Nine To Noon for Tuesday 29 October 2024

09:05 Polytechs slim down to fit minister's model

Polytechs around the country are cutting staff and courses as they try to prove they are financially viable as stand alone institutions, as Te Pukenga is unravelled. Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds has said she expects five or six of the original 16 polytechnics will stand alone, while the others will be managed under a federation led by the Open Polytechnic. She says she expects there will be more job losses. The arborist course at Otago Polytechnic - the only course of its kind in the South Island - is one of many under threat around the country. Courses and jobs are also potentially going at Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki, Toi Ohomai in the Bay of Plenty, NorthTec and at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, according to the Tertiary Education Union. A Te Pukenga financial viability document seen by Nine to Noon defines the requirement to stand alone as an institute reaching surplus in the 2026 financial year. So far only two are forecast to do that: Ara Institute in Canterbury and the Open Polytechnic. The document suggests that five others - EIT in Gisborne, Unitec and MIT in Auckland, SIT in Invercargill and the Otago Polytech are on a path to viability but need work. Susana talks to Julie Douglas, national president at the TEU and Gus Gilmore, chief executive of Te Pukenga. 

09:25 Student stress 'heartbreaking' as exams loom: teacher

A Wellington teacher and study coach says she’s seeing increased levels of anxiety and stress among NCEA students, and their parents,  as exams loom. Classes for many Year 11, 12 and 13 students have come to an end for  the year,  and they’re on study leave ahead of exams which begin next Monday. Karen Boyes is the CEO of Spectrum Education. She says she’s hearing from strung-out young people daily. She shares her top tips for effective studying, and some advice for parents.

09:35 Parking woes on Stewart Island

Plans are afoot to crackdown on motorists' anti-social parking on Rakiura - Stewart Island. The Southland District Council has been consulting with the public about the issue,  which is clogging the limited amount of parking available in popular places. Stewart Island/Rakiura ward councillor Jon Spraggon says the situation is exacerbated by people leaving their cars parked for an unreasonable amount of time, which can stretch from days to weeks to even a couple of months.

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

The Donald Trump and Kamala Harris race to the White House is intensifying ahead of the 5th of November election. Both presidential candidates are honing in on their core electorates in what has been a dramatic campaign season. At Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden he has spoken of immigrant invasion. And in Philadelphia Kamala Harris has made fresh attempts to win over black male voters.

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

10:05 Jazz-loving paralympian Dave MacCalman on his long-term love of sport 

Dave MacCalman is not one to complain. The four-time Paralympian has competed and coached on the world stage in several sports. It started with basketball, where his near nonstop practice growing up took him to Brisbane as the first New Zealander to play in the Australian National League, and then to the US on scholarship. Then came a life-altering accident whilst swimming - but becoming quadriplegic didn't deter him from his love of sport, or his determination to succeed at an international level. Aside from helping establish and coach wheelchair basketball and rugby across the country, his para-athletics career saw him win three medals. Throughout it all has remained a relentless work ethic, a sense of humour, and a willingness to improvise - much like the jazz he grew up listening to and which formed the title of his new book, 'Here's to Life, and all that jazz'.

10:35 Book review: The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich 

Anne Else reviews The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich published by Hachette

10:45 Around the motu: Kim Bowden in Queenstown

Central Otago is set to get a new mayor this week with the departure of Tim Cadogan. There are some musical chairs at the Otago District Council with the Dunstan Constituency set to gain an extra seat around the regional decision making table at the expense of Dunedin. And Kim looks at local projects getting traction via the Fast Track Approvals Bill.

Kim Bowden is a Crux editor/senior journalist covering Queenstown/Wānaka and Cromwell 

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca explains by NZ businessman Chris Ellison, who is the chief executive of Australian mining giant Mineral Resources, is making news across the Tasman. He previously sparked fierce debate with his views on how to trap staff in the office. Also why the infamous broken McDonald's ice cream machines may be no more thanks to a push for the right to repair. And AGM season continues this week with Hallensteins Glassons, SkyCity, Spark, and Vulcan Steel in the spotlight.

Rebecca Stevenson is a senior journalist at BusinessDesk.

11:30 Why we need bees in urban spaces

Cormack Farrell is the Head Beekeeper for the Australian Parliament in Canberra. It's a role that happened almost by accident. He was working for an engineering firm in downtown Canberra, and convinced his boss to let him keep bees on the balcony of their office. But when the firm had to move premises, there was nowhere for the bees to go. By lucky coincidence, Parliamentary Services was keen to host the bees as part of its sustainability strategy. Suddenly Cormack found himself with the nation's "head bee guy". He's just published a book called Urban Beekeeping, and talks with Susana about how to get started with hives in the city.

11:45 Sports correspondent Joe Porter

Joe talks to Susana about New Zealand Rugby's review focusingon the long-term sustainability of the NPC and player pathways.