Nine To Noon for Tuesday 21 May 2024

09:05 Andrew Bayly on bank scams, KiwiSaver and market competition

New Zealand's banking sector is years behind its counterparts when it comes to open banking and better protecting customers from scams. Open banking would allow for safer use of third party apps such as those that make budgeting and payments easier. Scams are increasing in number and complexity and they are finding success with consumers here losing an estimated $200 million a year. There have long been calls for implementing account name-checking - such as a 'confirmation of payee' service. Consumer says CoP would immediately prevent some scams, and it has been in the UK for five years now. In a recent case, New Zealander Mark Geraets - a retired school principal - lost his retirement savings. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly talks to Kathryn about his expectations around banks dealing with scams as well as other issues in his portfolio.

09:30 Wikileaks Julian Assange granted permission to appeal US extradition

Another step in Julian Assange's decade long legal saga fighting extradition to the US to face espionage charges. London's High Court has ruled he can appeal against the extradition. Assange faces 18 charges in the US  under the Espionage Act. The charges relate to a mass release of secret documents by Wikileaks, which has been described as the largest security breach of its kind in US military history. Assange's legal team had argued he might not be able to rely on the U.S. First Amendment right to free speech and deserved a full appeal. Two senior UK judges have just ruled that a full appeal should take place. Award winning investigative journalist, WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson talks to Kathryn from London and describes the ruling as a watershed moment in the case.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

Developments in the ever-evolving crisis of the Middle East, and the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, are drawing Washington's attention. And there's strong interest also in the International Criminal Court accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes. Local US media remains gripped by Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York, as well as the upcoming president election.

Ron Elving is a Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk for NPR news.

10:05 National MP stood down over donations

It's been revealed National MP David MacLeod failed to declare 19 candidate donations worth $178,000 to the Electoral Commission. He says was an inadvertent error. But the Prime Minister and National leader Christopher Luxon has stood Mr MacLeod down immediately from his roles on both the Environment and Finance select committees. Jo Moir, RNZ's political editor, has the latest.

10:10 Strewth, bogan and eshay, demystifying Aussie slang

How good is 'Straya - the lucky country that has coined so many colloquialisms. Mark Gwynn is the editor of numerous Australian Oxford dictionaries and thesauruses. He is also a senior researcher with the Australian National Dictionary Centre. Mark talks to Kathryn about demystifying Aussie slang and the origins of many words and sayings, including G'day, petrolhead and eshay.
 

10:35 Book review: All Fours by Miranda July 

Ash Davida Jane reviews All Fours by Miranda July published by Allen & Unwin

10:45 Around the motu: Mike Tweed in Whanganui

The Whanganui District Council has snapped up a bunch of buildings and land in the central city for $3.9m - with the potential end product a new, council-led hotel and carpark. Whanganui is one of only a handful of local authorities without a kerbside service but Mike says that is about to change. And the decade long Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment is entering its final months and the  final bill looking to be around $69 million.    

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. 

11:05 Business commentator Victoria Young

Victoria Young looks at why The Warehouse chief executive Nick Grayston has quit effective immediately. New research shows just how much a company crisis can impact share prices. And, a fraying relationship between Christchurch City Council and CCHL, a company which controls more than $5b of its assets.

Victoria Young is editor of BusinessDesk.

11:25 Severe weather update 

Severe weather is hammering parts of the country. There is now a severe thunderstorm watch in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupō and Gisborne until about midday tomorrow. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has activated its Flood Room emergency response as the Ngongotahā River levels rise after heavy rain this morning. The Rotorua District Council is asking residents on Western Rd in Ngongotaha to evacuate as a precaution and teams are door knocking in the area. In Auckland overnight there were 70 callouts to flooding and earlier today the city had gridlock traffic because of the floods. Meteorologist John Law has an update on the next 24 hours of weather.

11:30 Consumer news: Grocery basket wars + repairability labeling

A new report from an Australian Senate committee on supermarket pricing has made some pretty bold recommendations - should New Zealand be looking closely at what they are? And could the new members bill from the Greens on the right to repair go some way to reducing what's ending up in landfill? Consumer NZ is running a new campaign for a repairability label for products sold here. Head of Research and Advocacy Gemma Rasmussen joins Kathryn to explain.

Gemma Rasmussen is Head of Research and Advocacy at Consumer NZ

11:45 Sports-chat with Marc Hinton

Heartbreak for the Wellington Phoenix at the weekend semifinal - but despite the loss, the A-League is being considered a success. Meanwhile the Warriors have breathed life into their NRL season with a stirring upset over the Penrith Panthers. And Oleksander Usyk is the undisputed heavyweight champion after a dramatic win against Tyson Fury.

Marc Hinton is a senior sports writer for Stuff.