Nine To Noon for Wednesday 20 December 2017

 

 

09:05 Rest home reeling over 20% power bill hike

A Far North rest home is reeling after being told it faces a 20 per cent hike in its power bill. Switzer Residential Care in Kaitaia has been told it faces paying an extra $20,000 a year when it comes off a fixed contract with Mercury Energy next month. Doug Klever is the care home's facilities manager, which has 91 residents. He says they simply cannot afford this and will have to cut back on spending. Meanwhile thousands of households around the country are experiencing increased power bills due to low hydro lakes and other factors. Kathryn also speaks with George Block from Consumer NZ.

09:20 Grenfell survivors 'neglected' six months on

It may go down as one of the most memorable and haunting images of 2017 - the Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in West London, ablaze in the early hours of the morning, fire spreading at an astonishing rate through all 24 storeys. Seventy-one people died in the tragedy, but now six months on it's the survivors who are feeling neglected and unheard. The majority of residents are still struggling in temporary accommodation, and advocates say they are now experiencing a collective mental health crisis. Kathryn speaks to a community organiser and campaigner who supported the Grenfell Tower residents' campaign, the Grenfell Action Group, Pilgrim Tucker; and the chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, Brian Berry.

09:45 Australia correspondent Karen Middleton

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is ending the year on a positive note after his candidate, former tennis champ turned MP John Alexander, was victorious in last weekend’s by-election sparked by Alexander’s citizenship troubles; police have arrested a man in Sydney and charged him with acting as an economic agent of North Korea; doctors in New South Wales are being urged to avoid telling patients they are ‘obese’ so as not to sound like they are apportioning blame; and temperatures hit record levels.

10:05 Jack Bauer: riding high

2018 marks a new season and a new team for professional cyclist Jack Bauer. The 32-year-old from Golden Bay has signed on to the Australian team, Mitchelton-Scott, ahead of his campaign for the Elite Road Nationals in Napier in the new year. Jack will be hoping for a repeat performance after winning the 40-kilometre time trial. It kicked off what has been a solid season, earning him the most combative rider award on three different stages at the Tour Down Under, and the successes of his team at the Tour de France. Kathryn speaks with Jack from his home in Spain.

10:35 NZ Books review

Harry Ricketts reviews Tinderbox by Megan Dunn, published by Galley Beggar Press.

10:45 The Reading

Actor Bruce Hopkins is walking his father and brother’s ashes home to Rakiura/Stewart Island along Te Araroa – New Zealand’s Trail.Today in The Long Way Home – Bruce has a brainwave, but it comes a bit too late.

11:05 Music with Yadana Saw

With CDs well on the way out, Yadana Saw explains how to give the digital gift of music, featuring music from Troy Kingi, Mariah Carey and Radiohead.

11:20 Pasifika drum Patō strikes it right

The electronic drum inspired by the traditional Tongan lali, and the twin who made it, and the twin who plays it!
Kathryn Ryan talks to Rachael Hall, who designed Patō, and her brother Jeremy Hall, who is a professional drummer working in London. Rachael has won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for Patō and was a national finalist in the international James Dyson Award.

11:45 Media law commentator Ursula Cheer

Professor Ursula Cheer from Canterbury University discusses cartoons and freedom of expression in New Zealand, based on controversial cartoons published by Fairfax.