Nine To Noon for Tuesday 6 October 2020

 

 

09:05 President Donald Trump to leave hospital

President Trump is expected to leave hospital in a few hours time. In a tweet a short time ago, he urged people not to be afraid of the virus, nor to let it dominate their lives. His physician, Dr. Sean Conley, has also confirmed that while President Trump 'may not be out of the woods' he can go home. Meanwhile, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, has become the latest member of Trump's inner circle to test positive for coronavirus.

Susan Davis a congressional correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast explains the implications.

09:20 Lines companies want flashing lights & right-of-way

Auckland lines company Vector says heavy congestion from the city's Harbour Bridge closures show it's time to bring in rules to force drivers to give way to utility vehicles responding to emergencies where  public saftey is at risk. At the moment when live power lines are brought down, fire or ambulance crews often have to wait until the power is disconnected before giving assistance. And when gas mains are hit it's the same problem. Already a private member's bill is in the ballot to change the Land Transport Rules, but gas and electricity providers say that could be too long to wait. Kathryn Ryan talks to Vector COO, Andrea Robertson

09:35 App ensures correct use of donated medical equipment to developing countries

An Auckland Bioengineering Institute PhD's student has helped to create an app to ensure medical equipment donated to hospitals in developing countries doesn't end up on the scrapheap. While on an Engineering World Health internship at Entebbe Hospital in Uganda, Kiara Miller's role was to fix broken medical equipment, but it soon became apparent the problem was much wider than a repair-job. She was concerned to see donated machines used incorrectly, and at times dangerously, or equipment sitting idle because medical staff didn't know how to operate it, or what it was for. Along with some fellow interns, Kiara Miller developed a training app for healthcare workers to navigate the donated equipment. Their innovation has been recognised, gaining first place in the Engineering World Health Design Competition.

09:55 More electricity consumers looking to switch

Are electricity consumers waking up to the idea of shopping around for a better deal? Data from the Electricity Authority show 69,000 account holders switched energy companies from March through August this year and some of the smaller players are the big winners. Kathryn talks with Chief Executive of Consumer NZ, Jon Duffy.

10:05 Pyschotherapist Kay Douglas on how men can break their cycle of violence

Auckland-based counsellor Kay Douglas has been helping men to deal with violent or abusive behaviour for nearly 30 years. She's written a number of books, including Invisible Wounds: A self-help guide for women in destructive relationships which has just been updated and republished, along with an accompanying workbook. She's also just released a book aimed at men called Men Making Changes, which builds on her years of counselling experience and was based on the personal stories of 30 men who had tried to change hurtful behaviour towards their loved ones. 

10:35 Book review - The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld

Kiran Dass of Time Out Bookstore reviews The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, published by Faber.

10:45 The Reading

The Mesmerist, episode two. Written and read by Barbara Ewing.

11:05 Fonterra sells Chinese farms, My Food Bag considers options

Business commentator Rod Oram joins Kathryn to talk about Fonterra selling up its Chinese farms for $600m - why did it invest so heavily in farms in China? The pioneer of home delivery food kits, My Food Bag, is growing briskly - leading it to consider whether to sell up or list on the stock exchange. And what's happening with New Zealand Treasury bond yields?

11:30 ABRZY on making rhymes since he was 17

Wellington rapper ABRZY joins Kathryn Ryan to discuss his attitude to music making and being featured in The Outliers a new series which profiles inspirational young people from minority communities. 

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Is it the turning of the tide for how digital companies treat newsrooms?. Google will pay $1 billion to news publishers around the world over the next three years and let them make more editorial decisions about how their content appears on its products. Also a new content agreement will give NZ Herald premium subscribers access to some magazine titles.

Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne. 

Music played in this show

Artist:   Michael Kiwanuka
Song:    Tell Me A Tale  
Broadcast time: 09:26

Artist:   Weyes Blood
Song: Andromeda
Broadcast time: 09:38

Artist:   Leisure
Song: Lonely Nights
Broadcast time:  10:37