Nine To Noon for Thursday 23 October 2025

09:05 News and current affairs

09:30 Legal warning over Govt AI use 

A senior lawyer warns the government's increasing use of AI could result in legal challanges. Simpson Grierson partner Nick Chapman says the scene is set for a perfect storm of legal challenges from the increasing use of AI by the public sector - and he warns there is a gap in the law around that use. DOC has been using AI to process applications for conservation land uses, while Medsafe and Pharmac are both using the technology to help with large datasets. Earlier this year, Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins announced AI training courses for workers across the public sector to help with decision-making. Simpson Grierson partner Nick Chapman says he expects parties unhappy with Government decisions will begin digging into whether AI was involved, and test the legal parameters of that. Nick specialises in disputes between commercial entities and public decision-makers.     

09:45 UK: Grooming gang chaos, Prince Andrew case gets political

UK correspondent Hugo Gye joins Kathryn to talk about another setback for the inquiry into so-called 'grooming gangs', with both candidates to chair it withdrawing and victims saying they have no confidence in the process. The pressure is piling on the government to act after further revelations about Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. And puppet show Spitting Image's depiction of Paddington Bear as a cocaine-addicted maniac has not gone down well with the company that owns the rights to the stories.

Hugo Gye is Political Editor of The i Paper

10:05 The award-winning doctor fighting for fairness in the health system

Dr Jamie-Lee Rahiri is on a mission to tackle inequities in the health care system.  A third-year general surgery trainee at North Shore Hospital, Dr Rahiri is researching Māori experiences of healthcare, including the impacts of bariatric - or weight-loss - surgery. From Tokoroa, Jamie-Lee shifted to Auckland, gaining a medical degree in 2014. She then completed a PhD in Māori experiences of weight loss surgery. She has recently been awarded two prestigious prizes: the John Corboy medal - which is the highest honour a surgical trainee receives from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and last month, she was named the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellow for Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025. Jamie-Lee Rahiri speaks to Kathryn. 

10:35 Book review : Vagabond by Tim Curry

Sonja de Friez reviews Vagabond by Tim Curry, published by Penguin Random House.

10:45 Around the motu: Libby Kirkby McLeod in Hamilton 

11:05 Tech: AWS outage, Labour's gaming subsidies, Netflix + AI

Technology commentator Peter Griffin looks at what caused the Amazon Web Services outage and the questions being raised about how dependent the internet is on a small number of core infrastructure providers. Labour's promising it would boost a rebate for the video game sector. Netflix earnings were down, largely due to a tax dispute with Brazil - but its CEO has been talking up how AI could make its creatives more efficient. And ChatGPT has released its Atlas browser - but could it leave users open to "prompt injections" from hackers? 

Peter Griffin is a Wellington-based science and technology journalist

11:25 Parents best role models for active life 

New research has shown children are far more likely to participate in play and sport when a parent is doing it themsleves. This from the Sport NZ participation survey 2024/25 survey which will be released in full later this month. It finds more than half of young people say spending time with family and friends is their top reason for being active - and those kids who like being active with whanau are more likely to meet phsical activity requirements. There was notably a big jump in kids' desire to participate when adults want to be active as well. Scott MacKenzie is the play manager at Sport New Zealand - and this week is 'Play Week' so the right time for this conversation.     

11:45 Screentime: Mr Scorsese, Roofman, Pike River

Film and TV reviewer Tom Augustine joins Kathryn to talk about new five-part documentary series Mr Scorsese, based on the life of the filmmaker. Roofman is a new film based on the incredible story of a spree-robber who hid in a toy store after escaping prison. Tom also reviews Pike River and Regretting You.

Tom Augustine is a Tāmaki based filmmaker and critic. He writes for Rialto Channel's View Magazine and Metro Magazine. Tom is the co-programmer of the Capitol Cinema Film Club, which shows rare and underseen gems from throughout cinema history monthly.