Nine To Noon

Auckland businesses will ask the Finance Minister for more financial support in a meeting this morning. As the region heads into another fornight in hard lockdown, business leaders say small and medium businesses in particular are hurting. 150,000 have claimed the wage subsidy nationwide - meaning they have lost over 40 per cent of their revenue. Businesses are also eligible for a resurgence subsidy to offset their overheads while in lockdown - but this is a one off payment, and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce is asking the government to extend it. Chief Executive Michael Barnett says in six hours, more than 15 thousand businesses signed a petition calling for more help with with fixed overheads such as rent, rates, hire purchase agreements and utilities. He'll meet Finance Minister Grant Robertson this morning to ask for that help.

Kennedy has been exploring his home patch, and enjoying Western Springs, which is an expanse of ponds, wetlands and rock outcrops that he says speaks eloquently of Tamaki Maraurau's volcanic history.

Wellington food writer and gardener Elien Lewis has just released Homegrown Happiness - a guide to setting up a garden, composting, foraging and keeping things low-waste.  She tells Kathryn Ryan about the wonders of a no-dig garden and shares two vegetarian recipes - for Lemon & Nasturtium Pappardelle and Sticky Ginger Cauliflower

Stephen, Brigitte and Kathryn discuss lockdown levels ahead of the Cabinet considering today how long Auckland and Northland will be in level 4. Also, have there been missed opportunities in the leadup to this outbreak - and what the opposition is saying about the Government's handling of the crisis so far. Stephen Mills is the executive director of UMR Research , which is the polling firm used by Labour. He is former political adviser to two Labour governments. Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks & Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government.

Anna Jackson-Scott reviews The Pink Jumpsuit by Emma Neale, published by Quentin Wilson Publishing

Peter Laurenson is a keen tramper, climber and photographer who has spent three decades maintaining a special connection with the Khumbu region - the gateway to Mount Everest. He first visited the region in 1988 and has returned six times since, having forged a strong friendship with teahouse owners Pasang D and Nima Sherpa and their children. It was at their urging that he brought his eldest son Ben to Khumbu when he was 15, a journey which became a family rite of passage for his other two sons, Ed and Will, when they attained the same age. Peter's documented his three journeys with his sons, as well as the history of the region and his stunning photography in a new book: Khumbu: Gateway to Mount Everest, Pathways to Kinship.

Thousands of indigenous people have protested outside Brazil's Supreme Court ahead of a decision that could introduce a cut-off date for land claims. President Jair Bolsonaro has long held the belief that indigenous tribes live on too much land and block agricultural growth. And in Venezuala, government and the opposition talks have been underway to try to overcome the political and economic crisis in the oil-rich country.

The clock is ticking to enter the first ever Nine to Noon Short Story Competition! We already have hundreds of entries!  The prize? Five winning stories will be produced for radio and broadcast on Nine to Noon in November. Your story must be with us by 1 October, to be judged by acclaimed authors Tina Makereti and Harry Ricketts. The competition is open to anyone over 16 years of age and stories should be as close to 2,000 words as possible. Winners will be announced on 29 October. Kathryn speaks with judges Tina and Harry for tips on getting started, what they think makes a good short story and what they'll be looking for in the winners.

Thousands of old lap-tops are needed to be repurposed to help bridge the digital divide, particularly for people in rural areas and children learning from home. Supply chain issues and a shortage of computer chips make it all the more crucial to breath new life into second hand tech right now, according to Tim Findlay, who is Managing Director of Remark-it Solutions which security cleans, recycles, and repurposes IT and electronic equipment. Tim tells Kathryn he's also behind Digital Wings which gets businesses to donate their old IT gear, fixes it up and gives it to charities and community organisations. So far Tim and his team have diverted 400 tonnes of e-waste from landfill.

Cabinet meets today to look at how much longer Auckland and Northland will remain at level four, and also to consider tougher restrictions for businesses under alert levels four and three. The daily case numbers yesterday were on a par with the day before, but essential workers have so far passed on the virus at four separate sites during this Delta outbreak. Meanwhile the strong uptake of the vaccine is causing headaches for the government in terms of supply with the Prime Minister warning it may need to 'reduce demand' in coming weeks. Kathryn speaks with University of Auckland Professor of Epidemiology, Professor Rod Jackson.