Nine To Noon

09:05 New Zealanders join Australian cruise ship class action

An Australian law firm is preparing a class action against major cruise lines on behalf of thousands of passengers including New Zealanders, over lax onboard gambling rules. The firm, Carter Capner Law, says vulnerable passengers are not protected within ship casinos and able to rack up thousands of dollars worth of debt. The class action is being taken against Carnival - which includes P&O, and Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Carter Capner Law director Peter Carter says passengers are allowed open lines of credit, with some passengers being unlawfully detained at the end of the journey if they can't afford to settle the debt. Kathryn talks to Peter and a cruise ship passenger who has joined the class action.

09:30 Foot firmly on the pedal - top NZ rally driver Emma Gilmour  

Top New Zealand rally driver Emma Gilmour has come back from a bad accident in Europe to take an overall third place in this year's New Zealand Rally Championship, which wrappped up in Whangārei this month. She's New Zealand's fastest female racer and one of the best in the world. In 2016 she was the first woman to win a round of the NZ Rally Championship. Two years ago she made history when she became McLaren Racing's first-ever female racing driver, making a spectacular debut season in the Extreme E all electric series. A crash in Sardinia ended that dream, but she's back home, and happy to be back behind the wheel.

09:45 Asia correspondent Ed White

How is China reacting to the election of Donald Trump to the White House, in particular, his proposed tariffs? A Hong Kong court has sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to prison in landmark trial; and India’s richest man faces corruption charges in the US in a case that could cause political damage to the PM Narendra Modi. 

Ed White is a correspondent with the Financial Times based in Shanghai

10:05 Lech Blaine's remarkable family saga

Lech Blaine grew up in Queensland, the youngest in a busy family of seven, his parents:  working class publicans in small country towns. Tom and Lenore Blaine wanted a big family, but when that didn't happen naturally - they fostered four children. Then along came Lech - - their only biological child, who capped off their warm, energetic, loving family. Three of his siblings, John, Steve and Hannah, came to the family permanently when they were young. Their birth parents were religious zealots who had met in the psychiatric ward of a Sydney hospital. In his remarkable new book, Lech Blaine details the dogged attempts over decades of that couple to get their children back and the impact this had on everyone.

10:35 Book review: Molly by Rosalie Ham 

Carole Beu of the Women's Bookshop in Auckland reviews Molly by Rosalie Ham published by Macmillan

10:45 Around the motu: Georgina Campbell in Wellington

Georgina updates us on the latest events in Te Whanganui a Tara, including the Wellington City Council naming Lindsay McKenzie as the Crown Observer and his role in addressing concerns raised by the Department of Internal Affairs. Wellington's proposed $8 billion mega tunnel is not happening. And Lower Hutt man Eli Moon loses 138kg to transform his life after near-death experience.

Georgina Campbell is a reporter for the NZ Herald in Wellington.

11:05 New music with Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy plays a selection of new releases, including the solo debut from Pixies/ Breeders' Kim Deal, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, NZ's own Fazerdaze, and Only Ones frontman Peter Perrett

11:30 Sports commentator Joe Porter

RNZ sports journalist Joe Porter discusses the All Blacks team named to play Italy this weekend, Formula One in Las Vegas this weekend, and Lydia Ko plays the LPGA tour CME champtionship.

11:45 The week that was with Radar and Irene Pink

Our comedians look back on some of the funnier stories of the past week, including the case of the man who wrote his will on the back of a frozen fish packet, deemed valid by a UK court.