Nine To Noon for Tuesday 26 April 2016 Nine To Noon

Funding woes for NZ's most difficult students

9:09 AM.Alternative Education providers deal with the country's most difficult students, many of whom have been repeatedly excluded from school, but they receive 10-15 percent less government funding per… Read more Audio
Equal pay for equal play

9:34 AM.Five top women US soccer players have filed a wage-discrimination complaint, saying they are earning less despite outperforming their male counterparts. Read more Audio
US correspondent Susan Milligan

9:47 AM.Latest on the US presidential elections. Audio
Author Chris Cleave on his grandparents' wartime letters

10:09 AM.British author and journalist Chris Cleave's book Everyone Brave is Forgiven is inspired by the hundreds of letters, telegrams and postcards his grandfather, Captain David Hill - trapped in Malta -… Read more Audio, Gallery
Book review - The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

10:41 AM.Reviewed by Ralph McAllister, published by Penguin Random House. Audio
Political commentators Mike Williams and Lewis Holden

11:06 AM.Changes in the China FTA agreement and a requested extradition treaty. A land tax. Housing issues in Auckland. A price on water? Audio
Vanilla grower Jennifer Boggiss

11:31 AM.Tauranga based co- founder of Heilalala Vanilla, Jennifer Boggiss, talks to Kathryn about producing the delicate flavouring derived from the orchids of the vanilla flower. Read more Audio, Gallery
Media commentator Gavin Ellis

11:45 AM.Gavin Ellis is a media commentator and former editor of the New Zealand Herald. He can be contacted on gavin.ellis@xtra.co.nz Audio

09:05 Funding woes for NZ's most difficult students

Alternative Education providers deal with the country's most difficult students, many of whom have been repeatedly excluded from school, but they receive 10-15% less government funding per student than an ordinary school. Kathryn speaks to Judy Bruce - a senior lecturer in education at Canterbury University and Sarah Longbottom the founder and director of Nga Rangatahi Toa - an Auckland-based alternative education provider specialising in creative arts.

09:30 Equal pay for equal play

Carli Lloyd Photo: Wikimedia commons

Five top women US soccer players have filed a wage-discrimination complaint against the sport's governing body.
The players, including co-captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn, allege the women's team are being are being shortchanged on everything from bonuses and appearance fees to travel and accomodation. Eva Cole is one of the New York city lawyers taking the case on behalf of the women soccer players.

09:45 US correspondent Susan Milligan

10:05 Author Chris Cleave on his grandparents war time letters

When British author and journalist Chris Cleave decided to base his latest novel on his own grandparents experience during the siege of Malta, he knew it would take more than just reading their letters and doing historical research. He wanted to experience life as his grandfather had during the siege - so he moved to Malta for 3 months, living on war rations, sleeping where his grandfather had been billetted, and interviewing older islanders who had lived through the second World War.
The siege of Malta took place between 1940 and 1942, with Germany and Italy fighting for control of the strategically important island - against the British airforce and navy.

Chris Cleave's book Everyone Brave is Forgiven, is inspired by the hundreds of letters, telegrams and postcards his grandfather, Captain David Hill - trapped in Malta - sent to his then fiancée Mary - Chris Cleave's grandmother, who was in London.

The letters

Chris Cleave's grandfather, David Hill, 1939

David's maternal grandmother, Mary Hill née West, London, 1941

David and Mary on their honeymoon, 1944

A letter from Mary to David, giving details of a dress she went on to make

A letter from David to Mary after his best friend Geoffrey was killed in his Spitfire

Telegram from Chris Cleave's grandfather to my grandmother

Chris Cleave's grandfather, Captain David HIll in Malta in 1943

Chris Cleave's Grandfather, David Hill (r) with the SAS in Algeria

10:35 Book review - The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund
Reviewed by: Ralph McAllister, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading: Shackleton's Boat Journey by Captain Frank W. Worsley
Read by Peter Elliot (Part 7 of 10)

Note: The audio of the current 10.45am Reading is not available online.

11:05 Political commentators Mike Williams and Lewis Holden

11:30 Vanilla grower Jennifer Boggiss

Tauranga based co- founder of Heilalala Vanilla, Jennifer Boggiss, talks to Kathryn about producing the delicate flavouring derived from the orchids of the vanilla flower.