Nine To Noon for Wednesday 6 July 2022

 

09:05 Boris Johnson under pressure after high-ranking resignations

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is rushing to plug the gaps in his Cabinet, after his Finance and Health Ministers said they no longer held confidence in him or his ability to adhere to the standards expected by the public. Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit within minutes of each other, just after Boris Johnson apologised for the appointment of MP Chris Pincher to a government role, despite being aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The pair's decision has also prompted a flurry of resignations from more junior positions in the Tory party. Kathryn is joined from Westminster by UK correspondent Harriet Line.

09:15 Inland Revenue urges struggling businesses to seek help early as GST debt rises

Inland Revenue says more businesses are getting behind on GST payments, and its urging business owners to seek help early if they're struggling. In the eight months to March, total outstanding debt to the IRD increased by one percent to $4.441 billion, not including student loans or child support. Most of the debt is outstanding GST payments. The government passed special legislation allowing Inland Revenue to write off some debts for businesses affected by Covid, mainly late payment penalties and use-of-money interest and so far more than $242 million has been written off. Kathryn speaks with Richard Philp, IR’s spokesperson on outstanding tax debt.

09:30   The trouble with downtown Auckland and what can be done about it

As city centres crank back into life again, one in particular is looking the worse for wear. Auckland's heart has been plagued by a number of issues kicked off by the pandemic: absent international tourists, workers reluctant to return to the office, an exodus of retailers from the midtown and Aotea Square area and ongoing, noisy and ugly disruption caused by the construction of the City Rail Link. The central city is only 0.8 per cent of Auckland's land area, but it packs a mighty economic punch - at 20 percent - or $23b of the city's GDP. It's also home to 45,000 residents - but those with kids lack a school to send them to. So is it time for a major rethink? Kathryn talks to urban designer Garth Falconer, who says the city doesn't need revival - it needs revolution. She'll also be joined by Antony Phillips, chair of the City Centre Residents' Group.

09:45 Australia: Flooding continues, NZ PM in Oz - again, interest rate hike

Today's correspondent is Annika Smethurst in Australia, where there's been no let up in the rain falling in southern parts of New South Wales - what further help might be on offer for communities that keep being hit? She'll also look at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's latest trip to Australia and the Reserve Bank's latest interest rate rise that marks one of the sharpest hikes since the 1990s.

10:05 Lessons for the medical profession from a patient-turned-doctor

Ben Bravery was undergoing bowel cancer in his late twenties when he realised his aftercare left a lot to be desired. His solution? To go to medical school, become a doctor and try to bring about change from within the industry. He's now written a book, The Patient Doctor to try to help both patients and doctors to understand one another and improve the relationship.

10:35 Book review: Winter Time by Laurence Fearnley

Bronwyn Wylie Gibb of University Bookshop, Dunedin reviews Winter Time by Laurence Fearnley, published by Penguin NZ

10:45 The Reading

The New Ships, episode 11. Written by Kate Duignan.

11:05 Music: The glorious 12/8 shuffle rhythms of glam rock 

Music correspondent Ian Chapman joins Kathryn to talk about what 12/8 shuffle rhythm is, how we hear it in nature all the time and how it became the signature beat in '70s glam rock.

11:30  Pasifika Sci-fi fantasy writer Gina Cole

Gina Cole is an award-winning author at the forefront of a new genre of writing,  Pasifikafuturism. A qualified lawyer, Gina is a  freelance writer of Fijian, Scottish and Welsh descent, living in Tāmaki Makaurau. Her law career is on hold as her writing career has taken off. Her collection Black Ice Matter won the Hubert Church Prize for Best First Book Fiction at the 2017 Ockham Book Awards. Gina Cole's new novel, Na Viro is born out of her PhD thesis. The science fiction fantasy book is set more than 200 years in the future in Auckland and in the Pacific and in space.

 

11:45 Arts: What's going on in the world of dance?

Performing arts correspondent Lyne Pringle joins Kathryn to look at how live performances are getting rolling again, but it's not easy with ongoing winter illnesses. Footnote NZ Dance is about to tour the South Island with Dry Spell, the Royal New Zealand Ballet is kicking off their tour of Cinderella, the New Zealand Dance Company finally performed its Night Light season after cancelling performances and tours 5 times due to Covid-19, Atamira Dance Company launches Kaha - Triple Boost this week in Tāmaki Makaurau and Permanent Distraction is performing in Otautahi this weekend - produced by tinyfest.org.