Nine To Noon for Thursday 8 July 2021

 

 

09:05 First woman chair appointed to Fire & Emergency but culture still needs change: Minister

Fire and Emergency, dogged for years by reports of bullying and harassment, has its first ever woman chairperson.
Rebecca Keoghan has been appointed by the Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti to lead the board , taking over from the former Labour Minister Paul Swain. An independent review into the culture at FENZ, published in 2019, found bullying and harassment featured in the workplace at all levels and across all regions, but there were barriers to reporting it. There have been calls for a completely independent complaints body to be established to deal with claims of bullying and harassment,  and the Professional Firefighters Union has said it has no faith in the current FENZ Chief Executive Rhys Jones. Jan Tinetti says Ms Keoghan's appointment is hugely significant and she will strongly push for culture change within FENZ.

09:20 RSV: critical research needed as cases soar post-bubble

ESR virologist Dr Sue Huang​ is calling for more, and urgent, research into the contagious and potentially fatal respiratory virus RSV, as case numbers soar among babies and children, inundating hospitals. The most recent weekly numbers of Respiratory Syncytial Virus reported by New Zealand's national virus laboratory network show cases started climbing sharply in June, reaching 538 cases in the last week of the month alone.  The current increase of cases is linked to the re-opening of our borders with Australia in late-April. Starship hospital is postponing surgeries to make room for an influx of children needing treatment, and latest reports show Wellington is also experiencing an alarming growth of RSV, with 26 children now in Wellington Regional Hospital, including three babies in intensive care.

09:30 England reacts to Euros semi final drama

England football correspondent Matt Dathan reports from Wembley.

09:45 UK correspondent Hugo Gye

Hugo joins Kathryn to talk about the government's push for so-called Freedom Day, likely to be July 19, amid an admission Covid cases could hit 100,000 a day. The public will have the choice over whether to wear masks from that point, but it looks like it could become a cultural dividing line - and one divided along the same lines as the Brexit debate. And football has transfixed England, as it faces Denmark for a Euro 2020 final spot.

10:05 Kiwi coach Owen Eastwood celebrates England's win

Kiwi performance and England coach Owen Eastwood talks to Kathryn post-match from the Cotswolds

10:10 Mimi Kwa on an epic family memoir and making sense of dysfunction

Mimi Kwa is a Melbourne-based journalist and newsreader, who's written an extraordinary memoir of her very unconventional upbringing and in particular, her larger-than-life father. Francis Kwa was one of 32 brothers and sisters, whose Chinese family migrated to Hong Kong, where they become the biggest silk traders. His formative years were during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong towards the end of World War Two, before migrating to Australia where he opened the largest youth hostel in the southern hemisphere. Mimi Kwa grew up there, but also spent a lot of time in Hong Kong with her beloved and glamorous Aunty Theresa. After Theresa died, Mimi's father sued his daughter in the Perth Supreme Court over control of the estate. Mimi Kwa's book House of Kwa is an excavation of her family's history, a reflection on her dysfunctional upbringing, and an attempt to make sense of it all.

 

10:35 Book review: The Vixen by Francine Prose

Phil Vine reviews The Vixen by Francine Prose, published by HarperCollins   

10:45 The Reading

Parallel Universe, part two. Written by Charlotte Grimshaw, read by Michael Hurst.

11:05 Amazon opens to Kiwi customers, govt agrees to consumer data right

Technology commentator Bill Bennett joins Kathryn to talk about Amazon opening its Australian store to New Zealand customers and what that might mean for New Zealand retailers and other online stores. The Government has agreed to establish a consumer data right framework for New Zealanders, which would require data holders like banks and power companies to safely and securely share data with third parties with their customers' consent.  And Bill will also look at why Facebook, Google and other tech companies are threatening to quit Hong Kong.

11:25 Grandparenting from a distance 

Closed borders in the last year or so have forced many people to have enforced long periods away from loved ones living overseas. Researcher, writer and anthropologist Helen Ellis knows all about having geographically scattered relatives. Three of her four children, and five of her six grandchildren, live in America, England and Scotland. In non-Covid restricted times it would be a 16 to 30 hour flight to visit them. Drawing on her personal whanau situation and research - her book Being a Distance Grandparent addresses some of the issues and struggles when family life is so spread out. This includes attending an international wedding via zoom.

11:45 Workin' Moms, Fatherhood, Sex/Life

Film and TV reviewer Laumata Lauano joins Kathryn to look at the fifth season of Canadian comedy Workin' Moms (Netflix), Kevin Hart's new film Fatherhood (Netflix) and provocative new show Sex/Life (Netflix).

 

Music played in this show

Artist:  Jorja Smith
Track: Addicted
Time: 9:20

Artist:  Sault
Track: Bitter Streets
Time: 9:35

Artist: Manchester Orchestra
Track: Telepath
Time: 11:28