Nine To Noon for Tuesday 8 March 2022

 

 

09:05 Householders brace for power price rises

60 per cent of households will face significant energy price rises next month. The government is phasing out low-use,  fixed-electricity pricing plans across the country following a 2019 independent panel review of electricity pricing. From April 1, 60 per cent of households will pay double for the fixed line component of their energy bill - from 30 cents per day to 60 cents per day. Meanwhile Consumer New Zealand's Power Switch Manager Paul Fuge says many energy companies are currently putting up variable prices as well. He says some of the most vulnerable households on fixed incomes could be facing increases of $200 this year - and more than $650 a year in five years. Kathryn also talks with
Fair Energy Manager for the Sustainability Trust, Phil Squire.

09:25 Commerce Commission stops short of splitting up supermarkets

The Commerce Commission says competition in the grocery sector is not working well for consumers,  but has stopped short of requiring the big two players Foodstuffs and Woolworths NZ to divest some of their existing stores. The market regulator's final study into the retail grocery sector has just been released, and reccomends making more land available for new grocery stores, by changing planning laws to free-up sites and banning the use of restrictive land covenants by competing chains.  It also reccomends improving access to the wholesale supply of groceries at competitive prices, monitoring the conduct of the major grocery retailers and the establishment of a mandatory code of conduct. RNZ Business Editor Gyles Beckford is at the Commerce Commission.

09:30 Measures to curb plastic pollution and assorted waste

 
A huge international commitment to ending plastic pollution has just gained momentum. Late last week, Heads of State, Ministers for the environment and other representatives from 175 nations, including New Zealand, endorsed a resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Kenya. The aim is to draft a legally-binding treaty by 2024 and it is expected to reflect a range of ways to address the full lifecycle of plastics. 
To look at what is happening here in the reduce and recycling of plastics and with all sorts of other waste across the board, Waste Management General Manager of Strategy, Customer & Sustainability Ingrid Cronin-Knight.

 

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

On the international front, American political eyes are all on Ukraine and the worsening situation caused by Russia's invasion. Domestically, Ron says the Budget showdown is due this week, with some Republicans balking, even though the package will include much needed financial support for Ukraine.

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

 

10:05 Insectageddon: a silent unfolding disaster 

While we might sometimes consider insects a bit of a nuisance, the world would be in big trouble without them. Insects pollinate food crops essential for our survival, they control pests and help decompose waste, and they support the ecosystems that sustain our lives. Oliver Milman, environment correspondent for the Guardian, says insects are not only our greatest allies on this planet, they display some of the most  astonishing characteristics and abilities. And yet insects are at the centre of a silent unfolding disaster - some call it "insectageddon". Habitat loss, pesticides and climate change are threatening insect populations worldwide and the United Nations estimates that half a million species could be lost by the midpoint of this century. Kathryn speaks with Oliver Milman about what he found out while writing his book The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires that Run the World. 

10:35 Book review: The Women of Rothschild by Natalie Livingstone

Rob Kelly reviews The Women of Rothschild by Natalie Livingstone, published by Hachette New Zealand

10:45 The Reading

Stuart Devenie reads episode 12 of the Maurice Gee novel "Live Bodies" 

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca talks to Kathryn about the  money behind the women's cricket World Cup and whether sports events are good business. Also the Commerce Commission's supermarket report out today.

Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

11:30 Jazz Thornton : letters for difficult times

When Jazz Thornton was her lowest ebb mentally, a set of letters written to her by a good friend became really important. They were each in a separate labelled envelope and specifically written to help fight a particular feeling or situation, such as anxiety, anger or suidical thoughts, and she read them many, many times. The mental health campaigner, film maker, charity founder, 2021 Young New Zealander of Year and author has a new book  Letters to You, based on those letters: words of support and inspiration for difficult times.

11:45 Financial Planner Liz Koh : women and money
 

Liz talks to Kathryn about the six key life stages which represent times of financial risk for women - growing up, studying and requalifying, entering and re-entering the workforce, relationships (making and breaking), motherhood and becoming a carer, later life (planning and entering retirement), the last stage of life (ill health, infirmity and dying). What should we be doing to ensure that the next generation of women have equal, when compared to men, independent and stable financial futures? 

 

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