Nine To Noon

09:05 Workplace mental health support -What are employers' obligations?

Xero has confirmed it is dropping the employee assistance programme it offered free to businesses that use its software. Those customers could use it to provide mental health support to their own staff, as an employee assistance scheme - or EAP. When its offering winds up at the end of the month, Xero customers will still have the option to access professional wellbeing support for their employees,  with the same international EAP provider, but they'll have to pay. Businesses have a level of responsibility for staff physical and mental health, under the 2015 Health and Safety at work Act. But do employers understand their obligations under the law? Kathryn speaks to Peter Siminovich, chief executive of Mind Compass,  which is contracted by the Employers and Manufacturers Association to train its members on stress and wellness management in their businesses. She also speaks with Council of Trade Unions Legal Officer, Gayaal Iddamalgoda.

09:35 New card lets employees save on public transport using their pre-tax income

 Public transport fares got a hike last week - largely as a result of a government direction to regional councils to increase the private share of the service delivery costs. One company though, has been working through a way to save commuters money  - by using their pre-tax income. Fintech business Extraordinary - which was formally known as HealthNow - has used a Fringe Benefit Tax ruling from the IRD to set up a platform that lets employers offer their workers the ability to pay for public transport through their pre-taxed pay. Previously FBT rules meant employer-subsidised transport came with tax penalties. Extraordinary founder Steven Zinsli joins Kathryn to explain how it works - and how much employees could save.

09:40 Controversial regulation bill heads into four days of hearings

Parliament's Finance and Expenditure select committee is reconvening to hear public submissions on the lightning rod Regulatory Standards Bill. The bill -  championed by ACT's David Seymour - sets out "principles of responsible regulation" and would require ministers to explain whether they are following them. It would also set up a new board to assess legislation against those benchmarks.  RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch is with us.

09:45 Foreign correspondent Sebastian Usher in Israel 

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel about a ceasefire in Gaza are taking place in Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing pressure at home to end the fighting and is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington shortly. Sebastian Usher brings us the latest on the negotiations. 

10:05 Rhonda Hāpi-Smith on life in the prisons

'If I hadn't been a prison officer, I could have been the head of a gang.' So says Rhonda Hāpi-Smith, a former prison officer who has walked among some of New Zealand's most dangerous criminals. She worked for nearly 20 years across two prisons: Rimutaka, north of Wellington, and Mangaroa in Hawke's Bay. Rhonda built a reputation as someone fair but firm and tells the stories of her time inside, including dealing with mass riots, inter-gang hits, escape attempts and other difficult moments. Her memoir Inside the Wire was published by HarperCollins last month. She says the best prison officers are those who can make decisions when it's not always black and white as to what the right thing to do is. She talks to Kathryn about why she wanted to tell her story.

10:30 Kiwi company launches power saving panel 

A New Zealand startup is selling smart panels it says will help households save on their power bill by more than $1000 a year. Basis is a company started by Danny Purcell and electrician Julyan Collett. Once installed homeowners get insight over how they're using electricity, the ability to automate appliances and advanced electrical safety features. Upon launch the pair have some 7500 panels on order. Danny Purcell is co-founder and CEO of Basis.

10:35 Book review: On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle 

Stella Chrysostomou of Volume Books reviews On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle published by Faber

10:45 Around the motu: David Williams in Christchurch

11:05 Political commentators Neale Jones and Brigitte Morten

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital.

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.

11:30 Award winning smoked mussels from the Far North

The tiny settlement of Houhora - 41 kilometres north of Kaitaia -  is the home of award winning smoked mussel producer The Kutai Guy. Zarn Reichardt and his wife Michelle, run the business alongside his dad Sean. Zarn and Sean operate Reichardt Marine - supplying mussel spat to mussel farmers across the Coromandel, Marlborough Sounds, and Tasman Bay regions. Zarn always loved smoked mussels, so in 2022, bought a food truck and began selling his goods to locals. That was so successful, he went into the wholesale trade, and The Kutai Guy has now won two golds at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards.

11:45 Cemeteries in cities: we need to think about housing the dead too

Urban issues correspondent Bill McKay discusses an aspect of urban design we don’t often think about – or want to think about.

Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.