Nine To Noon for Wednesday 20 August 2025

09:05 How one-day schools are helping gifted and neurodivergent children 

A gifted children learning expert says the Ministry of Education still doesn't understand and value the benefit of day schools - which are specifically designed to teach children classified as "gifted". Dr Rosemary Cathcart first started what is known as a 1-day school in 1996, for gifted children. A 1-day school is a learning programme children can attend for 1 day of the week, while enrolled at a regular school, with permission of the school board. The child is not marked as absent, and it doesn't impact a schools attendance record negatively. 1-day schools for gifted children are located around the country, and seek to cater toward the different learning styles and needs that gifted children have. More recently 1-day nature schools have grown in popularity - which tend to - but not necessarily - cater to children who are neurodivergent and benefit from the nature-based programmes. Dr Rosemary Cathcart and Leo Smith - director of Bush Sprouts at Nature School NZ Trust - discuss. 

09:20 Homeowner confusion over natural disaster insurance cover remains

A recent survey shows fifty-six percent of insured New Zealand homeowners would expect full insurance compensation for natural hazard damage to their land. However should the worst happen, they could be disappointed. This is because the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) our national natural hazards insurance scheme, offers partial coverage for land damage, not full protection. The survey results have prompted NHC to remind homeowners about what and what isn't covered. NHC Chief Executive Tina Mitchell joins Susie Ferguson.     

09:35 NZ biotech company gets Jaguar deal

A New Zealand biotech company has signed a deal with a major UK car maker to pilot an EV battery recycling programme. Mint Innovation announced last month it had signed a deal with Jaguar Land Rover to use its technology to recover metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt from end-of-life batteries. The deal with Jaguar Land Rover is in collaboration with the University of Warwick and LiBatt Recycling and includes funding from the UK Government. The project, which will see Mint's black mass refining technology, will run for three years to 2028 out of the West Midlands in the UK. Chief executive of Mint, Will Barker, speaks to Susie about what the deal means for the Auckland company. 

09:45 Australia: Economic roundtable, Qantas fined, Israel cancels visas

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane looks at the three-day Economic Reform Roundtable underway aimed at generating ideas to boost productivity - who's invited and what are some of the big ideas? At the same time, some of Australia's biggest companies have been given multi-million dollar fines for how they've treated workers, or anti-competitive behaviour. And Israel has cancelled the visas of Australia's diplomats to the Palestinian Authority over Australia's refusal to allow several extremist Israeli politicians to enter the country.

Bernard Keane is political editor for Crikey.com.au.

10:05 Gilbert Enoka on teams, leadership and tools for success

When Gilbert Enoka started working with top rugby teams in the 80s, the idea of a 'mental skills coach' was frowned upon. So much so that when he was with a Canterbury team in the late 80s , he had to be disguised  as a masseur whenever senior rugby officials were around. But the sports psychologist would soon be accepted and then sought after by some of sports' greatest teams. He was taken into the All Blacks setup by Wayne Smith in 2000, and his ideas on leadership, culture and mental performance would then later become 'the secret ingredient' for a team that won two rugby world cups and dominated the sport for over a decade. Gilbert has since gone on to work with other elite teams: the Black Caps, the Silver Ferns, the Crusaders and Chelsea Football Club in England. He's written about what he has learnt over the years in a book: Become Unstoppable: The blueprint from the world's most successful sports team. Gilbert will also be one of the speakers at the WORD Christchurch Festival, which runs from August 27 to 31.

10:35 Book review: Holding the Heavy Stuff by Ben Sedley

Cynthia Morahan reviews Holding the Heavy Stuff by Ben Sedley, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

10:45 Around the motu: Alisha Evans in Tauranga

Local democracy reporter Alisha Evans has the latest from Tauranga - including news that four parking terminals have been damaged and will cost about $2000 to fix; one neighbourhood being blighted by drug use and burnouts; protesters opposing an industrial park; and the mayor's vote forcing a u-turn on Tauranga's water plan.

11:05 Music with Ian Chapman: Songs for the dearly departed

A song or a piece of instrumental music can magnificently express feelings and emotions on both personal and group levels. It’s no surprise, therefore, that music plays such an important role in funerals. Sometimes people choose their funeral music before they pass; at other times the music is chosen by those who knew them best. Regardless, the selected music has the very important task of summing up both the life of the departed and also their attitude towards that life. Today Ian Chapman highlights some of the most popular funeral songs and discovers that, far from being mournful and sad, they are predominantly positive, celebratory, triumphant and even funny.  

Ian Chapman is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Music at the University of Otago. 

11:20 30 years of quality over quantity as a fine jeweller

James McCarty is a second-generation fine jeweller whose career spans from apprenticing on London's Bond Street to crafting bespoke heirlooms in his Auckland studio today. James trained in the UK over 30 years ago under the tutelage of master goldsmiths at one of the country's most revered fine jewellery houses-known informally as the "Savile Row of jewellers." His apprenticeship involved handmaking pieces for heritage firms like Garrard and Asprey and elite clients across the globe including the Sultan of Brunei, Sir Elton John, and the King of Oman. One of his early design challenges was a white gold bracelet made from 337 separate components, requiring 592 solder joins a feat in craftsmanship, and patience. He later completed advanced studies at London Guildhall University and Sir John Cass College, earning distinctions from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the British Jewellers Association.  And today, in his small Auckland studio, he makes pieces that carry personal stories-engagement rings, family heirlooms, and designs that honour both tradition and individuality.

11:45 Science with Allan Blackman

Science commentator Allan Blackman joins Susie to talk about why today is World Mosquito Day. He'll also look at a study that's found a link between lithium deficiencies and Alzheimer's and another which has found magnets could help with the electrolysis process in space.

Allan Blackman is a Professor of Chemistry, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.