Nine To Noon for Monday 25 July 2022

09:05 Seafood companies floundering for lack of staff

There's disarray in the fishing industry with massive under-staffing affecting the processing of wet fish. It's hoki season and despite efforts to hire more people, the labour is just not there  One of the country's largest seafood exporters, Sealord is bracing for multi-million dollar losses as it doesn't have enough staff on the factory floor. Chief Executive Doug Paulin says last year they'd hope to recruit 450 more staff but ended up only being able to attract 300 and the situation has deteriorated since then. He's just back from a break and will be in the Nelson plant today helping to help process fish. He talks to Kathryn about the extent immigration policy and the pandemic contributing to the shortage of workers.

09:20 Women on the tools: fewer barriers to the building site?

Amid a skills shortage, there's concern more needs to be done to increase the number of women working in construction.  As of mid last year, 2.6% of building roles and 8% of trade and technical roles within infrastructure sectors are held by women.  Coming down the pipe-line, women were awarded 15% of construction and infrastructure apprenticeships. A recent survey showed 60% of women spoken to expressed an interest in entering the trades, while 79% of trade employers said they'd like to hire more women. But, advocates say, barriers remain connecting willing women workers with employers, and that women need to be made to feel welcome in a male-dominated workplace. Erica Cumming is Acting General Manager of Partnerships and Equity at Waihanga Ara Rau, the workforce development council, supporting  women in trades, construction and infrastructure.

09:45 Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney

Italy will go to the polls for a snap election in September after the government of Mario Draghi - the country's sixth Prime Minister in 10 years - collapsed. Seamus talks to Kathryn about why so much is riding on this election. In England, travel chaos at Dover has continued into a third day with the British blaming French border staff, but the French say it's the result of Brexit. And what's happening with the Russia-Ukraine deal on grain exports after the Russian airstrike on the port of Odessa?

10:05 Dr Sarah Bendall: Were corsets really that bad to wear? 

Think of a corset and your mind probably settles on something tight and uncomfortable. Almost the antithesis of the stretchy pants we've all got used to in the pandemic! Kathryn speaks to Dr Sarah Bendall from Australian Catholic University , an expert in early modern dress, how it was made and traded and how it differed between the sexes. She's written a book about this that focuses on what women wore in the period from 1500 to 1800 called Shaping Femininity: Foundation Garments, the Body, and Women in Early Modern England. As part of her research she recreated corsets - sewing them herself - to find out whether they really were as restrictive as the literature at the time - written mainly by moralising men - would suggest.

 

10:33 Wild Weather hits upper North Island

A new storm bearing down on the country is already affecting Northland.  Heavy rain and wind is lashing the very top of the country, thanks to a low-pressure system lying to the west of the North Island.  Several roads in the Far North have been affected by fallen powerlines and flooding, two schools have been forced to close  - yes, on the first day of the new term - and flights to Whangarei, Bay of Islands and Whitianga in the Coromandel, have been abandoned. In the past 24 hours up to 100 millimetres of the wet stuff has fallen in Northland.Metservice has just updated its watches and warnings.  Kathryn speaks with meterologist Lewis Ferris to discuss them.

10:35 Book review: The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

Laura Caygill reviews The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser, published by Penguin Random House NZ   

Laura says: CJ hauser takes you on a road trip through her loves and relationships as she tries to make sense of life in this beautifully written collection of essays. 

10:45 The Reading

Episode 11 of 'Baby No Eyes' by Patricia Grace.

11:05 Political commentators Neale Jones and Tim Hurdle

Neale and Tim join Kathryn to talk about the rise in inflation and drop in consumer confidence - how are the major parties responding? They'll also look at the inner turmoil for the Green Party, with the weekend ousting of co-leader James Shaw and discuss the result of New Zealand First Foundation case.

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of Capital Government Relations.

Tim Hurdle is a former National party advisor and was campaign director for National at the 2020 election.

11:30 Bringing a love of chocolate to the deep South     

Argentinians Alex Gimenez and Lorena Giallonardo emigrated to New Zealand for their love of adventure sports. But after arriving in Queenstown they realised how similar it was to a Patagonian ski resort famed for its amazing chocolates. Alex explained to Kathryn that they recognised a gap in the market and Patagonia Chocolates was born.

11:45 Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne in Iceland and Greenland

Kennedy has been travelling in Iceland and Greenland where he says the weather has been unseasonably warm. It's estimated that the Greenland ice cap has lost the equivalent of 72 million Olympic swimming pools worth of water last weekend alone. 
 

Music played in this show

Artist: Bret McKenzie
Track: Dave's Place
Time played: 09:25

Artist: Yuna
Track: Risk it All
Time Played: 09:46