Nine To Noon for Friday 1 September 2023

 

09:05 New Grocery Commissioner on keeping supermarket giants in check

The big supermarket chains will soon face fines of up to $3 million dollars, if they don't treat small suppliers fairly. The Government has released the details of its new Grocery Code of Conduct, its latest step to reform the grocery sector. Food price inflation is at its highest level in 36 years - with the main drivers a 14 percent rise in grocery prices, and more than 22 percent for fruit and vegetables prices.The Grocery code requires the two companies that run most of the supermarkets to pay their suppliers on time, have contracts in plain English, and deal with small suppliers in good faith. Breaches of the code could cost the supermarket companies up to three-million dollars, and individuals up to $200,000. Pierre van Heerden is the newly appointed Grocery Commissioner, charged with monitoring the code and keeping the supermarket chains in check.

09:20 Protecting Kiwi from string for dog attacks 

Kiwi conservation groups in Northland are deploying a wide array of tools to investigate and prevent more dog attacks, after a cluster of deaths, particularly in Opua Conservation Area. Northland has been devastated by a string of kiwi deaths caused by dogs in the last few months. It's estimated dogs have been responsible for at least 22 deaths since the start of the year, but that number is expected to rise when necropsy results come back on a further four deaths. The Department of Conservation and the Far North District Council are investigating the attacks. Meanwhile groups such as Save the Kiwi is working with DOC, iwi, and other conservation and community groups to reverse the decline of the kiwi population. As part of that, they run kiwi avoidance training for dogs. Kathryn speaks to Emma Craig, Save the Kiwi's national dog specialist and Northland Regional Coordinator, as well as Adrian Walker, a DOC ranger based in Kerikeri. 

09:45 Asia correspondent Elizabeth Beattie

Treated radioactive water from Japan's severely damaged Fukushima power plant has been released into the Pacific Ocean sparking a Chinese boycott of Japan's seafood products. The UN nuclear watchdog has found the release is safe and  China has been accused of hypocrisy given its own track record of dumping nuclear waste. A group promoting Cantonese language in Hong Kong has shut down after authoriites raided the family home of the founder under the National Security Law. And with India set to play host to G20 summit this month, officials in Delhi are concerned about uninvited guests - monkeys.

Elizabeth Beattie is a journalist based in Tokyo

10:05 Huge online following for vintage baking  

B. Dylan Hollis found an old cookbook at an estate sale a couple of years ago,  then set about baking and tasting ususual recipes from the past. Boredom during Covid quarantine led him to film himself making some of the vintage recipes from dusty old books. He has since become a social media personality with more than 10 million fans on TikTok, large followings on YouTube and Instagram and now his own cookbook - Baking Yesteryear.

10:35 Book review: Biography of X by Catherine Lacey

Martene McCaffrey from Unity Books Auckland reviews Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, published by Granta. 

10:45 Around the motu : Mike Tweed in Whanganui

The Whanganui District Council has a bit of a problem with its wastewater network and Mike says $50 million could be invested over the next 30 years, but the council also faces another problem - residents using illegal stormwater connections into their gully traps. In a sign of the cost of living crisis boxes of puppies have been found dumped at various Whanganui beaches and the pound is full. And Whanganui and Rangitikei's most famous cat, Rodney has died.

11:05 New music with Yadana Saw

Yadana is along with the sounds of Brooklyn NYC discodelic darlings Say She She, Wellington's Grayson Gilmour and a 2021 reissue of an Afro-Caribbean reggae disco rarity - Love and Understanding by Muchos Plus.

11:30 Sports commentator Dana Johannsen

NZ Rugby is facing a new storm 10 days out from the Rugby World Cup with the release of a long-awaited governance review, Dana rakes over the key findings.

Dana Johannsen is Stuff's National Correspondent specialising in sport. 

11:45 The week that was 

Comedians Te Radar and Michele A'Court with a few laughs including the price of sausage rolls, how much would you pay for one?