Nine To Noon for Monday 30 September 2024

09:05 Major report on climate adaptation due tomorrow

Parliament is beginning to grapple with climate adaptation, with a major select committee report to be released this week. The government is planning legislation for early next year. The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee has been hearing submissions from insurance companies, local councils, advisory bodies, and individuals already facing climate impacts. The report, due to be tabled this week, is intended to be a key part of the development of adaptation legislation, which the government hopes to gain cross party support for. So what do local authorities and the insurance sector want to see in law? Kathryn speaks with chair of Tower Insurance, Michael Stiassny and vice president of Local Government NZ and Hutt City mayor, Campbell Barry. Also RNZ Climate Correspondent, Eloise Gibson.

09:30 Level of CTE in 20-year-old rugby player shocks pathologist

A leading Australian neuropathologist says the level of brain damage a young league star had at just 20 years old should raise alarm bells about junior sports. Promising Australian rugby league player Keith Titmuss died tragically of a heat stroke in a Manly Sea Eagles training session in November 2020. His brain was donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank where neuropathologist, Dr Michael Buckland found signs of stage two Chronic Traumatic -Encephalopathy, or CTE. He said he wasn't expecting to see that level of damage because Keith was only 20. It comes after New Zealand player Billy Guyton, who died of suicide in 2023, was found to have had CTE in his brain. He also says after talking to Keith's parents, it was clear CTE had developed from repeated head knocks that were not large concussive events. Dr Michael Buckland is founder and executive director of the Australian sports brain bank.

09:45 South America correspondent Daniel Schweimler

In Argentina, the first official poverty figures have been published since hardline libertarian, Javier Milei, became president last December. They show that 53% of the 46-million population are living below the poverty line. This is a rise of more than five million people since last year. And Archaeologists using artificial intelligence have discovered hundreds of new geoglyphs depicting parrots, cats, monkeys, killer whales and even decapitated heads near the Nazca Lines in Peru. 

10:05 Kiwi actor Dean O'Gorman digs deep for his directorial debut

To a legion of fans around the world he's Fili, expert sword-fighting dwarf from the Hobbit trilogy.  But that's just one of the roles Kiwi actor Dean O'Gorman has stepped into over the years.  His latest is director, with a new film about to debut at this year's Show Me Shorts festival from October 10. The short film is called 'Morning Hate', set in the trenches of World War One.  It's something Dean has explored previously through his photographic works that have featured as part of Peter Jackson's Great War Exhibition and the Frankfurt Biennale. Dean was most recently on the big screen in The Convert with Guy Pearce, a film by Kiwi director Lee Tamahori. He talks to Kathryn about how he's found the experience of directing, and why he feels so deeply about the subject matter.

10:35 Book review: My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss 

Hannah August reviews My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss published by Macmillan    

10:45 Around the motu: Jimmy Ellingham in Manawatu

There are calls for roading officials to hit the brakes on a proposal to toll motorists using the long-awaited highway connecting the eastern and western sides of the lower North Island. Public consultation is open on the NZ Transport Agency's idea of charging to use Te Ahu a Turanga, the replacement highway for the closed Manawatū Gorge road.

11:05 Political commentators Dale Husband and Brigitte Morten

Kathryn, Dale and Brigitte talk about some of the coalition agreements that are in effect and also the challenges of three party decision making. And reaction to the government’s revised guidance on working from home, with Public Service Minister Nicola Willis saying it’s not an entitlement.

Dale Husband is a long time broadcaster and Radio Waatea presenter hosting a Maori focused current affairs programme.

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis.

11:25 Champion producers of Dutch cheese in North Canterbury

With New Zealand cheese month starting tomorrow what better time to go to one of the country's top cheesemakers. Di and Alan Hawkins have been making cheese out of their Loburn factory since 2004 when they bought the Karikaas cheese business from Dutch transplants Karin and Rients Rypma. Their Dutch and New Zealand cheeses have won many awards - including this year where they took out prizes for best Dutch cheese and best NZ original cheese. The factory was brushed by a wildfire earlier this year. Karikaas this year marks 40 years in business. Di says the first principle for making good cheese, is having good milk. 

11:45 Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne

Kennedy joins Kathryn with a food theme today - talking about bananas and tips for growing them in New Zealand. He looks at why the gurnard is a member of a fish family that includes the curiously named "sea robin" and how kumara came to be grown in New Zealand.