Nine To Noon for Wednesday 31 May 2023

 

09:05 Changes to surrogacy laws on the horizon

Long sought change is on the horizon for surrogate parents and families. The government has announced it will fast track a bill, introduced by Labour MP Tamati Coffey, which is currently before Select Committee. The existing law does not recognise the intended parents of a child as the legal parents, meaning they must adopt the baby. The law change will remove the need for parents to adopt their child born by surrogacy, establish a register for babies so they can access more information about their birth origins later on in life, and clarify what payments surrogates can get from parents. Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan says the status quo is discriminatory and outdated. Kathryn speaks with Labour MP, Tamati Coffey, who has been campaigning for change, and Fertility New Zealand board member Juanita Copeland.

09:20 Auckland Budget: Mayor makes his final proposal

Auckland Councillors will get to see the final shape of the city's Budget when it's presented to them by Mayor Wayne Brown today - but the issue of how to plug a massive hole in the finances could be a sticking point. The city is short $325m dollars - plus another $50 million needed for storm recovery - and the Mayor has strongly agitated for a selling off the Council's 18-percent share in Auckland Airport. Last week, Mayor Brown said he wanted to protect already financially-strained ratepayers in the most sensible way possible. The final annual budget will be adopted at the end of June, coming into effect from the start of July. RNZ reporter Amy Williams joins Kathryn with the detail.

09:30 Computational creativity: AI's impact on advertising and creative industries

The emergence of AI will inevitably change creative industries, but is yet to really impress, according to a new survey.  AUT researchers asked five New Zealand-based advertising agencies to consider the impact of AI-generated images on their creative processes.  Focus groups from large and boutique ad agencies were shown AI-created 'blended' animal images created from text prompts, for a VW ad campaign called "small but ferocious".  They were asked to consider AI's impact on aesthetics, the creative practice, and the relative merits of human vs machine capabilities.  The response was a mixture of excitement and concern. Senior Digital Media and Communication lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, Justin Matthews, who is leading the research speaks with Kathryn.

09:45 Australia: Defiant chief, police callout failure, Sydney fire

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about why Australia's Defence Force chief is resisting calls to hand in his meritorious service medals for  having presided over Australian troops in the Middle East at the time that war crimes were allegedly committed by special forces soldiers. Sydney police are investigating how they were unable to find the apartment a distressed woman phoned from alleging domestic violence, before she was found dead. Two people are believed to have perished in a massive fire in a Sydney heritage building and there's been some surprise resignations from long-time prominent public figures this week.

10:05 Stef Harris: The Kiwi cop who writes crime thrillers

Kathryn's feature guest today is a serving police officer from the Tasman town of Motueka - who is also an author and award-winning film director.  Stef Harris' first novel The Waikikamukau Conspiracy was published in 1999 and was made into a feature-length movie in 2006 called The Waimate Conspiracy - written, produced and directed by Stefan himself. It went on to win a number of awards - as did his 2018 short film Blue Moon starring Mark Hadlow, which was shot entirely on an iPhone 7 at a Motueka service station.  Stef's latest work Double Jeopardy is set in Boston, and introduces us to a gruff old former detective Frank Winter, who ends up - unofficially - back on the job when his daughter's killer is released on parole. He tells Kathryn how he balances his "day job" with his writing.

 

10:30 South Auckland scrapyard fire brings the city's trains to a standstill

The entire Auckland train network has been suspended following a large toxic blaze at a scrapyard in the suburb of Favona. It has caused the evacuation of the city's Train Control Centre which is in the zone of the poisonous fumes.  AT says train services will be disrupted until further notice. The evacuation follows an earlier emergency message alert which asked residents of neighbourhoods south of the fire to stay away from the smoke and keep doors and windows closed. RNZ reporter Felix Walton is at Penrose Rail station.
 

10:35 Book review: Going Zero by Anthony McCarten

Ralph McAllister reviews Going Zero by Anthony McCarten, published by PanMacmillan

10:45  Around the motu : Jonathan Leask in Ashburton   

A local developer is looking to reshape Ashburton's triangle, the historic retail centre of the town. Robert Grice owns a number of buildings on Victoria Street that require earthquake strengthening and he wants to redevelop the existing shops into a new mixed use hospitality precinct  named The Ash. Jonathan also discusses an attempt to add quarter of a million dollars to ECan's annual plan budget which has been labelled a "slap in the face" by Environment Canterbury councillor Ian Mackenzie. And a hold-up of plumbing parts and red tape at the border means the Staveley Ice Rink won't be open to skaters and curlers until at least mid-June.

 Local Democracy Reporter - Mid Canterbury Jonathan Leask from the Ashburton Guardian

11:05 Music: K-Pop and the success of BTS

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about what makes K-Pop so popular - and a $5 billion industry. She'll look at the phenomenal rise of the band BTS,  known for its positive messages, energetic live performances, colourful creative videos, devotion to fans, hard work and dedication.  Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Auckland's School of Social Sciences.

11:20 When is it time to euthanase a loved pet?    

When is it time to say goodbye to a much loved, but unwell pet, and what can a pet owner expect from their family vet when it comes to the difficult matter of euthanasia? Dr Kat Littlewood is a Lecturer in Animal Welfare and Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, & Law at the School of Veterinary Science at Massey University. She's recently co-authored a study published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal on the topic, which finds quite a variation in how vets approach euthanasia, and that student vets don't get enough training in the area, particularly in how to manage compassion fatigue and clients' emotional needs.

11:45 Science: Wavy wounds heal faster, loathing legalese, foamy beer

Science correspondent Allan Blackman joins Kathryn to talk about a discovery by researchers  in Singapore that wavy wounds heal faster than straight wounds. What implications might that have for surgery? A new study has found even lawyers hate legalese, and a frothy beer is actually better for you - don't tip that glass to avoid beer head!

Allan Blackman is a Professor of Chemistry, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.