Nine To Noon for Monday 31 January 2022

09:05 Principals predict Omicron will close some schools

It's back to class for hundreds of thousand of students today and  principals worry Omicron will force some schools to close, meanwhile paediatricians want children to remain in class as long as possible. Strict safety measures have been mandated, including vaccinations, masks and the maintenance of a COVID-19 vaccination register. Dr Teuila Percival is a senior lecturer in paediatric health at the University of Auckland and a consultant paediatrician. She is part of a group of 10 paediatricians urging the government to keep schools open as long as possible, with closure only as a last resort. To discuss how well equipped teachers and principals are to deal with with Omicron rising and Delta still spreading in the community, Cherie Taylor-Patel is the new President of the New Zealand Principals Federation.

09:30 Employers urged to get ready for Holidays Act changes

Significant changes will be made to the holidays act this year - affecting both employers and employees.
Despite having been amended more than 20 times, the 2003 Act has been a nightmare over the years for many workplaces and staff as payroll systems struggled to understand and apply it - especially for employees with variable pay. This year's proposed changes include new ways of calculating holiday pay and other leave entitlements and also the ability for employees to take annual holidays in advance.Employees will also be eligible for family violence leave,  bereavement leave and one day's sick leave from the outset of their employment.  Buddle Finlay employment law partner, Hamish Kynaston, says employers need to get familiar with the changes.

09:45 Germany correspondent Thomas Sparrow

Thomas surveys the rising Ukraine/Russia tensions, is Europe close to war?. The EU and NATO are struggling to find a common position to deal with the crisis. And while other European countries might have already seen the peak of the Omicron wave,  Germany is still very much in the middle of it, with record numbers of cases, over 200,000 a day, and many restrictions on public life.  

Thomas Sparrow is a political correspondent for Deutsche Welle, based in Berlin

10:05 Pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, and his "palaces of sound"

Pavel Kolesnikov is the Siberian born London-based modern classical pianist who likes to construct 'a palace of sound built by your own imagination'.  Described by critics as "spellbinding", Pavel became a sensation at the Honens International Piano Competition in Canada, taking home the world's largest piano prize.  He came to further attention in 2021 at the penultimate night of The Last Night of the Proms. It's been said of him "very few pianists of Kolesnikov's generation share his abundance of intelligence, sensitivity, musicality, imagination, and sheer instrumental mastery". Pavel prefers to make classical music that comes across as something new. He's also a collector of vintage perfumes. Pavel has given recitals in South Korea, Japan, Spain, and Germany, and is working on a major dance project which has so far been performed in Vienna, Brussels, Montpellier, Brugges and Seville.

10:35 Book review: Three of the best from 2021: No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout and The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay

Hannah August reviews her favourite books from last year: No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood published by Penguin Random House, Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout published by Penguin and The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay.

10:45 The Reading

Jamie McCaskill reads the first episode of Spider by William Taylor - the story of a gangly teenager who gives up rugby to play the piano.

11:05 Political commentators Mills & Thomas

Stephen, Kathryn and Ben discuss what the latest 1News Kantar Public poll is showing, the frustrations over Rapid Antigen Testing and the inflation rate.

Stephen Mills is an executive director at Talbot Mills research limited which is the polling firm used by Labour. He is a former political adviser to two Labour governments.

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

11:30 How to store fruit and veg and reduce food waste

Registered nutritionist Claire Turnbull has tips for keeping your fruit and vegetables fresh for longer; what to keep in the fridge, how to store them, and what to do when you do find vegetables looking limp. It'll prolong the shelf life of your produce, especially during the hot summer months, and save you money. It's estimated the average New Zealand household throws away 86kg of edible food each year, worth $644.

11:45 Urban issues - light rail for the city of sails

Auckland Light Rail from the City Centre to the the airport has been announced , Bill examines the route and whether it is a good option or not.

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

Music played in this show

Artist: Manchester Orchestra
Track: Telepath
Time played: 9:45

Artist: Benee
Track: Happen to me
Time played: 11:35