Nine To Noon for Wednesday 5 July 2023

 

09:05 Auckland Transport: Staff cuts, funding uncertainty and a road cone rampage

Last week Auckland Transport presented its budget for the coming year - with less money in the kitty for what it plans to do.  It has just over one billion to spend on capital projects, 10 per cent down on what was originally planned for in the Regional Land Transport Programme, and with $125 million to be prioritised on flood and storm recovery. It's been undergoing a restructure, with nearly 150 jobs gone as part of the $32.5 million in savings imposed by Auckland Council.  Last week's board meeting was told "reliability issues continue to erode customer trust and confidence", with satisfaction with the system in May at 23 per cent. All this as Mayor Wayne Brown continues with his war on road cones, on Monday tweeting the results of his social media polls asking people how they felt about them. The man in charge of Auckland Transport is Dean Kimpton. He started in April - and has signed up for a fixed term of 18 months. 

09:30 Tackling the invasive seaweed Caulerpa in Northland 

Caulerpa is an invasive exotic seaweed that can grow from a speck to the size of a rugby field in a matter of weeks in the right conditions, smothering everything in the water column. The seaweed called Caulerpa has been found in waters at Great Barrier Island (Aotea), Great Mercury Island (Ahuahu), and the Bay of Islands, and is worrying marine experts. A collaborative project between the Northland Regional Council and MPI is now underway to try to tackle the Caulerpa problem in the Bay of Islands. They're taking a two-pronged approach to fight the invasive species, sinking swimming pool chlorine pellets, and nailing down tarpaulins in the Albert Channel. Kathryn speaks with John Walsh, MPI's Director of Response and Kaeden Leonard Northland Regional Council's Marine Biosecurity Manager. 

If you spot Caulerpa, take a photo, record your location and phone the Pest and Disease Hotline at 0800 80 99 66 or complete the online reporting form at report.mpi.govt.nz.

09:45 Australia: Cranky travellers, new NACC, racial challenge, just not cricket

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about the concern over the resilience of the travel industry after days of chaos in airports at the start of the school holidays. High winds in Sydney caused much of the problem, and an 80-flights-an-hour cap at Sydney Airport made it hard for airlines to play catch-up. Australia's new National Anti-Corruption Commission has started work, with a warning to politicians not to "weaponise" its work. Controversial right-wing MP Pauline Hanson has hired two top barristers to represent her in a defamation case brought by a Greens senator she tweeted should "p*** off back to Pakistan" and the Australian cricket team has asked for extra security as the abuse continues from England fans after that out-of-crease stumping at Lords.

Karen Middleton is chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper.

10:05 How and why human organs age differently to chronological age

New research reveals the age of your brain and body can appear many years older, or younger than your actual chronological age. And within your body different organs can age at different rates. Professor Andrew Zalesky from the University of Melbourne's Department of Psychiatry and Biomedical engineering is part of a research team that has masterminded a method to measure organ age - concluding they're not necessarily in sync with the person's time on earth. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Medicine. Professor Zalesky says this the first study to look at organ specific biological ageing - including the brain and seven body systems. 

 

10:35 Book review: The Words For Her by Thomasin Sleigh

Stella Chrysostomou of Volume Books in Nelson reviews The Words For Her by Thomasin Sleigh, published by Lawrence and Gibson

10:45 Around the motu : Logan Savory in Southland

Logan talks to Kathryn about Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark's relationship with local mana whenua, which has been described as fractured. There's sadness in the city as  iconic department store H&J Smith will close in November. Southland has launched its 'Beyond 2025 Regional Plan'. There's a key emphasis  on diversifying Southland's economy so it's not just reliant on agriculture and Tiwai. And Southland's premier club rugby final is looming with Eastern-Northern Barbarians taking on the Pirates-Old Boys. 

Southland Tribune editor Logan Savory - based in Invercargill 

11:05 Music: The poignancy of musical tributes

When a star dies, tributes pour in from everywhere. Those that get the most attention are often those offered by other music legends and household names even if they had no genuinely close affiliation. But the most meaningful and heartfelt tributes are those proffered by lesser-known figures who were truly there; who spent many years with the recently-departed on their musical journey. This week Ian Chapman highlights two poignant tributes to David Bowie, as performed by longtime friends and musical collaborators Gail Ann Dorsey and Mike Garson. In addition, he recalls a similarly heartfelt tribute to George Harrison as performed by his close friend and frequent collaborator, the late Billy Preston.

11:20  Getting out in the garden with Xanthe White 

Landscape designer and gardener Xanthe White talks about how to deal with saturated soil and how to plant appropriately.
 

11:45 Personal finance: Why recessions aren't all bad

Money expert Liz Koh joins Kathryn to talk about what a recession actually means and whether we should be worried. She says a downturn in economic activity can be bad news for business as consumers spend less - but it can be a good antidote for inflation, and a time when communities can come together to help those who need it most.

Liz Koh is a money expert specializing in retirement planning. The advice given here is general and does not constitute specific advice to any person. 

Music played in this show

Track: Now or Never
Artist: Elvis Presley
Time played: 10:35am

Track: That's All Right 
Artist: Arthur Crudup
Time played: 10:39am

Track: Be My Baby
Artist: The Ronettes
Time played: 10:42am