Nine To Noon for Monday 8 September 2025

09:05 Police operation in Waikato 

More now on this morning's breaking news - and what RNZ understands is the shooting and wounding of a police officer and the shooting dead of a suspected burglar. This took place in western Waikato and a resident in the settlement of Marokopa has told RNZ to road out is closed. The area is near where police have been searching for fugitive Marokopa father Tom Phillips and his children. RNZ's crime correrspondent, Sam Sherwood has been following events.

09:10 Cruise ship downturn to hit local economies

Auckland Council's tourism head says the city is going to be hit hard by a 40 per cent drop off in cruise ships coming this season. Other ports around the country who welcome cruise ships such as Tauranga and Marlborough are also worried. The New Zealand Cruise Association says the industry in this country is at a tipping point. The association's chief executive Jacqui Lloyd says demand is not down - and tourists want to come here - but line operators are making decisions two to three years in advance and many regard New Zealand as a difficult place to come to. Karen Thompson-Smith is head of tourism at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, hopes this summer season is as low as it goes, and that future seasons will resemble the 2023-2024 summer, where cruise ships brought an estimated $201m to the Auckland economy. 

09:25 Super Fund continues strong performance

The NZ Super Fund's annual results are out and they show a return of almost 11.84 per cent, adding 5.5 billion to the Crown's books. The fund has now grown to 85 billion since the first contributions by the government were made in 2003 - up $8.4 billion on a year ago. Within three years, the government will begin drawing down on the fund to help smooth the rising costs of NZ Super as the bulk of baby boomers retire. Earlier this year,  international experts ranked the NZ Super Fund as the best performing sovereign wealth fund over 10 and 20 years - averaging returns of 10 per cent in that time. Jo Townsend is chief executive of fund manager The Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation.

09:35 Rare Employment Court ruling against employment advocate 

In a rare step, the Employment Court has ordered an employment advocate to personally pay costs after his conduct was found "entirely unacceptable".  Lawrence Anderson - who is not a lawyer - made comments such as "the lawyers who work in the employment law jurisdiction are incapable of dealing with matters that require the use of the human brain." He also attacked the Employers & Manufacturers Association and the New Zealand Bar Association in an email, saying they should "pull their finger out of their arses" and calling them "idiots."  Catherine Stewart, convenor of the Employment Law Committee, at The Law Association of New Zealand, brought the application against Anderson. She says this case is a line-in-the-sand moment that underlines the urgent need to close the loophole in the Employment Relations Act which allows unregulated advocates to operate. 

09:45 Europe correspondent Seamus Kearney

Shock as govt building burns in Kyiv after Russian strikes, Portugal investigates cause of deadly cable car crash, French govt faces collapse in confidence vote tomorrow, and public viewing of Giorgio Armani's coffin in Milan.

10:05 New doco Joy, Full & Fearless shines light on beloved author

She's one of  - if not our most - prolific authors, with over 1100 titles to her name. Now a new documentary looks at the key moments in the life of Joy Cowley - who at age 89 and with her eyesight failing - is still pumping out the books. Joy, Full and Fearless follows Joy's life -  from a painful childhood, struggles learning to read and loveless first marriage to a love of motorbikes, planes, family and the written word. It's full of behind-the-scenes photos and footage of Joy's life - and features many of her innumerable visits to schools and interaction with generations of Kiwi kids. Susie Ferguson sat down with Joy on her visit to Wellington from Dunedin where she now lives, for the premiere of the film last week. She was joined by the documentary's director Clare Burgess - a long time friend of Joy's.

10:35 Book review: A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay

Gina Rogers reviews A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

10:45 Around the motu: Keiller MacDuff in Christchurch

Keiller reports on a battle over the Waitaha River over a controversial hydroscheme, a dispute in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner over an illuminated cross and the conservation groups calling  for an emergency fishing ban to save to mainland population of  Hoiho, or yellow eyed penguin

Keiller McDuff is an RNZ  Senior Journalist based in Christchurch

11:05 Police press conference on Tom Phillips death

Fugitive Marokopa father Tom Phillips has been shot dead by police after allegedly ram-raiding a building in Piopio. A police officer was also shot in the head in the early morning incident and was undergoing surgery. One of the children has been taken into custody, but two remain missing. Phillips and his three children had been missing since December 2021. Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers is giving a live press conference in Hamilton. 

11:10 Political commentators Morten and Jones 

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government, a National Party member and currently volunteering for the party's deputy leader, Nicola Willis.

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of public affairs firm Capital. He is currently providing PR support for Andrew Little's Campaign for Mayor of Wellington, on a voluntary basis.

11:30 Sorrell, dandelion and Thistle: A guide to edible weeds

Andrew Crowe, who has written over 40 nature books, turns his attention to introduced edible plants.  His book is a practical guide to every day foraging. He says Aotearoa's non native plants are a "rich culinary world". 

11:45 Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne

Kennedy is standing on the Top o' the Dome - Tohitohi o Reipae - the Dome Forest Conservation Park, north of Warkworth. In the late 1800s there was a small hamlet there known as Phillipsville after a family of settlers. In the 1930s the valley was notorious as one of the most difficult sections of the Great North Road for vehicles to traverse. Today it is part of the Te Araroa trail. The Dome has been the site of protest in recent years, with mana whenua, environmental groups and local residents opposing Auckland council's plan to site a landfill in the valley.