Nine To Noon for Tuesday 4 April 2017

 

 

09:05 NZ's homeowners now worth $1.2 trillion

Kathryn Ryan talks to Bernard Hickey from Newsroom who says figures released by Statistics New Zealand show household net worth has risen $781 billion to $1.2 trillion in the last 20 years - with most of that increase being driven by rising property prices.  As a side effect he says its now virtually impossible for children of renters to make their way onto the property ladder unless they marry into what he's dubbed the new landed gentry.

09:20 Robotics in farming - the revolution begins

Waikato University's Mike Duke says robots harvesting fruit in New Zealand orchards could be years not decades away. He's picking that the technology has the potential to revolutionize all aspects of the horticulture industry as well as forestry and dairy. Professor Duke will be giving a lecture on this topic next Tuesday 11th April at the University of Waikato.

09:30 Tale of long lost trophies

A collection of rare trophies, from the earliest years of Timaru's South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club have found their way back home thanks to a generous donation. John English who's 91 and lives in Opotiki donated the haul which includes a 145 year-old elephant tusk cup. Kathryn Ryan talks to Jan Lord from South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club.

09:45 USA correspondent

Steve Almond with the latest from the US, including another high profile Fox news sexual harassment settlement.

10:05 Can't pop this: bubble scientist's passion for physics

Dr Helen Czerski talks to Kathryn Ryan about how looking closer at  everyday objects opens the door to the fundamentals of physics. She is a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at University College London and studies the bubbles underneath breaking waves to understand their effects on weather and climate. She  regularly presents BBC programmes on physics, the ocean and the atmosphere. Dr Helen Czerski is also the author of Storm in a Teacup: The physics of everyday life. She is currently touring New Zealand with Cosmic Shambles Live - a science comedy and musical stage show. 

Lectures:

We Need To Talk About Physics 
WELLINGTON Maclaurin Lecture Theatre, Victoria University of Wellington | Friday 7 April

Bubbles: The Bath and Beyond
TAURANGA Yacht & Power Boat Club | Tuesday 11 April 
AUCKLAND Maritime Museum | Wednesday 12 April 

10:35 Book review

Carole Beu reviews Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore.

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Fran O'Sullivan

Kathryn Ryan talks Business with Fran O'Sullivan, taking a look at Orion Healthcare, and also the plight of NZ construction firms, and whether Chinese firms also be allowed to take part in the major builds in Auckland.

11:30 Dealing with chronic fatigue and pain

Chronic fatigue and pain is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood.  Dr Charles Lapp is Physician and Medical Director of Hunter Hopkins Centre in North Carolina, recognised internationally for his expertise in ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and related conditions. He has spent more than 25 years studying, treating and researching treatment for these conditions. 

11:45 Media commentator Gavin Ellis

Kathryn Ryan talks to Gavin Ellis about regional newspapers like the Marlborough Express feeling the strain. Is ownership change the answer for them?. And there's a major study out of the Columbia Journalism School which shows technology platforms like Facebook and Snapchat have left publishers confused about their future.

 

Gavin Ellis is a media commentator and former editor of the New Zealand Herald.  He can be contacted on gavin.ellis@xtra.co.nz