Nine To Noon for Monday 24 January 2022

09:05 The "big sick": keeping workers well

Hospital doctors could continue working even after testing positive for Covid-19 in the worst case scenarios of an Omicron outbreak here. Emergency departments are preparing for chronic worker shortages when staff contract Omicron and are forced to isolate, similar to what has been experienced in Europe and Australia. Kathryn speaks with Dr John Bonning from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, who says while large hospitals will have a better chance at absorbing the mass staff shortages, smaller regional hospitals will be under significant pressure. He's warning that in this disaster scenario, a small hospital with only one or two doctors may be forced to either temporarily close or if Covid-positive staff feel well, they may continue to work through their illness with precautions in place. Employers in all industries are being warned by epidemiologists to prepare for "the big sick". Overseas, illness as a result of Omicron has significantly disrupted supply chains, leaving shelves empty in supermarkets and shops. Brett O'Riley from the Employers and Manufacturers Association wants says rapid antigen tests are the way to keep New Zealand open for business and avoid 'the big sick' sweeping the workforce.

09:30 The benefits of going barefoot

How can kicking off your shoes and going barefoot improve your health?  Advocate for the barefoot lifestyle, founder of The Barefoot Movement and qualified podiatrist Paul Thompson says it's possible to reduce pain and discomfort by strengthening the body to support itself without shoes.  Paul tells Kathryn he thinks orthotics are over-prescribed and that going barefoot more often activates muscles and nerves made redundant by shoes - making him feel younger.

09:45 Europe Correspondent Seamus Kearney - Russia-Ukraine tension

Europe remains on edge about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, after a round of talks between US and Russian officials failed to find a breakthrough to reduce tensions. Meanwhile, the head of the German navy has resigned after a backlash over comments he made about the Ukraine crisis. And Europe moves towards easing of Covid restrictions, with Ireland the latest country to do so. 

10:05 Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges: what prisoners taught me

Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and former war correspondent in the Middle East and the Balkans for fifteen years for The New York Times. He's the author of 14 books and is the host of an Emmy-nominated weekly radio show on RT America. For more than a decade he has taught courses in drama and literature to inmates at East Jersey State Prison. His latest book Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison documents his relationship with those incarcerated students, the efforts of some in writing a play about their lives, and his belief that the criminal justice system is an abject failure.

10:35 Book review:  Three of the best from 2021: The Front Line by Glyn Harper, The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither and The End of Everything by Katie Mack

David Hill reviews three of his favourite books from last year: The Front Line by Glyn Harper published by Massey Press, The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither published by Quentin Wilson Publishing and The End of Everything, by Katie Mack, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Political commentators Jones & Thomas the advent of Omicron

Neale, Ben and Kathryn discuss the Government's planning and Covid communications now that Omicron is in the community. Also food price inflation and the bank credit crunch situation.

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.

Ben Thomas is a PR consultant and a former National Government press secretary.

11:30 Summer dining with Australia's Stephanie Alexander

Stephanie Alexander is one of Australia's most prominent food educators. Her 50 year career includes being the owner-chef of several restaurants, the author of  books and countless of articles about food matters. She has been awarded the Order of Australia - and has done groundbreaking work in creating the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Home is Stephanie Alexander's 19th cookbook and it contains more than 200 recipes as well as ten essays. She will share some recipes suitable for summer dining.

 

11:45 Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne

Kennedy talks to Kathryn about his summer of islands and the places he's visited during voyages from the Hauraki Gulf to Whangaroa Harbour, and also the tsunami damage to Tutukaka marina.