Nine To Noon for Wednesday 12 April 2023

 

09:05 Senior Ukrainian defence advisor in New Zealand

Dr Yuriy Sak is an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defence and has led Ukraine's strategic communications efforts since the beginning of Russia's invasion. He's in New Zealand to meet with government officials and rally more support for the war. Susie Ferguson speaks with Dr Yuriy Sak about his visit and what he hopes New Zealand can offer. 

09:15 Te Pukenga survey reveals staff fear, anxiety and frustration

A newly released survey of staff at Te Pukenga finds one in three staff do not believe they have a future with the new mega polytech, and the vast majority would not recommend working there to family or friends. The survey was conducted in October and November last year and responded to by over four thousand three hundred staff, or 50 per cent. The results show only 12% of those surveyed said they understood how the changes will impact on them and the work they do. Staff reported feeling anxiety and fatigue over change, frustration over under staffing and a lack of faith in management. Meanwhile the main union representing academic staff at Te Pukenga, the Tertiary Education Union, says it is watching any restructuring plans extremely closely after the Chief Executive announced on Nine to Noon recently that between 200 and 1000 jobs could be lost. TEU National Secretary Sandra Grey says the numbers took everyone by surprise as there had been no consultation. She says the survey results describe a dire situation for Te Pukenga staff, akin to "death by a thousand cuts"

09:35 Cyclone silt depleting our seabeds: marine scientist

A huge volume of cyclone silt and sediment is building up in our rivers and coastal environments, swamping sea animals and plants.  Susie Ferguson speaks with Professor of Marine Science at the University of Waikato, and Sustainable Seas' National Science Challenge theme leader for degradation and recovery Conrad Pilditch, who is concerned climate events, such as Cyclone Gabrielle, play a massive role in changing the nature of our coastal zones, denigrating marine food webs for generations to come.

09:45 Australia: Voice split, vaping hole, China breakthrough, art investigation

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Susie to talk about how the planned referendum on establishing a permanent indigenous body to advise Parliament and enshrine it in the Constitution has split the Liberal party. The switch from packaged cigarettes to vaping is set to rob the federal budget of $5b a year, according to the Treasurer. There's been a breakthrough in Australia's long-running trade dispute with China and the National Gallery his investigating allegations about its next indigenous showcase exhibition.

10:05 Common materials which have shaped technological development

Prior to taking an academic position teaching engineering at the University of Auckland, Neil Broom was a research fellow for 20 years, applying his engineering skills to tissue biomechanics research -  specifically in the areas of bio- prosthetic heart valve development, cartilage and osteoarthritis, and spinal disorders and engineering. Then, during his lecturing career he introduced thousands of first year engineering students to the science of materials. The course proved extremely popular and ultimately led to Professor Broom's newly released book, The Secret Life of Number 8 - the science of everyday materials. He says it is written with the lay person in mind, and is aimed at any reader who is simply curious about why quite ordinary materials behave the way they do.  Neil Broom is a Fellow of the Royal Society of NZ and an Emeritus Engineering Professor from the University of Auckland.

10:35 Book review: A Private Spy - Letters of John le Carre edited by Tim Cornwell

Ralph McAllister reviews A Private Spy - Letters of John le Carre edited by Tim Cornwell, published by Viking

10:45 Around the motu : Kelly Makiha in Rotorua

Kelly talks to Susie about the severity of the housing crisis in Rotorua and the efforts to improve the situation including Kainga Ora's building programme. Also the cost to ratepayers of dumped supermarket trolleys, and a new homegrown musical based on a Māori family growing up in Scott Ave Rotorua in the 1970's.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist with the Rotorua Daily Post.

11:05 Music that'll get your goat, with Ian Chapman

 This week music commentator Ian Chapman explores rarely addressed synergies between music and goats. Playing a selection of tracks that range from very good to very baad, and from musical theatre to rock’n’roll, join us to enjoy goat music (including horn sections) that ranges from the serious to the outright comedic.  

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

11:20 Author Sue McCauley on her latest novel Landed

In her first novel in decades, author Sue McCauley explores the theme of starting over in your mid-60s amid a rapidly-changing New Zealand of the 1980s. In Landed, the main character Briar is left to pick up the pieces following the sudden death of her husband - and discovery of the mismanagement of their money. Alone and unsure, she navigates life around worries for her two of her three grown-up children and a longing for life on her family's farm in North Canterbury. Sue has had a long and varied career, from radio copywriter and journalist, as well as mother, author and farmer. Her first novel Other Halves won awards and Wattie Book of the Year Award and the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction made into a film with Sue writing the screenplay. She joins Susie to talk about Landed, for which she'll be featured at the Auckland Writers Festival next month.

11:45 Personal finance: Bank accounts for kids

Money expert talks to Susie about what to consider when opening a bank account for your children. When's the best time? Are children's bank accounts the best place to save money? And how can they be used as a teaching tool for developing good money skills?

Money expert, Liz Koh. This discussion is of a general nature, and does not constitute financial advice.

Music played in this show

Track: Peace Signs
Artist : Sharon Van Etten
Time : 09:46