Nine To Noon for Wednesday 3 February 2021

 

09:05 Dross to go: David and Goliath poisonous waste removal deal

A small environmental group has taken on Rio Tinto, the biggest mining company in the world. Through court mediation, a deal has been reached to get rid of toxic waste stored at a disused paper mill in the Southland town of Mataura. It is to be gone from the town and moved back to the Tiwai Aluminium Smelter site by the end of April.  The Environmental Defence Society launched legal action following flooding and fire events last year, which saw residents evacuated because of the risk of ammonia gas being emitted from the stored ouvea pre-mix.  Kathryn speaks with EDS CEO Gary Taylor.

09:25 Looking into the distance to combat short-sightedness

University of Melbourne Eye Researcher, Professor Paul Baird says half the world's population is predicted to be short-sighted by 2050. Myopia or short-sightedness is particularly a growing problem among young people.He's appealing to parents to encourage their children to play outside, not only for overall health and fitness, but to preserve their sight. He talks to Kathryn about how spending time outdoors impacts on vision. 

09:45 China spat, WA Covid outbreak, cricket cancelled

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn with the latest on Australia's spat with China, and how PM Scott Morrison took a gentle swipe at NZ's Trade Minister Damien O'Connor for weighing in. Western Australia's Covid outbreak has come as a reality check for the whole country, but there's been some good news on the economic front with the Reserve Bank estimating Australia's economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by mid-year. Bad news on the sport front though, Australia's cricket tour of South Africa has been post-poned due to the new Covid strain there.

10:05 Dr Rosamund Vallings on Covid long-haulers and CFS-ME

One of the side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been an increase in people suffering the effects of the virus long after their initial infection. The "long-haulers", as they've come to be known, can experience severe tiredness, breathlessness, chest and muscle pain for months after catching Covid-19. These symptoms will be familiar to many suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It's an often misunderstood disease, yet globally, two to four people in every thousand will experience it. Kathryn talks to Dr Rosamund Vallings, who has spent her life diagnosing and managing patients suffering from CFS-ME and has just released a second edition to her book Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Management.

10:35 Book review - Best of 2020

Jessie Bray Sharpin reviews her favourite reads from last year:

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa (Tramp Press), How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang (Little, Brown Book Group), and We Ride Upon Sticks by Quin Barry (Pantheon Books).

10:45 The Reading

Minding Lear, part three. Written by Owen Marshall and read by Aaron Alexander.

11:05 Music With Charlotte Ryan

Music 101 host Charlotte Ryan joins Kathryn to talk about new local artist, Wellington-based Miles Calder. She'll also have some music from The Beach Boys to celebrate their 60th anniversary and a sneak peek of TEEKS live on Music 101.

11:20 New book collects tales of a climate-altered future

It's the burning issue of our time - what to do with a climate that's rapidly warming and threatening the world as we know it. On Monday the Climate Change Commission released a blueprint outlining what needs to be done here to help New Zealand meet its emission targets by 2050. But will the steps taken now be enough to stave off damaging changes to the climate - and what happens if we don't follow through? A new book invited Australasian fiction writers to respond to the overwhelming reality of the climate crisis. The result is Scorchers: A Climate Fiction Anthology, co-edited by Paul Mountfort, who joins Kathryn to talk about how the writers imagine the future.

 

11:45 Arts with Mark Amery

This week in the arts with Mark Amery we pay tribute to Lyttleton artist Bill Hammond. Mark has been reading a small book about small book publishing in New Zealand.  Dwelling in the Margins: Art Publishing in Aotearoa is published by Gloria and is available from Strange Goods from February 18. Finally an exhibition that focuses on the smallest and biggest things in the world all at once: Zac Langdon-Pole's exhibition Containing Multitudes, which is at City Gallery Wellington until 7 March.

 

Music played in this show

9.25 - One More Second by Matt Berninger