Nine To Noon for Thursday 9 October 2025

 

09:05 Will the OCR cut kick start the economy?

It was the interest rate cut that many had called for -  a chunky half a percentage point cut   -  but will it turn the economy around? The Reserve Bank cut wholesale interest rates by half a per cent yesterday to two-point-five percent.  And its left the door open to a further cut in November. Already retail banks have moved to cut some interest rates in response. But with a dire business confidence survey out earlier in the week - is this going to be the kick start the economy needs? Kathryn speaks with John Pask is the Chief Economist at BusinessNZ and ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley

09:30 As the number of older renters increases - where do we house them?

Just three years ago the numbers of over-65s living in rental housing was about 20 percent. By 2048 - just 23 years from now - nearly half are expected to be. And that jump has seniors' advocates concerned. With a change of guard in local councils about to take place the Aotearoa New Zealand National Forum for the Decade of Healthy Ageing has been encouraging candidates in the big three centres - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch - to commit to expanding seniors' housing, with no net loss of units. It also wants councils to unlock land for age-friendly housing near transport and services. The Forum says too many older renters are stuck in housing that's not fit for their needs - and in some cases, is unhealthy. Forum's chair Denise Cosgrove joins Kathryn along with Gillian Schweizer, CEO of Haumaru Housing, which provides community housing for seniors in Auckland.

09:35 Show Me Shorts celebrates 20th anniversary

It was the little film festival that could. Twenty years ago film lovers Katrin Hagen, Kate Nicholson, Gina Dellabarca, and Tamara Liebman sought to create a way for New Zealand's short films to be seen more easily. And so, Show Me Shorts was born. It's grown from that three-night screening at Auckland's Academy Theatre back in 2006 to an Academy Award and BAFTA-accredited festival that shows in 35 cinemas nationwide and has launched any numbers of film industry careers. Show Me Shorts' 20th anniversary festival got underway this week - to talk about what's on offer - as well as its incredible journey - festival director Gina Dellabarca joins me from the Auckland studio. 

09:45 UK: Conference season ends, NHS drug hikes, China spy row

 UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Kathryn to talk about how both Labour and the Tories fared in their annual conferences - what messages did both Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch deliver, and are their jobs safe? The UK government is proposing to increase the NHS pays pharmaceutical firms for drugs - how much is due to the threat of tariffs on the sector from the US? And charges against two Britons accused of spying for China have suddenly been dropped.

Dan Bloom is Political Editor of Politico UK

10:05 Chris Knox: music, art and attitude 

The Enemy, Toy Love and Tall Dwarfs are among the bands that Kiwi music legend Chris Knox founded. He was a firebrand instigator of early punk in Dunedin, where he took the stage by storm, known for full-on performances, sometimes involving him injuring himself. It was Chris Knox's four track machine that recorded most of the early Flying Nun label's singles. Knox is also an artist, satirist, cartoonist, writer and critic - and widely known for his wicked sense of humour. In 2009, he had a stroke which left him paralysed on his right side, without most of his voice. Craig Robertson grew up in Dunedin and was a huge fan of Flying Nun records and the Dunedin Sound. He was slightly too young to have seen Chris Knox in concert himself in those big punk years. He's written a definitive biography of Knox, named after his best known song Not Given Lightly.

10:35 Book review: It's What He Would've Wanted by Nick Ascroft

Harry Ricketts reviews It's What He Would've Wanted by Nick Ascroft, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press.

10:45 Around the motu: Jonathan McKenzie in Hamilton 

Johnathon discusses the background to the recent boil water notice, upgrades to Ngāruawāhia's rail bridge to stop people leaping into the river plus the regional theatre to open in the new year, a museum opens in Huntly 4 years after the first sod is turned and fine dining in six seater restaurant in Taumaranui

Jonathan McKenzie is editor of the Waikato Times

11:05 Tech: Phone plan transparency, 'open web' in decline, Windows 11 woes

Technology journalist Bill Bennett joins Kathryn to discuss Commerce Commission research which shows how difficult it is to get good information to help buy a phone plan. Google says "the open web is in rapid decline" - it was referring to web advertising, but Bill says the days of internet sites being freely accessible through a standard web browser without a login or app appear to have passed. And Windows 10 support is ending next week. Millions of people are unhappy about being forced to upgrade.

Bill Bennett is an Auckland-based technology journalist

11:25 Growing money-savvy kids

Financial education will be embedded in the school curriculum for years 1 to 10 from next year. For younger children it'll be the basics like want vs need, and what is a bank account. More senior students will learn about budgeting, investment, interest, taxes, and insurance to help to build lifelong financial skills.  Neil Edmond is the founder of MoneyTime, an online financial literacy program for children ages 10 to 14 which has just been awarded 'Best Primary Product' at the Global EdTech Awards. He's on an advisory group working with the Retirement Commission to support the implementation of financial education in the new social sciences curriculum. He says parents need to start the work at home, and the earlier the better. 

11:45 Screentime: The Twelve s2, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Once Were Gardeners

Film and TV reviewer Tamar Munch joins Kathryn to talk about season two of the Sam Neill-led drama The Twelve. Monster: The Ed Gein Story is the latest iteration of Netflix's serial killer anthology series and Once Were Gardeners is a new series coming to Whakaata Māori.