Nine To Noon for Monday 26 February 2024

09:05  Auckland high school self funds new classrooms frustrated at Ministry of Education delays 

Many schools around the country are at their wits end waiting for much needed classrooms to be built - and Auckland's Macleans College has resorted to shelling out millions of dollars for new buildings. The Ministry of Education has had to pause 20 big projects to deliver over 100 classrooms amid cost over-runs and roll growth uncertainty. Forecasts have suggested in Auckland alone, schools could grow by 30,000 students by 2030. Steve Hargreaves is the principal Macleans College and he says roll growth, fueled by immigration is putting immense pressure on facilities and waiting for the Ministry of Education to react is demoralising. And in Dunedin the Principal of Andersons Bay School, Pauline Simpson says she feels powerless and fed up after the Ministry pulled the pin at the eleventh hour on plans for more sorely needed classrooms.

09:30 How to make marae more climate-resilient

Last year's devastating weather events took their toll on any number of houses and buildings around the North Island, including many marae.  Two engineering students have studied how to make such community buildings more resilient. Kathryn speaks with Duncan McDonald, who investigated the issue as part of his engineering honours project.

09:45 Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney

Ukranians have held commemorative events to mark the second anniversary of Russia's invasion. Meanwhile in Russia, the body of Alexei Navalny - President Vladimir Putin's most vocal opponent - has been returned to his mother after his unexplained death in prison. Putin has been accused of stepping up his efforts to punish those who speak out against the war. Seamus also looks at Germany's legalisation of recreational cannabis, making it the ninth country in the world to do so.

10:05 The history of the opium poppy and its impact on the world

The opioid crisis gripping large parts of the world is well recognised: the widespread addiction to opium based pain killers, which have caused the death of millions. Perhaps less understood is the long and complex history of the opium poppy and how it came to have this devastating impact on the world. Award winning writer Amitav Ghosh has published 20 books of fiction and non fiction focused mostly on his country of birth, India. His Ibis trilogy - Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, Flood of Fire - is sweeping historical saga set during the outbreak of the first Opium War. The research he undertook for those books,  forms the basis of his new work of non fiction, Smoke and Ashes - a deep history of the opium and heroin trade and how the world became hooked. He joins Kathryn from his home in New York.

10:35 Book review: The Women by Kristin Hannah 

Gina Rogers reviews The Women by Kristin Hannah published by Macmillan

10:45 Around the motu: Tess Brunton in Dunedin

Tess has the latest from Southland Civil Defence on the major erosion issues threatening properties in Bluecliffs village. A state of emergency was put in place after erosion caused from the sea and the Waiau River. Dunedin South Countdown has pushed back reopening again after finding another rat, And the Department of Conservation has triggered an incursion response after a rat was found dead in a trap on Ulva Island, which is one of country's few pest-free, open air sanctuaries.

11:05 Political commentators Dale Husband and Liam Hehir

Dale and Liam discuss the life and political strides Fa'anānā Efeso Collins, and what will come next for the Green Party after his death. And reshuffles are also on the horizon for the Labour Party after Grant Robertson announced his retirement.

Dale Husband is a long time broadcaster and Radio Waatea presenter hosting a Maori focused current affairs programme.

Liam Hehir is a Palmerston North lawyer, political commentator and a National Party member.

11:30 Bountiful watermelon season after last year's crops decimated by floods

If you're a lover of watermelons you might have noticed prices are nudging down lately, with some supermarkets even selling them for less than five dollars each. Crops are plentiful at the moment thanks to a hot summer season in Gisborne. It was a different story a year ago. Several rain events in quick succession first left crops unharvestable before Cyclone Gabrielle decimated them entirely, during what should have been peak season. LeaderBrand general manager of farming Gordon McPhail tells Kathryn Ryan about the swift comeback.

11:45 Could NZ learn from Italy's managed retreat?

Matthew Bradbury has recently returned from Italy, where he studied how communities are being shifted, to adapt to climate change. He joins Kathryn to discuss what New Zealand could learn from Italy's managed retreat. 

Matthew Bradbury is an associate professor and leader of the Landscape Architecture Programme at the Unitec Te Pūkenga.

Music played in this show

'When it’s Over’ by Sugar Ray

'Circles' by Soul Coughing 

‘Sitting Down Here’ by Lene Marlin

'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'' by Nancy Sinatra

'Thriller' by Michael Jackson