Afternoons for Monday 8 July 2019

1:10 First song: Nadia Reid

Kiwi singer-songwriter Nadia Reid first came onto our radar when she burst onto the scene with her debut albums Listen To Formation and Look For The Signs, which saw her gain global attention. 

She's heading off for her Australia and New Zealand tour, which will see her in Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, Dunedin and Queenstown and is in today for First Song.

1:15 Why the rules need to change around benefits and relationships 

A report released last week called on the Government to immediately change the way a relationship is defined by the welfare system.

Currently your benefit can be cut if you get in to a relationship with someone who earns over a certain amount. Writer Sarah Lin Wilson wrote a piece on this subject, saying this can have serious consequences for people. 

Susan St John from the Child Poverty Action Group agrees the rules are confusing. She joins us to explain why. 

1:25 Eliminating predators in Wellington

Today Predator Free Wellington begins a huge project to install 6,000 traps and bait stations across Miramar Peninsula. 

It's the biggest urban predator eradication operation in the country, involving almost 3,000 households and businesses. James Willcocks, Project Director, discusses how it will work. 

1:35 Protecting the coast after the quake

In November 2016 an earthquake struck Kaikoura. 

The damage was extensive across the region, and when it was cleared a group of Marlborough locals decided they needed to come together to look at the geological effects of the quake, and what needs to be done to protect the coastline. 

Since then, The East Coast Protection Group has been focused on the Cape Campbell peninsula. Robert Peter is a member and tells us why the ecosystem there is in decline. 

1:40 Great album

2:10 Television Critic: Phil Wallington

Phil reviews Secret City, Straight Forward and Tin Star.

2:20 PGF supports local green mining company

The Provinical Growth Fund has awarded $15 million in funding to a Tāupo company which extracts minerals from geothermal water. 

This so-called 'green mining' will see the valuable mineral - silica - exported globally, creating jobs in the region. 

The announcement has just been made at Geo40's plant on the Ohaaki geothermal field. Managing Director John Lea is on the line to tell us more. 

2:30 Expert feature: Critters in your breakfast?

Who thinks about where their oats have been before you chuck them in the porridge bowl? How are they stored and are chemicals used to keep critters and viruses or fungi at bay... and is there a chance we're actually eating more critters than we realise? Megan May from Little Bird Organics got us thinking about this recently so we found an expert to talk to. Senior researcher Joanne Drummond from the Foundation for Arable Research is in to chat about the surprising amount of work goes in to keeping the critters and disease out of your breakfast bowl.

 

3:10 Feature interview: Dan Box -  Bowraville -  Will the serial killer finally be brought to justice?

Twenty nine years ago, three children were killed within six months of each other, all last seen on the same road in the rural town of Bowraville in New South Wales. Police conducted what have been described as sloppy investigations and there are the fingerprints of racism all over the case. The children are Aboriginal. The one person connected to all three crimes is white, but has not been convicted. Journalist Dan Box investigates the failings in Bowraville and the quest for justice for the families.

3:35 Voices

Today’s Voices looks at Chinese immigrants and the challenges to acquire the English language later on in life.
 

3:45 The Pre-Panel Story of the Day and One Quick Question

4:05 The Panel with Verity Johnson and Scott Morrison