Nine To Noon for Tuesday 30 March 2021

 

 

09:05  Long wait for sperm donors, social infertility soars

Fertility experts say the annual number of women seeking a sperm donor from fertility clinics has more than doubled over the past four years- and the wait list in New Zealand has reached about one thousand. At the same time the number of women freezing their eggs has increased five fold - going from 50 in 2016 to 250 last year. Fertility Associates says there has been a sharp increase in the number of people dealing with what's called social infertility - not through biological or health issues, but circumstance.  Kathryn speaks with Dr Andrew Murray from Fertility Associates, and also Auckland woman, Sarah, who's been waiting 18 months for a donor.

0930 Shipping moving again through Suez Canal

Shipping traffic through Egypt’s Suez Canal resumed after a giant container ship which had been blocking the busy waterway for almost a week was refloated, the canal authority said https://t.co/skxfODdbom pic.twitter.com/FTmoDvLu3C

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 29, 2021

Ship horns are sounding in the Suez Canal in celebration of the successful refloating of the massive stranded container ship the Ever Given  which has been blocking the waterway for almost a week. It's estimated around 400 ships are backed up waiting to continue their journeys and the traffic jam will take days to clear. These include container ships, oil tankers and bulk carriers, and the delays mean a range of consumer goods will take much longer to reach their destinations, including New Zealand., Former merchant mariner and Maritime historian  Dr. Sal Mercogliano from Campbell University in North Carolina.

09:35 Ports of Auckland review 

Systemic health and safety problems have been highlighted in an independent review of the Ports of Auckland which was released this morning.

The review was commissioned by the Auckland Council after three deaths and multiple injuries were linked to the Ports in recent years. 

RNZ reporter Nita Blake-Persen speaks with Kathryn Ryan. 

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

A prominent COVID-19 advisor to former president Donald Trump has admitted that most of the pandemic deaths in the US could have been avoided with different policies, Dr Deborah Birx was speaking to  CNN.

Ron also talks to Kathryn about the new state laws, especially in Georgia, restricting voter access. In that state, and in many others, it's a Republican-driven response to the surge of participation in 2020 that many Republicans viewed as proof that some votes were being cast illegally.

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

10:05 The New York hotel that 'set women free'

The Barbizon Hotel in New York City opened its doors in 1928, and over more than five decades was home to a slew of famous women including Rita Hayworth, Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, Joan Didion, Ali MacGraw, Candice Bergen and many more. It was a hotel for women only with 720 rooms across 23 floors. They were women who came to the big apple following their dreams as aspiring writers, artists and actresses, and the Barbizon became a launching pad for some pretty big careers. Paulina Bren is a historian at Vassar College. Her book The Barbizon: The New York Hotel that Set Women Free, traces the history of the Barbizon and its fascinating residents, as well as the changing cultural perceptions of women's ambitions throughout the 20th century.

10:35 Book review: Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka

Catriona Ferguson reviews Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading

Part two of  Sue Orr's tale 'The Party Line' read by Miriama McDowell

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca talks to Kathryn about the building boom with not enough wood. This follows Carter Holt Harvey suddenly cutting building timber supplies to major trade suppliers Mitre10 and ITM, and to Bunnings, citing "critical supply issues" caused by booming housing construction. 

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

11:30 Sir William Manchester: Farm boy to pioneering plastic surgeon

Sir William Manchester grew up on a farm in south Canterbury, serving in the army during World War Two and training under some of the great plastic surgery pioneers - including New Zealander Sir Harold Gillies. Upon his return to New Zealand, he was instrumental in the development of Burwood Hospital's burns unit, and later set up a plastic surgery unit at Middlemore hospital, going on to train generations of young surgeons and nurses. A new book that chronicles his life, called Perfection: The Life and Times of Sir William Manchester, has been written by one of his students, Earle Brown and one of Earle's students, Mike Klaassen. Mike joins Kathryn to talk about Sir Bill's extraordinary life and legacy.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Andrew talks to Kathryn about Nine Entertainment in Australia suffering a cyber attack on Sunday, which saw it unable to continue with some TV broadcasts, and at the same time Australian Parliament also suffered a cyber attack. Also a look at a review of NZ on Air and its NZ Media Fund. Last year this saw $180m sent to producers of content for TV, radio and digital platforms. Is it good value? 
 

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:  Little Dragon and Moses Sumney 
Track: The Other Lover
Time played: 09:30

Artist: Jose Gonzalez 
Track: El Invento  
Time played: 11:45