Nine To Noon for Tuesday 19 November 2024

09:05 Senior psychiatrist says recent poor exam results not students' fault

A consultant psychiatrist who has coached hundreds of psychiatry trainees, says recent exam results from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists are some of the worst she's seen, but the tests are to blame - not the students. The exams are a crucial part of a psychiatrists' pathway to become a Fellow of the College, which allows them to practise independently and function within the Mental Health Act. Trainees are able to sit the two exams once every six months at a cost of $1300 each time. The most recent pass rates were 61 percent and 56 percent. Helen Schultz is a consultant psychiatrist and has been involved in exam coaching since 2007.  She says the latest results speak more to the flaws with the exam process, and not to the ability and competency of the workforce. Dr Schultz says the low pass rates are causing unnecessary stress and cost for trainees,  and she's concerned about what the fail rate means for the workforce and the ever-increasing demand on mental health services. The Royal College says trainee rates have risen 20 percent over the past five years.

09:25 Are impact investment funds losing their shine?

The ASB is soon to wind up its Positive Impact Kiwisaver fund - affecting about 5000 customers - citing global changes and declining customer demand.  It follows global investment firm Blackrock's decision to close down its Global Impact Fund, which makes up half of the fund's underlying investment.  Regulators are also turning their attention to such funds and whether "greenwashing" is involved. A number of court cases in Australia involving Mercer, Vanguard and Active Super have brought home the risk of green-stickering investment products.  Local KiwiSaver fund Simplicity founder Sam Stubbs says there has been a global swing away from ethical investing, but it's more than likely a short term blip, rather than the start of a longer-term trend.

09:35 Desert road to close for two months in summer

The Desert Road - between Waiouru and Turangi in the middle of the North Island is to close for two months at the height of summer. The New Zealand Transport Agency says State Highway 1 will be closed from Monday, January 6 until late February. It says part of a wider North Island maintenance programme. Roger Brady is the regional manager of maintenance and operations. 

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

The US president, Joe Biden, has given Ukraine permission to use US-made ballistic missiles against Russian and North Korean forces inside Russian territory. Ron also discusses President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees.

Ron Elving is a Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk for NPR news.

10:05 Archeology student who accidentally uncovered a lost Maya city 

It took Luke Auld-Thomas about 16 pages of trawling through Google before he stumbled across an obscure piece of mapping that would lead to the discovery of a huge Maya city. It was carbon mapping done by a group of ecologists some 11 years before using light detection and ranging technology - known as LiDAR. Luke and his team were able to strip back the LiDAR data and reprocess it to expose the land profile where the ancient Maya city they have named Valeriana was to be found. Luke and co-author Marcello Canuto say the city is hidden in plain sight, just 15 minutes walk from the main road near Xpujil in the southeast of Mexico, near the borders with Belize and Guatemala. The two published a paper on their findings in archaeology journal Antiquity on October 29. Luke is a PhD student at Tulane University in New Orleans where he works in the Middle American Research Institute.

10:35 Book review: Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit by Emma Neale 

Claudia Herz Jardine from Scorpio Books in Christchurch reviews Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit by Emma Neale published by Otago University Press

10:45 Around the motu: Ellen Curnow in Westport

Ellen speaks with Kathryn about the Buller District Council recently pulling all but emergency advertising from the daily paper. The Manahau barge ran aground on its second trip to Westport. Karamea turned 150. And the defamation case accusing Mayor Jamie Cleine has been dismissed.

Ellen Curnow is a reporter for Westport News

11:05 Business commentator Victoria Young

BusinessDesk editor Victoria Young talks to Kathryn about how the corporates are measuring emissions and why overall output may not be as useful a measure as emissions intensity. Victoria also discusses the struggling steel industry and the country's third biggest waste business - Smart Environmental - has been sold to an unidentified buyer. 

11:30 The incredible output of Pasifika creative Anapela Polata'ivao

 In the wind-down to the end of the year, Anapela Polata'ivao probably needs a break more than most. She's recently returned from South Korea, having directed Tusiata Avia's The Savage Coloniser Show for the Seoul Performing Arts Festival. Earlier this year she directed the stage adaptation of Red, White and Brass for the Auckland Theatre Company. She's just been at the world premiere in Hawaii of the new film she stars in, Tinā, about a recently bereaved substitute teacher who starts a choir at an elite private school. That film is out in cinemas next year. That'll be when she moves on to direct a new production called The Monster in the Maze with New Zealand Opera. For her work, Anapela was recognised with a New Zealand Order of Merit in this year's King's Birthday Honours. And this weekend, she'll be taking part in a free one-day festival in Auckland called A Niu Dawn, aimed at showcasing and celebrating the Pasifika community in the wake of the Dawn Raids.

11:45 Sports-chat with Sam Ackerman

Sports commentator Sam Ackerman discusses the inquest into the death of Olivia Podmore after an emotional first day. Also: Scott Barrett's costly call in the ABs defeat to France, and a preview of the Italy test. The All Whites thrash Samoa, the Black Caps lose to Sri Lanka and a highly touted boxing match failed to deliver.