Nine To Noon for Thursday 23 April 2020

 

 

09:05 Can climate policy survive Covid 19?

The Climate Change Minister has tasked the government's independent advisor on climate change with reviewing whether New Zealand's  international target is ambitious enough. New Zealand has committed to an average 30 per cent reduction on 2005 emission levels, between next year and 2030. The Commission for Climate Change will review this pledge to ensure it aligns with the goal agreed by Parliament last year, of limiting global warming to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. James Shaw says New Zealand is once again showing leadership by committing to this review. But with Covid 19 cutting a swathe through the global economy, what is the risk that previously made commitments could fall by the wayside, particularly as governments get ready to pour money into "shovel ready" projects?

09:20 As pokies fall quiet, millions of dollars dry up for community groups

With bars and gaming venues closed, the Problem Gambling Foundation's Paula Snowden says many gamblers are expressing relief they've no access to the pokies. However Martin Cheer from Pub Charity Limited says there are downsides for the charity sector, leaving a wide range of community initiatives struggling as their funding from gaming proceeds has dried up. 

09:30 Out of lockdown and into water restrictions

Aucklanders are staring down the barrel of water restrictions as a severe drought continues to take its toll on the city's dams, which are sitting under the halfway point for the first time in 25 years. Watercare is asking Aucklanders to keep showers to 4 minutes or under, and to refrain from washing cars or water blasting properties. With more dry weather forecast, Kathryn asks the chief executive of Watercare Raveen Jaduram, are enforced restrictions next?

09:45 PM's continuing absence, Labour leader's PMQ debut

UK correspondent Matthew Parris talks to Kathryn about the questions being raised about Boris Johnson's continuing absence from politics as he recovers from Covid, how new Labour leader Keir Starmer performed during Question Time to a deserted parliamentary chamber and the Covid vaccine trials by Oxford University that will get underway from tomorrow.

10:05 Ray Collins : from coal miner to ocean photographer

Australian photographer Ray Collins is known around the world for his stunning images of waves as they complete their journeys to shore, capturing the power and essence of the ocean. He grew up in Wollongong in New South Wales and first worked for years as an underground coalminer. A bad workplace accident left him unable to walk for several months which is when he first picked up a camera and swam out into the surf near his house, initially photographing a friend who was a surfer.

10:35 Book review - And How Are You, Dr. Sacks? A Biographical Portrait of Oliver Sacks

Quentin Johnson reviews And How Are You, Dr. Sacks? A Biographical Portrait of Oliver Sacks by Lawrence Weschler. This book is published by Picador.      

10:45 The Reading

The Bright Side of My Condition, episode 3. Written by Charlotte Randall, read by Brian Sergent.

11:05 Contact tracing apps, cheap iPhones and the tech we need

Technology Sarah Putt looks at the pros and cons of tech solutions being proposed for contact tracing in the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest "cheap" iPhone is being shipped by Apple from tomorrow, how does it measure up with the higher-end iPhones? And what is some of the essential technology the global lockdowns have highlighted for us?

11:25 Matt Stanton: creative boredom busters for kids

Best-selling Australian children's author and illustrator Matt Stanton shares tips for busting lock-down boredom blues with Kathryn Ryan. Matt is co-creator of the hit picture books 'There Is a Monster Under My Bed Who Farts' and 'This Is a Ball'.  He's also the creative brain behind the 'Funny Kid' junior fiction series, the latest  of which is Funny Kid Peeking Duck due to be published very soon. Meantime, Matt is hosting a daily YouTube live from his studio, for kids in isolation,with ideas for fun activities and tips for drawing monsters, which apparently are the perfect thing to draw at this time.

11:45 Hillary, Mrs America, Bad Education

Film and TV reviewer James Croot looks at Hillary, a fascinating four-part documentary on Hillary Clinton; Mrs America, a dramatisation starring Cate Blanchett about the fight for women's rights in 1970s America and Bad Education, starring Hugh Jackman and Alison Janney, about the biggest educational frauds in US history.