Nine To Noon for Tuesday 11 June 2019

 

 

09:05 News Corp journo Annika Smethurst on police home raid

The police raid on the home of News Corp political journalist Annika Smethurst last week sparked a firestorm of controversy over press freedom - further fueled by a raid on the Sydney headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Annika tells Kathryn about her original story and why she believes it was in the public interest to publish classified information.

09:20 NZ Post 'problematic' for local body elections: LGNZ

Local councils say the decline of the postal system could hinder local elections in October. The elections for mayors and councillors around the country are still a postal vote, after attempts to develop online voting failed. Last week we reported on problems with school board elections - with voting papers delivered late, and New Zealand Post's inability to guarantee that posted ballot papers would be date stamped - a requirement for a vote to be valid. 54 schools have had to extend the deadline for voting as a result. The President of Local Government New Zealand, outgoing Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, says at the last election there were issues with votes not being counted because of slow delivery, and he's concerned the same could happen again.

09:30 No room for complacency with Tuberculosis

In the face of growing antimicrobial resistance, Dr Chris Cooper tells Kathryn that there's no room for complacency when it comes to potentially deadly diseases like Tuberculosis. Dr Cooper is the Director of Chemistry at the TB Alliance based in New York. By 2050 it is estimated that drug resistant TB will kill 75 million people and cost the global economy a cumulative $16.7 trillion - if new cures are not developed.  Although the rate of TB in  New Zealand is low overall, with it affecting around 300 people a year, Māori are over-represented in the statistics and the Western Pacific is a high risk zone for infection. Dr Cooper has spoken with TB scientists from the Maurice Wilkins Centre about the latest breakthroughs in the global fight against TB.

09:45 US-Mexico immigration, border activity 

From the US, Washington bureau chief of The Guardian, David Smith talks to Kathryn about the White House being forced to defend its immigration agreement with Mexico after reports that key provisions were mostly old commitments agreed to months ago, also it's been 90 days without President Trump giving an on-camera press briefing at the White House.

10:05 Shirley Walters: the power of lifelong learning

South African activist and leading educator Shirley Walters has worked with social justice organisations for over 35 years in her home country and globally. She was an anti-apartheid campaigner during the difficult, repressive 1970s and 1980s. After Nelson Mandela's election as President she worked for a time in his office. She is emerita professor of Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Western Cape.  Dr Walters is in Christchurch as keynote speaker at the Adult and Community Education Conference.
 

10:35 Book review - The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

Gail Pittaway reviews The Guest Book by Sarah Blake, which is published by Penguin Random House.

10:45 The Reading

The Ice Shelf written and adapted by Anne Kennedy told by Amy Tarleton (Part 2 of 10, RNZ)

11:05 Business focus on Fonterra, Vocus and Labtests

Business commentator Rod Oram says the government has satisfied neither Fonterra nor its critics by proposing only minor changes to dairy industry regulations, a Swedish private equity firm  group drops bid for  telecommunications company, Vocus. He also talks to Kathryn about the complex foreign ownership of the country's largest chain of pathology labs, Labtests.

11:30 Prosthetics for people and pets

Kathryn speaks with the co-founders of a young Kiwi company working on 3-D printed prosthetic limbs for people and pets.An engineering student at Auckland University, Connor Talbot is developing prosthetics for his fourth year degree project.  They are made with recyclable material, are cheaper and faster to produce, and are more comfortable that existing options. Seeing commercial potential, Connor and partner Mechanical Engineer student Sebastian Weaver have just registered a company called ProstheteX.  Sebastian works part time as a prosthetic technician with the Artificial Limb Society.  The pair are also undertaking their research in conjunction with vets, including New Zealand registered veterinary surgical specialist Damian Chase, who says there is massive potential for their research.

11:45 Legal options after ABC raided by Australian federal police 

Media commentator Gavin Ellis says the ABC is about to mount a legal challenge against the raid on its Sydney newsroom and News Corp is bringing out its big guns. Also, he believes it's time for media to spell out the methodology of their political polls or risk losing credibility. And with artificial intelligence providing aids for journalists, will robots replace reporters?. 

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

Music played in this show

Artist: Tami Neilson
Song: Bananas
Time: 09:49