Podcast: the detail
every weekday, The detail gives meaning to the big news stories. This week’s podcast looks at earthquake early warning systems and what’s stopping Aotearoa from turning on, the residents making noise about Rotorua’s emergency housing, whether we really need to plan for a recession, and we meet Kriddles Roberts, the woman who two years ago the face of the Waitakere Rotary Club changed.
Whakarongo mai for any episodes you may have missed. Find out how to listen and subscribe here†
The Warning You Might Get Before the Next Big Earthquake
Unlike other earthquake-prone countries and regions around the world, New Zealand does not have an early earthquake warning system.
Japan, Taiwan, California and Mexico City all have them, and while each system works differently, they give people precious seconds of warning before shaking.
That is enough time for organizations to, for example, switch off dangerous equipment, slow down high-speed trains or postpone operations in the hospital.
Wellington-based seismologist Caroline Holden leads a team of researchers investigating how an earthquake early warning system might work in New Zealand — and says the biggest barrier to starting one here is the multi-million dollar price tag.
Rotorua .’s Emergency Housing Problem
Fenton Street used to be Rotorua’s Golden Mile. Now locals call this stretch of road ‘MSD Mile’ for the dozens of motels that house hundreds of homeless people.
“It became a bit of a cash cow for the moteliers,” said Kelly Makiha, a senior at journalist the RotoruaDaily Post†
“The word has quickly spread that if you are in need, you can come to Rotorua and get a motel.
“Some of these moteliers make millions a year.”
But the locals are devastated, Makiha says: they are too afraid to drive on the road at night when people openly deal drugs; cars are broken into, overturned on their roofs and set on fire; neighbors’ property is destroyed and people are mistreated.
Trevor Newbrook of Restore Rotorua, a group dedicated to reviving the city’s reputation as a premier tourist destination, takes The detail on a drive along Fenton Street.
Should we fear a new recession?
Is New Zealand, as ACT leader David Seymour put it, “halfway through a recession”?
The latest GDP figures, released last week, showed New Zealand’s economy shrank 0.2 percent in the three months to March.
As economist and partner at Sense Partners Shamubeel Eaqub explains, the technical definition of a recession is that the economy is in decline for six months.
“Or there’s a more practical definition, which is when people get so scared of doing things, they don’t take anything, don’t invest, and don’t spend.
RNZ business editor Gyles Beckford says: The detail most economists don’t anticipate a recession – but even if they did, we shouldn’t be so quick to ring the alarm bells.
Kriddles Roberts: strengthening the community in western Auckland
On a chilly Saturday morning in a large shed at the Corbans Art Center in west Auckland, people sort piles of used clothes and blankets, fire up the barbecue for a sausage and children play on a bouncy castle.
It looks like a typical Kiwi fundraiser, except everything is free – from the food to the brand new kiddie backpacks and toys. It is being set up for people in need in the community.
Behind it all is Kriddles Roberts and her charity Unity In Our Community. The detail spoke to Roberts two years ago when she became the new president of Waitākere Rotary Club, the face of change and diversity within the organization.
Roberts’ mentor, Rotary leader Elaine Mead, calls her a breath of fresh air, saying Rotary “wasn’t just a bunch of pale, musty, just businessmen.” The organization was founded in 1905 with the aim of giving back to the community, and with members like Kriddles, it goes back to its roots.
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