Nine To Noon for Tuesday 8 August 2023

 

09:05 UK company commissioned to deliver Auckland 'state of the city' report card

A new report comparing Tamaki Makaurau to 9 other cities including Brisbane, Copenhagen and Vancouver warns the city needs to lift its game in infrastructure planning, attracting investment and talent, and addressing safety and housing affordability. The report was commissioned by Committee for Auckland, in partnership with consulting firm Deloitte and Auckland Council's economic and cultural agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. London-based urban intelligence firm, The Business of Cities, found the supercity measures six out-of-ten for prosperity, seven-out-of-ten for culture, eight-out-of-ten in sustainability, but just three-out-of-ten for innovation. Mark Thomas is a director at Committee for Auckland, one of three parties who commissioned the report, and Tim Moonen is the managing director at The Business of Cities.

09:30 Are 'anxiety' and 'depression' overused beyond useful meaning?

A new study has looked at whether overuse of the terms 'anxiety' and 'depression' could be diluting them. The study was led by psychology Professor Nick Haslam and a team of researchers at the University of Melbourne, who'd previously studied what happened to the word "trauma" as it became more widely used in psychology and society. In that instance, they found the trend contributed to "trauma" being broadened in meaning to include less severe experiences than previously considered. In this study they set out to determine whether 'anxiety' and 'depression' being used more often had led to the terms become less emotionally severe. Nick Haslam joins Susie to describe what he found.

09:45 US: Next Trump indictment due, Ohio pro-choice referendum

US correspondent Ron Elving joins Susie to talk about the wait for Donald Trump's next indictment, expected from Fulton County Georgia over claims he tried to overturn the 2020 election result by asking officials to "find" votes for him.  And Ohio voters are about to be asked whether they want the minimum threshold required to pass constitutional amendments raised - which some see as a proxy vote on the state's abortion laws.

Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

10:05 Nazaré: the Holy Grail of big-wave surfing

A small fishing village in Portugal is home to the biggest waves in the world. Nazaré is known as the Mecca of big-wave surfing, attracting the world's most fearless surfers, all in pursuit of the chance to surf the mythical 100-foot wave. Journalist Matt Majendie spent a whole surf season hanging out in Nazaré, getting to know the surfing community and following their quest to surf the biggest wave in history - and live to tell the tale. He witnessed wipe-outs, rescues, tragedies, and death-defying escapes, which he has now told in his first book; Nazaré: Life & Death with the Big-Wave Surfers. Matt Majendie is currently sports correspondent with the Evening Standard, and the host of the podcasts Sporting Misadventures and Bloodsport. 

10:35 Book review: Penance by Eliza Clark 

Laura Caygill reviews Penance by Eliza Clark published by Allen and Unwin: "‘A gripping take on true crime and teenage obsession from the author of Boy Parts".

10:45 Around the motu: Matthew Rosenberg

Matthew talks to Susie about the recent government announcement of the steps it'll take to the ministerial inquiry into land use. More than 50 people greeted Minister Peeni Henare at a Gisborne last week - but some got up and left, due to a feeling there's a lack of urgency. Ombudsman Peter Boshier visited the region last week too, calling for more "empowerment of iwi" post-cyclone. And Matthew has spoken to cyclone-survivor Tahu Owen-Ruru, who's in her 80s, about how she's rebuilding her life in the aftermath.

Matthew Rosenberg, a local democracy reporter based out of the Gisborne Herald's newsroom.

11:05 Business: Billion-dollar Barbie, MrBeast's 'inedible' food

Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson joins Susie to look at the billion US dollars made by the smash-hit movie Barbie over the past three weeks. We look at what the 'Barbie' bump done for the US economy, and the profits of her owner Mattel. Meanwhile the world's biggest Youtuber, Jimmy Donaldson, or MrBeast, is suing the company behind his online fast-food chain MrBeast Burger for making "inedible" food that has disappointed his vocal fans. And could the Commerce Commission urge regulation to bring down surcharges for retail payments?

Rebecca Stevenson  is a senior writer at interest.co.nz

 

11:30  Mardo El-Noor's Dogs with Stories 

Our four-legged best friends are the subject of a new photography book; Dogs with Stories. The work of Mardo El-Noor, the book showcases one hundred adorable dogs and their owners, elaborately staged in their homes in a series of "hyperrealistic" photographs. By day, Mardo El-Noor makes a living as a director-designer of ads, music videos & other content, but in his spare time, he's worked on this book with Dobby, Pepsi, Alfred, Louie the Meatball and many more fluffy friends.

11:45 Sports-chat with Sam Ackerman

World Cup naming, exits and upsets are dominating a big sporting agenda - Sam Ackerman looks at what decisions the All Blacks have made in their bid to regain the Webb Ellis Trophy and the ones that the Silver Ferns need to make after an underwhelming campaign.