95bFM: The Monday Wire with Will Pollard

12.05 Dr. John Townend, Senior Lecturer at Victoria Universitys School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences.

The biggest news of the weekend looks set to be the biggest news of the week if todays headlines are anything to go on. The magnitude 7.1 Canterbury Quake has left buildings in ruins across Christchurch, where a state of emergency has been declared. And while there have been no casualties to date, health authorities are worried about the spread of illnesses due to damaged sewerage systems. The weekends quake was a big one, but not THE big one that scientists have been predicting for the South Island. Just after midday well be joined by Dr. John Townend from Victoria Universitys School of Geography, Environment and Earth Science, to learn more about the business of predicting earthquakes. Ill ask him if we are learning enough lessons from this quake to be well prepared for the next one, and whether our other cities are adequately prepared for the possibility of a similar event.

12.20 Sam Mulgrew, bFMs roving South Island Affairs Correspondent.

Then at around 12.20 well go live to the brick-strewn streets of Christchurch to talk to our South Island Affairs Correspondent, Sam Mulgrew. Sam will give us his impressions of the weekends events, and tell us something of the current mood in the garden city. Is anybody going to work today? Has Jim Anderton shaken the voters with his eerie earthquake prediction? How many earth-shattering puns can we fit in one sentence?

12.30 Morning News Team Report: Sticking to theme, this morning Esther MacIntyre discusses Phil Goffs take on earthquake politics. What challenges does this natural disaster pose for our politicians?

12.40 Hannah Gross, Organiser of Pain Awareness Month

This month, September, is the first Pain Awareness Month here in the New Zealand. The months events aim to raise awareness about the lives of those dealing with chronic pain. The organiser, Hannah Gross, will be joining us at around 12.40 to tell us more about how the idea was born, and about the art competition which has been launched to support the month. Shell also tell us about what it is like to live with chronic pain.

12.50 Dr. Jennifer Curtin, University of Auckland Politics Department.

Last up on the show today well be speaking with Dr. Jennifer Curtin from the University of Aucklands politics department. Dr Curtin is currently writing a book on women's engagement in rugby unions from 1840-present: women as spectators, supporters, fans, players, mothers of players. Our national womens rugby team, the Black Ferns, have just won the world cup for the fourth time in a row, and are arguably one of our countrys most successful sports teams of all time, but are they getting the coverage or the praise they deserve? That interview at around 12.50pm.

Accessibility: Greens On Funding For Mojo Mathers

This morning the Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting that he convene the Parliamentary Services Committee meeting as soon as possible to that issues relating to the funding of electronic note taking for Mojo Mathers can be resolved as quickly as possible...

We are also in the process of reviewing the Speakers statements on this matter. We do not believe that the funding needs to come from the individual member’s support allocation. More>>