Nine To Noon for Tuesday 23 April 2024

09:05 Emergency management system has 'significant shortcomings' - inquiry

An inquiry into the response to last year's catastrophic North Island storms that killed 15 people has found the country's emergency management system is not fit for purpose. The inquiry - chaired by former Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae - found the country is not ready to respond to large-scale emergencies. The review includes responses to the Auckland Anniversary Day  floods, as well as Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. In some places the system failed completely and people weren't able to prepare or respond to the disaster around them. Public warnings and communication were non-existent or insufficient. And the capability and capacity of civil defence staff and infrastructure was overestimated or lacking. Communities told the inquiry they felt completely let down. RNZ journalist Lauren Crimp has been reading through the report.

09:15 A leading youth advocate is worried boot camp kids will end up without support

A leading youth advocate is concerned young people sent to boot camps will come out the other end without crucial support. David Graham - chief executive of the Billy Graham Youth Foundation - says that could leave those young people to go back to the same pathway that led them to trouble. A trial of the Young Offender Military Academies is due to begin by the middle of the year, run at an Oranga Tamariki youth justice facilities. The Government's own advisors have David Graham convened a hui with 40 other youth organisations late last year to discuss the National Party's boot camp policy - one many critics have stated will not work. They've since commissioned a literature review of research into boot camps - or military-style residential youth programmes - that found they can reduce re-offending within a short term but over the longer term the impact is little to none. David speaks to Kathryn about the concerns his sector has with the programme.

09:30 Roading experts discuss Government's big maintenance plans

The Government is planning to spend billions of dollars on new roads under a transport plan proposed last month. The draft Government Policy Statement on land transport includes half a billion dollars on road maintenance and so-called pothole prevention alone. There have been growing concerns around the scale and severity of road damage in certain parts of the country, particularly Northland and the East Coast. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the weather could be a contributing factor. It says all bitumen, now imported into New Zealand from overseas refineries, continues to meet the standards it sets. Wairoa farmer James Brownlie's questions around the repairs in his district, and the need for them to be re-done, sparked a huge response from listeners right around the country, including truck drivers, commuters and others with their experiences with road repairs or upgrades seemingly needing repair, within a short space of time. Kathryn discusses the roading problems with Tim Barry, who is in charge of roads at Gisborne District Council and David Keat, the former refining manager of the Marsden Point. She is also joined by NZTA's regional manager of maintenance and operations, Mark Owen.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Ron looks at the US$95b of military assistance approved for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which passed with broad bipartisan support. The Senate is set to begin considering the bill on Tuesday. Opening statements are beginning in Donald Trump's criminal trial. And workers at the Volkswagen factory in Tennessee have voted to unionise.

Ron Elving is a Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk for NPR news 

10:05 Nick Stride on why his family fled Russia and went into hiding

British construction worker Nick Stride was working in Moscow in 1998 to help build the British embassy there. He returned several times to complete contracts there, but ended up fleeing with his wife and two children after feeling his family's every move was being watched and they were being bugged. His family's journey to safety is captured in the book  Run for your life: The story of the Kiwi family who fled Putin's Russia - written by Sue Williams  - which includes why he decided to leak secrets from Vladimir Putin's one-time deputy. It also tells of a life living off-grid in Australia seeking a safe haven, and ultimately finding that in Aotearoa. Nick and Sue join Kathryn to explain why it was important to tell his tale.

10:35 Book review: Girl of the Mountains by Trish McCormack 

Elisabeth Easther reviews Girl of the Mountains by Trish McCormack published by Glacier Press

10:45 Around the motu: Che Baker in Invercargill

Stuff's Southland Editor Che Baker joins Kathryn to look at Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark's apology for his interview with comedian Guy Williams in which he used an offensive term, prompting complaints from two councillors. A coroner's hearing will get underway next week into the death of toddler Lachie Jones in Gore. It's been more than five years since he drowned in oxidation ponds, and his father has been critical of the police investigation. And two buildings are finally being demolished - but not without complaints over cost.

Che Baker is the editor of the Southland Times.

11:05 Business commentator Victoria Young

A Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora commissioned report warns of extreme pressure on New Zealand's aged care sector. Victoria Young looks at the private sector from a business perspective, and how cracks could potentially grow over time. And former Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson is on trial in a first- of-its-kind prosecution over the workplace death of 31-year-old father-of-seven Pala'amo Kalati.

11:25 NZ's response to 'significant' migration levels

Stats NZ figures in the year to January show more than 250,000 people arrived in New Zealand. Massey University Professor Paul Spoonley says the volume of arrivals has contributed a significant net gain of more than 131,000. He joins us to discuss the record levels of migration, the challenge for processing visas, and the government's response. 

Professor Paul Spoonley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Honorary Research Associate in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University. 

11:45 Sports-chat with Marc Hinton

Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge is ruling out sacking coach Rob Penney mid-season, despite the team sitting at the bottom of the table. In league, the Warriors' wheels are wobbling heading into their rare home game on Anzac Day. Kiwi swimmer Lewis Clareburt is joining the chorus of disapproval over the leniency of a group of Chinese competitors who failed a drug test. And Scott Dixon pays a special tribute to motorsport icon Sir Colin Giltrap, after his first win of the Indycar season.