Nine To Noon for Thursday 6 May 2021

 

 

09:05  Pandemic immigration decisions and a possible shake-up

Since the borders closed in March last year lines have had to be drawn over who should be granted an exemption to travel here; the green light was given to health and other critical workers, some Pacific residents, maritime crew and those needing exemptions on humanitarian grounds. But some decisions have been more controversial - particularly those related to the America's Cup and film and TV productions. Last week the government announced changes it said would make it easier for migrant families to be reunited and this week the government said the border closure was a good time to review immigration settings - announcing a year-long inquiry by the Productivity Commission to do just that. Kathryn talks to the Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi about what further changes might be on the cards.

09:20 Fonterra unveils options to revamp capital structure

The dairy giant Fonterra has laid out a range of options to strengthen its financial structure, but remains committed to co-operative ownership. The country's biggest company says the aim is to balance farmer ownership, milk supply, and secure its financial future. It has outlined a range of options for shareholders to consider including dual share structures to allow outside involvement, splitting the co-op between supply and processing businesses, and different classes of shares. RNZ Business Editor Gyles Beckford.

09:20 CEOs must protect workers' mental wellbeing: report

Chief Executives and senior managers have a legal duty to protect the mental wellbeing of workers and eliminate toxic work environments, according to Dr Hillary Bennett, a registered psychologist specialising in the leadership of safety and wellbeing. She's been consulting for decades here and overseas in the private and public sectors. She recently authored a guide for the Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum on protecting mental wellbeing at work. Forum members are CEOs, Managing Directors and other senior leaders of most large organisations in the country. Dr Bennett says a range of surveys suggest mental harm is increasing due to modern work practices and while many organisations offer wellbeing programmes such as free fruit on Fridays - if it's the workplace that is harming an employee - it's up to the leaders to fix that, not try to fix the individual.

09:45 UK: Local elections loom, Covid derails G7 meeting and vaccine rollout gets a booster

UK correspondent Harriet Line joins Kathryn for a look at the last-minute campaigning underway ahead of Thursday's local elections. India's foreign minister was forced to pull out of attending a G7 meeting in London after two Covid cases were detected in the delegation. And preparations are underway for an autumn booster vaccination programme to protect against a third wave of coronavirus.

10:05 A 25-year-old's mission to revolutionise the wool industry

Logan Williams is a scientist, a serial inventor, the Director of Technology and Innovation at the New Zealand Merino Company, and could be the saviour to the wool industry... and he's only 25 years old. Logan is also the inventor and founder of Keravos, a plastic replacement created by combining coarse wool with polylactic acid from corn starch. Keravos pellets are not only biodegradable, but are lighter and cheaper than the traditional plastic pellets used to manufacture consumer products. He hopes to revolutionise the wool industry by purchasing waste wool from farmers for more than double market price. Logan has already developed four other inventions and in recognition of his work, he has been listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 for Asia-Pacific. He'll be speaking next week at the Boma New Zealand Agri Summit.

10:35 Book Review: The Quiet People by Paul Cleave 

Mary Fawcett from Schrödinger's Books reviews The Quiet People by Paul Cleave published by Upstart Press

10:45 The Reading

Out of Sight, written by David Hill, read by Timothy Bartlett.

11:05 Love it or leave it, goodbye Spot the digidog and 'disaster girl' sells her meme

Technology correspondent Mark Pesce joins Kathryn to talk about how a software company offered employees a choice: stop complaining about the company's issues with diversity and inclusion - or take a buyout package. One third of the company has now left. The NYPD has cancelled its contract to operate Spot a robot dog due to public opposition to it. And 'disaster girl' has sold the original photo that turned her into a meme - it made half a million dollars as a non-fungible token (NFT).

11:25 Building a secure attachment relationship with your child

Parenting coach and educator Joseph Driessen with guidance on how to build a secure attachment relationship with your child. He says a well functioning trusting bond between a primary caregiver and child is essential to healthy development.

11:45 Life in Colour, James & Isey, The Mitchells vs The Machines

Film and TV reviewer Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to talk about Life in Colour with David Attenborough (Netflix), James & Isey, a documentary by Florian Habicht (in cinemas) and new kids' movie The Mitchells vs The Machines (Netflix).