09:05 Wild weather - NZTA: driving conditions may be hazardous

SH1 Southern Motorway. 
Northbound (6am)

SH1 Southern Motorway. Northbound (6am) Photo: NZTA

NZTA director of regional relationships Ross I'Anson updates Kathryn Ryan on the storm which has closed roads, caused floods, and brought down trees and power lines overnight in the Auckland, Northland, Waikato and Western Bay of Plenty regions.

09:15 Megan Woods on the government's electricity reforms

The government says consumers will benefit from changes to the electricity market in the wake of its response to the Electricity Price Review. 20 of the Review's recommendations are set to be implemented, including the controversial change to scrap the low fixed daily charge. How quickly will what's proposed "level the electricity playing field" for consumers and make a real impact on the price we all pay for power? Kathryn is joined by Energy Minister Megan Woods.

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Photo: RNZ / DOM THOMAS


09:20 NZ crime-busting software cracking global crimes

Dr Jo  Bright is co-developer of STRmix™ and Senior Science Leader at ESR

Dr Jo Bright is co-developer of STRmix™ and Senior Science Leader at ESR Photo: ESR

Used by the FBI among others, STRmix™ is helping to crack many crimes that were previously thought to be too complex to solve using DNA evidence. The sophisticated forensic software  has been used successfully in numerous U.S. court cases, including 28 successful admissibility hearings. Internationally, STRmix™ has been used to interpret DNA evidence in more than 100,000 cases since 2012. ESR scientists, John Buckleton and Jo-anne Bright together with Duncan Taylor from Forensic Science South Australia developed STRmix™ in 2009. Kathryn Ryan talks to Jo-anne Bright about the impressive results.

09:45 Trump's Syria backlash, impeachment hearings and Biles' brilliance

Washington bureau chief of The Guardian David Smith joins Kathryn to discuss the backlash Donald Trump is facing from his Republican allies over his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria. He'll also cover Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill's appearance before congressional committees investigating Trump's conduct with his Ukrainian counterpart and Simone Biles has become the most decorated gymnast in world champs history.

BILES Simone USA,winner, performs the final apparatus of Women's Balance Beam in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany on October 13, 2019. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun )

Photo: Yomiuri/AFP

10:05 Hate crime victim and the power of forgiveness

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Photo: supplied

Rais Bhuiyan was the victim of a hate crime, ten days after the 9/11 attacked. The Bangladeshi-American Muslim who was working behind the counter in a convenience store in Texas when he was shot in the face at point-blank range by white supremacist, Mark Stroman. 10 years after his recovery, he astounded many by forgiving his attacker and attempting unsuccessfully to prevent his execution. Rais Bhuiyan then founded World Without Hate an organisation promoting peace and interfaith understanding.

10:35 Book review - Girl by Edna O’Brien

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Photo: Faber & Faber

Kiran Dass of Time Out Bookstore reviews Girl by Edna O’Brien, which is published by Faber.

10:45 The Reading

The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti read by Mitch Thomas. Episode 4 of 12

11:05 AirNZ's new boss, Auckland's smart city ranking

Business commentator Rod Oram takes a close look at Greg Foran, the former Walmart exec who's about to take the reins at Air New Zealand. He'll also look at Auckland's 6th ranking on a list of 102 Smart Cities and how New Zealand has dropped down the rankings in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report.

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Photo: Reuters

11:30 Ben King - Boxfish: bringing underwater into clear view

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Photo: Boxfish

Auckland company Boxfish co-founder Ben King came to his deep sea remotely controlled aqua robot idea after a career in medical technology when he realised how much about the ocean is unknown.  An extra pair of eyes underwater, down to 1,000m, these remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have been put to use in remote locations such as the tropics, and in Antarctica to research underwater mammals.  They're also handy for inspecting submerged infrastructure like hydrodams and bridges.  Ben tells Kathryn Ryan how they've also developed a virtual reality underwater camera.

11:45 Spark and Sky draw sport battle lines and shake up to the mag market?

Media commentator Gavin Ellis joins Kathryn for a look at how Sky and Spark Sport have drawn their big guns in the fight for rights, but could viewers be the real casualties? The new head of Bauer Australasia signals some bold moves are ahead for the magazine market, Emeritus Professor Jim Flynn on the issue of hate and the Taranaki Daily News gets a bouquet for its front page treatment of a rising city gang issue.

Gavin Ellis is a media commentator and former editor of the New Zealand Herald.  He can be contacted on gavin.ellis@xtra.co.nz

Spark wants a 36 hour delay should the Commerce Commission approve the merger between Sky Television and Vodafone.

Spark wants a 36 hour delay should the Commerce Commission approve the merger between Sky Television and Vodafone. Photo: 123RF / RNZ