Nine To Noon for Wednesday 22 March 2023

 

09:05 Loosening of opioid prescribing 'dangerous'

As other countries move to restrict access to opioid drugs, New Zealand regulators have loosened the rules on how much can be prescribed at once. An amendment in November to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations would allow for three months' worth of the pain drugs to be prescribed, up from one months' worth. That's alarmed some medical professionals, who say they weren't fully consulted on the changes and it could increase the risk of harm and addiction. Kathryn speaks to former Royal College of GPs medical director, now Chair of General Practice New Zealand Bryan Betty about the pressure doctors can come under from patients over access to the drugs.

09:20 IPCC report: Act now

The latest IPCC report warns the world is likely to have warmed by 1.5 Celcius by the time the next report is released in 2030.  While climate officials warn how far off-track we are, the report concludes it's not too late to tackle climate change if swift action is taken and funding is ramped up. A summary report of thousands of pages of findings from the world's leading climate scientists, including from New Zealand, says there are "multiple, feasible and effective options" to avert climate disaster. Kathryn speaks with the Guardian's Environment Correspondent, Fiona Harvey.

09:30 Prefab homes: a solution post-cyclone?  

Prefabricated homes are often touted as a solution for producing more homes. So what role can they have in emergencies, and more broadly, what potential does prefabrication have for the construction sector? A Huntly-based company building prefab homes has been inundated with orders for houses and smaller emergency accommodation units since the devastating storm. Kathryn speaks to Builtsmart owner Philip Leather, as well as the 'Queen of Prefab'  Amy Marks, vice president of Industrialized Construction at Autodesk in the US who is in New Zealand for the Institute of Building conference. 

09:45 Australia: Hillsong Church spending in spotlight, concussion action, 'wall of dead fish'

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche joins Kathryn to talk about the review into Hillsong Pentecostal Church spending, after an independent MP used parliamentary privilege to level allegations against senior church figures and their lavish spending. More than 60 AFL players have joined a class action against the league over the impact of concussion on their health and a "wall of dead fish" spanning tens of kilometres is moving along a stretch of the Darling-Baaka river - what's killed them?

10:05 Director Barry Avrich on the real story behind The Talented Mr Rosenberg

Long before the misdeeds of Anna Sorokin, Bernie Madoff and the Tinder Swindler came to light, a man named Albert Rosenberg was perfecting the art of the con. The Canadian septuagenarian spent decades convincing people he was a successful tycoon, scamming banks, art galleries and investors out of their money. His activities in Yorkville, a particularly posh part of Toronto, earned him the nickname the Yorkville Swindler.  He's the subject of a documentary called The Talented Mr Rosenberg, which will screen as part of the Fraud Film Festival in Auckland next week. The director is award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker Barry Avrich, who joins Kathryn to explain why he's drawn to telling the tales of real-life dirty rotten scoundrels. 

 

10:35 Book review: Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

Cynthia Morahan reviews Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose, published by Penguin Random House

10:45 Around the motu: Robin Martin in Taranaki

Robin talks to Kathryn about the Ministry of Health's response to new research which  accuses authorities of a long-standing campaign to silence evidence about the health impacts of dioxin emissions from the production of 2,4,5-T in New Plymouth during the 1960s. Robin also has an update on the origins of Wally the weka who turned up in Manaia in February. Weka have been regionally extinct in Taranaki since the 1930s.

And New Plymouth welcomed back WOMAD at the weekend, the music event was missed during the pandemic. Afro Cuban star Cimafunk and his band were one of many artists performing.

11:05 The Sound of Mewsic: Songs about cats

First it was chickens, then came the dogs, now music correspondent Ian Chapman gets downright catty with his choice of music today - with some classical cats, feline fusion and mouser metal.

Ian Chapman is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music at Otago University.

 

11:20 Kiwi Nick Davies on his new sunset noir novel El Flamingo

It starts with a chat to a mysterious stranger at a beach bar in Mexico - and leads to a big case of mistaken identity thanks to a fedora with a faded pink feather. Kiwi Nick Davies has just released a new book, a piece of sunset noir, set in the dangerous world of Latin-American espionage. His lead character, Lou Galloway, is a failed actor who ends up having to nail the role of a lifetime - because his life depends on it. Nick has acted himself - with roles in Shortland Street and Filthy Rich - and has drawn inspiration for the book - called El Flamingo - from his own travels through Latin America.

11:45 Science: Myna bird spread, 3D-printed baking, tool to help Covid risk

Science correspondent Dr Siouxsie Wiles joins Kathryn to talk about a new study which shows where myna birds have become established in New Zealand, compared to where they were introduced. A study out today looks at how successful researchers were in being able to make a cheesecake using a 3D printer and an online tool developed by Australian researchers helps people understand their COVID and myocarditis risks depending on how many doses of Covid vaccine they've had. 

Associate Professor Dr Siouxsie Wiles is the head of Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland.

 

 

Music played in this show

Track: D-I-V-O-R-C-E 
Artist: Tammy Wynette
Time Played: 10:31

Track: Justified and Ancient 
Artist: KLF feat Tammy Wynette 
Time Played: 10:34