Nine To Noon for Thursday 8 February 2024

 

 

09:05 More power plan switching wanted

The electricity market regulator wants retailers to proactively tell their customers whether or not they are on the best power plan. The Electricity Authority is trying to encourage increased switching and comparing of power plans. It says this will lead to increased competition among retailers and lower power prices for consumers. In December, less than two per cent of residential customers switched their power plans, and the vast majority of those were people moving house. At present, the regulator funds the website Powerswitch, which it contracts each year to Consumer NZ at a cost of about $1.4 million. Consumers often cite the complications of moving from a bundle plan as one barrier, while at the same time, a lack of their own consumption data being put into the Powerswitch website means they aren't confident the results actually will deliver lower prices. The Electricity Authority has proposed retailers should alert consumers when they're not on the most suitable plan - a move recently seen in Australia. The authority's Chief Executive Sarah Gillies and Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge talk to Kathryn about what's needed to get consumers more regularly switching.

09:30 Police recruitment realities for the thin blue line

Police Minister Mark Mitchell, whose honesty about the reality of how long it would take to recruit 500 new police, crashed head on with political realities last week. When Mr Mitchell advised it would be met over three years  - he was forced to u-turn within 24 hours, after the Deputy PM and NZ First leader Winston Peters took up the matter with the Prime Minister. He talks to Kathryn about this and other challenges including gang violence and intimidation, youth offending, ramraids and retail crime prevention.

09:45 UK correspondent Dan Bloom

UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Kathryn to look at the pressure on Prince William to step up his public duties as his father receives treatment for cancer and his wife recovers from surgery.

Dan Bloom is deputy editor of Politico London Playbook

10:05 Adrian Jackson on his career creating theatre with the homeless

Three decades ago Adrian Jackson founded a theatre company in London called Cardboard Citizens, with a mission of creating theatre projects with - and for - people experiencing homelessness. The company is still going strong and it takes its Forum Theatre pieces to theatres, hostels, prisons and other community venues around the country. Adrian was awarded an MBE for his services to the arts in 2018. He's stepped back from Cardboard Citizens, but that's left room for new projects - including one he's bringing to the Auckland Arts Festival. It's called Not King Lear - and it's been created in conjunction with the Hobson Street Theatre Company. He joins Kathryn to explain what audiences can expect.

10:35 Book review: Te Tiriti o Waitangi by Claudia Orange; Edited by Jared Davidson 

Paul Diamond reviews Introducing Te Tiriti o Waitangi by Claudia Orange; Edited by Jared Davidson published by Bridget Williams Books

10:45 Around the motu: Ellen Curnow covering the West Coast

Buller District residents were warned a couple of months ago that they could be facing an astronomical rates increase, Westport News reporter Ellen Curnow says that's now been pared back a bit and universal bin collection will be included. 

11:05 Tech: Apple's Vision Pro, $40m deepfake, Google stops backing up the web

Technology correspondent Mark Pesce joins Kathryn to talk about the huge advance in "spatial computing" introduced by Apple's Vision Pro. It comes with a hefty price tag - and will people really want to wear them? Deepfakes keep getting better - just ask the Hong Kong employee whose company lost $40m on an extremely real scam and what are the implications of Google no longer backing up the web?

Mark Pesce is a futurist, writer, educator and broadcaster. 

11:25 Parenting: Keeping your children safe online 

Auckland based sex therapist and porn researcher Jo Robertson has tips for parents to recognise when their children may be straying into dangerous territory online. She says the grilling in Washington DC last week of five Chief Executives from the most popular social media companies can be used by parents as a springboard for conversations with their children about how they use their devices.  US senators accused the chiefs of failing to do enough to keep children safe  - with Mark Zuckerberg apologising for harm Facebook and  Instagram had caused.

11:45 Screentime: Mr & Mrs Smith, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Black Coast Vanishings

Film and TV correspondent Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to talk about Mr & Mrs Smith, a TV adaptation of the 2005 film which stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in the lead roles. He'll also talk about Force of Nature, which is the follow up film to The Dry - starring Eric Bana. He'll also look at the locally-produced Black Coast Vanishings documentary into the disappearances of six people at Auckland's Piha beach.