Nine To Noon for Tuesday 23 November 2021

 

 

09:05 No maths = economy suffers

An economic think-tank is warning our economy will suffer unless changes are made to the way maths is taught.  Maths scores have been declining for the past twenty years, relative to other OECD countries.  Earlier this year, in July, an Education Review Office report warned of slipping standards in the teaching of maths, with teacher capability a particular concern. A new report from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research,  argues that students could learn better from specialist, or expert maths teachers.It also backs more traditional settings,  rather than digital learning environments.  There are also wider, systemic issues, affecting the learning of maths - changing schools too often, for instance, due to housing issues, is linked to lower achievement at school.  NZIER says students missing out on a maths education , have fewer opportunities to jobs with good earning potential and that New Zealand's economy needs good maths performers to improve tech capability in the workforce.  Kathryn speaks with Senior Economist at the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Olivia Wills, and  Associate Maths Professor at the University of Canterbury, and was on the recent Royal Society Expert Advisory Panel on refreshing the maths curriculum, Dr Rua Murray.

09:30 Wellington based sustainable shoe company launches in USA

Wellington entrepreneur Jeremy Bank was inspired to create sustainable shoes after his daughter found plastic all over what had been a pristine beach in Hawai'i. Last year he crowd-sourced $80,000 to get his company YY Nation to the next stage. Yesterday, the company launched its first range of four styles of shoes in the United States - made of  merino, discarded pineapple husks, algae, bamboo and recycled plastic.

09:45 USA correspondent Kelsey Snell

The not guilty verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people and injured one other person, all of whom were protesting following a police shooting in Kenosha Wisconsin, has been celebrated by far-right extremists. Some GOP Congressmen have offered the teenager internships following his acquittal. And it's Thanksgiving in the US this week, with fears of a post-holiday Covid spike. Also, almost $2 trillion has been approved for new spending for social safety net programs and programs to address climate change. The package includes the bulk of President Biden's domestic spending agenda.

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

 

10:05 Eva Orner's unflinching look at Australia's deadly Black Summer bushfires

Two years ago, as Covid was just beginning its deadly spread across the world, another crisis was reaching its peak in Australia.  Known as the Black Summer, devastating bushfires ripped through many states, but were particularly catastrophic in the south-east, following a record-breaking drought. Millions of hectares of bush burned so badly, the smoke turned skies in New Zealand a hazy orange. Kathryn speaks to Eva Orner, an Australian filmmaker known for tackling tough social and political issues through her documentaries, including the Academy Award-winning Taxi to the Dark Side; Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator; and Chasing Asylum. Eva's new project is Burning, a documentary which looks at how the bushfires unfolded from the perspective of victims, scientists and activists and premieres this Friday on Amazon Prime.

10:35 Book review: Seven and a Half by Christos Tsiolkas

Phil Vine reviews Seven and a Half by Christos Tsiolkas, published by Allen & Unwin

10:45 The Reading - The Lucky Bench by Lynette Mentink

One of the winning stories from the 2021 Nine to Noon Short Story Competition.

A woman sits on a bench by the sea, an old man joins her, they chat - as strangers.

A subtle and touching story about dementia.

Written by Lynette Mentink told by Katherine McRae

Recorded by Adam Macaulay post-production by Phil Benge

Produced by Duncan Smith

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson - post lockdown shopping

Rebecca talks to Kathryn about why Christmas shopping means more than ever this year for the retail sector. You'd be hard-pressed to avoid a Black Friday sale ad at the moment, and Christmas sales and the pre-silly season sales  is probably going to be even more in your face than ever before this year, as retailers gear up to try and catch up on a covid-impacted year of sales. BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis says it's a dangerous time for many business because they've hung on with the expectation of doing exceptionally well during this festive season.

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

11:30 Challenges facing alpine NZ - Sir Alan Mark 

 

The extremes of temperature, short summers and high rates of erosion are making for an uncertain environment for the flora and fauna in alpine areas, and also for the people who explore it. Sir Alan Mark is an emeritus professor from the Botany Department of the University of Otago. He talks to Kathryn about the great ability of plants and animals to adapt and evolve to changing conditions. A revised edition of his book  Above the Treeline - a guide to the plants and animals of alpine New Zealand, has just been released. It's a guide to the natural history of ecosystems, not just to the obvious birds and insects, but also frogs, lizards and other invertebrates and flowering plants.

11:45 Financial Planner Liz Koh - the retirement spending gap

Massey University has just released their Retirement Expenditure Guidelines which show the difference between what retirees need to spend in retirement and their income from NZ Superannuation. Financial planner, Liz Koh talks to Kathryn about the size of the gap and how people can plan ahead to close the gap.

Liz Koh is a financial planner and specialising in retirement planning. This discussion is of a general nature, and does not constitute financial advice.

 

Music played in this show

Artist: Luke Buda 
Title: Here comes the Wind 
Time played: 09:33

Artist: DJ Spell freaturing Troy Kingi 
Title: Break My Heart 
Time Played: 9.48 

Artist: Kruder Dorfmeister 
Title:  Love Hope Change 
Time Played: 10:09 

Artist: Chris Knox 
Title: Not Given Lightly 
Time Played: 10.42 

Artist: Tiny Ruins 
Title: Olympic Girls
Time Played: 11.25