Nine To Noon

09:05 Tipping point for hospice funding - report 

A new report into the country's hospices shows, for the first time, the sector won't be able to raise enough money to meet the demands required of it. The report, released this morning, was commissioned by five hospices on behalf of the 28 publicly contracted entities. A key finding in the report is that, due to a combination of growing demand and rising costs, total expenditure will exceed the total revenues from government and community sources in less than 12 months. Last year it cost $226 million to run hospice services, but the government only provided $114m. Hospices raised $112m from community donations, fundraising, and other sources to break even. Hospices have frequently been able to bridge the funding gap - but with the growing demand on bed space, and more complex care required, this is no longer possible. The report, undertaken by the consultancy firm Martin Jenkins, concludes in the absence of government intervention, beds will soon close, referrals for space will have to be prioritised and care via telehealth will need to be more widespread. Tōtara Hospice is one of the five that commissioned the report, its chief executive is Tina McCafferty. Also in the Wellington studio is Hospice NZ chief executive Wayne Naylor. 

09:25 Ukraine agrees to 30 day ceasefire and response now awaited from Russia

Ukraine has agreed to a 30 day ceasefire after talks in Saudi Arabia with the US and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has said  the "ball is now in Russia's court" He has also  talked about the security of Ukrainian people being central to this proposed ceasefire, which would be across the entire front line. Donald Trump has now said he's open to inviting Volodymyr Zelensky back to the White House after the public row in front of the media less than two weeks ago. Our correspondent Simon Marks joins Kathryn with the latest from Washington.

09:35 Consumers unhappy with broadband and mobile 

Consumers are becoming unhappier with their broadband and mobile services - but what's driving the decline? A half-yearly survey to December 2024 done for the Commerce Commission found significant decreases in customer happiness with customer service, pricing and the range of broadband plans. Other findings in the survey were that more than a third of mobile customers had service problems while half of broadband customers had issues with their connection in the past six months. Across both mobile and broadband, people aged 45 to 64 were the unhappiest with their telco. Craig Young, chief executive of TUANZ the telecommunications users association, says telcos have overcomplicated their offerings and are not spending enough on customer service. Paul Brislen heads the Telecommunications Forum - telco carriers and providers. He says the drop in consumer satisfaction is likely a shallow trend. Paul also discusses what consumers need to know about the looming shutdown of the 3G network.   

09:45 Australia: Cyclone Alfred washup, caravan terror hoax, bush doof nixed

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to look at the damage from Cyclone Alfred - not least the impact it's had on trying to call an election. Police have revealed a caravan packed with explosives and an antisemitic note was part of a hoax allegedly orchestrated by organised crime figures. Australian of the Year and cancer specialist Richard Scolyer has revealed his aggressive cancer has returned. And there's anger at the last minute nixing of "bush doof" Esoterica festival - the day it was due to start - with everyone blaming everyone else.

Karen Middleton is Political Editor of the Guardian Australia

10:05 Kiwi actress Zoë Robins on the success of Amazon's The Wheel of Time

The wait's almost over for fans of Amazon's fantasy blockbuster The Wheel of Time. The third season will premiere tomorrow on Prime Video. The fantasy series is based on the 12 novels of American author Robert Jordan. After his death in 2007, the final three installments were completed by Brandon Sanderson. Books eight to 14 all went to number one on the New York Times best-seller list - little wonder they were snapped up for a screen adaptation. One of the lead roles is played by Kiwi Zoë Robins. She plays Nynaeve al'Meara, a respected village leader who joins the Aes Sedai - a powerful group of women who can use magic-like abilities to heal, influence and manipulate the world. She joins Kathryn to talk about her role in the series, as well as her earlier career work as a Power Ranger and taking to the stage last year with the Auckland Theatre Company in The Effect.

10:35 Book review: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad 

Phil Vine reviews One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad published by Text Publishing

10:45 Around the motu: Libby Kirkby McLeod in Hamilton 

Taharoa Ironsands was convicted and fined for 'thick brown sludge' which flowed into Waikato waters, a drought has been declared in Waikato, a number of fires have broken out in the past few weeks, who's in and who's out in the government, and an unusual visitor has run rampant on Hamilton streets.

Libby Kirkby-McLeod is a RNZ Waikato Reporter.

11:05 Music with Yadana Saw: A Homegrown goodbye

This weekend Taranaki hosts another big crowd at Pukekura Park/Bowl of Brooklands for WOMAD Aotearoa. Meanwhile, Homegrown, the 100% NZ music festival takes over Wellington's waterfront for the last time. Yadana Saw previews some of the acts that are taking the stage: dancefloor darling Roisin Murphy, voodoo vibes from Togo's Nana Benz du Togo, and a very, very beloved local act.

11:20 Avoiding burnout out, especially if you're a perfectionist

Are particular personality types more prone to burnout? Mike McKinney is a Clinical Psychologist with 25 years experience. In his latest book, Beating Burnout, he says people who have an  "all-or-nothing" approach to life can be more at risk. But he says there are warning signs, and ways of warding off what can be a debilitating and damaging condition. Text questions for Mike to 2101,  or email ninetonoon@rnz.co.nz

 

11:45 Science: Immune system discovery, Voyager longevity

Science correspondent Allan Blackman joins Kathryn to talk about a new part of the immune system that's been discovered and how it could be a goldmine of potential antibiotics. NASA has switched off two instruments on its Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft in order to preserve their lifespan. The two craft are in interstellar space after their launch in 1977 - having travelled a combined 46 billion kilometres to be the farthest human-built objects from Earth. And could footballers' fingers and height predict their exercise performance?

Allan Blackman is a Professor of Chemistry, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.