Nine To Noon for Tuesday 30 January 2024

09:05 More cameras on fishing boats - but is the system working?

More fishing boats are now required to have on-board cameras to monitor for deaths of rare dolphins and other bycatch. Since mid-January, surface longline vessels operating near our shore are required to have cameras on board, to get a more accurate picture of bycatch, with Hector's and Maui dolphins of particular interest. The Ministry for Primary Industries is part way through rolling out cameras on a range of fishing vessels. So far they are required on inshore vessels, not large deepwater vessels. MPI's director of fisheries compliance, Steve Ham says there are a range of measures and restrictions on set nets and trawling across the North and South Island to protect rare dolphins. But critics, including Zoology Professor Liz Slooten say there are too few cameras, and not enough monitoring of the footage captured.

09:25 Don't meddle with NZ Super: Actuaries report

NZ Super does not need to be reformed, the Society of Actuaries is arguing after a stocktake of retirement incomes. A report, by finance and risk specialist Alison O'Connell and other actuaries, has found that it is much more important to turn attention to Kiwisaver, rather than make changes to NZ Super, for which there have long been calls to raise the entitlement age from 65 to 67. Dr O'Connell says NZ Super is relied on by people of all ages. She says it is a basic need, particularly when we know from previous research that people generally underestimate how much they have - or will need -  in their Kiwisaver.

09:35 The 93-year-old Irishman defying ageing 

Richard Morgan is 93 years old but a late love of indoor rowing has helped him develop into a physical specimen for his age. He spent most of his life spurning fitness and only took up the rowing machine - with which he subsequently became a world champion in his field - in his seventies. Richard is the subject of a recent paper in the Journal of Applied Physiology which looked at his training and diet regimes and has found he has the heart, muscles and lungs of someone less than half his age. His grandson Lorcan Daly is a sports and exercise lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon in Ireland and he's one of the researchers behind the paper.

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

Donald Trump has been ordered to pay journalist E. Jean Carroll US$83m in damages, in a defamation suit. The former president has defeated rival candidate Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire Primary. Meanwhile, Democratic House candidates are planning to run heavily on abortion this election year. President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris are both giving major addresses on reproductive rights.

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

10:05 Bettany Hughes: The audaciousness of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 

Bettany Hughes is a British historian, author and broadcaster who specialises in classical antiquity. She's written and presented over 50 TV and radio documentaries and received awards for her effort in documenting and promoting this period in history. Her books include Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore; The Hemlock Cup; Venus and Aphrodite; Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities... and her latest is The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Bettany travelled to all but one of the sites of the original Seven Wonders - which are of course:  The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, the Colossus at Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. She talks to Kathryn about what we know about why the wonders were built, and the powerful ideas behind them.

10:35 Book review: Three of the best from 2023 - The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson, Tarquin the Honest: Ocian's Elven by Gareth Ward, Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

Louise Ward of Wardini Books reviews three of her favourite books from last year: The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson, published by Gecko Press, Tarquin the Honest: Ocian's Elven by Gareth Ward, published by Bateman Books, Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton, published by 4th estate

10:45 Around the motu: David Williams in Christchurch

Could Christchurch be a contender to host the next Commonwealth Games?. David says it could be dismissed as silly season fodder if the ramifications for the people of Christchurch weren't so serious. He says there have been recent mixed messages from the city council with Mayor Phil Mauger's calling for a report, by council staff and economic development agency ChristchurchNZ, on the viability of hosting the Commonwealth Games. The 2026 Games has been rejected by Victoria in Australia, and Alberta, Canada, because of escalating costs.  David Williams is a South Island reporter for Newsroom.

11:05 James Shaw steps down from Green Party leadership

James Shaw will be stepping down as Green Party co-leader in March. He has been Climate Change Minister for the last six years and co-leader of the Greens for nearly a decade."I'm very proud of what the Green Party has achieved over the last eight years," Shaw said in a statement this morning. He said he would remain in Parliament to support his Members Bill, which would insert a new clause into the Bill of Rights Act stating that everyone has a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. RNZ political reporter Katie Scotcher joins Kathryn with the latest.

11:15 Business commentator Victoria Young

Victoria looks at the latest in the mānuka honey industry, with New Zealand scientists saying the country's honey is a different species from the Australian version. It follows several years of genetic studies into the plant. And the Port of Auckland is being challenged to improve productivity as it hikes user charges. The NZ Council of Cargo Owners told BusinessDesk it is positive that the Port is futureproofing operations, but also wants to see containers moved off of vessels faster.

Victoria Young is BusinessDesk investigations editor.

11:25 Dollar saving planting

Landscape designer and gardener Xanthe White has some great tips about what to plant and when to help reduce your grocery bill.

11:45 Sports-chat with Marc Hinton

Marc Hinton bring all the latest in sport. Lydia Ko has fallen just short of the LPGA's Hall of Fame, in a playoff defeat to Nella Korda in Florida. And a 22-year-old Italian tennis player has stolen the show at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Once one of Italy's most promising young skiers, Jannik Sinner has just won his first Grand Slam Title.