Nine To Noon for Tuesday 14 October 2025

09:05 Pike River prosecution decision "before Christmas": Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse

It was an emotional night in Greymouth last night as the Pike River film was screened for the first time publicly. The film tells the story of the ongoing fight of two women - Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse - for accountability for the explosion which killed their husband and son, and 27 other men in 2010. It was the country's worst industrial disasters and 15 years on, the two women are still fighting for someone to be held responsible.They're now waiting for police and the Crown Solicitor to decide whether a prosecution or prosecutions will be brought, which they say they've been told will be before Christmas. 

09:20 ACC moves to tighten up on medical certificates and time off work

ACC is looking to tighten up on the medical certification process as the average time off work for those injured increases. It's seeking to award prototype agreements to organisations with what it calls "a substantial reach into primary care"  who have robust proposals for delivering effective improvements.  In the last financial year, Accident Compensation Corporation covered more than  $2bn new injury claims and paid for  $5bn dollars' worth of treatment and rehabilitation services. In its annual report, released in the last few days, ACC cites improving rehabilitation and building financial resilience as its top priorities. No one from the Corporation  was free to come on at this time, but in a statement it says with the current tender, ACC is aiming to ensure that certification more accurately reflects the individual's injury and recovery potential. But how do GPs feel about this move to involve others in the process? Angus Chambers is Chair of GenPro - the organisation representating general practice and urgent care - he is also GP in Riccarton in Christchurch

09:40 World leaders sign Gaza ceasefire deal at Egypt summit

World leaders have signed the first part of a peace agreement; hostages and prisoners are being returned to Israel and Palestine in scenes of joy and relief for both sides of the 2-year Gaza war. US President Trump has been in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, for a summit with 20 other world leaders in the past few hours, where he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed the first phase of the peace agreement.  Kathryn speaks with Kamal Tabikha in Sharm el Sheikh. He is with The National News - an Abu Dhabi based newspaper.

09:45 USA correspondent David Smith 

US President Trump has now departed Egypt after the peace summit securing a transfer of hostages and prisoners between Gaza and Israel. The next US Senate vote over a budget stalemate and subsequent Federal Government shutdown, is expected to fail on Wednesday. 

Washington bureau chief for The Guardian, David Smith. 

10:05 Boxing back Parkinson's disease 

There's a growing movement of people with Parkinson's putting on the gloves, and taking boxing classes to counter the effects of the disease. When Lisa Gombinsky Roach was seeing more and more research showing the benefits of exercise to counter the effects of Parkinsons, she decided to set up a small group to try boxing classes. In particular she wanted an exercise that combined intensity with fun - in a bid to slow the cognitive decline of Parkinson's disease. She says what became the programme Counterpunch was a hit, and members of the first workout group began telling others. With the help of former pro boxer Shane Cameron the movement has boomed: there are now 100 trained Counterpunch coaches, and 17 sites in the North and South Island. There are even plans to expand it to Australia and the UK. Kathryn hears from Auckland woman Johanna Quirk who has been doing the programmes after she was diagnosed with early onset Parkinsons at age 51. Kathryn also hears from Lisa, as the head coach at Counterpunch and a specialist in conductive education.     

10:35 Book review: Eddie Sparkle's Bridal Taxi by Frankie McMillan

Chris Tse reviews Eddie Sparkle's Bridal Taxi by Frankie McMillan, published by Canterbury University Press.

10:45 Around the motu: Jared McCulloch reports from Queenstown

Jared discusses the new mayor for Queenstown Lakes, debate over agreed lake levels to ensure electricity generation at Hawea, the cell towers being destroyed around Wānaka and the collector with enough vintage tractors to fill 2 rugby fields.

11:05 Business commentator Hamish McNicol

US President Trump's tariff wars wiped $2 trillion off markets - as fears grow of an AI bubble. Hamish also talks about how reforms aimed at improving the NZX have stalled, with two big names expected to depart from the local stock market soon. There are also rumblings about the Financial Markets Authority, which has experienced high staff turnover and received poor feedback from external stakeholders.

Hamish is co-editor at the National Business Review.

11:30 Kōnae: New guide helps people access records kept about their care

During the years-long Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care survivors often referred to the difficulty they had in getting access to the information held about them. One of the inquiry's recommendations was to set up a website to help people know how to get any files or records from the organisations involved in their care or guardianship. Survivors wanted it to be independent of the government, so the Citizens Advice Bureau was commissioned to create it. Kōnae is now up and running and since its launch earlier this year has had more than 40,000 page views and more than 1000 requests for records sent through its online form. The CAB's deputy chief executive Andrew Hubbard joins Kathryn to talk about how it works.

11:45 Kiwi women achieve new heights in MTB, Ironman

Sammie Maxwell and Hannah Berry make history; Sammie the first New Zealander to win a mountain biking Cross Country World Series title, while a fourth place finish at the Ironman world championship in Hawai'i from Hannah is the best result by a New Zealand woman in 30 years. Young Kiwi driver Matt Payne wins at Bathurst and what to expect from the Silver Ferns who face Australia in the Constellation Cup on Friday, with the controversy around coach Dame Noeline Taurua unresolved.   

Marc Hinton is a senior sports writer Stuff