Nine To Noon for Thursday 7 February 2019

 

 

09:05 Ageing populations, a huge challenge for policymakers

The challenges facing Government policy makers as Australasia faces ageing populations, UNSW Scientia Professor of Economics John Piggott has been selected to lead a task force helping G20 nations decide how they will cope with aging populations.

09:25 Animals thriving in unusual habitats

Why animals are turning up in odd places and thriving in unusual habitats. Wildlife writer Isabelle Groc and conservation biologist Brian Silliman on what is driving predators to new surroundings, including sea otters who are no longer living in the sea, but habitating in salt marshes and estuaries on America's west coast.

09:45 Case of the DTs? Donalds Tusk and Trump cause new trouble for UK

With just 50 days to go, European Council president Donald Tusk has stirred controversy by saying there was a "special place in hell" for those who campaigned to leave with no plan for the Irish border. And another Donald, Trump, looks set to return to the UK. But last year's trip cost £14 million alone - so what's the price tag for this one? Our UK correspondent Tim Sculthorpe takes a look.

10:05 Nelson bushfires update

RNZ Nelson reporter Tracy Neal with the latest on the massive fire in the Tasman district.

10:05 Passive houses: warm, dry and sustainable, so why not more?

Kathryn talks with Jason Quinn, building scientist and passive house designer, about delivering warm, dry houses that are cheap to run. There are just 24 houses in New Zealand which are fully certified passive houses. Jason, a former NASA space engineer who is New Zealand's only passive house certifier, has just published a book with case studies on each house. The book, which can be downloaded for free, will be launched at this weekend's Passive House Conference in Wellington.

10:35 Book review - What You Wish For by Catherine Robertson

Carole Beu from the Women's Bookshop reviews What You Wish For by Catherine Robertson which is published by  Black Swan, Penguin Random House NZ

"What You Wish For is the delightful sequel to Catherine Robertson's earlier novel Gabriel's Bay - but it can be read alone. Set in a small New Zealand town, it has loads of atmosphere and wonderfully vivid characters. It deals with some real-life problems but is funny and utterly engaging."

10:45 The Reading

Mona Minim & the Smell of the Sun by Janet Frame read by Dick Weir.  Episode 8 of 9 

11:05 How to 'lose' Bitcoin worth $276m

Technology correspondent Paul Matthews looks at how the unregulated nature of cryptocurrency hit home recently with the case of a young company founder who died - taking knowledge of the password for a "wallet" of $276m with him. And as there's no password reset options and no way to break into them, investors are out of pocket. And with global e-commerce booming, the WTO has decided it's time to review the rules for selling online.

11:25 The complexity of gender transition in children

UK psychotherapist Bob Withers has been in practice for more than 30 years.Late last year an opinion piece he wrote for a British newspaper attracted considerable attention. The headline was  - In 20 years we'll look back on the rush to change our children's sex as one of the darkest chapters in medicine. The reaction was swift, support from many quarters, hostility from others. Bob Withers tells Kathryn why he wrote the article.

11:45 Watching the flicks

Film and TV reviewer Sarah McMullan looks at all the places you can watch films in New Zealand - it's more than just the cinema, Netflix and Lightbox.