Nine To Noon for Wednesday 19 December 2018

 

09:05 Spying on citizens: has the public service lost its way?

Concern at the highest level over a scathing report detailing the use of private investigators by government organisations. A State Services Commission investigation has found four government agencies have been using private firms to undertake surveillance,  and two public sector employees and four police officers were found to be working for a private firm on the side. Kathryn talks with Dr Chris Eichbaum of the Victoria University's School of Government about the state of the state sector.

09.20 North Korea: is denuclearisation any closer?

It's been a remarkable year for North Korea.  In the first part of 2018 U.S. president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traded insults that took us to what was feared could be the brink of nuclear war.  This was followed by an intensely high profile and historic meeting in Singapore in June, promising denuclearisation on the peninsula, and a new chapter of improved relations between the two powers.  Kathryn talks with Sung-Yoon Lee, assistant professor of Korean studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in Boston about what, if anything was actually achieved at that summit.

09:30 Getting the chores ticked off

More than 7400 people are already using a new website Joblist which connects people with workers willing to tackle their chores. Lawyer, Brittany Earl set up the service in July this year.  She joins Kathryn to talk about Joblist, along with Jason Carr who has completed more than 30 handyman type jobs. Other workers are willingly tackling  gardening, baking, cleaning and rock removal.

09:45 Australian mining tackles deficit and sugar baby explained 

Australia correspondent, Donna Field talks to Kathryn about the Federal budget's balance sheet, and how mining is helping the slash the deficit. Also the MP in hot water over sugar baby allegations.

10:05 Tom Sainsbury, man of many faces & Paula Bennett impersonator

From Matamata farmboy to Snapchat darling. Actor, playwright and comedian, Tom Sainsbury is a man of many impressions, alter egos and voices. He talks to Kathryn about getting under the skin of Paula Bennett and Simon Bridges, among others.

10:35 Book review - The First Lady by James Patterson

Sally Wenley reviews The First Lady by James Patterson, which is published by Penguin Random House.

10:45 The Reading

Dove on the water by Maurice Shadbolt, read by John O'Leary. Part 3 of 4.

11:05 Musical endings and new beginnings

Musicologist Graeme Downes marks the recent death of Pete Shelley, founder of the Buzzcocks, by sharing something of the great musical wit we’ve lost. There's also room for some Bruce Springsteen, Jason Robert Brown, and Beethoven.

Graeme Downes is a musicologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Music at the University of Otago.

11:20 Ajax the kea detection dog

The story of a working dog's life in the high country. Kathryn Ryan talks to Department of Conservation wildlife biologist Corey Mosen about how he trained his dog Ajax to be one of the very few kea detection dogs in the world and the important work they do.

11:45 Looking back over the year that was in the arts - what mattered?

Arts commentator Courtney Johnstone pays respect to the Vivian Lynn, who passed earlier this month. Courtney also reflects on the year that was, from Banksy's self-destructing canvas at Sothebys to calls for the decolonisation of Western museums.

https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2018/12/06/vivian-lynn-artist-1931-2018/

https://citygallery.org.nz/blog/remembering-vivian-lynn/

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/give-africa-its-art-back-macron-s-report-says

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/arts/design/macron-report-restitution-precedent.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46222276

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/dec/04/pitt-rivers-museum-oxford-maasai-colonial-artefacts

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/africa-museum-in-belgium