Nine To Noon for Tuesday 26 August 2025

09:05 Pet food exporters still barred from China

Pet food exporters shut out of China since bird flu was found here late last year, say it has cost them well over $100 million dollars, and there's still no sign of change. Ministry for Primary Industries officials are meeting today with their Chinese counterparts over how pet food and other poultry products can be allowed back in to China.  When the bird flu - H7N6 - was detected on an egg farm in rural Otago late last year,  movement controls were placed on that site, and all chickens on the farm were culled. Tests on other farms linked to the original, returned negative for the disease. MPI has since lifted controls on the original farm - saying it is confident the disease has been contained and stamped out. But China - and several other countries imposed restrictions on New Zealand poultry imports, including pet food. Kathryn speaks with the Managing Director of the Pet Food Association Richard Brake and Marcus James,  Chief Operating Officer for King Country Pet Food in Taumaranui. MPI says it continues to work constructively with its Chinese counterparts to restore access which involves China undertaking an audit of a selection of New Zealand petfood manufacturing premises. The timing of this is still under discussion.

09:20 Retirement Commission report on the growing divide of the self-employed

Retirement Commission research shows less than half of self-employed New Zealanders are contributing to Kiwisaver, and of that amount only 60 percent are contributing enough to get the annual top up from government. The research, released today in conjunction with sole trader finance platform Hnry, reports almost half of sole traders say they don't earn enough to be able to put money aside for retirement. Compared with salary or wage earners self-employed people were more likely to report feeling stressed, losing sleep, and hiding their financial situation from family and friends. Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson says the growing disparity between the self-employed and other workers, needs to be addressed urgently. The report findings will help inform the recommendations the Retirement Commission will make to the Government as part of the 2025 Review of Retirement Income Policies, due to be completed before December. Hnry chief executive is James Fuller.

09:30 As robotaxis become a reality, are we ready for an autonomous driving future?

The reality of riding a robotaxi on roads around the world has sped up in recent weeks - with some pretty big developments. They're already on trial in some cities in the US, with Waymo and Tesla seeking to expand; in China there are hundreds of robotaxis being run by Baidu and the company's announced plans to work with ride-hail company Lyft to deploy them in Europe; while Singapore's Grab is investing in China's WeRide to commercialise robotaxis in South East Asia. But as automated driving experiences increase, can we imagine a future where we're ready to give up the steering wheel of the family car? And if we do - what does that mean for the design of our homes and cities? Mohsen Mohammadzadeh is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Planning at Auckland University's Faculty of Engineering and Design. The future of robotaxis is the subject of his talk at this year's Raising the Bar series tonight. 

09:45 US correspondent David Smith

President Trump wants to send troops into Democratic cities to much furore. That as he is also proposing a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Meanwhile, David discusses the repercussions of former Trump adviser John Bolton having his house searched by the FBI.

Washington bureau chief for The Guardian, David Smith.

10:05 From therapist to award winning farmer, Diane Strugnell

Porirua beef farmer Diane Strugnell has spent many years walking her farm - the full 265 hectares that sit between Upper Hutt and Porirua. She and her late husband Mike built the farm from scratch after purchasing it from St Pat's Silverstream college. Diane fell into farming; she's an occupational therapist by trade but after Mike died in 2009, she made the call to farm full time in his memory and specifically with a view to leave the land in a better condition than when they arrived in the late 90s. She's restored wetlands, monitored waterways, and used techniques like dung beetles - which help break down manure and improve soils. Diane has just been given the biodiversity award at the Farm Environment Awards. 

10:30 Far north literary talent showcased in inaugural festival

Break out the books, the first literary festival for the top of the North Island kicks off later this week. The Northland Writers, Readers and Poets Festival will be held in Kerikeri from Friday, and aims to bring the vibrant literary talent of the country's north to the community. The festival's been created by Kerikeri based poet and writer Kim Martins and novelist Catherine Lea. Catherine's spoken to Nine to Noon in the past about her novels set in the Far North with the lead character of Detective Inspector Nyree Bradshaw - the latest of which is called The Deeper the Dead. She joins Kathryn to talk about what's on offer this weekend.

10:35 Book review: Murderland by Caroline Fraser

Phil Vine reviews Murderland by Caroline Fraser, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

10:45 Around the motu: John Freer on the Coromandel Peninsula

John brings us local reaction to potential charges to visit Cathedral Cove, local progress in plan submissions ahead of the deadline for Local Water Done Well and the latest in local government electioneering

John Freer is a CFM local news reporter and has previously stood for council in Thames Coromandel

11:05 Business correspondent Dan Brunskill

The banking inquiry came out and the Reserve Bank is now talking about a 'higher risk appetite' for capital settings. That followed a decision to cut the OCR by 25 basis points, which upset commentators who have the sympathy of the Prime Minister.

Dan Brunskill is an economic policy reporter for Interest NZ.

11:30 Consumer: What's happening to small power retailers?

Nine to Noon looks at what's happening in the power sector, as smaller retailers get swallowed by the bigger players in the market. This month Flick said goodbye to its customers, as the company was taken over by Meridian. In June it was announced Frank Energy was being absorbed into its parent company Genesis, and the fate of Ecotricity - also owned by Genesis since last November - is unclear. Both Frank and Flick topped Consumer's power company customer satisfaction survey. Kathryn speaks with Consumer's Jon Duffy about what the changes mean for competition for our power dollar. He'll also talk about what's going with pricing in supermarket aisles, now Consumer's Price it Right petition has been handed over to government.

11:45 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman 

The Black Ferns kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign with a win, but lose a key player. What went wrong in the All Blacks defeat to Argentina? And Sam discusses what has happened to Kiwis' rugby league star Brandon Smith.