Nine To Noon for Thursday 26 September 2024

09:05 Mainfreight makes the case of rail-enabled ferries

Mainfreight group managing director Don Braid says not having rail-enabled ferries will be inefficient and more costly for businesses like his. He says it will directly lead to Mainfreight adding more than 5,000 truck-and-trailer journeys each year, further deteriorating the country's roading network. The company has called it 'appalling' that it was not included in the ministerial advisory group making decisions for the future of the Cook Strait rail ferry services. The iReX project was cancelled in December after the government declined KiwiRail's request for an additional $1.47 billion funding. Two rail-enabled ferries were set to be delivered by 2026, but construction had not yet started, and a ministerial advisory group was tasked in February with coming up with an alternative plan. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said this week that no discussions or proposals for replacement ferries had gone to Cabinet in the nine months since the coalition government cancelled the new fleet.

09:20 Volunteer fire brigades desperate to plug workforce gaps

As summer approaches, fire brigades across the motu are putting the callout for volunteers to join the workforce. Volunteer firefighters make up 83 percent of the workforce in New Zealand and several brigades have been short on people for years. A forest fire in Waipara recently burnt through 108 hectares over ten days, causing stress for the season ahead. Kathryn speaks to Kaikōura Volunteer Fire Brigade chief officer Craig Guthrie, and Ryan Grenfell, the chief officer in Havelock. Michelle Kitney, CEO of Volunteering NZ, says the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis has changed how much time people have to give back across the volunteer sector.

09:35 Reverse mortgages "costly" but can be beneficial: Retirement Commission

Retirees who opt for a reverse mortgage or home equity release to supplement their income are paying more than they would in other similar countries, according to a new report from the Retirement Commission. However the Commission says for those with low retirement incomes and substantial equity in their homes, equity release products can be beneficial. Kathryn speaks with Retirement Commission policy lead Dr Michelle Reyers.

09:45 UK: Starmer's suits + tough love conference speech

UK correspondent Dan Bloom looks at the troubles facing the new Labour government, as PM Keir Starmer faces stories about the "freebies" he's accepted - including suits and an £18m penthouse flat during the election campaign. At his Labour conference speech on Tuesday the PM continued the "tough love" theme, telling the public it would have to accept prisons and pylons in places they might not want them. And Dan looks ahead to next week's Tory conference - who's likely to take the reins after the party's crushing election defeat?

Dan Bloom is senior author of Politico's London Playbook 

10:05 The British brothers balancing cycling and songwriting

UK brothers Felix and Morris Winby recently embarked on a 1,000km cycling tour from London to Lyon. The pair, who grew up in the English countryside, spend half of their time on long cycling trips, but this time left with a mission to create music on the road. They produce electronic music under the alias of Eyeveyes and took a long list of equipment on their trip so they could collect sounds and compose as they went. And if that didn't keep them busy enough, they took followers along on Instagram and Youtube. They speak to Kathryn.

10:35 Book review: Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

Robert Kelly reviews Wild Houses by Colin Barrett published by Jonathan Cape

10:45 Around the motu : Robin Martin in Taranaki

New Plymouth locals say the district council has botched the job of fixing a dangerous intersection in the city. Robin talks to Kathryn about the intersection at Huatoki and Carrington streets, which link one side of the city with the other. Also the ongoing saga of compost and vermiculture business Remediation NZ in the Uruti valley. And the country's largest gas user Methanex is proposing shutting down its Taranaki methanol plant for the foreseeable future, which would result in 70 job losses.

11:05 Tech: Meta and LinkedIn AI models trained on users - without asking

Technology commentator Mark Pesce looks at how Meta has been training its AI on all text and photos that adult Facebook and Instagram users have published since 2007 - and unless you're in the EU, there's no ability to opt-out. Turns out, LinkedIn has been at it too, only recently updating its terms and conditions to reflect the data use. A new US study has found humans place a lot of trust in artificial intelligence when guiding their life and death choices. But in good AI news, another study has found AI can help dig people out of their conspiracy theory rabbit holes.

Mark Pesce is a futurist, writer, educator and broadcaster. 

11:25 The importance of being honest with kids

Educator, speaker, mum and parenting commentator Karen Boyes on the importance of being honest with kids. She is CEO of Spectrum Education, Principal of Spectrum Online Academy and the author of 13 books. She says teachers and parents have a delicate balance of inspiring children, while preparing them for the realities of life.  She says telling kids 'learning is fun' and 'high grades will get you ahead in life' is well-meaning but ultimately misleading.

11:45 Screentime: The Perfect Couple, Maurice and I, A Very Royal Scandal

Film and TV reviewer Perlina Lau joins Kathryn to talk about murder mystery The Perfect Couple (Netflix), starring Nicole Kidman and Eve Hewson. She'll also talk about documentary Maurice and I (cinemas) that celebrates Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney’s hugely influential architectural partnership, and impact the Christchurch earthquakes had on their legacy. And A Very Royal Scandal (Prime Video) is the second recent production that goes behind the scenes of the damaging interview Prince Andrew gave over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Perlina Lau is co-host of RNZ's Culture 101 programme