Technology
NZers spent 24 million hours on hold last year - report
A new customer service report has found New Zealanders spent 24 million hours on hold last year, or more than eleven hours each. The report's author is ServiceNow and its New Zealand manager Kate Tulp… Audio
Inland Revenue will continue calls causing fears over scammers
The department started calling customers about two-step verification in January.
Why more police are using number-plate spotting tech
The number of searches by officers on automated number plate recognition systems rose from 64,000 in 2020 to almost 700,000 four years later.
Military tech moves: Lots of talk, and lots of drones
Analysis: The accelerating and dangerous world of advanced military technology is sparking more talks between governments, and more drones on the battlefield, writes Phil Pennington.
NZ-funded methane satellite makers to fix unspecified "challenges"
A methane-hunting satellite - which New Zealand taxpayers pitched in $29m for - is being handed back to its makers so they can fix unspecified "challenges."
Could Australia hold the key to cheaper electricity?
The cost of power has been a major factor in our cost-of-living crisis but hope may be on the horizon. TheTaslink project would see New Zealand and Australia connected by the world's longest and… Audio
ACC calls in contractors to fix botched IT project
In another government IT pratfall, ACC has had to pull in contractors from around the world to mount a costly salvage job. Phil Pennington spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Audio
Tech Tuesday
Tim Batt joins Jesse to guide us through the wonders of this gilded age. Audio
Surge in police using number-plate spotting tech
Police use of number-plate spotting systems has skyrocketed to nearly 700,000 times a year - or almost 2000 times every day. Audio
Police use of number-plate spotting systems skyrockets
Police use of number-plate spotting systems has skyrocketed to over 700,000 times a year or 2000 times a day. Phil Pennington spoke to Alexa Cook. Audio
Deep sea power cable across the Tasman designed to trade surplus electricity
A deep sea power cable hopes to bring cheaper electricity to both New Zealand and Australia.
Kiwi woman hands over biometric data to become AI clone for ads
Liz's likeness, voice and her mannerisms have been captured. Audio
Midday Report Essentials for Monday 3 March 2025
In today's episode, a criminal defence lawyer says the investigation into the death of a man tasered by police will be complex, a new report into Wellington Water's deep-seated problems shows their… Audio
Microsoft to retire Skype
It's the end of an era. In May the online calling platform Skype will be retired by its owner Microsoft, so that the company can focus on its Teams service. Tech commentator Peter Griffin spoke to… Audio
Lack of transparency over $29m government satellite, astronomers say
The space agency in charge has refused to say why staff and students at Auckland University are not driving the MethaneSAT satellite by now, as promised.
New Zealand's part in provoking China
Analysis: China is being called 'provocative' after live firing in the Tasman, but New Zealand has done the same. Audio
US firm Firefly's Blue Ghost moon lander locks in for lunar touchdown
The touchdown is scheduled 9pm NZDT near a large basin in the northeast corner of the moon's Earth-facing side.
Musk's DOGE fires 'far-left' US federal tech team
The Trump administration has pulled the plug on a team of tech-savvy civil servants that helped build the IRS's free tax filing service and revamp government websites.
China tells AI leaders to avoid US travel due to security concerns
Chinese authorities are instructing the country's top artificial intelligence entrepreneurs and researchers to avoid travel to the United States. Audio
Tens of thousands affected as Microsoft Outlook, 365 down in global outage
According to Downdetector, a site which monitors internet outages, nearly 75,000 people had been unable to access Outlook.
