Nine To Noon for Friday 25 October 2024

09:05 Blind people with guide dogs left on the curb by taxis and Ubers 

Blind Low Vision NZ says people with assistance dogs are constantly experiencing discrimination by ride share services and taxis, illegally refusing their fare. Under the Human Rights Act, disability assist dogs are entitled to travel on all forms of public transport, including in taxis. Blind Low Vision NZ community and inclusion general manager, Dan Shepherd says he and his guide dog Ezra have experienced ride refusal too many times to count.  And he says a recent client-facing survey has shown that transport is in the top five areas of life where discrimination is prevalent, affecting 40% of respondents. Also discussing the issue is Warren Quirke who is the Executive Director of the Small Passenger Service Association.

09:25 Gisborne residents petition council for faster road repairs 

Two rural Gisborne women have started petitions for action on road repairs- frustrated that 18 months after Cyclone Gabrielle, their road remains cut off from State highway 35. Cryssie Boyd and Lucy Jefferd live on Tauwhareparae Road, which still has 14 slips and dropouts,  the most significant of which is several hundred metres wide.  Cryssie Boyd says what was once a short journey to the local school has become a 90 minute trip each way. Lucy Jefferd also lives and farms on the road,  and says anytime it rains, the road fills up like  basin – blocking access. They talk to Kathryn about their petitions. Tim Barry, Gisborne District Council's director of community lifelines, responds.

09:35 Home grown cinema software business now global

Local cinema software company Vista Group has been named in Callaghan Innovation’s Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report. The report highlights innovative businesses, and has previously named Lanzatech, RocketLab and Pushpay. Vista Group was founded in 1996 with software that merges ticketing and food and beverage concessions into one platform. It now operates in over 100 countries and employs 720 people,  370 of them in New Zealand. Callaghan Vista CEO Stuart Dickinson joins Kathryn.

09:45 Asia correspondent Ed White

North Korean troops appear to be preparing to fight in Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. Ed says there seems to be a thaw in ties between China and India, including progress over the countries' disputed border area. And international aid groups are making desperate pleas for support for a new wave of Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar.

Ed White is a correspondent with the Financial Times based in Shanghai

10:05 Leading UK cult reformer Gillie Jenkinson

When Gillie Jenkinson was in her early 20s she ended up in a religious group that developed into a cult. She says it was in the 1970s and creating 'community' was very popular, but one man soon took over the group. It then started to show the hallmark signs of being a cult - there was coercive control, physical beatings and financial exploitation. It wasn't until the man was confronted by a group of women in the group that the cult fell apart and Gillie left with Tony, another member, who she would end up marrying. Gillie then had a long journey bouncing from various religious groups before deciding on a career as a counsellor. She has since become a leading expert in psychotherapy for people leaving cults. Gillie is the director of Hope Valley Counselling in the UK, and is in New Zealand giving workshops on cult recovery training. She was also a keynote speaker at the Decult Conference held in Christchurch last weekend. A Give-A-Little page has been set up by the Olive Leaf Network to cover the cost of bringing her to New Zealand.

10:35 Book review: Cherrywood by Jock Serong 

Kim Pittar from Muir's Independent Bookshop Gisborne reviews Cherrywood by Jock Serong published by Fourth Estate

10:45 Around the motu: Piers Fuller in Wairarapa

Piers has been following the money that should have been ringfenced from a legal settlement over Wairarapa Hospital building defects. The Wairarapa Resource Centre, which sells secondhand goods,  and repurposes and recycles items, has experienced a raft of break-ins this year. The latest CCTV footage shows a thief wearing very loose trousers prompting the centre's manager to say "He needs a bit of pride to pull his pants up,"  And a new gallery on Eketāhuna's main street is keen to showcase local artists.

Editor of the Wairarapa Times-Age, Piers Fuller, based in Masterton

11:05 New music with Jeremy Taylor

A new EP from Bon Iver, plus the sixth studio album from Wellington hometown heroes Fat Freddy's Drop.

11:30 Sports commentator Dana Johannsen

Organisers for the revived 2026 Commonwealth Games have revealed its scaled back programme for the Glasgow Games.The Constellation Cup moves to Australia this weekend with the Silver Ferns in the box seat to win the silverware for just the third time in their history after two dominant wins in the opening two games. And the White Ferns haven't had long to celebrate their historic T20 World Cup win - they've been back on the field overnight with the first ODI against India.

 

11:45 The week that was

Comedians Te Radar and Michele A'Court with some lighter stories including Dunedin airport's cuddle capping time limit!