Nine To Noon for Tuesday 27 April 2021

 

 

09:05 The future of local government under review 

A sweeping review of local government has been announced. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says it will look at what local government does, how, and how it pays for it. Already the government is planning to remove councils of their core responsibilities through the three water and resource management reforms.  This as councils across the country are crying out for more funding to allow them to get on with the job. So just what will the review achieve, and how? Jim Palmer is a retired Waimakariri District Council chair, and will chair the group leading the review, Stuart Crosby is the president of Local Govt New Zealand, and Jo Miller is the chief executive of Hutt City Council. 

09:20 Environmental cost of healthcare's 'secret' toxic waste

Medics and chemical engineers are calling for safe and effective disposal of hospital waste.  Anaesthetic gas alone rivals the carbon footprint of long haul flights, with emissions from a single hospital in New Zealand equaling five hundred return flights between Auckland and London.  Kathryn Ryan speaks with Dr Rob Burrell and Associate Professor Dr Saeid Baroutian, who are calling for improved monitoring and the investment in technology to properly dispose of toxic hospital waste. Dr Rob Burrell is an anaesthetist and part of a team at Middlemore Hospital that reduced the hospital's carbon footprint by more than 20 percent over five years. Associate Professor Dr Saeid Baroutian is a Chemical Engineer who leads the University of Auckland's Waste and Resource Recovery Research Group.

09:45 Biden speech to mark 100 days, US pledges to share vaccines

USA correspondent Ron Elving joins Kathryn to look at President Joe Biden's upcoming speech to Congress and how it'll mark his first 100 days in office. He'll also look at the way the Biden administration is handling the pandemic, including a pledge to share AstraZeneca vaccine doses with countries that need help - including India.

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

10:05 Breeding prize orchids: Allan Rae

Champion orchid breeder Allan Rae is so fascinated with these flowering beauties he's created his own.  They're all in the orange and gold colour range, and he has registered fifteen plants with the Royal Horticultural Society. You could say these are fifteen miracles; according to Allan "it's like trying to breed a child who's going to be an All Black". Allan is a founding member of the Manawatu Orchid Society, heads the organisation of the National Orchid Expo, has served on the Orchid Council of New Zealand and is an accredited orchid judge.  Allan sells his orchids at farmers markets local to him in Palmerston North.

10:35 Book review: Tall Bones by Anna Bailey

Catriona Ferguson reviews Tall Bones by Anna Bailey, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading

How to Hear Classical Music, part 6. Written and read by Davinia Caddy.

11:05 Political commentators Stephen Mills & Brigitte Morten

Stephen and Brigitte join Kathryn to look at the big shakeup of the health system and the risks for the government if it doesn't result in better service delivery. Will race be a big issue in the 2023 election, given decisions made on establishing a Māori Health Authority and how to resolve Ihumātao, and why did Labour vote to keep the waka-jumping law?

Stephen Mills is the executive director of UMR Research , which is the polling firm used by Labour.  He is former political adviser to two Labour governments.

Brigitte Morten is a senior consultant with public and commercial law firm Franks & Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government. 

11:30 Moving New Zealand's food story beyond "a paddock in the ocean"

What is New Zealand's national dish? How would you explain our cuisine to someone overseas? Angela Clifford from Eat New Zealand says New Zealand has never developed its own iconic cuisine or food identity because of our colonial history as provider for the motherland. She describes our food provenance story as being "a paddock in the ocean" but she tells Kathryn Ryan that we have many exciting stories that need to be told, that go beyond our exports of beef, lamb, kiwifruit and wine. 

11:45 Trust in news, NZ on Air gets first news boss, what is a crash blossom?

Media commentator Atakohu Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about a new report coming this week into which New Zealand media organisations are the most trusted. New Zealand on Air has just appointed its first head of journalism to run its new $55m public interest journalism fund and where does the term 'crash blossom' come from?

Dr Atakohu Middleton is a lecturer in school of communication studies at AUT and a journalist.