Nine To Noon for Tuesday 2 March 2021

 

 

09:05 Housing crisis tip of the iceberg: report

The nationwide housing shortage and soaring prices are only going to get worse, according to a new report from the think-tank The New Zealand Initiative. Researcher and report author Leonard Hong says demand side solutions such as the bright-line test are just tinkering around the edges, and only freeing up enough supply can solve housing unaffordability and overcrowding. His projections are that between 2019 and 2060, even with low migration and low fertility, New Zealand will need nearly 15 and a half thousand additional dwellings each year, in addition to the current undersupply of 40,000. He says long-term demographic transformations and changing household sizes are affecting overall housing demand.

09:20 Farm animals suffering heat stress: calls for compliance

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is being urged to do more to prevent farm animals suffering from heat stress.  Vets and animal advocates say there isn't adequate shelter on farms, and there's an increasing tendency to rear herds that are prone to over-heating. Vet and former head of Animal Welfare for MPI John Hellstrom  thinks the problem is getting worse and desperately needs some action. But, he says compliance is the excaserbating factor. There is no requirement for farmers to provide shade or shelter, it's just a recommendation.   John Hellstrom speaks with Kathryn Ryan along with Angus Robson, an animal activist who is calling on MPI to be stricter on farmers whose animals suffer from heat stress.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

The controversial White House decision not to target Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - this after a US intelligence report concluded he was linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Ron also surveys the  state of the $1.9 Trillion relief bill, and Donald Trump's first speech since leaving office.

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

10:05 Food for thought: Andrew Scholey

Andrew Scholey researches the relation between what we eat and how well our brain works, specifically the effects of natural products, nutrients, nutraceuticals, supplements and food on mood, brain function and wellbeing, as well as the effects of caffeine, drugs and alcohol.  He's also keen to know how cognition can be enhanced and the decline that comes with age off-set.  Andrew Scholey is Professor of Human Psychopharmacology at Swineburn University in Melbourne, previously having established the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at Northumbria University in the UK, and co-directing the UK's Medicinal Plant Research Centre where he remains honorary director of Neurocognitive trials. Andrew has recently joined Auckland food-tech start-up Ārepa, as their Chief Science Officer overseeing the research and development a drink made with blackcurrants which promises clear thinking during moments of pressure and stress. Andrew joins Kathryn from Melbourne.

10:35 Book review - Stranger in the Shogun's City by Amy Stanley

Stella Chrysostomou of VOLUME Books reviews Stranger in the Shogun's City by Amy Stanley. Published by Penguin Random House.

10:45 The Reading

In 2000ft Above Worry Level, told by Jack Sergent, Eamonn Marra writes about trying to grow into a complete human being in a world that only wants selected parts of you. - part 2.

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca talks to Kathryn about whether covid compliance is fraying.  And with Auckland thrown back into level 3 and the rest of the country in level 2, the Government has activated the Covid-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP). Where and how can you get lockdown support payments?.

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

11:30 Navigating the Family Court with a new guide

Separation and divorce can be a stressful experience, particularly when children are involved. Katrina Smithson found out the hard way, when she had her own experience of negotiating the Family Court system. She's taken the insights she gathered through the process, and pulled together a book called The New Zealand Family Court Survival Guide. She talks to Kathryn about why it's important to have all the help you need at such a fraught time.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden 

Money and the media. Andrew looks at the financial reports from NZME and Sky, also the second tranche of the Government's media support, with another $50 million specifically aimed at "the production and sharing of public interest journalism across the country, and is the digital war in Australia is largely resolved?.

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

9:35 On the Floor by Perfume Genius