Sunday Morning for Sunday 21 October 2012

8:12 Insight: Revamping Local Government

Insight this week looks at the radical revamp facing local government and considers just how many of the country's 78 councils will survive the reform. The Government wants councils to pare back their spending on social, economic, cultural and environmental well-being and instead stick to core services. It's also asking councils to rethink the way they are organised and suggests mergers to create bigger authorities to keep costs down. Cushla Norman asks what impact reduced spending will have on communities, who will fill the gaps left by councils and just how many authorities will follow Auckland's supercity model.
Produced by Philippa Tolley.

8:40 Paul Little – Hillary’s Big Life

Journalist Paul Little has written what he calls the story behind the legend of Sir Edmund Hillary. The book covers the conquest of Everest and Hillary’s other great adventures – but also the drama of Sir Edmund’s private life and, after his death, the falling out of family members and those in his inner circle.
After Everest, Inside The Private Life of Edmund Hillary, by Paul Little, is published by Allen & Unwin.

9:06 Mediawatch

A survey of British papers’ front pages has revealed some startling sexism: the vast bulk of the stories are written by men, and overwhelmingly they feature men more than women too. By contrast, women are only more prominent in front-page photos. This week Mediawatch takes a look at our papers, and asks an expert if the story is the same here. Also: how a helping hand boosted coverage of New Zealand at the world's biggest book fair; and why are the media so keen to promote multi-million dollar enterprises for free?
Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9.40 Maxine Alterio – Nurses at War

Maxine Alterio’s historical novel Lives we Leave Behind was inspired by the torpedoing of the British troopship Marquette by a German U-boat on 23 October 1915 – 10 New Zealand nurses were among the casualties. The book focuses on the work and experiences of kiwi nurses who served with the No. 1 Stationary Hospital in Egypt and France during the First World War.
Lives We Leave Behind, by Maxine Alterio, is published by Penguin.

9.55 Andrew McRae – In El Alamein

New Zealand veterans of the North African campaign in the Second World War are in Egypt to be part of commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein. Radio New Zealand veteran affairs reporter Andrew McRae is with them.

10:06 Ideas: Adding Values to Banking

The shockwaves from the global financial crisis of 2008 continue to be felt around the world and the banking profession has rarely be held in such low regard, but there are some financial institutions that have benefited from the crisis. Chris Laidlaw talks to Kristen Christian, the founder of Transfer Your Bank Day, which has seen six million Americans switch from mainstream to community-owned banks; and Peter Blom, the CEO of Trodos Bank and the chair of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, talks to Jeremy Rose about the idea of sustainable banking.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.

10.55 Today’s Track – Things Will Get Good, by Mel Parsons

In Today’s Track we feature New Zealand singer-songwriter Mel Parsons with a song from her latest album Red Grey Blue (Cape Road). Following on from the success of her Tui-nominated debut album Over My Shoulder in 2009, Red Grey Blue features a number of artists and was mixed by award-winning engineer Andre Upston at Radio New Zealand’s studios in Auckland.

11.05 Down the List

Where does the real power in New Zealand lie? That’s right, with a bunch of bureaucrats, underlings, officials, and lowly-ranked list MPs that you and I have never heard of.  Whether it’s in sport, politics, commerce, education or the arts, the only way to find out what’s really going on in this country is by going ... Down the List. Written by Dave Armstrong and produced by Radio New Zealand’s Drama department.  Today: Why, despite warnings about a problem, was no effective action taken to fix the security systems on the WINZ data base so clients’ private information was safe?

11.12 Colleen Ward and James Liu – Multiculturalism in Europe and NZ

The co-directors of Victoria University’s Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research, Professor Colleen Ward and Professor James Liu, join Chris to talk about the claim that multiculturalism in Europe is failing, and what is happening in a multicultural New Zealand.
Colleen Ward is presenting a session at the Pathways to Metropolis in the 21^st century: Immigration Issues and Futures conference in Auckland 24-26 October. 

11.40 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint: Nuclear-free

Wayne Brittenden has been Radio New Zealand’s correspondent in several capital cities over the years. Each week he gives fresh insights into a wide variety of topics of national and international concern, followed by Chris Laidlaw’s discussion of the issue with guests. Today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reaffirmed his strong commitment to the establishment of a Middle East Nuclear-free zone. Wayne describes some little-known aspects of New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance during the Lange years. Chris follows up with guests Roger Boshier, who was prominent in the New Zealand peace movement at the time, and Sverre Lodgaard, a Norwegian political scientist who was formerly Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.