Nine To Noon for Wednesday 26 August 2020

 

09:05 Departing nursing head on CHDB funding cuts and 'divisive' board

The outgoing Director of Nursing at Canterbury District Health Board speaks out about her departure, and the looming $16 million of funding cuts for nurses. In its annual plan the DHB will slash $13 million in nursing staff costs, and will reduce by two thirds the jobs previously available for newly qualified nurses  - which equates to another $3.5 million Other cuts will come for senior medical staff and community services.  In total nearly $57 million of savings across the DHB have been agreed to get a $180 million deficit down, but the Crown Monitor Lester Levy insists there will be no reduction in services. Mary Gordon - who is also responsible for the move to the new Christchurch hospital - is one of seven senior executives who have resigned in the space of a few weeks, resulting in public protests. Kathryn also talks with the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's Kate Weston.

09:30 NZ goods exports to China holding up well: NZTE

New Zealand goods exports to China are holding up well, according to Trade and Entrerprise. NZTE's Greater China regional director, Fiona Acheson recently returned to Shanghai where she heads up four offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu staffed by a team of 60. China is New Zealand's biggest trading partner - taking 28% of our exports, worth nearly 19 billion dollars. She tells Kathryn Ryan that Kiwi products exported to China are doing relatively well as the economy there gets going again, unlike our export education and tourism sectors which have taken a massive hit from our closed borders.

09:45 Millionaire rule flouter put into isolation, ongoing stoush over border closures

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane joins Kathryn to talk about why a Melbourne millionaire who cruised to the Gold Coast in violation of border closures has been forced into managed isolation, the ongoing stoush over state border closures and how the federal government and business are furious about them but they're incredibly popular with voters. He'll also look at religious complaints about a Covid-vaccine over claims it uses a cell line from an aborted foetus.

10:05  This is not sci-fi'. Apocalyptic innovations in birth, food, sex and death

In her new book, 'Sex Robots and Vegan Meat' investigative journalist and award winning documentary maker, Jenny Kleeman reports on her 5 year examination of innovations in 4 areas. Birth, food, sex and death. To do this she travelled across 4 continents, from labs, to kitchens, to members only meetings - and met scientists, designers, ethicists, entrepreneurs and provocateurs.  In her career Jenny is known for presenting documentaries for Britain's Channel 4's foreign affairs series, 'Unreported World'. So what might the future might hold?

10:35 Book review - Fridays with Jim by David Cohen

Dean Bedford reviews Fridays with Jim by David Cohen, published by Massey University Press.

10:45 The Reading

An Extraordinary Rendition, part 3 by Steve Danby.

11:05 Music with Kirsten Johnstone

Kirsten joins Kathryn to look at the music of singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle who died earlier this week at the age of 38. She'll also share a new song from soul-singer Teeks.

11:20 Paul Spoonley: The New New Zealand

Massey University Distinguished Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences, Paul Spoonley, talks to Kathryn about his what Aotearoa's fast-changing demographics mean for our future. His new book is called The New New Zealand: Facing demographic disruption.

11:45 Deep-sea dating and dinosaur cancer

This week, Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles explains how the bizarre sex lives of deep-sea anglerfish and fills us in on the dinosaur that’s been diagnosed with cancer.

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