Nine To Noon

09:05 KiwiRail shift workers concerned over melatonin ban 

KiwiRail has banned the use of melatonin for approximately 2,500 of its workers, citing safety concerns. In a memo to staff last month, the State Owned Enterprise said - effective immediately - any staff that were undertaking safety critical work and were taking melatonin or zopiclone would be stood down temporarily and assessed accordingly. It said this was based off a recommendation from its Chief Medical Officer, who had considered the clinical evidence and what was done in comparable industries. The Rail and Maritime Union says it was not consulted on the changes, and the inability for members - many of whom are shift workers - to use medication to help them get to sleep is a serious problem. It is also seeking more information about the evidence cited - especially for melatonin - which is a naturally produced hormone, and helps people get to sleep - rather than a medication which forces someone to stay asleep. It comes as the Government moves to make melatonin easily accessible. Rail and Maritime Union health and safety organiser Karen Fletcher and University of Auckland Associate Professor Guy Warman discuss. 

09:20 Iwi businesses out performing many of New Zealand's largest businesses

New data shows iwi and hapu owned businesses have emerged from the economic downturn in good shape and performing well. The ANZ NZ  report shows these commercial entities are performing better than many of this country's largest listed companies for the 2023 -24 financial year. The findings come from long running collaborative research including 10 years of data and involving 38 iwi/hapu entities managing  treaty settlement assets. This report from ANZ comes just months after a report by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into Te Ōhanga Māori - The Māori Economy- found that it  is a significant, and increasingly important contributor to the wider economy of New Zealand. ANZ's Head of Māori Relationships, David Harrison, joins Kathryn to talk about the latest  report's findings

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

President Trump has announced new weapons to go to Ukraine, and funded by NATO. There's frustration from Trump supporters about the lack of information being released about Jeffrey Epstein. And President Trump continues to drip out new tariff letters. 

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

10:05 Steve Braunias: Inside the Polkinghorne trial

It was a trial that all but dominated the news agenda for two months - former eye surgeon Philip Polkinghorne accused of murdering his senior health administrator wife, Pauline Hanna. It had all the features that grab attention; a high flying, wealthy couple, sex workers and drugs use. Philip Polkinghorne's defence was that his wife committed suicide.  He was found not guilty of her murder. But what can a book on the trial add to all the wall to wall reporting at the time?  Herald columnist, Steve Braunias was at the High Court for eight weeks writing a diary of the case. Now his book has been published. He joins Kathryn to talk about the experience of the trial and the individuals involved.

POLKINGHORNE -Inside the trial of the century by Steve Braunias, published by  Allen and Unwin NZ Recommended retail price: $37.99

10:30 Claims a banking class action is under threat from law change

There are concerns a class action lawsuit against two of our biggest banks will be undermined by a law change going through Parliament. The government introduced a bill to amend the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act at the end of March. Among the changes - the redress for customers if banks or creditors fail in their disclosures. Currently lenders have to refund all fees and interest charged if they were in breach of disclosure laws; what's proposed would see that left to the courts to decide what is 'just' and 'equitable' in any breach. The proposed change comes as over 150,000 customers of ANZ and ASB undertake a class action over breaches made by both banks between 2015 and 2019. But Scott Russell, the lawyer leading the class action, is concerned about the fairness of the law change, given it will apply retrospectively. 

In a statement ANZ said it undercharged customers an average of $2 per month in 2015 and wrote off the amount it was owed. 

The bank said the change proposed in the Bill was not about taking away rights or protections for consumers as claimed by Mr Russell.

The Banking Association is due to make a submission to the select committee on Thursday and its Chief Executive Roger Beaumont has indicated he will appear on Nine to Noon after that.

In a statement he said: "We believe the change proposed in the amendment bill is fair as it simply tidies up the existing legislation to ensure that all breaches from 2015 to 2019 are treated the same as those currently."

10:35 Book review: Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Kiran Dass reviews Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, published by Hamish Hamilton.

10:45 Around the motu: Simon Wilson, a senior writer with the New Zealand Herald  in Auckland 

11:05 Business commentator Dileepa Fonseka

The Commerce Commission is taking Foodstuffs North Island and Gilmours to court, alleging cartel behaviour. The Government's AI strategy is criticised for a light-touch approach, with no funding. And Dileepa discusses whether New Zealand is showing signs of economic recovery, or if it is just hope.

Dileepa Fonseka is a Senior Correspondent with BusinessDesk

11:30 Online marketers - gurus or scam artists? A filmmaker's journey to find out

Get rich quick schemes have been around for ages - but social media has made them - and the people selling them -  more accessible than ever. When Norwegian film maker Audun Amundsen was looking to finance his next documentary, he couldn't help but notice the ads being fed to him. They were from online marketers promising their techniques would help their followers achieve their business goals. His fundraising quest quickly turned into a documentary about his journey - and about the people who promise instant wealth and success for eyewatering sums. It's called 'Click the Link Below' - and kicks off with Audun handing over over US$7000 to internet guru Akbar Sheik. The rabbit hole he goes down is a world away from a documentary Audun made when he was younger, when he lived for years with a remote Indonesian tribe. Audun's film is screening as part of the DocEdge film festival - and he joins Kathryn to talk about his journey to get to know the online entrepreneurs - or as some call them, 'contrepreneurs'.

11:45 Sports correspondent Glen Larmer

All the key takeaways from the All Blacks' second win against France in Wellington over the weekend. In tennis, a true rivalry is developing between two of the world's leading mens' players, as this time Italian Jannik Sinner takes the Wimbledon title from two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz. The Black Sox fall short of another softball world title, while the Warriors win and continue a good season in the NRL so far, currently sitting 4th.