Nine To Noon for Monday 9 August 2021

 

 

09:05 Kiwi journalist on what really happened to BA Flight 149 in Kuwait

A new book by a New Zealand journalist claims the British and US governments tried to cover up the reason why a British Airways flight landed in Kuwait just as Iraqi forces invaded the country in 1990, which led to the capture of the passengers and crew - many of whom were used as human shields. Flight 149 with 367 passengers and 18 crew flew from Heathrow bound for Kuala Lumpur on August 2nd 1990, with stopovers scheduled in Kuwait and Chennai in India. But the plane never made it back out of Kuwait - it landed just as Iraqi forces invaded. Iraq's leader Saddam Hussein had made his hostilities toward Kuwait well-known and the military buildup had been happening for weeks - so why was a commercial flight allowed to land in what was so obviously about to become a war zone? In his new book Operation Trojan Horse, Kiwi investigative journalist Stephen Davis digs deep into the presence of nine British intelligence agents on board the flight - a team of so-called black ops - who were on a mission to gain intelligence about Saddam's troop movements. He says this was the reason the plane had to land, resulting in the months-long ordeal for the hostages. Kathryn talks to him about what he's labelled a cover-up by the British government, and how it's renewed calls from the surviving passengers and crew of the flight for the release of the official investigation into what happened.

09:30 Teenage boys and peer group pressure

New research shows teenage boys are uncomfortable calling out their peers sexist behaviour. University of Auckland psychology professor Nicola Gavey has led a study examining views on gender, sexism and online ethics. The Shifting the Line project spoke to more than 50 Auckland 16 and 17 year olds.

09:45 Wildfires hit southern Europe, Belarus faces isolation after Olympic defection

Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney joins Kathryn to talk about the worst heatwave in 30 years that's hit southern Europe, generating devastating wildfires and forcing many to flee. Belarus was already on the outer in Europe, but the high-profile defection of one of its sprinters from the Olympics is likely to further isolate the country. And EU nations are pulling ahead of the US and UK in the vaccination race.

10:05 Max Richter: genre defying composer & pianist

Max Richter is a composer, pianist, producer, and collaborator, who is one of most streamed musicians in the world.
From synthesizers and computers to a full symphony orchestra, he has produced solo albums, written music for ballets, concert hall performances, film and television series, video art installations and theatre works. "SLEEP", his eight-and-a-half-hour concert work, has been broadcast and performed worldwide - with live audiences invited to bring sleeping bags and settle down for the night to be lulled to sleep by Max Richter and his ensemble. That album has been streamed 450 million times. Max Richter was born in Germany but raised in the England where he lives now with his wife and children in Oxfordshire where they have built a recording studio in a forest, where visiting artists will be invited to work. Max Richter released a new album last week, called Exiles.

 

10:35 Book review: The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither

Louise O'Brien reviews The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither, published by Quentin Wilson Publishing

10:45 The Reading

Duet, part 11. Written by David Hill, read by Kip Chapman.

11:05 Politics: Nats unity challenged by gay conversion vote, Covid 'road map' due

Neale and Brigitte join Kathryn to look at the National Party's annual conference at the weekend, with Peter Goodfellow retaining his job as president and the Young Nats turning on the party over its bulk vote against the proposed ban on gay conversion therapy. Where does this leave Judith Collins' desire for unity in the party? An announcement on the 'road map' out of Covid is due this week - how much is riding on this? And is the government backpedaling on the cycling bridge - was it ever a real prospect?

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of Capital Government Relations.

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

11:30 The nutritional power of avocado powder

The team at freeze-dried avocado company Ovāvo is excited about the potential for fruit, deemed imperfect for supermarket shelves, being processed into something palatable. In conjunction with food scientists from Callaghan Development and Massey University's food technology  department, an avocado powder has been developed to be used in a range of foods including ice-cream, tortilla wraps, truffles and hummus. The company's fruit come from a huge orchard near Ahipara in the far North. Ovāvo CEO Andrew Vivian says previously, around half a million undersized or flawed avocados from 100,000 trees ended up as "press grade,  meaning they'd be send to oil manufacturers.

 

11:45 Reverse Doughnut: The problem with Tauranga - and nearly every other city in NZ

Bill McKay joins Kathryn to talk about how cities in the 70s used to be described as doughnuts, with the CBD lifeless in the evenings and weekends - empty holes surrounded by suburbs. But the growth of hospitality and more liberal planning concepts have created the reverse doughnut. As more retail spaces are abandoned in the central city, what will that mean? Bill looks at what's been happening in Tauranga.

Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.

Music played in this show

Track: Far Celestial Shore 
Artist: Mavis Staples 
Time: 10.45am