09:05 Starting school before 5 won't benefit kids: teachers' union

School child and mother

School child and mother Photo: 123RF

Changes to the Education Act allowing schools to enrol children before they turn five will make for smoother school administration but will not benefit children, according to the primary teachers union. The changes, which are expected to pass through parliament this week, would allow schools to choose whether to allow new entrants to start school from the beginning of term closest to their 5th birthday, instead of on their birthday. Kathryn talks to Lynda Stuart, NZEI President

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09:20 Could robo advisors save you money ?

A consultation on a new Bill which would open the door for robo advice (automated online investment advice) is expected to go through.  Geoff Ward-Marshall from the DLA Piper law firm, explains what this means, what's likely to be in the legislation, how ordinary people could benefit and what the pitfalls could be.

09:30 Blockchain: the future of the web?

Technologists are working to develop the next generation of the web - Web 3.0 - which is aimed at decentralising the web and perhaps more importantly eliminating expensive middlemen and giving users more control over their data. One potential solution is blockchain - the same technology which underpins cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Kathryn Ryan talks to Andreas Antonopoulos. An expert in blockchain who's in NZ as part of Techweek

09:45 USA correspondent

Kathryn Ryan talks to Susan Milligan about the repeal and replace bill that would replace Obamacare.

10:05 Hooray for the book

Kathryn Ryan talks with New York based writer, critic and editor of the literary anthology Freeman's, John Freeman. He's the former editor of the literary journal Granta and former president of the National Book Critics Circle, and believes the immersive experience of reading is best found between the covers of a book - a real book.

10:35 Book review

Quentin Johnson reviews Nevertheless: A Memoir by Alec Baldwin

10:45 The Reading

11:05 Business commentator Rod Oram

Rod Oram talks to Kathryn Ryan about why he has written his last SST column, NZ farmers' use of phosphate from the Western Sahara, which is an internationally disputed territory. Also, Tegel's chairman resigns after a short tenure, which included the stock market float of the company, and how much money Mondelez has made from Cadbury in NZ.

11:30 Designed for life: how a group of architects are re-inventing apartment living  

Nightingale Housing was formed by a group of leading Australian architects to build quality apartments with shared facilities - at prices that don't cost the earth. Could the model work in New Zealand? He's in New Zealand on Wednesday 10th May for Auckland University's Fast Forward series.

11:45 Media commentator Gavin Ellis

Kathryn talks to Gavin about annual ad revenue figures showing how poorly mainstream media in NZ are handling the digital environment, and the recent premature reports of the Duke of Edinburgh's death show the danger of rush-to-publish.

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