Nine To Noon for Wednesday 8 August 2018

 

09:05 Should landlords get to see tenants' bank statements?

There's resistance to landlords asking for tenants' bank statements as part of the vetting process for new lets. We discuss with Consumer Chief Executive Sue Chetwin, who says it's a grey area but completely unacceptable to ask for access to such personal information. Karen Withers is the president of the Independent Property Managers Association.

09:20 'Amazing Dragon'  fossils rewrite history of Jurassic giants

The discovery of a  new Chinese species of sauropod named the "amazing dragon of Lingwu" pushes the appearance of advanced sauropods, back by 15 million years. And that's not all - not only is it the oldest member of this group to be found, but it's the first ever from Asia. Paul Upchurch is a Professor of Palaeobiology, at the Department of Earth Sciences, at University College London.

09:30 Avian twittersphere: why birds listen in  

It turns out birds can be just as skilled as humans at eavesdropping and one bird's distress tweet can go viral. Australian scientists have discovered that fairy-wrens, small Australian songbirds, can learn to recognize the alarm calls of other species.  ANU behavioural ecologist Robert Magrath talks to Lynn Freeman about his "tweeter speakers" and why deciphering neighbourhood gossip about an approaching predator can mean the difference between life and death.

09:45 Australia's population hits 25 million

Australia correspondent Karen Middle reports on the debate sparked by the lucky country's population reaching 25 million. There's much talk of the composition of the population, immigration and where people settle. Also relief appeals for the worst drought in decades, and former deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce's tell-all book.

10:05 Navin Chowdhry, Next of Kin & extremism

UK actor Navin Chowdry talks to Lynn Freeman about the new UKTV  thriller, Next of Kin and breaking the mould of minority portrayals. Next of Kin centres on a British Pakistani family in London. The show explores its multicultural and diverse characters with care, tackling radicalisation and racism, as well as loyalty, authority and family.

10:35 NZ Books review - Caroline's Bikini by Kirsty Gunn

Louise O'Brien from quarterly review periodical New Zealand Books, reviews Caroline's Bikini by Kirsty Gunn, which is published by Faber.

10:45 The Reading

Resistance by Rebecca Barnes, episode 8 of 15.  

11:05 The Classical with the Contemporary

RNZ's Yadana Saw talks about contemporary artists collaborating with classical orchestras, in particular last week's NZSO/The Phoenix Foundation concerts.

11:20 Clothes with a conscience: new app

Samantha Jones runs Wellington-based ethical corporate clothing company Little Yellow Bird. Samantha tells Lynn Freeman how she hopes to help end modern-day sweat shop slavery with an app that allows customers to trace where garments and materials come from.

11:45 Spider venom & disease

Science commentator Siouxsie Wiles talks about a new study that suggests both teetotallers and those who drink too much during middle age are at increased risk of developing dementia, an Australian study finds that a multidrug-resistant superbug has become increasingly tolerant to the alcohols used in hospital hand disinfectants and she explains how spider venom may help treat a devastating form of childhood epilepsy.

Associate Professor Dr Siouxsie Wiles is the head of Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland.

 

 

Music played in this show

Artist:  Tama Waipara
Song: The Hunter
Composer: Waipara
Label: Tama
Time: 09:35

Artist:  Kimbra
Song: Madhouse
Time: 11:41