Nine To Noon for Tuesday 8 December 2020

 

 

09:05 Sleepyhead estate plans hit regulatory torpor

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce has hit out at concerns being raised by the regional council over a proposed $1 billion commercial and residential development for Sleepyhead in the town of Ohinewai. The bed manufacturer has plans for a facility and a 1100-home residential development, which would require a zoning change in the Waikato District Plan. Kathryn talks to Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief Don Good about why he feels the regional council’s stance is “anti-business”, and Waikato Regional Council chief Russ Rimmington about the council's concerns.

09:20 100% Pure Tourism - Sarah Bennett

New book 100% Pure Future, New Zealand Tourism Renewed  looks at tourism through an environmental lens and suggests a re-set to holidaying in New Zealand.   It asks if the cost of the tourism industry is too high, with the pandemic providing an opportunity to consider radical change, particularly around freedom camping,  reducing travelers' carbon footprint and "icon bagging".  It's a volume of nine essays describing a more sustainable form of tourism, what the barriers to this are and imagining how they could be overcome.   Kathryn Ryan speaks with the book's editor, travel writer Sarah Bennett.

09:35  Breakthrough in Southland Charity Hospital plans

The construction of a new charity hospital in Invercargill took a massive step forward yesterday, with the first sledgehammer blows to the suburban pub it will replace. The Southland Charity Hospital was the dream of Blair Vining, who died last year after a year-long battle with cancer. More than $2m has been raised so far for the project, which will care for patients not covered by the District Health Board. Kathryn talks to Blair's wife Melissa Vining about yesterday's momentous day.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Outgoing US President Donald Trump is begging legislators and other elected officials to simply overturn the election result and Rudi Giuliani tests positive for Covid-19.

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

10:05 Conversations with Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Earlier this year America - and the world - lost an intellectual powerhouse. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Supreme Court justice from 1993 until her death in September, at the age of 87. She was appointed to the bench of the highest court in the US by President Bill Clinton -  becoming the second woman to serve - and cementing herself as an advocate for women's rights helping to combat gender discrimination. Writer and law professor Jeffrey Rosen knew the Justice well, they bonded over a love of opera - and constitutional law. He  took 20 years of conversations with RBG and compiled them in a book - so that others could share in her observations,  intellect...and her empathy.

10:35 Book review - Monsters in the Garden: anthology of NZ Science Fiction and Fantasy

Louise O'Brien reviews Monsters in the Garden: An Anthology of Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Elizabeth Knox and David Larsen. This book is published by Victoria University Press.

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

A look at the businesses charged in relation to the White Island/Whakaari eruption. Also, as surging property prices have spread across New Zealand like wildfire in the past decade, even to lowly populated regions like Gisborne,  why does the Canterbury housing market remain serene? . And for something from left field, Rebecca questions why some disposable nappies are marketed by gender.

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's Auckland bureau chief.

11:30 Book born out of mosque attacks looks at what it means to be Kiwi

The declaration by the Prime Minister that "We are all New Zealanders" in the aftermath of the March 15 terror attacks resonated with many, emphasising how the country was enriched by a variety of voices and cultures. It sparked an idea for my next guest, about whether all voices are heard and whether there's something more complex underlying our wholesome international image. The result was an anthology entitled, Ko Aotearoa Tatou, We are New Zealand. Michelle Elvy was one of four editors who pulled it together from hundreds of submissions from the country's dedicated writers and artists.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

There have been more than 600 journalists losing their jobs globally this year, and AUT's 2020 Media Ownership Report has found Covid has also had a effect on the local media scene, with more independently owned and privately-held media companies than at any stage in the past 10 years.

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: Sophia Bolt
Track: Waves
Time played: 11:45