Nine To Noon for Thursday 3 May 2012
09:05 Wellington's super city options
Porirua City was the only council to accept an invitation by the Greater Wellington regional Council to join a panel to review possible super city arrangements.
Nick Leggett, Porirua City mayor; and Peter McKinlay, director of Auckland's University of Technology's local Government centre (it is the first University in the New Zealand think-tank focussing on local government established two years ago) – he is also a Tauranga-based consultant on strategic public policy primarily on local government.
09:20 Development of the Great South Basin
Rob Jager, chairman of Shell Companies in New Zealand which has taken over operatorship of the Great South Basin project and is analysing data from a recent seismic survey of promising gas drilling areas there.
09:35 Professor Geoffrey Grimmett - making sense of maths
Professor of mathematical statistics at Cambridge University, Geoffrey Grimmett, is the biennial Forder Lecturer in New Zealand, organised by the London Mathematical Society and the New Zealand Mathematical Society.
09:45 UK correspondent Jon Dennis
10:05 Poet and actor Lemon Anderson
Lemon Anderson, poet and actor was born in the projects of Brooklyn, New York, to a Puerto Rican mother and Norwegian father who met in a methadone clinic, split up when he was very young and both died of AIDS. Andersen had a harsh early life and ended up with a long conviction list, eventually serving time in Rikers Prison. He started writing poetry there, and went on to win a Tony award for his starring role in Def Poetry on Broadway.
His book, County of Kings, was named Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 New York Book Festival and a film was made about his struggle to bring the book to the stage.
He's coming to New Zealand for Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, which starts next week.
10:35 Book Review with Carole Beu
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Published by Doubleday
10:45 Reading: The Larnachs by Owen Marshall (Part 4 of 12)
The relationship between Conny and Dougie has warmed to the point where he is bold enough to declare his love for her.
11:05 New Technology correspondent Donald Clark
Manic Miner turns 30; the UK High court orders Pirate Bay block; and Artificial Intelligence rates memorable movie quotes.
11:30 Archaeologist Brigid Gallagher
An update on Christchurch; destruction and looting of heritage and archaeology in war torn places; and archaeology in the future - what will prosthetics, alloy joints and silicone implants tell us?
11:45 Media commentator Gavin Ellis
Media coverage of the John Banks, Kim Dotcom story, and whether the New Zealand Herald is moving to a tabloid format.