Nine To Noon for Thursday 1 July 2021

 

 

09:05 Water shake-up: Minister warns councils over costs of status quo

The Local Government Minister has announced the biggest shake up to water and sewer infrastructure in generations but local councils are already split over whether they'll get on board. The plans is to merge the water services of 67 councils nationally into four mega entities, which will take over ownership of assets. But some councils are already expressing doubt - saying they've invested heavily in infrastructure and don't want to have to subsidise others. Nanaia Mahuta says without the reforms, councils and ratepayers will struggle to pay for more than $120 billion dollars of infrastructure needed over the next three decades, and warns if they opt for the status quo, the costs will fall to ratepayers.

09:20 Auckland region's multi-billion dollar water plan unveilled

Auckland council water company, Watercare has just announced its 20 year plan, which outlines how $18.5 billion dollars will be spent on the city's water and wastewater network, servicing 1.7 million people. Earlier this year a mothballed dam in the Hunua Ranges was upgraded to supplement Auckland's water supply network and to help with the region's drought and the council applied to take an extra 150 million litres of water a day from Waikato River, on top of the 150 million litre allocation. Work on a new water treatment plant in Waikato is also progressing and will soon provide up to 50 million litres a day. But continued supply from the Waikato River is part of the new long range blueprint, with Watercare Chief Executive Jon Lamonte saying it is the preferred water source to meet short-term population growth.
 

09:30 NZ's untapped blue economy, is seaweed the answer?

Several international companies are eyeing up New Zealand coastal and offshore waters to establish seaweed farms  which a marine researcher says could earn tens of millions of dollars. AUT seaweed biology Associate Professor, Lindsey White singles out seaweeds as future major player in the country's  blue economy with bottomless potential earnings and he explains why NZ waters are an increasingly attractive option. We also speak to Sunny Sanderson from Kelp Blue which is a restorative large-scale offshore kelp cultivation enterprise  - Kelp Blue is doing due diligence here.

09:45 UK correspondent Matt Dathan

Matt joins Kathryn to talk about the huge jump in Covid cases, after the UK recorded more than 26,000 cases yesterday - the most since January 29. Top scientists have announced plans for an autumn booster jab to help Britain stop a slide back into another lockdown. School bubbles could be scrapped on July 19, when all remaining restrictions lift. Meanwhile football fans are rejoicing after England beat arch enemies Germany for the first time in a tournament match in 55 years.

10:05 Noise: The unwanted variability in human judgement

10:35 Book review: The Author's Cut by Owen Marshall

Rae McGregor reviews The Author's Cut by Owen Marshall, published by Penguin Random House NZ

10:45 The Reading

Hand Me Down World, episode nine. Written by Lloyd Jones.

11:05 NZ's new internet cable, R&D hits restart, does NZ need the right to disconnect?

Technology commentator Sarah Putt joins Kathryn to talk about the Southern Cross Cable's new replacement called NEXT  - it goes live in April 2022 but will we notice a difference? The government plans to hit the restart button with its research and development plans - how will it do that? And there are growing calls around the world for governments to introduce "right to disconnect" laws, does New Zealand need one too?

11:25 The importance of parents and teachers working together to help children learn

Research has underlined the importance of parents and teachers working together to help their children do well at school. The partnership is increasingly being emphasised in education policy, and by Māori, Pacific peoples, and parents of children who need learning support. Recent reports also show teachers want to connect more with parents, but lack the time and resources. Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Mohamed Alansari joins Kathryn to discuss. 

11:45 Sweet Tooth, Betty, Dave, Murder by the Coast

Film and TV reviewer Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to look at the New Zealand-filmed Sweet Tooth (Netflix), a post-pandemic comic book caper about human-animal hybrids; Betty (Neon), a show about female skateboarders in New York that's had its second season; Dave (Neon), a hip-hop show from joke rapper Lil Dicky and his crew; and finally Murder by the Coast (Netflix) a Spanish film about the 1999 murder of Rocío Wanninkhof and the unjust arrest and media circus that followed.

Music played in this show

Track: Not Dead Yet 

Artist: Lord Huron 

Broadcast time: 9.39 

Track: Modern Life

Artist: Gold Child 

Broadcast time: 10.40

Track: Heart Flow 

Artist: Jane Weaver 

Broadcast time: 11.45

Track: Lebanon 

Artist: JS Ondara 

Broadcast time: 11.40