Nine To Noon for Tuesday 31 May 2022

 

 

 

09:05 Busting open the supermarkets: has the govt gone far enough?

What will it take to foster competition in the supermarket sector and bring down prices at the checkout? The government announced a suite of changes yesterday, including a new industry watchdog which will conduct annual reviews, compulsory unit pricing and a mandatory code of conduct. This is in addition to new laws which will prohibit land-banking by supermarket chains, and ban exclusivity clauses in leases - meaning competitors can more easily find sites. The Food and Grocery Council is warning it could be years before consumers see the benefits of increased supermarket competition. Kathryn speaks with Tex Edwards, founder of the telecommunications company 2 Degrees, who's part of the consortium Northelia, looking at setting up a new supermarket chain. He's also  part of the lobby group Monopoly Watch.

09:30 Pre-departure RATs and Traveller Declaration frustrate tourists

If you've headed overseas lately, you'll know the process isn't as straightforward as it used to be - with pre-departure RAT tests and the New Zealand Traveller Declaration top of a list of bugbears. Most travellers to New Zealand - including citizens  - need a pre-departure RAT test uploaded to their online New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Some travellers say the site doesn't work well on mobile, is prone to crashing and doesn't have an option for one form for family members travelling together. Kathryn talks to Greg Hamilton, CEO of TAANZ - about the Declaration process and why he believes pre-departure RATs should be dropped now - and not at the end of July. She'll also speak with Richard Burdon of Glen Dene Hunting near Lake Hawea about why his US clients are tossing New Zealand in the "too hard" basket.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving : Uvalde school massacre and gun laws 

The Justice Department is conducting a review into the Uvalde school shooting which left 19 pupils and two teachers dead. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have visited Texas to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial to the Robb Elementary School victims. There's been blistering criticism of the police response as the massacre unfolded and gun control legislation is again being hotly debated. Ron says former President, Donald Trump and other Republicans are on the defensive but also quite defiant at same time.  

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

 

 

10:05 Construction, depression and writing: Dave Burt

Dave Burt left school early and got an apprenticeship as an electrician. He now runs an electrical contracting business employing 130 staff throughout New Zealand. About eight years ago, Dave realised he was living with depression, and wrote a book about it called Lengthening the Shadow. It was the first his friends and workmates knew about it. Since then he has been actively involved in improving mental health support and outcomes within the construction sector,  which has a very high rate of suicide. But he also has a love of fiction writing, and after many years gestation, Dave has published his first crime thriller novel, called Embedded. He shares his story with Kathryn Ryan.

10:35 Book review: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

Phil Vine reviews The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, published by  Hachette NZ   

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca looks at a win for the so-called meme-stock apes. Last year  Gamestop, a retailer selling games, became the subject of a ferocious battle between retail investors  and against professional investors/fund managers. While we haven't heard as much about gamestop and memestocks this year, the fallout continues, with one of the hedge funds most impacted by GameStop's surge in value telling investors it's shutting down. Rebecca also talks to Kathryn about New Zealand’s crowdfunding platform Pledgeme.
 

 

11:30 Employment contracts: What employers should include + your questions

Last week employment law expert Charles McGuinness joined Nine to Noon to talk about the top things workers need to know about employment contracts. Today he talks to Kathryn about what employers need to consider when drawing up a contract....and answers a few of your questions.

11:45 Financial Planner Liz Koh : Top Five KiwiSaver Mistakes to Avoid
 

Many people are reliant on KiwiSaver as their principal means of retirement saving, yet so often they make mistakes with their KiwiSaver funds. Liz will talk to Kathryn about the most common mistakes to avoid, which is particularly timely as people are questioning their funds with the current sharemarket volatility.

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

 

Music played in this show

Track: Different Skies 
Artist: Harper Finn
Broadcast time: 9:50am

Track: Keep Those Tear Drops From Falling 
Artist: Natalie Bergman
Broadcast time: 10:43am 

Track: Speakeasy
Artist: Dao and Beau Diako 
Broadcast time: 11:28am