Nine To Noon for Wednesday 1 June 2022

 

09:05 Ardern's prize White House meeting amid China concerns in Pacific

Kathryn speaks with RNZ political editor Jane Patterson from Washington DC, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has met with US president Joe Biden earlier today. The pair have acknowledged more work needs to be done in the Pacific, as China's foreign minister continues a whirlwind tour of Pacific nations. Kathryn will also talk with international relations expert Professor Robert Patman about the shifting politics in the region and how individual states are reacting to China's move.

09:30 Steering South Auckland kids away from a path to crime

A spate of ram raids by teenagers is fuelling concern about youth offending rates, but a youth worker in South Auckland says it's a very small group causing a lot of havoc. A crime prevention package was announced last week, including support for businesses to have bollards, security alarms or fog cannons installed, but Stephen Boxer says that doesn't address the real issue. He advocates for early intervention and prevention, and says targeting children displaying early warning signs of troubled behaviour will help avert them from a path towards youth offending. Stephen Boxer runs two youth programmes through the Graeme Dingle Foundation; MYND works as an intervention for teenagers aged 14 to 18 who are already offending, and Kiwi Tahi, for 8 to 12 year olds, workers with younger kids who haven't offended, but are considered at risk due to risk factors at home or in their community. Kathryn speaks to Stephen Boxer, managing director of MYND and Kiwi Tahi about the importance of reaching kids while they're young.

09:45 Australia: New Govt sworn in, Dutton 'Voldemort' sledge and flu/Covid fears

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about the new ministry unveiled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which will be sworn in this morning. It has a record number of women, and the powerful role of Home Affairs Minister has gone to Victorian MP Clare O'Neil. Peter Dutton is the new leader of the Liberal Party, and he's dismissed a sledge from a Labor MP that he looks like 'Voldemort' - saying it's water off a duck's back. Covid and flu are combining to create a concerning time for the country's health sector as the temperatures across Australia plummet.

10:05 Grow: Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food

Photographer and food writer Sophie Merkens has travelled the length of the country to meet New Zealand women with a special connection with food; women who grow, gather, hunt and forage from the land. Food has always played a big role in Sophie Merkens' own life, and she's developed a career around it, working as a recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. Drawn to the stories of how food can be a central force of people's lives, work and travels, she decided to set out an epic trip - from Cape Reinga to Bluff, she met 35 inspiring women. Kathryn speaks with Sophie Merkens about the result; her book Grow - Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food.

10:35 Book review: The Secret World of Connie Starr by Robbi Neal

Kim Pittar from Muir's Independent Bookshop Gisborne reviews The Secret World of Connie Starr by Robbi Neal, published by Harper Collins

10:45 The Reading

Mansfield, episode eight, written by C K Stead and read by Danielle Cormack.

11:05 Music: What made Doo-wop so popular?

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about the Doo-wop music genre: how did it start, why was - and is - it so popular? She'll talk about the silly band names, the fashion and why themes of love and comedy were strong. And where is Doo-wop now?

11:30 New doco follows musicians on autism spectrum

A new Canadian film follows four musicians on the autism spectrum as they record and release an EP. OKAY : The ASD Band Film is a feature length documentary with four people at its heart: lead singer Rawan Tuffaha, guitarist and vocalist Jackson Begley, piano player Ron Adea and drummer Spenser Murray. The four Toronto musicians came together through an Autism spectrum charity, drawn to each other through their shared love of music. Award winning documentary and commercial director Mark Bone made the film, follows them as they branch out from singing covers to wirting original music, and recording and releasing their album.The film is playing here as part of Doc Edge, screening online from today til July 10.  Kathryn speaks with drummer Spenser Murray and director Mark Bone.

11:45 Science: Omicron not 'milder' and sugar-hating cockroaches

Science commentator Dr Siouxsie Wiles joins Kathryn to talk about a new UK study which shows people infected with the omicron BA.2 variant reported more symptoms and experienced a great disruption to their daily activities than those with the BA.1 variant. She'll also look at what hiding poison in sugary bait to kill cockroaches is actually doing to their sexual behaviour and two new studies suggest we may be able to identify and track wildlife by sampling DNA from the air. 

 

Music played in this show

Track: Aztechknowledgey
Artist: Troy Kingi
Broadcast time: 10:33

Track: Cat & Bird
Artist: Anna Coddington
Broadcast time: 10:44