Nine To Noon for Friday 30 January 2026

09:05 Landmark settlement for disabled children promises education reform 

After 17 years the government has settled a human rights claim and admitted that Crown education policies and systems have discriminated against and failed disabled children. In settling the claim the Education Ministry has agreed to a number of changes to its systems and policies, in an effort to give disabled learners the same education quality and experiences in school as their non-disabled classmates. An external monitoring board will also be convened to oversee the changes, and hold the Ministry to account. The claim was first brought in 2008 by the disability advocacy organisation IHC, after its previous attempts to improve the education system for disabled learners had not worked. Settlement of the claim has been hailed as a win by disability advocates and the education sector. Kathryn discusses the claim with IHC Inclusive Education lead Trish Grant and Berhampore School principal Mark Potter.

09:35 Open source granny flat plans

An Auckland architect is making free tiny home plans he expects will save homeowners wanting a granny flat up to $30,000. That comes as new legislation means granny flats under 70 square metres do not need building or resource consents. They still need to meet building code compliance, and other restrictions such as being set back 2 metres from any boundary. A University of Auckland project is developing an open-source guide that will include code-compliant designs suitable for various sites and budgets. BRANZ funds the project via a levy collected on building consents. It is being led by professor Anthony Hōete who is of Ngāti Awa, and says the plans will be adaptable for all parts of the country. 

Anthony is seeking feedback from those interested in building a granny flat. He can be contacted at modeldocs@auckland.ac.nz.

09:45 Pacific correspondent Koroi Hawkins

Tongans are speaking out against what they say is the 'collective punishment' of restrictions on travelling to the United States. And there is a big year ahead for elections across the Pacific. RNZ Pacific Editor Koroi Hawkins discusses the latest from across the region.

10:05 Unlocking the secrets of geothermal kānuka

Managing to grow in very hot soils is the super power of the native plant geothermal kānuka. And those heat-resistant properties are now being investigated by Auckland University senior lecturer, Chris Carrie, to see if the shrub can be used to create climate-resilient crops. The aim is to transfer the unique traits from these plants that grow in the scorching, multi-hazard soils of the Taupō Volcanic Zone using gene-editing and synthetic biology techniques. Chris Carrie is in the Auckland studio.

10:30 Auckland Museum hosts an edit-a-thon to boost women's Wikipedia entries

If you've ever fancied a go at editing one of the world's largest-ever sources of knowledge - you've got a chance this weekend at the Auckland Museum. Three years ago it started running a summer programme for students, teaching them how to use Wikipedia as a tool to help support local history in Tāmaki Makaurau. This year's cohort is focused on the Women in Red movement - that's the global effort to make sure women don't get left behind in Wikipedia references.  When it started in 2014 - just 15 percent of biographies were about women - now it sits about 20. This weekend's event at the museum is focused on boosting Wikipedia entries about New Zealand women in the arts, STEM, politics and law. Anjuli Selvadurai is Auckland Museum's Wikimedian-in-residence and overseas the students running the event. She tells Kathryn how people can participate in this weekend's Wikipedia edit-a-thon.

10:35 Book review: Three of the best from 2025

Lisa Adler of Unity Books Wellington reviews three of her favourite books from last year: Ripeness by Sarah Moss, published by Pan Macmillan, Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, published by Penguin, Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews, published by HarperCollins.

10:45 Around the motu: Ian Carson, editor of Ōtaki Today

Ian has details on how a funeral of a Head Hunters gang member will affect Foxton, the water meters in Kāpiti that appear to be helping to avoid water shortages, a battle over the future of the Levin race course and the long running Ōtaki Kite and Māoriland Film Festivals set to go ahead despite funding struggles.

11:05 Music reviewer Jeremy Taylor​

Jeremy's picks this week include Dry Cleaning, Lucinda Williams and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman  

Sam discusses the latest at the Australian Open in Melbourne, while the Black Caps win big in their final T20 cricket match against India.

11:45 The week that was

Comedians Elisabeth Easther and Irene Pink find the humour in recent news and current events including Egypt's terrible tennis player, the Norwegian ski teams uniform tampering and the two-year-old snooker player.