Nine To Noon

Dave and Caroline Armstrong took over the job of organising the biennial Upsurge Festival in the Bay of Islands just before Covid hit. It was cancelled last year, postponed in April this year - and will open for eight days from this Sunday. The challenges haven't been confined to Covid - Northland's recent floods made it tricky to get to four schools where students are participating in a show with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Dave and Caroline join Kathryn to discuss the festival - which traverses a wide geographic and demographic space.

A scathing report by Treasury into Oranga Tamariki's finances has described "loose fiscal controls" within the agency and a "weak organisational strategy and direction". Treasury's review into the spending of the $1.1 billion allocated to Oranga Tamariki in the 2019 Well-being Budget were called a "disparate collection of ideas, not governed by a clear organisational strategy". Analysis from Treasury also found Oranga Tamariki's spending per child has significantly increased, without any evidence that this is leading to better outcomes for children. Kathryn speaks to Kelvin Davis, the Minister for Children, and Judge Frances Eivers, the Commissioner for Children.

Film and TV correspondent Chris Schulz joins Kathryn to talk about season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale (Neon, Sky), a new miniseries starring Steve Carrell called The Patient (Disney+) and a new season of Chef's Table (Netflix) - focused on the humble pizza.

School avoidance that stems from anxiety is very different to truancy and requires careful management, says psychologist Dr Emma Woodward.

Tech commentator Mark Pesce joins Kathryn to talk about fakery - specifically, the very new and exciting art-generating fakery. He looks at the three main platforms - including one that's open source. Why does this technology have the art world concerned? And Mark launches a new podcast today: "A Brief History of the Metaverse". Mark Pesce is a futurist, writer, educator and broadcaster.

The economy has posted strong growth supported by consumer spending and tourism. Stats NZ says gross domestic product rose a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent in the three months ended June, after unexpectedly falling at the start of the year. The number was at the top end of expectations. Kathryn speaks to RNZ's Business Editor Gyles Beckford.

Ralph McAllister reviews Lessons by Ian McEwan, published by Penguin Random House NZ.

Wanaka-based mountain guide Gavin Lang has not only climbed some of New Zealand's highest mountains and remotest peaks, but as an adventure photographer he's captured their beauty too. His book, Seeking the Light includes a significant collection of modern NZ mountaineering photography. It provides a rare view of the Southern Alps and alpine back country.

UK correspondent Harriet Line joins Kathryn to talk about the massive turnout from the public to pay their respects to the Queen, how King Charles has been coping with his duties in the wake of her death and what will happen at the Queen's funeral on Monday.

Do our middle readers deserve better quality books? Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris believe so. The pair say while there has been a big focus on picture books and young adult fiction, New Zealand's middle readers - children aged 9 to 11 - are being under-served. In recent years they've observed a boom of series imported from abroad, but they're often formulaic and repetitive, usually full of goof-ball humour. In their view, young readers need a wider variety of books that transport them to different places and grow their minds. Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris have co-edited Annual 3: A Miscellany from Aotearoa New Zealand, a collection of stories, comics, poems, crosswords, games and songs - created by some the best New Zealand writers and illustrators - now up to its third edition. Kathryn speaks with Susan Paris, editor of the School Journal for the last 17 years, and Kate De Goldi, an award winning writer of fiction for younger readers, and teaches creative writing in schools.