Nine To Noon for Monday 21 July 2025

09:05 Great rides cycle trails' funding needs to double in next decade 

The amount of funding required to keep the country's 23 Great Rides up to scratch will need to double in the next ten years, or some trails will degrade to the point they face losing their 'great ride' status. The rides - which are used equally by cyclists and walkers - were set up in 2009 by Government with the intent of eventually being self-funding.  And while the trails' economic benefits to the regions they are in, are exceptional, these benefits do not flow back directly into track maintenance and upgrades. There are no direct revenue-gathering options for the trusts that operate the trails - and earlier this year officials from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment warned Tourism Minister Louise Upston that the status quo had become unsustainable. An estimated $160 million is required to maintain and enhance the rides, over the next ten years - that's double the amount NZ Cycle Trust is currently allocated from the Government. Geoff Gabites owns NZ Cycle Journeys - a company that runs cycle hire and luggage transfer services across five of the trails, and James Bell who works in Ohakune at the ski and bike hire firm TCB.

This story was produced by Emma Hatton. emma.hatton@rnz.co.nz 

09:20 Work begins on Napier civic centre 8 years after quake concerns

Eight years after Napier's entire civic centre was assessed as an earthquake work, and staff required to move out, construction has just begun on a $110 million redevelopment. Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan and Napier City Council Strategic Programmes Manager Darran Gillies join Kathryn to describe what's being built and the boost it's giving the local construction sector, including work for 300 local tradespeople.

09:40 Sounds Air to cut services

Regional airline Sounds Air says it is retrenching its services to focus on its viability. It is ending its Blenheim to Christchurch services, as well as its Christchurch to Wanaka services from September 28. That comes after the company withdrew its Wellington to Taupo and Wellington to Westport trips in December 2024. Sounds Air says aviation has been hit by escalating costs and a low dollar that have combined to trouble the viability of all regional airlines. The company is reverting to its roots, starting in 1987, as an airline providing services between the North and South Islands across Cook Strait. Andrew Crawford is the managing director of Sounds Air. 

09:45 Foreign correspondent Seamus Kearney

Germany, France & UK band together for revived European axis, Kremlin brushes off likely impact of 18th package of EU sanctions, French PM sparks budget row over plan to scrap two public holidays, and sports world mourns death of record-breaking Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner in a paragliding accident in Italy.

10:05 Boogie Wonderland? Kate Halfpenny on the downsides of a mid-life beach move

Australian writer Kate Halfpenny spent four decades telling other people's stories before she told her own. She set out in journalism while still a teenager, and was a columnist and sections editor at the age of twenty. She worked the tabloids, became a feature writer and eventually the executive editor at WHO magazine. All while raising three kids. Then came redundancy. A mortgage that seemed insurmountable. And Covid. So Kate and her husband Chris made a snap decision to quit Melbourne for a beach lifestyle - expecting sun and fun. But instead, they wound up having to face Chris' alcoholism head on. Kate has packaged up her experiences in a humour-filled memoir called Boogie Wonderland. She's also a weekly columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald and runs a content creation business called Bad Mother Media.

10:35 Book review: Secret Art Powers: How creative thinking can achieve radical change by Jo Randerson

Emma Hislop reviews Secret Art Powers: How creative thinking can achieve radical change by Jo Randerson, published by Barbarian Productions.

10:45 Around the motu: Tom Hunt in Wellington 

Tom discusses a new mayoral candidate and defections from Ray Chung's Independent Together group, plus what are the chances of a second Mt Victoria  tunnel getting underway during this government's term?

Tom Hunt senior journalist with Wellington paper The Post

11:05 Political commentators

Gareth Hughes is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa is a former Green MP and is no longer a member of any political party.

Liam Hehir is a Palmerston North lawyer, political commentator and a National Party member.

11:30 Waikato food-tech company Radix putting science into breakfast

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but a Waikato food-tech company is taking it a step further. Radix was founded in 2013 with an aim to create nutrient-dense meals packed with 80-plus vitamins and minerals that could be ready in minutes with a bit of hot water. The light-weight freeze-dried meals were great for adventure travel or outdoor activities, and the company also looked to the sports market with whey protein powders and smoothies, and its ultra range - designed for those with high-energy needs. They've now launched a breakfast range. Kathryn is joined by Radix founder Mike Rudling to hear about the science and tech that feeds into the company's products. 

11:45 Urban Issues with Bill McKay

Bill discusses what happens to flood-damaged property.

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