Nine To Noon

09:05 Nearly half of businesses have paid cyber ransom: survey

A large law firm says it is increasingly advising clients on ransom ware attacks, and believes an increasing number are paying up, despite official government advice not to. A ransomware attack is when malware is put on a computer or device that usually encrypts files - making them unusable  - and then a ransom payment is demanded to restore access. It can be hugely damagin g for a business , with other risks include the information being taken and sold on the dark web. A 2024 survey by the international IT company Cloudfare surveyed New Zealand organisations of different sizes and found of the 150 that responded, 44 per cent had paid a ransom in the past two years, despite 89 per cent of them pledging not to. Simpson Grierson cites the survey in its latest Cyber Risks report, and its head of cybersecurity and data disputes, Jania Baigent says her firm is increasingly getting requests from businesses for advice on how to deal with ransomware attacks. She says while the Government says not to pay ransoms and has banned any of its agencies and departments from doing so, businesses and their directors need to be aware of the risks they face when holding data.

09:25 ADHD advocates on global shortage of medication

A global shortage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication is causing concern here, according to a survey conducted by an ADHD charity. Multiple ADHD medicines are affected including methylphenidate and ritalin - with no consistency around what runs out,  meaning people are being forced to wait for their preffered brand or wait.  ADHD NZ's spokesperson Darrin Bull speaks with Kathryn.

9:30 Repost: the business turning old vineyard post into farm fencing

Fencing can be a major cost for farmers, but one couple, have worked out a low-cost alternative using broken vineyard posts. Dansy and Greg Coppell made their first lot when they bought a farm near St Arnaud and urgently needed 30 kilometres. They've since been taking their custom machine to vineyards where they prepare the broken posts for their next life, and have diverted almost 9,000 tonnes of waste from landfill. Dansy and Greg Coppell are on the line.

09:45 Australia correspondent - Karen Middleton

Karen Middleton, a political journalist based in Canberra, discusses the collapse of the century long coalition between the conservative Liberal and National parties, plus the Australian Reserve Bank's second cut to interest rates and floods hit areas of the mid-north coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales again.
 

10:05 Arnold Dix helped rescue 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel

In 2023, Australian Arnold Dix became an hero when he helped resuce 41 men who had been trapped in a collapsed Himalayan mining tunnel for 17 days. An engineer and tunnel expert from Monbulk in rural Victoria, when he heard of the incident , Arnold began assembling a crack team who could be called on if needed. When asked, he then travelled to the Himalayas, and provided his soft mining expertise. Experts from across the globe began sharing knowledge and advice with him which he relayed to the Indian specialists. After an arduous rescue attempt involving underground workers known as "rat-hole miners" the trapped miners emerged at around 8.50pm on November 28, 2023 to jubliant cheers. Arnold Dix's book The Promise: How an Everyday Hero Made the Impossible Possible covers the Indian mine rescue and tells his life story.

10:35 Book review: Kimi the Kekeno's Big Adventure by Shelley Burne-Field

Louise Ward of Wardini Books reviews Kimi the Kekeno's Big Adventure by Shelley Burne-Field, published by Allen and Unwin.

10:45 Around the motu: Jared McCulloch in Queenstown

Jared discusses the latest events in Queenstown including an update on tourism, the Central Otago District Council is reviewing older buildings and facilities that they own to curb expenses, the Wheels at Wanaka event has been stopped due to cost, and the Australian National Curling Champs is taking place in Naseby. 

Jared McCulloch is a 1News Reporter in Queenstown.

11:05 Music with Yadana Saw

Yadana Saw brings something new, something fresh for the changing seasons and a significant anniversary for a beloved local release from The Phonix Foundation well-deserving of a celebration.

11:20 Au Pair agency offers companionship for the elderly

The loneliness epidemic is growing among our aging population - a 2024 study by Age Concern found 59% of people aged 65 plus have felt lonely recently. But one fast-growing solution has come from an unlikely place. Tanya Burrage has run an au pair agency for twenty years, but recently expanded her services to offer support and companionship to the elderly. The idea came from her own client base who'd previously hired au pairs for their children - now their parents are aging, and they need someone to check in on them.

11:45 Science with Laurie Winkless 

 Laurie Winkless,  a physicist and science writer, discusses aurora's viewed from Mars, breaking eggs and humpback whales.