Nine To Noon for Wednesday 16 April 2025

 

09:05 Advocates for neurodivergent and disabled students applaud potential redirected funding

Advocates for neurodivergent children and students with disabilities say government plans to cut Kāhui Ako, which paid schools to work in groups, and redirect the money to support children with disabilities,  is good news. An Education Ministry report leaked to RNZ shows the  $118-million-a-year education scheme involving nearly 2,000 schools, could be axed in this year's Budget.  It suggested the money would be redirected to support children with disabilities. Many in the education sector support the move, but there is no detail on how the funding might be spent. Education Minister Erica Stanford would not comment on the report saying it is Budget dependent. Kathryn speaks with Autism New Zealand Chief Executive Dane Dougan and Trish Grant, Inclusive Education Lead for IHC.

09:20  Kiwi architecture firm's plans for its low-cost, fast build Living House

A Kiwi architecture company says it's found a way to build a healthy and sustainable three bedroom house that three people can assemble in six weeks at a cost  - excluding land - of $335,000. What started as a lockdown project for staff at RTA studio in Rotorua has ended up as proof-of-concept the company is calling a 'Living House'. The 85 sqm house is designed for quick assembly once the foundations are in place, and the cost includes a functional kitchen with appliances as well as flooring, lighting and carpets. RTA Studio has partnered with others in the industry and has now produced its first Living House in Rotorua that it plans to sell at cost to a family who would otherwise find home ownership too difficult. The company plans to market and sell the Living House plans  and access to pre-negotiated supplier packages for materials to anyone who wants to build the house. Founder Rich Naish says it's not a silver bullet for New Zealand's housing crisis, but a step toward streamlining and simplifying the process - while proving costs can be kept down.

09:30 ACC costs for white tail spider bites rise this summer

There were more than 223 new claims to ACC for bites attributed to white tails this summer, with most reported in the Auckland region, followed by Waikato and Northland. While the number of claims over the past five summers has remained about the same - an average of 178 - the cost of active claims has jumped from $30,844 in the summer of 2020/2021 to just over $103,000 this year. White tails are part of three spider species deemed "medically significant" - along with the katipo and other Aussie import, the red back. But the National Poisons Centre cautions spider bites can often be misreported - few people witness the actual bite or manage to capture what's bitten them. So do white tails deserve the fearsome reputation? Kathryn is joined by Dr Leilani Walker, spider expert and entomology curator at the Auckland War Museum.

09:45 Australia: Labor leads polls, housing policies detailed, political influencers outed

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane joins Kathryn to talk about the three latest political polls that put Labor ahead of the Coalition by a decent margin. Both parties unveiled their housing policies at the weekend - what impact will they have on Australia's housing crisis? And should social media content paid for by politicians and dished out by influencers be disclosed?

Bernard Keane is political editor for Crikey.com

10:05 Paul Hawken tells the story of carbon

It began in stars and is fundamental to the extraordinary mix of factors that enable us, and the world we know, to exist. Carbon is a prolific and near ubiquitous element, at the heart of everything from fungi networks to the tip of the tallest trees. Environmentalist, and author Paul Hawken delves into the wonder of us and our world, through carbon, whilst also examining the environmental crises that have beset our modern age. His book: Carbon: The Book of Life traces all the weird and wonderful places carbon is found in the universe. He explains how human beings' reverence and exploitation of the element has altered its cycle. In processing the existential risks we face, he finds answers in the wisdom of Indigenous communal knowledge, and re-embracing the wonder in the world around us. Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur and bestselling author of the books Drawdown and Regeneration.   

10:35 Book review: Outrageous Fortunes by Lucy Sussex and Megan Brown

Robert Kelly reviews Outrageous Fortunes by Lucy Sussex and Megan Brown published by La Trobe University Press

10:45 Around the motu: James Pocock in Gisborne

James discusses Gisborne District councillor attendance rates, the council has approved a business case for a $22.09m indoor sports facility, and Ruatōria stalwart Hughie Hughes has retired at 90 after 70 years running shop.

James Pocock is the Gisborne Herald Editor.

11:05 Music with Dave Wilson: Queer Men in Jazz

Music correspondent Dave Wilson looks at why queer women have been quite visible in the history of jazz, particularly among the early African American blues singers, but not so queer or gay men. Dave focuses on the music of several queer men in jazz, including Billy Strayhorn, Fred Hersch and Richard Cortez.

Dave Wilson is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and interdisciplinary scholar, a Senior Lecturer in Music at the New Zealand School of Music-Te Kōkī.

11.25 Getting more women working in trees      

A new initiative wants more women on the tools and in the trees. Two leading women arborists in this country - Kelly Black and Ruby McNab - have started Women and Trees NZ as a way to promote the arboriculture profession to other women. According to the 2018 census - just 3 per cent of working arborists were women. Kelly and Ruby say they have started the initiative as a way to promote arborist careers to women but also as a support group for the current workforce of women in the industry. They've just had a weekend camp at the Botanic Gardens in Christchurch where there were workshops and talks from leading arborists - such as New Zealand's world champion tree climber Steph Dryfhout. Kelly and Ruby talk to Kathryn. 

11:45 Personal finance: The impact to New Zealand of changeable tariffs

US President Donald Trump's changeable tariffs are providing a lot of market confusion. But while farmers might be wondering what will happen to beef exports, and vineyards might be wondering how much of a tariff they can absorb to stop the consumer price rising, for some households there might be a more immediate impact. Money correspondent Susan Edmunds joins Kathryn to discuss.

Susan Edmunds is RNZ's Money Correspondent