Nine To Noon for Friday 22 August 2025

09:05 MPs back calls for urgent reform of advance directive system

After two years of petitioning, Wairarapa woman Louise Duffy has the backing of parliament's health select committee, which agrees the current advance directive system needs urgent reform. Louise Duffy's mother had an advance directive, or living will, which stated she did not wish to be treated if she had severe loss of physical or mental capacity. But when she suffered a severe stroke in 2021, Louise says medical staff ignored her mother's wishes, and continued treatment. Her mother, Barbie Duffy died 58 days later, after refusing food and, finally, fluids. In 2023 Louise Duffy started a petition, calling for a national register of advanced directives, to strengthen current systems and give plans and people more certainty. That petition made its way in front of parliament's health select committee which has recently reported back, and agreed urgent reform is needed.

09:25 Uncertainty over what replaces copper for rural households

Federated Farmers says letting Chorus remove the copper network could leave rural people with uncertainty as to where to go for a phone or internet connection. The Commerce Commission yesterday recommended to the Government that access to the copper network be deregulated. If the Minister agrees, that would allow Chorus to start removing the copper network, which the company expects to do by 2030. Regulation of access to the network was put in place 20 years ago, and the Commerce Commission's Telecommunications Commissioner Tristan Gilbertson says there are now less than a third of rural customers using it. He says most now have access to more than three alternative technologies like satellite broadband or wireless internet providers. But with some 100,000 homes and businesses still using the copper network, Federated Farmers telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper says the removal of copper leaves a lot of people unsure as to what to move to. 

09:35 Robert Sullivan confirmed as new Poet Laureate

It's National Poetry day and Aotearoa has a new Poet Laureate. The National Library  - Te Puna Maa-tauranga O Aotearoa - has just announced Robert Sullivan, who is of Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu as well as British and Irish ancestory - will take over the country's national poet from Chris Tse. Robert's been weaving words successfully for much of his life. You might know his poetry collections - Jazz Waiata - Sky Waka - Comet - his most recent book of poems; Hopuarangi - Songcatcher. 

09:45 Asia correspondent Ed White 

Ed discusses a planned locked down in Beijing in preparation for an important military parade scheduled for early September to mark the end of the second world war and flex the might of the People's Liberation Army, why many thousands of North Koreans are reportedly being forced to work in horrible conditions in Russia and signs attitudes towards immigration may be finally changing among some officials in Japan as the country struggles to deal with a shrinking workforce and one of the world's lowest birth rates. 

Ed White is a correspondent with the Financial Times based in Shanghai

10:05 Toxicologist Bryan Brooks on tackling the global chemical waste problem

For someone who sees a lot of destruction, desecration, and rubbish, Bryan Brooks has a lot of hope for the waste sector. Dr Bryan Brooks is an internationally recognised toxicologist, who will jumping on a plane tomorrow to head to New Zealand where he will be the keynote speaker at  a major toxicology and chemistry summit, being held in Wellington. His work investigates practical solutions to the global pollution problem - in particular the concentration of chemicals used for everything from farming and healthcare, to mining and manufacturing, and the chemical waste that comes from it. He is one of the scientists working with the newly established UN  Science Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, which was launched in June. The UN Environment Programme has described the poor management of chemicals and their waste a "planetary crisis" which contributes to approximately nine million premature deaths annually and causes trillions of dollars in economic losses. But Bryan Brooks says there are so many solutions available, and plenty of low-hanging fruit to be picked. 

10:35 Book review: The Middle of Nowhere by Rosemary Baird

Harry Broad reviews The Middle of Nowhere by Rosemary Baird, published by Canterbury University Press.

10:45 Around the motu: Robin Martin in Taranaki

Robin gauges public perception of the former New Plymouth power station chimney - icon or eyesore?
A march has been held, in part in memory of Daniel Nganeko who was tragically killed at the Tukapa Rugby Club's prizing giving when he was blindsided by a punch from Daytona Thompson, and someone has been dumping puppies in the national park. 

Robin Martin is a RNZ reporter based in Taranaki.

11:05 New music with Grant Smithies                                                                       

Melbourne band Dick Diver has just reformed for a run of shows. We'll hear two classic tunes from them today, followed by new trippy folk biz from Brooklyn's Big Thief and some "talkover techno" from Chile's Matias Aguayo. 

11:30 Sports commentator Dana Johannsen

Sports commentator Dana Johannsen looks at some of the big stories in sport including the exodus of Kiwi netball players to Australia, the Black Ferns set to open their Rugby World Cup campaign tomorrow, the All-Blacks keen for a convincing win over Argentina and All White Chris Wood's selection in the Professional Footballers' Association team of the year.

11:45 The week that was with Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks 

Our comedians wrap up the week with some stories that've caught their eye - including the Aussie postie bringing in washing from the rain being praised for 'incredible act of kindness', what the skibidi is happening to the English language, the World Humanoid Robot Games are underway in Beijing, and British man rides 55 different roller coasters in one week.