Nine To Noon

Another dark period in Hong Kong with the forced closure of popular pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily and serious questions over whether Hong Kong's judicial independence is really under threat now too. Ed also has latest Tokyo Olympics controversies. Ed White is a correspondent with the Financial Times.

An Oranga Tamariki youth justice residence is providing opportunities for residents to learn hospitality skills, by getting their help to run a cafe at the facility. Te Au rere a te Tonga in Palmerston North is the home to up to 30 rangatahi aged between 14 and 19. Together they plan menus, learn to prepare meals, and serve customers at the Courtyard Cafe. It's just one of the programmes available at the youth justice residence that aims to teach practical life skills and help prepare them for the workforce. Kathryn speaks with Tom Zimmerman, the residence manager at Te Au rere a te Tonga.

Justice Minister Kris Faafoi has released a discussion document on potential reform of New Zealand's adoption laws, including the Adoption Act, which hasn't been updated since 1955. There have been calls to update the Act for decades - and attempts to do within Parliament have ultimately gone nowhere. This despite reviews by the Law Commission in 2000 recommending an overhaul, and the Human Rights Tribunal finding in 2016 that seven provisions of the legislation was inconsistent with the Bill of Rights. Including single men applying to adopt to have 'special circumstances' before being allowed to adopt a girl, and the inability for same-sex couples to adopt. In 2018 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated adoption reform was a priority for the Labour-led government. Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll is a Māori health and wellbeing lecture at the University of Canterbury who was adopted, and has investigated the impact of adoption on children.

A top Covid-19 modeller says the tools that worked to fight Covid-19 last year are not enough to battle the Delta variant, and points to Sydney where the virus is outpacing efforts to control it. Rodney Jones is warning that until New Zealand gets more of the population vaccinated, the country will be holding its breath that the more transmissible variant doesn't enter the country. Wellington is still on high alert after a visitor from Sydney over the weekend later tested positive for Covid-19. Two days of testing in the capital has yet to return any positive cases in the community but today the first of the crucial 'day five' test results are expected. Rodney Jones provides Covid-19 modelling information to the government.

Film and TV reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to talk about Stanley Tucci's new foodie-travel show Searching for Italy (CNN). Stanley is also in Limetown with Jessica Biel about the disappearance of 300 people from a research facility. Also in the mix is documentary This is Pop (Netflix) and the new season of Motherland (Neon).

Stuttering is a normal part of learning to speak, particularly when a pre-schooler's language abilities can't keep up with what they want to say. Most children outgrow this phase but for some, the struggle to get words out continues. Wellington Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright has advice for parents and teachers.

Technology correspondent Mark Pesce looks at how the increasing sophistication of computers is also resulting in them producing random, unpredictable errors.

Ralph McAllister reviews Diary of a Film by Niven Govinden, published by Dialogue Books.

Large numbers are gathering at a pop up Covid testing Centre at Hataitai Park in Wellington this morning. The main testing centre in Taranaki St is fully booked today, and GPs are reporting demand for testing is ten times normal. RNZ reporter Hamish Cardwell is at Hataitai Park.

Kathryn Ryan discusses Australia and China's increasingly fractious and deteriorating relationship with Peter Hartcher political editor and international editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.