Nine To Noon for Wednesday 31 January 2024

 

09:05 First ever Mental Health Minister outlines his priorities

Matt Doocey is the country's first ever Mental Health Minister. The National MP also has lived experience of anxiety and depression as a younger man, who went on to train and work in the sector both here and in the UK. He takes on the portfolio as demand for mental health services continue to grow, our youth suicide rate is the second worst in the developed world, and access to care for many is very limited. Couple this with a sector crying out for workforce:  psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, counsellors and just about every other category of allied staff. And yet, since 2019, the previous government had poured $2 billion dollars into mental healthcare. So how is the new Minister going to tackle the myriad challenges before him?

09:20 Light rail scrapped: What are Auckland's transport priorities now?

With Auckland's light rail project officially scrapped, focus is returning to the other pieces of Auckland's road network puzzle - and who should take charge of them. The plan had the potential to take 14,500 cars off the road, but suffered a cost blowout when it was decided to partly tunnel the rail line. The big aims for Auckland now, include completing the City Rail Link, which will act as an underground connection between existing train services, and bolstering bus lanes to connect to the city's northwest. Mayor Wayne Brown has long called for closer collaboration between central and local government on transport issues pertinent to Auckland. Editor of urban design blog Greater Auckland Matt Lowrie joins Kathryn to discuss what lies ahead for the supercity.

09:45 Australia: PM booed at tennis, shark attack, flooded summer

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about the debate about behaviour at sporting events, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was mercilessly booed at the Australian Open men's final. Was it connected to a new tax package that will disadvantage top earners? A young woman swimming in Sydney Harbour was lucky to be alive following a bite from a bull shark and Southern Queensland is having a rough summer with repeated downpours.

Karen Middleton is chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper. 

10:05 Children's author R.A. Spratt on writing comedy for a young audience 

R.A. Spratt is a best-selling author, who has captured the hearts and imaginations of children around the world. And after finding a following in her book series - Shockingly Good Stories, Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids and Nanny Piggins - she's taken her audience to a new platform. Her podcast Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt, launched in February 2020. It's a weekly podcast of funny stories for kids; likely equally popular among parents as a welcome distraction on long car rides or rainy days. And now there's a new book title in the R.A. Spratt collection: Hamlet Is Not OK; a novel whose main character, 15-year-old Selby, is faced with a series of Shakespearian moral dilemmas.

10:35 Book review: Three of the best from 2023 - The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, The Postcard by Anne Berest, and Adventures with Emilie by Victoria Bruce

Jenna Todd of Time Out Bookstore reviews three of her favourite books from last year: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, published by Penguin Books, The Postcard by Anne Berest, published by Europa, and Adventures with Emilie by Victoria Bruce, published by Penguin Books

10:45 Around the motu: Libby Kirkby-McLeod in Hamilton 

Voting is now open for the by-election in Hamilton City Council's East Ward which was vacated by new MP Ryan Hamilton. Sixteen candidates are in the mix. Libby also talks about Hamilton's population growth, where things are at in the two-year search for fugitive Marokopa man Tom Phillips and his three children.

11:05 Dave Wilson: Music from the harp

Music correspondent Dave Wilson joins Kathryn to talk about the moment the harp, as a music instrument, has been having over the past several years. It's one of the oldest instruments in the world and yet it's still being innovated. It's long been part of the sound of hip hop, and has a home in jazz, R&B, myriad folk music and more.

Dave Wilson is musician, composer, and ethnomusicologist, a senior lecturer at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington

11:20 Body care business Anihana founder on a busy few years

Sophie Cooper and her husband Aden founded body care business Anihana around seven years ago  - creating bath bombs, solid shampoos and shower steamers. They were parents to a young baby at the time. They now have two children, and as their family has grown, so has their business. Anihana products are now sold in more than 8000 stores across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States in retail giants such as Target and Walmart. Sophie tells Kathryn about her experience in business and a busy and challenging few years.

11:45 Personal finance: Teaching teens the financial SMART$

School's back for many around the country, and it's hoped a new tool can help boost students' financial literacy. It's been developed by PMG Charitable Trust in partnership with Life Education Trust New Zealand - building on a previous financial literacy programme. It's an online platform called SMART$ Online that includes videos, role play and interactive content. Some 2000 year 9 to 11 students took it for a test run last year - and there were good results. PMG Charitable Trust's general manager Bridget Lem joins Kathryn with the details.