer home loans for housing on communally owned land because they can't use the land as security. BNZ has been running a pilot scheme in Auckland in collaboration with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and is now extending it. BNZ Head of Māori Business Whetu Rangi joins Kathryn. 

09:45 Pacific correspondent Koroi Hawkins

RNZ Pacific Editor Koroi Hawkins with a developing story on a split in the Fiji government, CHOGM gets under in Samoa on Monday and the firebombing of a news organisation in Indonesia's Papua region has been condemned as assault on media freedom.

10:05 Hundreds of Timaru meatworkers lose their jobs as the plant shuts down

Six hundred meatworkers in Timaru have just learned they've lost their jobs at the Smithfield plant at an all-staff meeting. The plan was first announced at a meeting on September 27, and consultation on the proposal ended last week. All operations at the 139-year-old plant will halt by the end of December. Owner Alliance Group says it's under pressure from a decline in sheep processing numbers and more land being used for forestry. RNZ reporter Delphine Herbert has been outside the meeting, and she joins Kathryn.
 

10:10 Canadian conservationist Harvey Locke on his mission to re-wild the world

Canadian conservationist Harvey Locke is responsible for much of the science and policy design work for several major conservation movements. Initially trained as a lawyer, he pivoted in 1999 to work full time on conservation. Among his credits are the 30x30 policy, calling for governments to designate 30 per cent of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. Similarly, the Nature Needs Half initiative calls for the halt and reversal of the loss of nature by 2030 so that there's more nature by 2030 than there was in 2020. And the High Ambition Coalition of Countries for Nature and People has 119 countries committing to these policies - New Zealand is yet to sign on. Mr Locke is in New Zealand in his capacity as the Vice Chair for the Nature Positive branch of the International Union of Conservation of Nature, and he joins Kathryn.

10:30 Graduate pilots struggle to log flying hours: ALPA

The Airline Pilots Association says the lack of small planes available for new pilots is what is preventing the workforce from growing. Yesterday I spoke with the Aviation Industry Association about their research which found at least 100 more pilots are needed each year than are currently being trained. The major issue stopping more people entering the sector, according to the Aviation Industry, is the cap on student loans. The cap prevents students from being able to access the full amount of money needed to complete their studies - with only those able to self-fund able to finish the course. However the group representing airline pilots says while this is a factor,  the bigger issue is the inability for graduates to amass enough flying hours. They say fewer airlines are running smaller planes, and apart from the new Air New Zealand cadet programme, graduates have no choice but to earn their hours overseas, and once they leave it is difficult to get them back. Andrew McKeen is the president of the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association.

10:35 Book review: Cecilia by K-Ming Chang 

Martene McCaffrey of Unity Books Auckland reviews Cecilia by K-Ming Chang published by Harvill Secker

10:45 Around the motu: Jonathan Leask in Ashburton

The Ashbuton District Council has pulled the pin on chasing consent to divert water in Lake Camp, Jonathan explains why.  Ashburton's roading contractor is improving, but not enough for councillors to grant a two year extension to its contract. Instead, the contract will be put up for tender at the end of 2025. And local developers have plans to transform the former Ashburton Public Library building into a boutique hotel 

Local Democracy Reporter - Mid Canterbury Jonathan Leask from the Ashburton Guardian
 

11:05 Music reviewer Grant Smithies​

Born in Barbados, trumpet player Harry Beckett became a key figure in the UK and European jazz scene, and in 2008 swerved sideways to make an album with UK dub producer Adrian Sherwood. We’ll hear two tracks from that today, followed by some prime musical misanthropy from The Fall and rare Filipino funk from Regalado.

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman

The Black Caps have shocked India and the cricketing world -  Sam looks at the incredible turnaround and fortunes along with a big weekend for football in this country, the America’s Cup and netball.

11:45 The week that was

Comedians Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks with some lighter stories, including why the Mayor of a town in Germany has banned cactus plants from municipal buildings.