Nine To Noon

09:05 ComCom cuts transaction fees

The Commerce Commission has confirmed it will reduce how much banks can charge to process credit card payments, which it says will save Kiwi businesses $90 million a year. The Interchange fee makes up about 60 per cent of the total fee a business has to pay to accept credit card and contactless payments. The Commission says those fees cost businesses around $1 billion a year, which is often passed onto their customers through surcharges and higher product costs. It has not made a decision yet on regulating those surcharges - with Commission chair John Small saying this will be the next step. An initial pricing cap on interchange fees for some domestic transactions on the Mastercard and Visa credit and debit networks came into force in November 2022, which is estimated to have saved businesses $160 million a year.

09:20 Scrutinising mining project returns

When the final decisions were made over which projects would get the go-ahead under the fast track provisions, 11 mining projects made it through. Several gold and coal mines and three iron sand extraction projects. Overall, 149 projects covering a wide variety of activities were selected by the government for what was called their significant regional or national benefits. Environmentalists have been at the forefront of the debate over the mining projects in particular. But Glenn Banks, a professor of Geography at  Massey University, who also has decades of experience consulting on mining projects and mineral policy in the Pacific, says the economic returns are rarely interrogated. He argues the environmental and economic debates are inseparable. Industry representatives say the sector can help drive growth and that it provides substantial returns. Kathryn is joined by Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography at Massey University, and Josie Vidal is the CEO of the New Zealand Minerals Council.

09:30 Banking Association on consumer credit changes

Earlier this week Nine to Noon touched on changes to legislation governing consumer credit. Kathryn spoke to Scott Russell, who's the lawyer leading a class action against two of New Zealand's biggest banks - ASB and ANZ - over disclosure breaches made between 2015 and 2019. He has concerns that a bill to amend the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act would apply retrospectively, and has the potential to impact the legal action that's been underway since 2021. Currently lenders have to refund all fees and interest charged if they were in breach of disclosure laws; what's proposed would see the courts decide what is 'just' and 'equitable' in any breach. The New Zealand Bankers' Association has welcomed the amendment Bill, saying it tidies up the existing legislation to ensure that all breaches are treated the same as those currently. The Association's Roger Beaumont made a submission on the Bill yesterday to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee and joins Kathryn.

09:40 What will it take to rebuild Ukraine?

The war in Ukraine is now well into its third year, with Russia's bombardment of the country using increasing in recent weeks. A record number of drones and missiles have been used to attack the capital Kyiv, forcing residents to spend nights in metro stations and basements. Russia's summer offensive comes as European, business and financial leaders convened last week in Rome to discuss how the country could rebuild once the conflict ends.  Among those attending was Sonia Khush, who's country lead for Save the Children in Ukraine. As well as the billions that'll be needed for the physical reconstruction, the organisation says there must be an investment in the education and skills for the younger generation of Ukrainians.

09:45 UK: Secret plan to relocated Afghan nationals named in leak revealed

UK correspondent Harriet Line joins Kathryn on the extraordinary data leak about 19,000 Afghans trying to flee to the UK, which led to a £850 million secret relocation scheme - which in turn,  led to a super-injunction to cover it all up....until this week. She'll also look at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's purge of troublesome backbenchers and another hosepipe ban being brought in as parts of England deal with drought.

Harriet Line is Deputy Political Editor of the Daily Mail

10:05  Can you control your dreams? 

Ancient societies considered dreams to be either supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention. But in modern times, our minds and dreams have become the research topic for neuroscientists Dr. Benjamin Baird, a research professor of cognitive neuroscience at The University of Texas, is one of them.  His studies include how we can control our dreams and how lucid dreaming can affect us when we're awake. 

10:35 Book review: Endling by Maria Reva 

Jenna Todd from Time Out Books reviews Endling by Maria Reva published by Virago.

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

The French men's national rugby team has snubbed staying in Hamilton where the third test against the All Blacks is being held, in favour of staying in Auckland. The public pressure put on Waikato Hospital to cut its cardiac surgery waitlist and Te Huia train is to start a Sunday service.

11:05 Tech: Legal means to fight deepfakes - do they work?

Technology correspondent Alex Sims joins Kathryn to talk about how different countries are going down legal routes to combat the rise in deepfakes - AI-generated images, videos and voices. In a UK and US study this year, just one in a thousand people could spot a deepfake. Alex explores how South Korea, the US and Denmark are all harnessing their laws to tackle deepfakes, but doing it in different ways. And she points out, not all deepfakes are harmful and some of the laws proposed could stymie satire and free expression.

Alex Sims is an Associate Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland Business School and an expert on blockchain technology, copyright law and consumer law.

11:25 What's it like being a grandparent in your 30s? 

At 37, many people are still getting to grips with being a parent. Matty Acton was learning how to be a grandparent. He and his wife Esther have two kids, aged 8 and 11, and he's also stepdad to Esther's 23 year old son Ethan - who became a dad himself last year. Esther and Matty, who's also a breakfast radio host on Brisbane's B105 radio station, have been documenting their journey on their podcast called Underaged Grandparents. In it they explore the unexpected challenges of becoming grandies while still navigating parenting, marriage and life in general. Matty also has well over 200-thousand followers on Facebook and Instagram, where he posts skits about daily life - like 'how to trick your kids into a confession', 'when mum has had enough', how house rules change when you have guests' and 'things parents of boys say...parts one and two.'

11:45 Screentime: Too Much, And Just Like That, Emmy nominations

Film and TV reviewer Perlina Lau joins Kathryn to talk about the new show from Girls creator Lena Dunham, Too Much. She'll also talk about the 3rd season of And Just Like That, the sequel to the hit show Sex and the City - why has it become the show people love to hate? And the Emmy nominations were announced yesterday - who's in and who's been snubbed?

Perlina Lau is co-host of RNZ's Culture 101 programme