Nine To Noon for Wednesday 29 April 2020

 

09:05 Should retirement nesteggs be easier to acess in hardship?

A growing number of savers are asking for access to their kiwisaver funds, under hardship provisions, but it is not a simple process.The Kiwisaver member must go through their provider, producing clear evidence they are suffering significant financial hardship. Kathryn talks with Financial Markets' Authority Director of Regulation Liam Mason and David Boyle from Mint Asset Management, formerly with the Commission for Financial Capability.

09:20 Funeral directors want flexibility for families farewelling loved ones 

Now that we've moved from level four to level three, up to 10 people are allowed to gather for a private service for their loved ones. Funeral Directors say it has been heartbreaking for the whanau of 2500 New Zealanders who have died during level 4 lockdown, with family and friends denied the right to say goodbye. To discuss how they've able to offer help to mourning families, and support to whanau, Funeral Directors Association President, Gary Taylor, and Celia Palmer who is medical director for Hospice West Auckland

09:30 Health premiums under spotlight amid Covid 19 stoppages

With people going out less, there's less risk, so insurers have seen a marked drop in claims. In health, add to that cancelled elective surgery and a lack of availability for routine services such as dental and eye care. Southern Cross, New Zealand's largest health insurer, is giving money back to members to help them through the potential financial hardship caused by Covid-19. It is returning $50 million to its 880,000 members and 4000-plus business customers. Should others follow suit? CEO of Southern Cross is Nick Astwick.

09:45 Two million Australians download contact tracing app

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about the large numbers of Australians downloading a smartphone tracing app that was rolled out on Sunday, modeled on a Singapore version. A nursing home in Sydney is the site of one of the biggest outbreaks in the country, private schools pledge to reopen in defiance of premiers' instructions and China threatens sanctions against Australia after Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced Australia would push for an independent investigation into Covid's origins in Wuhan.

10.05 The Best Journey in the World: Sarah Airriess

Oscar-winning Disney animator Sarah Airriess speaks with Kathryn Ryan about her new project, a series of graphic novels re-telling the story of the earliest explorers to the South Pole. Based on Captain Scott's team-mate Apsley Cherry-Garrard's memoir of their ill-fated 1912 expedition The Worst Journey in the World, Sarah's adaptation is breathing new life and love into it. You can keep abreast of the project and donate here and download sample chapters for free. Sarah left Hollywood behind for this passion project, but she had made her mark. Frozen, Winnie the Pooh, Wreck-It Ralph, the Academy Award winning Paperman, plus the much loved Simon's Cat are all on Sarah's CV.
 

10:35 Book review - Black Art of Killing by Matthew Hall

Sally Wenley reviews Black Art of Killing by Matthew Hall, published by Penguin Random House.

This action-packed novel is about a former special forces soldier from the UK who turns his life around and becomes an academic at Oxford University. However Leo Black is drawn back into the dark side when his best friend and former soldier is killed. There's plenty of deaths and explosions parallel to an interesting plot about scientific experiments on humans. There's so much going on that it's far from realistic, but not a bad read if you enjoy gore and mayhem.

10:45 The Reading

The Bright Side of My Condition, episode 6. Written by Charlotte Randall, read by Brian Sergent.

11:05 The long wait for Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall album

Music commentator Graeme Downes looks at why Neil Young's album, recorded in 1971, sat in limbo until 2007. He'll share some gems, including Old Man, Cowgirl in the Sand and A Man needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite.

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

11:20 Pacific families' safety fears  level 3 return to work

As thousands of people are returning to work this week under level three lockdown, fear is mounting in Pacific families about keeping everyone in multi-generational bubbles safe. Damon Salesa is the University of Auckland Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific and he speaks to Kathryn about the growing anguish. He is a leading author and historian of Pacific studies and race relations.

11:45 The legality of the lockdown

Law correspondent Dr Dean Knight joins Kathryn to discuss the decision by the Director General of Health to issue an additional section 70 notice under the Health Act 1956 and how it addressed many of the rule-of-law issues about the lockdown, as well as the recent legal testing of its validity.

Dr Dean Knight, Associate Professor Faculty of Law and NZ Centre for Public Law Victoria University of Wellington