Nine To Noon for Wednesday 7 February 2024

 

09:05 Proposal to allow pharmacists to provide childhood vaccinations

A proposal which would allow pharmacists to administer babies' six week, and three month, five month, and 12 month vaccinations is drawing mixed opinions from doctors. Te Whatu Ora and Pharmac's joint plan would mean families who don't have access to a general practice could visit a pharmacy for several funded vaccines. Pharmacies can already administer vaccines for older children. It's a bid to bolster vaccination rates among children, which have been declining in recent years. Whānau Āwhina Plunket says it supports any initiative which makes it easier for families to access the service. However there are also concerns within primary care. Dr Angus Chambers, is chair of GenPro - the General Practice Owners Association, and Dr Nick Chamberlain is Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service national director.

09:30 Coromandel businesses from awash to afloat 
 

 It's been a very different summer for businesses on the Coromandel compared to a year ago when a vital road was damaged and rendered impassable after storm events. State Highway 25 between Kōpū and Hikuai is the  crucial link to the many towns of the Coromandel district. It was closed for repairs between January and December, disrupting businesses and tourism and meaning a lengthy detour for visitors and deliveries. The roadway reopened just before Christmas 2023, three months ahead of schedule and Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Len Salt  and Tairua Business Association member Maree Smith who owns Get It On boutique, says it's been a game changer.

09:45 Australia: Tax cuts get green light, ABC doco spotlights Coalition's time at the top

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane joins Kathryn to look at how Labor's changes to stage three tax cuts look set to pass, after the Coalition agreed not to vote against it. A new documentary from the ABC into the Coalition's time in power details the turbulent Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison years. And Labor has announced changes to vehicle emissions standards, bringing Australia into line with other countries around the world.

Bernard Keane is Politics Editor at Crikey

10:05 Playwright Dan Colley brings dementia to the stage

Dan Colley's play Lost Lear has been called a darkly comic mix of Shakespeare's original as it portrays the often frightening experience of dementia. The play, set in a nursing home, follows Joy as she lives out an old memory of rehearsing 'King Lear' - as part of the way she is being treated for dementia. It is known as the SPECAL method and focuses on preserving the identity of the patient by connecting memories from their pre-dementia time to what is happening now. But in Lost Lear Joy's estranged son shows up and disrupts the plot. Colley will become a familiar name to New Zealand theatre buffs during the arts and festivals. The play will be on as part of the Aotearoa Festival of the Arts next month. As well as Lost Lear, another of his plays - based on a Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings - will be on at the Auckland Arts Festival in March. 

10:35 Book review: Tremor by Teju Cole

Melanie O'Loughlin of Lamplight Books reviews Tremor by Teju Cole published by Faber & Faber

10:45 Around the motu: Jimmy Ellingham has been in Northland covering Waitangi 

There was a huge turnout this year for Waitangi Day celebrations, which included at times a fiery reception for attending Government Ministers. Jimmy talks to Kathryn about the atmosphere, the people and the reaction from MPs and the Prime Minister.

11:05 The Dunedin music scene with Ian Chapman

This week Ian Chapman shines a spotlight on a quartet of Dunedin acts who’ve been busy over the summer months writing and recording new music that is about to be released. Two of them, Sylvie Harper and Sammy Alixander, are young up-and-coming solo artists still in their mid-teens with very different musical styles. The others, ‘Tahu & the takahē’, and ‘Before the Snooze’ are more seasoned, established bands with equally contrasting styles. Together, these four very different acts are proof positive that Dunedin’s diverse music scene is in great shape heading into 2024. 

 Ian Chapman is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Music at the University of Otago. 

11:20 Technology advances helping children with disabilities in class

The start of the school year can be an expensive time, not just for uniforms and stationery, but for devices too.  And if you are the parent of a child with disabilities the costs are amplified. Workbridge Chief Executive and Assistive Technology consultant Jonathan Mosen says there's a complexity of choice for aids to help pupils with visual and hearing impairment - and with that can come high price tags.

11:45 Science: Why insects circle lights, turning animals off plants

Science correspondent Allan Blackman joins Kathryn to talk about new research into why insects circle lights at night - is it time for humans to flick the off switch? An Australian study has looked at how herbivores can be encouraged away from valuable plants using odours they don't like, and it's the anniversary of the passing of Kiwi scientist Alan MacDiarmid - Allan celebrates his contribution to chemistry.

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