Nine To Noon for Wednesday 6 October 2021

 

09:05 Charging EVs: circumventing the 6pm surge

A Canterbury-based EV technology which circumvents the peak 6 o'clock charging surge has just received a funding boost. Christchurch startup Evnex is bridging the gap between the electric car owner and the electricity industry. The team at Evnex has developed and is now installing a fast at-home re-charge unit, which sets timings for when electricity is plentiful and cheap. Evnex has recently raised $2.7 million in a seed round led by technology investor Movac and Sir Stephen Tindall. Kathryn is joined by Evnex founder and chief executive Ed Harvey.

09:20 Demand for credit recovering for business in level 2 

The lockdown following the outbreak of Delta triggered an immediate drop in demand for credit .. but demand is recovering, particularly in parts of the country in Alert level 2. The latest Centrix Outlook which looks at how consumer and business credit performed in September indicates there was an overnight fall of 30 percent in demand for credit in mid-August. Centrix is the only locally owned consumer credit agency and managing director Keith McLaughlin says credit demand has fully recovered in regions operating under Alert Level 2 ...And there's been a 16 percent increase in Auckland at Alert Level 3.

09:30 Parks Weather: forecasts for National Parks, huts and trails

NIWA and the Department of Conservation have teamed up to create detailed weather forecasts of the country's National Parks, huts and most popular trails. Anyone who's been out in the bush knows how rugged and remote trails can be and how fast the weather can change. NIWA and DOC hope to improve people's ability to safely plan trips into the great outdoors, and have put safety at the heart of the forecast. Parks Weather focuses first and foremost on the risk of hazards such as heavy rain, extreme temperatures, strong winds and snow. The website launched several months ago with 49 sites, concentrating on the Great Walks and locations in the country's 13 National Parks. It's now rolled out an additional 22 sites, as chosen by DOC - based on the areas with the highest risk of severe weather, and with the greatest number of visitors. There are now over 70 locations, with hopes that more will be added in future. Kathryn speaks to Nava Fedaeff, a forecaster at NIWA who has been working on the project this year. 

09:45 New NSW Premier, Victoria's Covid cases spike

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche looks at some of the challenges ahead for newly-minted NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Victoria hits a record-high 1,763 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and what has the Pandora Papers revealed about some foreign real estate deals in Australia?

10:05 Galen Cranz - keeping you on the edge of your seat

Professor of Social Architecture at the University of California, Galen Cranz hasn't had conventional chairs in her house for some 20 years, out of concern for how damaging they are to our health. She prefers stools, including ones that wobble. She doesn't want us to keep still.  Professor Cranz says right-angled chairs force a C-slumped spine, causing the chest to cave in, the pelvis to crunch, the lower back to collapse, our head to jut forward putting pressure on our neck. Many of us are left with all sorts of aches and pains, especially as we spend long hours in front of a computer.  Professor Cranz concurs with research published in the American Journal of Public Health suggesting sitting for prolonged periods can be more damaging to our heart health than smoking. But, as she tell Kathryn Ryan, she has some solutions.  Professor Cranz is a designer, a consultant specialising in chairs and body conscious design, author of The  Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design and a certified Alexander Technique teacher.

10:35 Book review: The Employees: A workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn

Stella Chrysostomou of Volume Books in Nelson reviews The Employees: A workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn, published by Lolli Editions   

10:45 The Reading

Anger Dissipation Protocol by Fergus Porteous, read by Alex Greig.

11:05 What makes an iconic TV theme song?

Musicologist Kirsten Zemke looks at some of the most memorable TV theme songs over the years. What is the role of theme song, what gives them "life" long after the show has aired?

Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Auckland's School of Social Sciences.
 

11:20 What is required for international mobility to resume?

Kathryn talks with Massey University migration expert Paul Spoonley about how international mobility will be managed once New Zealand's borders reopen in the New Year. He says there are some big, as yet unanswered questions, such as what protocols and procedures will be required in airports and on planes?  And who pays if you get COVID in another country?

11:45 Science commentator Siouxsie Wiles

This week, Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles tells us about a new study about the safety of the COVID mRNA vaccines and takes listener questions on Covid.

Associate Professor Dr Siouxsie Wiles is the head of Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland.

 

 

Music played in this show

Track: Time 
Artist: Georgia Smith 
Broadcast time: 9:45am