Nine To Noon for Monday 2 February 2026

09:05 New options now available for getting ADHD medication

Changes that came in yesterday, at the start of the month, that mean doctors and nurse practitioners can now prescribe medicine for those with ADHD without first needing to needing to see a psychiatrist. The aim of the changes was to make it easier for individuals to get a diagnosis and treatment in the face of a stretched mental health service and high costs and  lengthy waits for private appointments. But Psychiatrists are worried about primary health training and time allocated for a proper assessment. Kathryn speaks to Dr David Chinn,  the ADHD spokesperson at College of Psychiatrists and a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

09:20 Record numbers of people switching banks

Record numbers of people switched banks in December, as mortgage lending statistics hit record highs, according to new Reserve Bank figures. In December $5.8 billion worth of lending was switched - more than double the previous high which was $2.6 billion recorded in July. More than 8000 mortgages moved, and the average size of those loans moving was more than $718,000. Total gross lending flows hit a new record high of $14.1 billion. Kelvin Davidson is chief economist at Cotality. 

09:35 Researchers calling for fibre to be 'essential nutrient'

Researchers are calling for dietary fibre to be deemed an "essential nutrient", which they say would recognise its importance for people's health. If successful, it would be the first new essential nutrient in more than 50 years. Kathryn talks to Otago University Professor Sir Jim Mann, who says consuming fibre has significant health benefits and many of us are not getting enough.

09:45 Germany correspondent Thomas Sparrow 

EU toughens up on illegal arrivals in new migration policy, Friedrich Merz calls for Germany and Europe to obtain greater technological independence in order to reduce reliance on the United States, and like potatoes? Berlin is giving away 4 million kilos.

Thomas Sparrow is RNZ's correspondent based in Berlin.

10:05 The Kiwi designer netting global accolades for her costume creations

Kiwi costume designer Kate Hawley's year has got off to a great start. Just over a week ago she received an Oscar nomination for her work on the Guillermo Del Toro-directed Frankenstein - one of nine the film received. Five days later - the Baftas were out - and Kate is among the film's eight nominations there too. She's already won Best Costume Design at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards in early January and late last year she won the British Fashion Council's inaugural Costume Designer of the Year award. Frankenstein is the most recent viewpoint for Kate's creations - her work's been seen in a host of other movies including Edge of Tomorrow, Mortal Engines, Suicide Squad, Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak - those latter two productions also de Toro projects. She's also designed costumes for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She joins Kathryn from London.

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

Stella Chrysostomou reviews three of her favourite books from last year: Calculation of Volume 1 by Solvej Balle, published by Allen & Unwin, Slowing the Sun by Nadine Hura, published by Bridget Williams Books, and The Rose Field  by Phillip Pullman, published by Penguin Books.

10:45 Around the motu: Tom Hunt, senior report at Wellington's The Post

Tom discusses the pressures on Wellington Hospital ED, a stoush over access holding up intensified housing apartment plan in Mount Victoria, rennovations for a major retaining wall providing access in and out of one of  New Zealand's biggest suburb and a row over a new funeral home.

11:05 Political commentators Tim Hurdle and Lianne Dalziel

Tim Hurdle is a former National senior adviser, consultant and director of several companies. He is currently the Campaign Director for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. 

Lianne Dalziel is a life member of the Labour Party and a former MP and Cabinet Minister. She ran as an independent for Christchurch's mayoralty in 2013 and was the city's mayor for three terms. She writes a regular column for Newsroom.co.nz.

11:25 'Who ate all the Pies' is literally Steven Turner's business

For 18 years Lancashire lad Steven Turner's been churning out pies from his Dunedin-based business 'Who ate all the Pies?'. It was quite the change from IT, which is what he used to do overseas. He'd only just settled in Dunedin when the chance to own the business came up, and Steven - who'd tried their products at the local farmers market and loved them - jumped at the opportunity. The company sells itself as "making pies the hard way" - for Steven that means using more old-fashioned methods of pie making. There's the Kiwi classics of course, but he and his team like to experiment - before Christmas they sold a thousand haggis pies in a week. Steven joins Kathryn from his "pie palace" in Dunedin - which is located in the very Scots-sounding Glasgow Street.

11:45 Urban Issues with Bill McKay

What's in store for 2026? Bill McKay looks at how government policy and election promises may impact the urban environment. 

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