Nine To Noon for Wednesday 5 November 2025

09:05 More concerts for Eden Park?

Eden Park could be home to up to 20 more concerts, on top of the 12 it is already allowed, under proposals put forward by the RMA Minister Chris Bishop. Auckland Council is being asked for feedback over the plan and has less than a month to respond. Over the last couple of months, the Minister has been leading an investigation into changing the local rules at Eden Park, describing the current restrictions to just 12 gigs as absurd and arbitrary. Concerts and major events held at Eden Park inject millions of dollars into Auckland's economy, and the government is keen to see this expand, injecting $70 million into an events and tourism package. Kathryn is joined by Auckland's Deputy Mayor, Disley Simpson, and Nick Sautner, the CEO of the Eden Park Trust

09:20 Up to 30 fireworks fires already: FENZ  

FENZ says there have been as many as 30 fireworks-caused fires throughout the country since sales began on Sunday. Incidents include a house fire overnight in the south of Auckland; and on Monday night firefighters and police being shot at with fireworks in Dunedin's student area. FENZ says conditions in a lot of the country are windy and dry, meaning fires could spread quickly. It is warning people to check conditions before lighting up - and for those in rural areas to ensure burnouts are totally out. Adrian Nacey is a national manager at FENZ. 

09:25 Countries with poor human rights records getting KiwiSaver money

Half a billion dollars of investments, from KiwiSaver and other funds out of New Zealand, are going into Government bonds of countries with poor human rights records. That is according to a new report published by Motu Research this morning. Researchers there used the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, which ranks countries based on economic, civil and political rights residents have and portfolio data from KiwiSaver and other retail funds - to identify how much money New Zealanders were investing in sovereign bonds of so-called 'high alert' countries. These countries include China, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar because of their low scores in safety from the state, civic freedoms and rights to things like education, food, health and housing. Lead author and economist at Motu Research Anne-Marie Brook says ethical investing has typically had minimal human rights data and this is the first comprehensive look at how much New Zealand investment is going into sovereign bonds of countries with dubious human rights' records.  

09:30 The biggest contributor to landfills - soil

70% of material that ends up in landfills comes from construction and demolition. But hidden inside that figure is the number one component - soil. Reports for the Ministry of Environment indicate that more than 80% of construction and demolition waste every year is earth. But a project is underway to stop the  thousands of tonnes of soil that goes to landfill every year. The chair of Optimising Soil Reuse,  Rod Lidgard - who is a site contamination specialist - wants those in construction to plan ahead and design out waste.

09:45 Australia: Spy threat, streamers to pay, inflation warning

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about a warning from the head of the country's domestic spy agency ASIO that social cohesion is fraying in ways not experienced before, and the nation has never faced so many threats "at scale". The biggest streaming services will soon be subjected to Australian-context quotas, the Reserve Bank governor has waned that inflation will remain stubbornly high through next year and The Race That Stops A Nation saw the second-ever female jockey ride to victory in the Melbourne Cup.

Karen Middleton is a political journalist based in Canberra

10:05 'Writing my truth is like climbing another summit'

Kim Logan is a climber and mountaineer who has summited some of the tallest and most difficult peaks in the world including Mt Everest and K2. He's pushed himself to the limit, lost many friends and climbing mates in accidents, and been involved in dramatic mountain rescues. But Kim Logan says writing his memoir has been harder than any mountain he's climbed. It's an unflinching account of a brutal childhood, devoid of love. His father was a WW2 hero, Māori Battalion commander, the first Māori to go to the elite military academy Sandhurst, an opera singer, and linguist. His mother was a socialite - who had little time for Kim or his older brother Wilfred. Called A Journey Between Two Worlds, Kim Logan writes about how he found solace in the natural world.

10:30 New research highlights how much YouTube kids are watching daily 

Nearly three quarters of 2 to 14-year-old children are watching large amounts of YouTube content every day, often with minimal parental oversight. New research by Verian, commissioned by NZ on Air, has found the online streaming website dominated viewing, with 69 per cent of children aged 2 to 14 watching daily. Of the 12 to 14-year-olds watching YouTube, nearly 40 per cent had no parental controls at all. The data comes from an online survey answered by 1000 caregivers and children. The research also found local content is being crowded out by overseas content. In response, NZ on Air is today launching two new YouTube channels called KIDOGO and KIDOGO JUNIOR, which will feature local content it has funded. Kathryn speaks with Amie Mills, head of funding at NZ on Air. 

10:35 Book review: Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Lucy Black reviews Whenua: Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

10:45 Around the motu: Ian Allen - Editor for Stuff based in Marlborough

Ian discusses a disappointing social housing announcement from the Minister, Chris Bishop, the work starting on a stop bank at Spring Creek and a 24 hour squash marathon to raise funds for leukaemia treatment.

11:05 Music with Maggie Tweedie

Music correspondent Maggie Tweedie examines Lily Allen’s West End Girl – her bold post-divorce comeback, spins tracks from new Chicago collective Patchwork Inc., and explores some cinematic spaghetti soul straight out of Sweden.

Maggie Tweedie is a music correspondent based in Spain

11:20 New book unpacks the common, curious and contested Kiwi placenames

Last December the central North Island settlement of National Park officially reverted to its original name Waimarino. The history behind that name change - and many others -  is part of new book by Peter Dowling, unpacking how 850 of our placenames came about. His book is based on the lifetime research of the late A.W. Reed, who authored some of the first books on place names. He's worked with the assistance of the New Zealand Geographic Board and iwi experts from around the country. So what's the connection between the names of Auckland suburbs Wiri and Takanini? Why did Marton ditch its original name? And who was Aoraki?

11:45 Science: The chemistry of fireworks, knife-trick kills onion tears

Science correspondent Allan Blackman takes this Guy Fawkes opportunity to talk about the chemistry behind fireworks? What makes them go bang and where do the colours come from? Could sharper knives be the secret to stopping onion tears in the kitchen? And America's Health Secretary RFK wants to put saturated fat back on the menu, but what does science have to say about that? 

Allan Blackman is a Professor of Chemistry, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.