Nine To Noon

09:05 Agriculture, forestry courses get backing

Agriculture and forestry courses are the main winners of a fund the Government is using to back subjects that may not be considered viable for an individual polytech to want to deliver on its own. As part of the devolution of the mega institute Te Pukenga, Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds said the Government had set aside $20 million to fund 'strategically important' courses. Official documents show the courses and the institutions will receive the fund in the form of grants over two years. Primary industry courses - such as the diploma in agriculture, the certificate in agriculture vehicles and machinery and forestry management - feature heavily in the list. Polytechs will get grants to offer these courses, with Northtec and Tai Poutini receiving the highest amounts. But they only receive the funding over 2026 and 2027 - with guarantee it continues after. Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmons says it is a practical approach to ensure essential workforces continue to develop - and supports regional communities. The Tertiary Education Union's national president Julie Douglas says the fund is a band-aid for a sector that is poorly funded and understood. 

09:20 The year's big changes in education - RNZ's Education correspondent John Gerritsen

Sweeping changes have been suggested for school curriculums over the last year, along with an overhaul of the NCEA system. The replacements, said by the Education Minister to be a significant step towards creating a world-leading education system, have been criticised by teacher groups who have called for more time to consider and bring in the changes. Some specialist teachers described the new content  as too narrow. The school year came to an end with the English and maths curriculums already in place in primary schools and getting praise from some principals for improving children's results. 2025 has also proved to be an unsettling year for both the early childhood sector and polytechs as the centralised Te Pukenga was further unwound. RNZ's education correspondent, John Gerritsen, is in the studio to bring everything into focus.

09:35 What's driving New Zealand's gaming development boom

A look now at what's driving the year-on-year successes of Kiwi game developers. This year's annual survey from the New Zealand Game Developers Association put the industry's pre-tax income at $759 million - up 38 percent on the year before. That's creating jobs - the workforce grew by nearly 30 percent to around 1418 jobs this year. Yesterday Screen Wellington hosted the Creative Tech Summit which brought together gaming and screen execs to talk about how best to maintain the sector's momentum. Among those speaking last night was Kate Edwards - she was a geopolitical strategist for Microsoft, worked on more than 200 games and was executive director of the International Game Developers Association. Her latest venture is an app that called SetJetters. She joins Kathryn with her views on why New Zealand's creative games scene is doing so well and what could help supercharge it.

09:45 US correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

Congress looks unlikely to avert a looming spike in Obamacare premiums as subsidy extensions stall, risking millions losing coverage at the start of the year. Meanwhile, Trump is struggling to land his economic message with voters and is facing pushback from Republicans, including Indiana’s rejection of his redistricting push.

10:05 The surging Māori economy

The Māori economy now has an asset base of $126 billion and is expected to play an ever increasing role in New Zealand's financial future. The latest figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment show the contribution  to the wider New Zealand economy nearly doubled in the five years to 2023 to hit $32 billion. But where will that financial impact be felt ? Helmut Modlik is the Chief Executive of the iwi authority for Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
 

10:30 Otago company Harraways expanding to capitalise on growing demand for oats

Otago business Harraways and Sons is investing $11m in its oat mill, the only operational one in the country. The company says there is strong demand for oats, including for oat milk, biscuits and muesli bars producers. It says 95 percent of the company's oats and grains were sourced in New Zealand. Chief executive Henry Hawkins says oats are having a real resurgence. 
 

10:35 Book review: The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three by Philip Pullman

Ralph McAllister reviews The Rose Field: The Book of Dust Volume Three by Philip Pullman, published by Penguin Books NZ.

10:45 Around the motu: Kirsty Pickett from Te Anau

Kirsty talks to Kathryn about  Ngāi Tahu joining Milford Sound Tourism, the Lake2Lake cycle trail goes fully off-road, blank walls around Te Anau  are being brought to life with a street art festival and the 14 year old  planning to cycle the length of the country to raise money for  the Fiordland Marine Search and Rescue team.

Kirsty Pickett co owner of the Southland App based in Te Anau, covering Southland and Fiordland.
  
 

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

It has been a great year for the NZX's small cap index - with companies like Smartpay and Radius Residential Care having strong showings in 2025. Rebecca also discusses the rise of payroll company Paysauce, and AI sales company Blackpearl. 

11:20 The guys behind Goodlids and Moreporks 

Dane Watson and Winston Brinsley are the Auckland based entrepreneurs behind the streetwear company Goodlids. They make hemp caps and teeshirts which have become a hit with young kiwis on the international stage. Founded in 2019, they have a bricks and mortar store in Mt Eden and sell online all over the world - sales to Australia, the UK, Canada and the US make up 40 per cent of their sales. They've recently held pop up shop events in London and Sydney and now have a distribution centre in Europe. They also own the menswear brand Moreporks.

11:45 Sports-chat with Sam Ackerman