Nine To Noon for Wednesday 30 March 2022

 

09:05 Solomons-China deal and security in our Pacific backyard

The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands has confirmed his government has finalised a security treaty with China. The agreement lays down a framework which could permit Beijing to deploy forces to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has described the deal as "gravely concerning". Kathryn speaks with Mihai Sora,  a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, and a former Australian diplomat to Solomon Islands.

09:30 Concerns Auckland's plans for waste minimisation might have the opposite effect

A shake-up is coming to the way Auckland collects and charges for its waste services. At the moment it's different in the Super City depending on where you live: residents in Manukau and Auckland City are charged through their rates, residents elsewhere buy bags or bin tags and pay-as-they-throw. The Council, as part of its waste minimisation plan, wants to standardise its collection services and fees, and has just closed its submissions on the process this week. To discuss the changes, Kathryn is joined by Parul Sood, GM for waste solutions at Auckland Council, and Dr Jeff Seadon, an expert in waste minimisation AUT's School of Future Environments, who fears what's planned will have the opposite effect to what's intended and encourage people to throw more, more often.

09:45 Australia: Budget brings fuel tax cuts and cash injections

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane looks at what was announced in yesterday's federal Budget, from a temporary cut in the amount of fuel excise collected to a number of cash payments. But Bernard says there was little support in the budget for climate change, even as parts of east Australia are facing yet more flooding - just weeks after the last devastating deluge.

10:05 The history of death

The most common causes of death have changed dramatically over the centuries; ten thousand years ago, in the Palaeolithic period, you were most likely to die from violence or an accident, while in the Middle Ages, death was most often a result of famine, plague or childbirth. By the 19th century, infectious diseases such as smallpox, typhoid and measles were our biggest killers. So what changed, what's killing us most now, and how might it look in the future? Kathryn speaks to Andrew Doig, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Manchester, whose four decades of research have culminated in his book This Mortal Coil, A History of Death. 

10:35 Book review: Letters to You by Jazz Thornton

Harry Broad reviews Letters to You by Jazz Thornton, published by Penguin Random House NZ

10:45 The Reading

The Invisible Rider, part three. Story by Kirsten McDougall.

11:05 Music with RNZ's Yadana Shaw 

Yadana Saw takes a listen to a new offering by Wellington band Rhombus, Texan trio Khruangbin announce tour dates to New Zealand and the mistress of the kooky, off-kilter pop Jane Weaver returns with a new song.

11:30 Transmission Gully - first to drive

Transmission Gully has officially opened today, after missing five deadlines in the last two years. A ribbon-cutting ceremony has just been held for the 27-kilometre stretch of highway from Wellington through Kapiti.  Our reporter Jake McKee is one of the first to take a drive along Transmission Gully.  He tells Kathryn how he found it.

11:30 A cosy cabin and colourful farm

Farmer Christine Hilton is quick to turn her hand to anything. She's built a log cabin on her land in Twizel, and although new farming she's made sure her Geraldine farm stands out from others. She talks to Kathryn about the rigours and challenges of farming, running an events business on the land, and how her cabin offers respite.
 

11:45  Law: Vaccination policies and can your employer force you back to the office

Changes to vaccination mandates and who is covered by them will kick in next week, but what impact might that have on private employers considering their own vaccination policies? And as the omicron wave subsides, what will that mean for employees working from home. Can they be forced back into the office? The legal commentator today is Helen Pryde of Duncan Cotterill.    

 

Music played in this show

Track: Can't Stop the Stars 
Artist: Jungle 
Time played: 9:30am 

Track: Bruises
Artist: Jordan Rakei
Time played: 9:50am