Nine To Noon for Monday 12 February 2024

09:05 Australian banks move on anti-scam measures; is NZ lagging behind?

Banks in Australia are introducing anti-scam measures to better protect customers - but advocates here we are way behind the 8-ball. An estimated $200m is lost each year by Kiwis to scams, with the Banking Ombudsman's latest report putting complaints about scams up 43 percent on the year before.  The Banking Association says it is "progressing" towards establishing a national Anti-Scam Centre and says it'll have more information in April. But financial commentator Janine Starks, who is advocating for a group of bank customers scammed out of millions of dollars, says the banking industry is taking too long to respond, and she is calling for a government inquiry. She says government intervention is urgently needed to bring the sector into line, and follow the examples in Australia and the United Kingdom, which she says are streets ahead in their use of technology to block scams. Kathryn also speaks with Stephanie Tonkin, Chief Executive of the Australian Consumer Action Law Centre which, along with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, has been pushing for change in that country.

09:20 Levin health advocates worried over vaping boom with eight shops on the main street

Levin health advocates are sounding the alarm over the vastly high number of vape outlets across the district. There are 10 specialist vape retailers in Levin, and eight of them are on the main street - Oxford Street. There are also 36 general vape retailers across wider Horowhenua, including dairies, garages, supermarkets, bottle stores and petrol stations. That's roughly one vape retailer per 750 people, compared to the one per 5000 in Auckland. According to local stop smoking service Te Ohu Auahi Mutunga, there were 3,379 smokers across Horowhenua as of late last year. Local health advocate and Te Rōpū Tupeka Kore spokesperson Catherine Manning says vaping is a scourge on small towns in particular, and being picked up mostly by people who were never smoking cigarettes.

09:30 Coast to Coast done and won for another year

John Freer has been covering the action over the weekend, observing the thrills and spills and the volunteer and spectator support that makes the iconic Coast to Coast an annual success. It has four separate races - The Longest Day, the two day event, two day tandem and the mountain run.The Longest Day is a 243 kilometre endurance test involving biking, kayaking and running from Kumara Beach on the West Coast of the South Island to New Brighton beach in Christchurch. 

09:45 Europe correspondent Thomas Sparrow

European Union member countries have unanimously reached a deal on the EU AI Act, the bloc’s landmark legislation regulating the development and use of artificial intelligence. And 59 people have been arrested across several European countries, accused of participating in and operating a drug trafficking network. 

10:05 New NZ-made doco series spotlights climate change in unique way

Dynamic Planet, narrated by New Zealand's own Cliff Curtis, is the latest project from Natural History New Zealand and more than three years in the making. Filmed on all seven continents, it explores the extremes being created by climate change - how different species are being affected and some of the scientific, natural and traditional ways climate challenges can be overcome. The series, which launched on Neon last week and is coming to Sky Open from February 25, has been produced by Auckland-based Ben Lawrie. It's the latest in a number of daring projects Ben's been involved with, including the award-winning documentary Plane Crash - the biggest stunt ever filmed for TV - in which a Boeing passenger jet was deliberately crashed to the ground. Ben joins Kathryn to talk about that, and share some impressive stats that highlight the challenges in filming Dynamic Planet.

10:35 Book review: The Tūī Has Landed by Jodie Shelley 

Harry Broad reviews The Tūī Has Landed by Jodie Shelley published by Bank Street Publishing

10:45 Around the motu: Simon Wilson in Auckland

Simon chats about the proposal for a waterfront stadium which features a 55,000 seat arena, the consortium behind it and what Ngāti Whātua thinks. Also the reaction of some Herne Bay locals to a Watercare project, and Simon discusses the transport plans for Auckland as the regional fuel tax is axed.

11:05 Political commentators Brigitte Morten and Neale Jones

Brigitte and Neale reflect on this year's Waitangi Day commemorations, and the Government’s decision to scrap Auckland's regional fuel tax. Also, a look at how Labour is adjusting to its position as the Opposition.

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital.

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis.

11:30 Tea and cake in Akaroa with founder of The Cake Room, Katie Thew-Thin

If you've been in Akaroa recently, you may have stopped for tea and cake at The Cake Room. It's a beautiful old restored house, filled with even more beautiful cakes,  baked on site by the owner, Katey Thew-Thin. Katey grew up in New Zealand, but lived in Australia for long time - cheffing and catering in Melbourne, then moving to Queensland where she ran a business catering for numerous cafes, making all the cakes and slices as well as wedding cakes. Just over a year ago, she and her family moved back home and she opened The Cake Room in Akaroa. Black Doris Plum cake is a hot seller at the moment , as is Baklava cheese cake , and the recipe she'll share with us today, Orange Olive Oil Cake.

11:45 Urban Issues with Bill McKay: Can we turn carparking buildings into apartments?

As more people work remotely New Zealand is seeing a hollowing out of inner cities. Questions linger over how to sustain central area populations, by measures such as adaptive reuse of commercial buildings and carparking buildings. Bill McKay looks at whether it is feasible to turn a carpark building into an apartment block.

Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.