Nine To Noon for Thursday 2 November 2023

 

 

09:05 Our schools are "bursting at the seams" : PPTA

Auckland school principals are warning of pressure on classrooms after increased immigration saw a surge in enrolments. Nearly 16-thousand new pupils have enrolled in schools this year, with Auckland schools gaining more than 8-thousand, their biggest jump in 20 years.Most of the new students have New Zealand residence or parents on short-term work or study visas, and about three-thousand are fee-paying foreign students.More than half of the new students are teenagers. PPTA acting President Chris Abercrombie says many schools are bursting at the seams, and struggling to scale up teaching, particularly for English as a Second Language.

09:20 Turning malnourished kina into a lucrative seafood delicacy

A project is underway to see if harmful, malnourished kina can be plucked from the seafloor and turned into a lucrative seafood export. In parts of north east Aotearoa, wild kina populations have exploded, grazing kelp forests to bare rock, and turning seafloor into barrens. The kina don't die, but because there's little food left for them, they're not big enough to harvest and eat. EnviroStrat is undertaking a pilot which harvests the underweight kina and feeds them in a facility, until they're big enough to export to an east Asian market. Senior environmental consultant Johnny Wright speaks to Kathryn Ryan.

09:30 Shore thing: NZ's biggest sculpture exhibition back after 5 year hiatus

It's been five years since the country's largest sculpture exhibition has graced the slopes of Fort Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. The event was a casualty of last-minute Covid cancellations back in 2021, with a giant pivot to an online offering.  For artists and would-be attendees it was a disappointment, but this year it's back to business as usual, with a record 130 artworks from 100 artists gracing the clifftop site. Sculpture on Shore is the biggest private fundraiser for Women's Refuge - with the artworks auctioned to raise money for the organisation. To date, more than $2.2 million has been donated. Joining Kathryn is Sally Dewar - NZ Sculpture on Shore Board Chair and one of the artists taking part, Virginia King.

09:45 UK: 'Macho' culture hampered Covid response, AI Safety Summit 

UK correspondent Matt Dathan joins Kathryn to talk about the revelations emerging from the Covid inquiry, including some foul-mouthed rants in messages from Dominic Cummings, the former aide to PM Boris Johnson. The target of his ire, former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara has herself testified today that a "macho" culture harmed the UK's pandemic response. Meanwhile some of the biggest tech companies are attending Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's summit on the risks of artificial intelligence.

10:05 Celebrating women pioneers of rock

Kiwi musos Julia Deans from Fur Patrol, and Stellar* front woman Boh Runga talk to Kathryn about their upcoming ATOMIC! tour, they'll be on stage in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington - starting next week. The three concert tour pays homage to rock icons including Annie Lennox, Patti Smith, Joan Jett and Blondie, with the memorable vocals of Debbie Harry on the 1979 smash hit - ATOMIC! inspiring the name of three date tour. 

10:35 Book review: End Times by Rebecca Priestly

Carole Beu from The Women's Bookshop reviews End Times by Rebecca Priestly published by Te Herenga Waka University Press

10:45 Around the motu : Libby Kirkby McLeod in Hamilton 

The general election might be behind us, but voters in East Hamilton face a by-election as local councillor Ryan Hamilton leaves to become an MP. There's a St John's ambulance staff member onsite at Waikato Hospital's Emergency Department  every weekday to try to reduce the wait time of arriving patients. And action is underway to keep several low-lying Firth of Thames settlements above water for the next 100 years.

RNZ Waikato reporter, Libby Kirkby McLeod
 

11:05 Tech: LastPass breach, Five Eyes' spy warning, stolen DNA data

Technology commentator Tony Grasso joins Kathryn to talk about popular password manager LastPass and how it's been breached five times - with the latest netting the release of credentials for users' crypto wallets. Five Eyes' - the intelligence network New Zealand belongs to - has recently highlighted concerns over China spying on commercial interests. What are the particular concerns for New Zealand? And last month genetic test provider 23andMe was hacked - now the company is being hit multiple lawsuits.

11:25 Parenting : How to support neurodivergent children 

In our parenting slot today we look at what teachers, parents and caregivers can do to help neurodivergent children feel accepted. Kathryn Berkett has a Masters in Educational Psychology, has a special interest in resilience and is a certified Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics practitioner. She runs Neurodiversity Workshops as part of Life Education's Nurturing Healthy Minds series. Kathryn says it's important to understand how neurodiversity can influence behaviour and decision-making. 
 

11:45 Screentime: Nyad, Fingernails, The Gilded Age, Cat Person

Film and TV reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to look at Nyad (Netflix), which details what drove athlete Diana Nyad to swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 60. He'll also look at whether technology can help us find true love in Fingernails (Apple TV+), season two of New York period drama The Gilded Age (Neon/Soho) and Cat Person (cinemas), an exploration of the horrors of dating.

James Croot is Stuff's Stuff to Watch editor 

Music played in this show

Artist:    Herbs

Song:  Sensitive To A Smile

Time: 9:50