Nine To Noon for Friday 15 December 2023

 

09:05 Ferry mega-budget blow out: where to from here?

KiwiRail's Chief Executive Peter Reidy is in Picton this morning, talking with staff after the abandonment of the interisland mega ferry project. The government has refused a request by KiwiRail for more than a billion dollars in further funding, and told the State Owned Enterprise to find a cheaper solution. In 2018, the original estimated cost for the two new, larger ferries and the portside infrastructure was 775 million dollars. Within months of the project being announced, KiwiRail was already asking the government for more money, and the requests have kept coming. The latest overall cost estimate has quadrupled to almost $3 billion dollars which Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she will not agree to. So what are the options on the table? Where does the abandonment of this project leave the future of rail? And how much taxpayers money has gone overboard? KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:20 Ukraine has the green light for EU membership talks

European leaders have not only decided to begin talks with Ukraine, the door is also open for Moldova and for Georgia to be granted candidate status. The sudden move has come at a summit in Brussels with a spokesperson for the European Council President saying the agreement was unanimous. Hungary which has previously held out - on having talks with Ukraine, did not oppose the move. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's delighted with the EU announcement. Freelance journalist Rosie Birchard has been at the summit. 

09:35 'A lot to juggle': Mother of five gains PhD delving into vape marketing

Concern for her five children prompted an Auckland mother to study for a PhD focusing on how vapes are marketed. Lucy Hardie has been in full-time study at the University of Auckland since 2014, when all of her kids were under the age of 10 - and was capped on Thursday. She also has a Masters in Public Health and Bachelor of Health Sciences. Her interest in vaping began as young people started to take it up in 2018, before the industry was regulated. And her kids - now in their teens - are proving to be a useful research tool, right in the thick of an age group greatly affected by vaping.

09:45 Pacific correspondent Koroi Hawkins

RNZ Pacific Editor Koroi Hawkins is at Whenuapai airbase, about to fly to Fiji with Winston Peters. It's the Foreign Minister's first overseas trip since taking office.

10:05 In Laughing Memory: Nic Russell on finding a path through grief at Christmas

For most, the festive season is a time of joy. But for those who have lost friends or family during the year - it can be a particularly tough time. Nic Russell knows this well. She lost her daughter Kenzie to cancer just after Christmas in 2005. The year following, she founded Kenzie's Gift, a charity that helps children and rangitahi navigate serious illness and death. At the moment it's helping 53 young Kiwis with one-on-one therapy with clinical psychologists - last month alone it had 17 referrals. This Christmas it's running a campaign called In Laughing Memory to encourage Kiwis to share their funny or quirky memories of their loved ones who have passed. Nic has spent the past year recovering from a heart transplant - but says that hasn't slowed her down from wanting to honour her daughter's legacy.

10:35 Book review: Question 7 by Richard Flanagan 

Gail Pittaway reviews Question 7 by Richard Flanagan published by Penguin Random House NZ

10:45 Around the motu: Diane McCarthy in Whakatane 

The Whakatane District Council plans to do up sports and leisure facilities at Rex Morpeth Park have met opposition from some residents who would rather see money spent on a new bridge. Diane backgrounds the situation. And tomorrow the  Eastern Bay's biggest annual musical event will be held at Prideaux Park. Kawerau's Christmas in the Park is is a free show organised  with funding by a variety of trusts. and usually attended by around 10,000 people.

Eastern Bay of Plenty Local Democracy Reporter - Diane McCarthy with the Whakatane Beacon,

11:05 Music reviewer Grant Smithies​

Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) from Animal Collective and Sonic Boom (Pete Kember) from Spacemen 3 released a splendid psych-pop album called Reset last year. British dub producer Adrian Sherwood loved it so much, he rebuilt it from the ground up in dub form, with extra musicians. We'll hear two key tracks from Reset In Dub today, alongside some bracing New Brighton noise-pop from Blair Parkes and a slice of Brazilian funk from Rio's Almir Ricardi.

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman

Sports commentator Sam Ackerman wraps up the week, and looks at what's on this weekend.

11:45 The week that was with Te Radar and Michele A'Court

We wrap up the show with the lighter moments of the week with Te Radar and Michele A'Court - including the mystery of a missing tomato at the International Space Station, which has finally been solved.