Nine To Noon for Tuesday 1 October 2024

09:05 Deadline passes for registration of Auckland's flooded houses in need of repair or demolition 

Time's up for Aucklanders with 2023 storm-affected homes to register for council buyout or remediation, amid concern those unregistered may be living in potential death traps. Auckland Council's lead for Natural and Built Environment, Craig Hobbs says 7 and a half thousand people were affected by the unprecedented weather events of last year, but only 40 percent have registered to have their homes assessed and categorised.. He had hoped more would opt into the scheme, which is focused on protecting life in future events, or building in areas where there's intolerable risk to life. Auckland Council's Manukau Ward Councillor Lotu Fuli, says the trauma caused by the flooding has a long tail in some South Auckland suburbs, particularly Māngere.

09:20 Hundreds of traffic calming projects in limbo after Govt funding changes

More than 300 applications for speed bumps, raised crossings and other traffic calming measures won't progress after the Government withdrew the funding available to local councils. The Land Transport Programme was recently announced and boasts a record $32.9 billion investment in New Zealand's transport network between now and 2027. This includes  the plan for 17 new Roads of National Significance and a pothole prevention fund. What it doesn't cover is any funding at all for councils to install speed bumps, raised crossings or any other measure that may slow traffic down. And just this week the new setting of speed limits rule has passed into effect which removes the permanent 30 kilometre per hour speed limit arounds schools, and by July next year all speed limits are to be variable - meaning lower limits are only in force during certain hours like school drop off and pick up times. Transport Minister Simeon Brown describes it  a "sensible approach". Kathryn speaks to Brent Godfrey principal of Pembroke Primary School and Glen Koorey, transport engineer and planner. 

09:35 Middle East correspondent Seb Usher on Israel's planned incursion of Lebanon

There's mounting evidence that Israel may be about to launch a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tanks have been massing on Israel's northern border and three areas there have been declared closed military zones. Earlier the Israeli defence minister Yoav Galant said the next phase of the war against the group would begin soon. In Lebanon, officials say more than 1,000 have been killed in the past two weeks, while up to a million people may now be displaced. Seb Usher is the BBC's Middle East correspondent.     

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

It’s the eve of the Vice Presidential debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Danielle also looks at Donald’ Trump’s media strategy which appears very male focused, including long sitdown interviews with male podcasters and influencers, many of whom have overwhelmingly male audiences. And Kamala Harris has been telling voters about her plans for manufacturing and also immigration. 

Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk.

10:05 Rose Carlyle on her gripping new thriller that shines a light on illegal adoption

One minute Eve Sylvester is beside her new boyfriend in a car. The next, a deadly car wreck turns her life upside down. She's alone, broke and pregnant. New Zealand author Rose Carlyle wastes no time in setting up the premise for her new novel, No One Will Know. When a wealthy couple offer to take Eve in, raising the baby as their own while she's retained as nanny - she reluctantly accepts. What follows is a thriller of a ride, something readers familiar with Rose's best-selling debut novel The Girl in the Mirror will be well aware. Rose spent many years working as a lawyer, before taking time to sail the world with her three children and she weaves that nautical experience into both her novels.. She joins Kathryn to talk about why the issue of illegal adoption features prominently in the book, and why she thinks there's an appetite for looking at the dubious actions of the wealthy.

10:30 Hamilton nurse's tour of Aotearoa in just 10 days

Jane Carswell this year achieved the fastest crossing of New Zealand by bike. She was at a low point in her life with mental health struggles in 2023 when she turned to the bike. Starting in Bluff on March 8, the endoscopy nurse completed the 2000 kilometre trip in 10 days - averaging 200 kilometres a day. A former competitive cyclist, she battled crosswinds on the Canterbury Plains and sheeting rain in the Waikato among other challenges, coming in to Cape Reinga on March 18. Two weeks later her record was verified by the Guinness World Records. 

10:35 Book review: Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner 

Melanie O'Loughlin of Lamplight Books in Auckland reviews Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner published by Jonathan Cape

10:45 Around the motu: Georgina Campbell in Wellington

The typical Wellington residential rates bill will be $3000 more expensive by 2028. KiwiRail has been fined $412,500 after the Kaitaki ferry lost power and started drifting in January 2023. And redevelopment plans for Wellington's Oriental Bay Band Rotunda have been scrapped.

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

Rebecca says the best-performing stock on the ASX in 2023, has a market cap of about $2.2 billion, it doesn't have an office, and was founded in New Zealand. She talks about Neuren Pharmaceuticals. And a2 Milk was put in a trading halt on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges on Friday afternoon pending a further announcement about a potential acquisition. 

Rebecca Stevenson is a senior journalist at BusinessDesk.

11:30 Auckland's cemetery in the inner city

Symonds Street cemetery is a slice of inner city Auckland history and the final resting place for more than 10,000 people.  It is located at the top of Karangahape Road where it intersects with Symonds Street and Grafton Bridge.  The graveyard which dates back to 1842 is on both sides of the road, much of it is not in plain sight. Historian David Verran knows the site well, having taken walking tours through the graveyard for three decades.

11:45 Sports correspondent Joe Porter

Joe looks at the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup win and to the tough tests ahead. Also the Black Caps head to India after not having such a great tour of Sri Lanka. And Liam Lawson’s rise in motorsport.