Nine To Noon for Wednesday 2 March 2022

 

 

09:05 Breaking news: Police move in on protesters at Parliament

Police have moved in on the three-week old protest camp at Parliament, clearing out tents and making arrests. A major police operation is underway this morning in central Wellington with hundreds of officers, many in riot gear, attempting to clear the streets around Parliament. Police say they have gained significant ground in the operation.  Molesworth Street is at the centre of the action, where police with riot shields physically pushing protesters down the road. Tents are being removed from outside the Wellington cathedral on Hill street. Protesters have been seen brandishing weapons and several people have been arrested.  Police are reminding protesters that Parliament grounds are closed, and that they are trespassing. They say those wishing to leave should let police know, and they will facilitate their safe exit from the area. Kathryn gets the latest from reporters Ruth Hill, Charlotte Cook, Jimmy Ellingham who are on the streets in Pipitea, and political editor Jane Patterson who is at Parliament.

09:10 License scheme for property managers 'simplistic & tick-box': Association

The government's plans to licence rental property managers has been criticised as a 'simplistic tick box exercise' by an industry association. The proposed scheme would see property managers subject to a code of compliance and a "fit and proper" person test. Complaints by tenants or owners, could lead to fines of up to $40,000 for an individual manager, or $100, 000 thousand for a company. The Associate Housing Minister Poto Williams says the regime is intended to "to make things fairer for renters and landlords", and public submissions are open until mid next month. Kathryn speaks with David Pearse, Director of the Residential Property Managers Association and Ashok Jacob of Renters' United.

09:30 Prolactin: the hormone bringing harmony to new mothers

New research reveals Prolactin, the hormone aiding lactation, is also an important modulator of maternal aggression.  Most new mothers are primed to protect her new baby vigilantly.  Researchers at the University of Otago have established, through observing animals, that contrary to what they were expecting, Prolactin canh elp reduce aggression in new mothers, and instead help them focus more on the baby and bond with them. Kathryn speaks with research leader Rosie Brown, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiology and Centre for Neuroendocrinology, at the University of Otago.

09:45 Australia: Deadly Qld floods move south, $70m pledged to Ukraine, PM has Covid

Australia correspondent Annika Smethurst joins Kathryn to look at the year's worth of rain that fell in parts of Queensland, amid criticism the weather forecasts weren't up to scratch. Australians of Ukrainian descent have been warned against returning home to fight as their government pledges $70m for lethal aid and Prime Minister Scott Morrison tests positive for Covid-19.

Annika Smethurst is political editor at The Age.

10:05 Witches of Scotland: A long wait for justice

A campaign for a pardon, apology and memorial for the nearly 3837 people in Scotland - 84% of whom were women - accused of witchcraft is gathering pace. After two years a Scottish MP has a private members bill that would deliver some redress for those persecuted. But what made authorities in Scotland so overzealous when it came to putting "witches" on trial? Of the 200 accused in the infamous Salem witch trials, just 19 lost their lives. Kathryn speaks with historian, witch expert and co-creator of the BBC's Witch Hunt podcast Dr Louise Yeoman, about the 300 years that saw massive loss of life. What did it take to be accused, and was there any hope at all once you were?

10:30  Police and protesters clash at Parliament

Twenty people have been arrested and vehicles are being removed from the protest area as protesters clash with Police. Kathryn gets an update from RNZ reporters Charlotte Cook and Charlie Dreaver

10:35 Book review: Violeta by Isabel Allende

Kim Pittar from Muir's Independent Bookshop Gisborne reviews Violeta by Isabel Allende
published by Penguin Random House

10:45 The Reading

Stuart Devenie reads episode eight of Live Bodies, written by Maurice Gee.

11:05 Split sounds: Bulgarian women's choir music

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about a genre of music that is unique, a product of a schism in the church and geographical isolation. It's women's choir music from Bulgaria, which has made its way into popular culture. Kirsten shares a number of tracks: Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares "Kalimankou Denkou (The Evening Gathering)"; Kate Bush "Rocket's Tail"; Ghost in the Shell Soundtrack "Making of Cyborg" ( Chant I - Kenji Kawai); The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices ft. Lisa Gerrard "Pora Sotunda"; Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares "Pritouritze Planinata".

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

 

11:30 How indigenous elders in Australasia read the stars 

Duane Hamacher is an Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy at the University of Melbourne, specialising in the  intersection of astronomy with culture, heritage, history, and society. His book The First Astronomers - How Indigenous Elders read the stars, has input from  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders. It looks at very early astronomy and catalogues the wealth of information that First Peoples around the world have held about planets and stars throughout history. Duane Hamacher says early settlers were expert observers of the stars, used astronomy in so many aspects of their lives, and there's so much we can learn from them.

 

11:45 When is a contractor actually an employee?

Legal commentator Charles McGuinness joins Kathryn to talk about a case determined by the Court of Appeal late last year - A Labour Inspector v Southern Taxis –which relates to the relatively common conundrum of whether a contractor might actually be an employee.

Charles McGuinness is an employment lawyer in Wellington.