Nine To Noon for Thursday 28 March 2024

09:05 Science and university funding in focus amid warnings of looming crisis

Fears of a looming crisis across the science and university sectors is set to get a closer look by the Government. Two new advisory groups, led by Sir Peter Gluckman, will focus on the way the sectors are funded and operated. Concerns are growing within the science community about a slow erosion of funding, and cuts to hundreds of jobs in tertiary education. The 10-year multi-million dollar fund known as the National Science Challenges is set to dry up in this year, with no clarity on whether it will continue. Major reform plan Te Ara Paerangi, which included a $450m investment to turn Wellington into a 'science city', has also been scrapped. Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:30 Rising costs for lawyers could leave more people without representation in court

A new report reveals a sharp rise in the cost of practising law is crunching down on the already-strained legal aid system. There are concerns it could result in even more people being left without representation in court. Figures from KPMG, commissioned by the Law Society, show the cost of practising law has gone up by 15.3% each year, for the last three years alone. Overhead costs for legal aid providers are now 39.8% higher than for non-legal aid providers. Law Society president Frazer Barton says it's making it more difficult to retain staff, which could result in even more people being forced to represent themselves in court. Frazer Barton speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:45 UK: China cyber attacks, record migrants, cancer checks rise

UK correspondent Matt Dathan joins Kathryn to talk about how the UK will respond after it accused China of launching a "prolific" global campaign of cyberattacks. Figures reveal a record number of migrants have crossed the Channel this year, revelations that the Princess of Wales is undergoing treatment for cancer has seen a surge of people looking for NHS advice on cancer and Matt digs into the major row that's broken out over England's new football kit.

Matt Dathan is Home Affairs Editor at The Times

10:05 Comedian Fern Brady: Frank, funny, and fiercely feminist

At 34, Fern Brady's comic career was peaking. What began as a chance standup routine at the Edinburgh Fringe had set her on the path to stardom - Touring with Frankie Boyle, Live at the Apollo, and comedy television shows, including cult-classic Taskmaster. Everyone wanted a piece of the scathingly hilarious Scot. But behind closed doors things were falling apart. Misadiagnosed with OCD and depression as a teenager she was committed to a psychiatric unit. In adulthood she became addicted to Xanax, and despite asking repeatedly for help, no one could tell her why she was regularly destroying her furniture. Finally the answer with a diagnosis: she was autistic, but like many women and girls, had become adept enough at masking to slip through the cracks. Her Nero Award winning memoir - Strong Female Character - charts a childhood and anguished adolescence of a misunderstood misfit through the lens of this recent diagnosis. Fern Brady is currently touring her show, I Gave You Milk To Drink, and will be in Auckland for the International Comedy Festival in May.

10:35 Nomadic Art Gallery truck seeks home indoors

A young Belgian couple who created a unique piece of art during their time in New Zealand are now looking for a new home for it. Gie Coche and Arthur Buerms converted a truck into a travelling art space during the pandemic  - driving it 36,000km around the country and showcasing over 100 Kiwi artists along the way. For the last three years the Nomadic Art Gallery truck has been exhibited at the Connells Sculpture Park on Waiheke Island and the pair have moved back to Belgium where they've been bringing the work of New Zealand artists to European audiences. But time and Auckland's weather has not been kind to the truck. The pair are seeking a more permanent home for it and join Kathryn to explain where they hope it will end up.

10.35 Book Review: Emma Hislop reviews Memory Piece by Lisa Ko 

Emma Hislop reviews Memory Piece by Lisa Ko published by Hachette, RRP: $39.99.

10:45 Around the motu : Kim Bowden covering Queenstown/Wānaka and Cromwell 

The community board in Wānaka and the Upper Clutha held a recent public meeting on healthcare issues which saw more 400 people cram into a local hall to discuss the lack of after-hours care and access to basic services. And Kim explains why there are huge inequities in the way Queenstown residents can claim the government's accommodation supplement based on outdated maps. 

Kim Bowden is a Crux editor/senior journalist.

11:05 Tech: AI + women's jobs, Apple's anti-trust lawsuit, AI chatbot girlfriends

Technology correspondent Bill Bennett joins Kathryn to look at new research which suggests women's jobs are more likely to be affected by AI than men's. He'll also unravel the anti-trust lawsuit filed in the US against Apple over its locked down iPhone eco-system. And how AI chatbot girlfriends or boyfriends became a thing - and why you shouldn't trust them.

Bill Bennett is a technology journalist

11:25 Helping pre schoolers build language across the day

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright talks about some of the most effective evidence based strategies to build preschoolers language across the day

11:45 Screentime: Love Lies and Bleeding, The Gentleman, Spinal Destination

Culture 101 host Perlina Lau joins Kathryn to talk about Love Lies and Bleeding (cinemas), starring Kristen Stewart as a gym manager who falls for Jackie, a bodybuilder passing through town. Guy Ritchie has a new TV series out - The Gentlemen (Netflix) - which combines British aristocracy with a weed empire. And Kiwi funnyman Tom Sainsbury has a new series, Spinal Destination, (Sky Go, Neon) that revolves around patients in a spinal unit.

Perlina Lau is co-host of RNZ's Culture 101