Nine To Noon for Monday 3 November 2025

09:05 Chain of responsibility laws not protecting truck drivers 

Truck drivers say chain of responsibility legislation is failing them, and leaving drivers stuck with offences and penalties for breaches that they are not responsible for. Transporting New Zealand recently wrote to Horizons Regional Council after a driver was fined for animal effluent spilling from the  livestock truck they were driving. The letter explained a number of factors - not in control of by the driver - that could have contributed to the spill, including farmers not standing stock for long enough before being loaded and a shortage of effluent disposal sites along the roading network. Chain of responsibility laws - which sit within the Land Transport Act are supposed to capture all parties who contribute to a vehicle getting on the road, and seek to hold accountable those along each step of the supply chain. But the legislation is rarely used - only twice in almost 20 years - and another prosecution by the Transport Agency is currently underway. Dom Kalasih is Transporting NZ chief executive and Edward Cox, is Gibson Sheat partner specialising in the heavy road transport industry.

09:20 Potential Pharmac trim to list of medicines awaiting funding  

Pharmac is looking at how long medicines should stay on its options list waiting for funding. There are over 120  drugs currently being considered, a number of them are listed multiple times for different treatments - and many have been  there for a number of years. Now Pharmac wants to be able to trim applications that have remained in the lowest-ranked group for more than two years. It is proposing to decline 20% of those on the list if it contains over a hundred medicines and 10% if the number is lower. Pharmac says it will provide greater clarity for patients, by letting them know if drugs are still on the list for possible funding or not. The changes are still being consulted on, but long term patient advocate and chair of Pharmac's Consumer and Patient Working Group, Malcolm Mulholland, has expressed concern about the funding of treatments that have been available as best practice treatment in  Australia and the UK for years. Kathryn speaks to Pharmac's Director Pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin and Malcolm Mulholland.

09:45 Middle East correspondent Sebastian Usher 

Sebastian Usher with the latest on the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

10:05 Animal sights, and senses explained

How does an octopus change its colours, while colour blind? And why do birds have such radiant plumages? Our understanding of the way animals see and feel the world has taken great leaps forward in recent years thanks to the work of researchers, and two from Auckland University are world leaders in their fields. Dr Misha Vorobyev is a physicist and mathematician at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Auckland. Misha talks to Kathryn about his research on bees and the colours they see in flowers, as well as how an octopus can have an awareness of the colours of its environment. Dr Kristal Cain is a lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences and is an integrative organismal biologist. She speaks to Kathryn about her work observing birds, and in particular the flashing signals of the tītipounamu, not visible to the human eye. 

10:30 When will Dame Noeline get her team back?

Dame Noeline Taura is once again the coach of the Silver Ferns - but her team is heading off on a tour of the northern hemisphere without her. She was stood down in September after an investigation found "significant issues" in the team environment; what exactly those issues are has not been revealed. Since then Netball NZ and Dame Noeline reached an agreement for her to return to the role, with both parties agreeing to improve and support wellbeing and performance, including strengthening the player voice. But when will she take the reins again? Dame Noeline joins Kathryn to discuss the future.

10:35 Book review: Clown Town by Mick Herron

Ralph McAllister reviews Clown Town by Mick Herron, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

10:45 Around the motu: RNZ's Keiller MacDuff in Christchurch

Keiller discusses early warning systems and the damage left after the recent turbulent weather, and E-coli outbreak at a Canterbury campground and the next stage in the Coroner's inquiry into the Mosque shooting. 

11:05 Political commentators Dale Husband and Liam Hehir 

Dale Husband is a long time broadcaster and Radio Waatea presenter hosting a Maori focused current affairs programme.

Liam Hehir is a Palmerston North lawyer, political commentator and a National Party member.

11:30 Samoan chef dines out on top international food award

Two years ago today Henry Onesemo and his wife Debby were about to open their doors on their new venture: A fine-dining restaurant serving Samoan cuisine. The idea was to present traditional and comforting dishes and flavours of Samoa with a fresh twist. Fast forward to today, and TALA's had some runaway success. It's netted Henry a "knife" at this year's Best Chef Awards in Milan and TALA three Hats at the Cuisine Good Food Awards -  making it one of the top six restaurants in New Zealand - it's also been named as one of the 'World's 12 Most Exciting New Restaurants for 2025' by The Australian. Henry joins Kathryn to talk about the first two years and the restaurant's success.

11:45 Urban issues with Bill McKay 

What's the deal with purchasing off the plans? Bill discusses how homebuyers can protect themselves when buying a house that hasn't been built yet. 

Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.