Nine To Noon for Tuesday 7 September 2021

 

 

09:05 Saliva testing ramping up,  but has NZ been too slow?

The government is moving to increase the use of saliva testing as it implements mandatory weekly surveillance testing of three thousand essential workers crossing through Auckland's border.  But we been too slow to adopt the technology? Saliva based tests are in used widely in many parts of the world, and have a number of advantages over current nasal swabs- they're less invasive, quicker and cheaper. But it has only been in the last month that border and MIQ workers have been given the choice of a saliva test rather than a nasal swab. According to the Ministry of Health website, 815 border workers have opted for regular saliva testing, and the trial will be reviewed mid this month. New Zealander, Dr Anne Wyllie,  is a Research Scientist in Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, whose team pioneered the SalivaDirect test, which was given the green light in the US last year.

09:20 1 in 10 university students have cheated: Australian study

A new Australian study has found around one in ten university students have cheated, and the vast majority were never caught. Academics at the University of Western Australia surveyed students about how many of them had submitted assignments written by someone else. The results suggest it is between eight and 11 per cent and 95 per cent of those who admitted cheating were never caught. Kathryn speaks with lead author, Dr Guy Curtis,  Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology at The University of Western Australia.

09:30  Fine dining chef offers up Mum's lasagne 

Taranaki woman Kaye Shewry is amazed her decades old lasagne recipe is being gobbled up by fine diners in Melbourne. Her son Ben Shewry is the owner and chef of Attica, which is one of Melbourne's acclaimed restaurants. However every time Melbourne has entered a new Covid lockdown, Ben has been able to offer lasagne for takeout and delivery, which has helped keep his business afloat.  

09:45 USA correspondent Kelsey Snell

In many states there are worrying rates of COVID hospitalisations, driven almost exclusively by unvaccinated people. Kelsey also reports on  the newly instituted abortion rules in Texas which are rapidly becoming a major issue for Democrats seeking to protect the right to abortions in the US. And Congress is forging ahead with plans to write a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill this month.

Kelsey Snell is a congressional correspondent for NPR, based in Washington DC.

 

10:05 The Dinosaur Hunters of history  

 The word "dinosaur" has only been around for a couple of hundred years, but people have been finding the fossilised remains of prehistoric animals for more than a thousand years. Dr Lowell Dingus' book The Dinosaur Hunters tells the stories of the remarkable men and women who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the bones of these ancient reptiles. It sweeps centuries, from the ancient Chinese who assumed the bones of dinosaurs must have once belonged to dragons, to the modern dinosaur hunters who have discovered things we assumed we would never be able to learn about dinosaurs. Dr Dingus also delves into the the infamous "Bone Wars", where two American dinosaur hunters competed to find more fossils than the other, even to the point of sabotaging each others' dig sites with dynamite. 

10:35 Book review People Like Them by Samira Sedira

Jenna Todd of Time Out Bookstore reviews People Like Them by Samira Sedira, published by Penguin Random House NZ

10:45 The Reading

Bruce Ansley with part two of his memoir Gods and Little Fishes. Part three tomorrow.
 

11:05 Business commentator Pattrick Smellie delves into The America's Cup saga

Pattrick has been digging deep into Mark Dunphy's bid to keep The America's Cup in New Zealand. He also looks at what the future of air travel may be like and what it will cost.

Pattrick Smellie is the editor and co-founder of BusinessDesk and has reported on the New Zealand economy and business since 1983.

 

11:30 Scotty Morrison - modern phrases in te reo

Te reo Māori  advocate and teacher, Professor Scotty Morrison shares some modern Māori phrases. It's been 10 years since his first Raupō Phrasebook of Modern Māori hit the shelves.

11:45 Media commentator Andrew Holden

Andrew talks to Kathryn how the media industry is faring. He has the latest from the annual reporting season with TVNZ paying a dividend, NZME's profit up for first six months of the year and SkyTV has good results and investor interest. Also the imminent departure of TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick.

Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne. 

Music played in this show

Track: Tiaho Io Rā (East Coast Moon)
Artist: Tama Waipara feat. Maisey Rika 
Broadcast time: 10:40am 

Track: Peach
Artist: Future Islands 
Broadcast time: 11:30am