Nine To Noon for Wednesday 31 July 2019

 

09:05 Calls for national register for building materials

Calls for a national register for building products. The Building Industry Federation says there's an urgent need for a more robust way to prove a product meets the requirements of the building code. The call comes as the CodeMark product certification scheme falters with three companies leaving....how would a register work and could it help avoid another building industry crisis like leaky homes? Kathryn talks with BIF Chief Executive Julien Leys.

09:20 Are bio-plastics the answer?

Can we produce packaging that isn't going to seriously harm the environment? The answer may lie with bioplastics but, there is a great deal of confusion about what alternatives there are. Unlike conventional plastics that are made from petroleum, bioplastics are made from plants or other biological material. But it's worth having a good look at the different types - as some have greener credentials than others.

Elspeth MacRae is the Chief Innovation & Science Officer at the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (Scion), the Crown Research Institute for forestry, wood and biomaterial products.

09:45 ACCC's report into Google and Facebook 

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane looks at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Digital Platforms Inquiry which examined the dominance of Facebook and Google. He'll also talk about the James Packer-linked Crown Casino group and what it's been up to and a new report from the University of Melbourne, the HILDA survey, which examined 17,000 household incomes.

10:05 Silkroad founder languishing in jail, mother fights on

Kathryn Ryan talks to Lyn Ulbricht, the mother of Silkroad founder Ross Ulbricht about her fight for her son. Ross Ulbricht also previously known as "Dread Pirate Roberts" (DPR) is serving a double life sentence plus 40 years, without the possibility of parole for creating the darknet drug marketplace.

Lynn says his sentence is excessive for a non-violent offender and has become the public face of the campaign to try and get him pardoned. 

10:35 Book review - The Hiding Game by Naomi Wood

David Hill reviews The Hiding Game by Naomi Wood, which is published by Macmillan.

10:45 The Reading

Part 8 of of Pearly Gates by Owen Marshall read by Gavin Rutherford.

11:05 Music With Kirsten Johnstone

Music reviewer Kirsten Johnstone looks at the new singles from Harper Finn, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter – son of Tim Finn, of Crowded House fame. She'll also share some music from Wellington trio Mermaidens.

11:20 Snow sport that knows no limits

For fans of skiing and snowboarding it's that time of the year to hit the slopes, now thanks to Snow Sports New Zealand more and more people of all types of abilities are able to experience the mountain. Agreements have been set up with every commercial ski area in the country, along with some from overseas, to support people to enjoy snow sports as adaptive skiers or snowboarders.

Kathryn Ryan talks to Jane Stevens, Snow Sports New Zealand's adaptive snow sports manager and two-time Paralympic gold medalist Adam Hall.  

11:45 Safe sex talks, unhatched chick bonds and stickier plaster

Science correspondent Siouxsie Wiles joins Kathryn to talk about a new study which suggests having the sex talk with your kids won't delay them having sex - but it's more likely to be safe. Unhatched chicks communicate with their siblings, vibrating their egg shells to warn their brothers and sisters of danger and researchers have developed a stickier plaster inspired by the seamless and scar-free healing process seen in animal embryos.

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