Nine To Noon

09:05 Government books: no surplus til 2030

The government books were opened yesterday revealing no return to surplus expected til 2030 - according to the half year economic update released by Treasury yesterday. The Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pointing to a slower economy, lower tax take and higher debt costs ....but maintains she can achieve surplus six months earlier than the Treasury forecast. However Ms Willis says this will require ongoing restraint and tight control of discretionary spending and the operating allowances will not exceed $2.4 billion in next year’s Budget.  Kathryn speaks with economist Cameron Bagrie.

09:25 The state of industrial relations - PSA leader, Fleur Fitzsimons

In the last 12 months there's been a swathe of industrial action including a megastrike - one of the largest strikes in New Zealand's history. The industrial action in October involved of more than 100,000 primary and secondary teachers, primary principals, teacher aides, nurses, doctors, ACC workers, and other healthcare workers. Polls at the time indicated the majority of the public backed the strikes. There has been some progress, but many major disputes remain unresolved and a significant number of pay negotiations are due to kick off in the New Year. It's been a year when Fleur Fitzsimons took on co - leading the country's largest union, the Public Service Association. She joins Kathryn to look back at 2025 and to the year ahead.

09:35 The difficulty of finding poo donors

It may sound a bit gross but poo donations - or fecal transplants - can be life changing for the recipients. But giving a donation is not a simple matter and finding people who meet the strict eligibility criteria can prove tricky. Liggins Institute professor Justin O’Sullivan explains why enthusiasm alone isn’t enough to find donors.

09:45 Australia: Bondi latest, expenses scandal, Budget update

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn with the latest on the Bondi shootings, including how public debate has now shifted to political recriminations, now the government has announced it would tighten gun laws. But is it doing enough to fight off claims it's failed to address anti-Semitism? The shootings took a parliamentary expenses scandal off the front pages and a mid-year Budget update is on the cards today.

Karen Middleton is a political journalist based in Canberra

10:05 Artist Fifi Colston on 30 years of WOW, and what comes next 

After 30 years of spectacular designs for the World of Wearable Arts, one of New Zealand's most prolific illustrators, creators, designers and writers has hung up the hot glue gun. Well ... not entirely. But after entering the competition every year since 1995 Fifi Colston chose 2025 for her final year - delivering her Magnum Opus "Meine Erste Liebe". Fifi Colston has illustrated more than 50 picture books, presented arts and crafts across the TV shows What Now and the Good Morning show for 13 years, and has contributed design, costumes and props to film, television and stage. She's also a published author and was Otago University College of Education Children’s Writer in Residence in 2019. She's just returned from a 3 week residency in France and creative presentations in Bristol and the Hong Kong Design Institute.

10:30 New sports charter school in Upper Hutt

A new charter school in Upper Hutt focused on high-performance sports is set to open next year. The New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa (NZPAA) will be a co-ed school for high school years 11 to 13. With about a third of students expected to board at the facility. The students will be housed at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, which is where teams such as the Wellington Phoenix and the Hurricanes train. They are starting at the beginning of 2026 - and the school's first chief executive is Karen van Gemerden.

10:35 Book review: What Have I Done? My Autobiography by Ben Elton

Gina Rogers reviews What Have I Done? My Autobiography by Ben Elton, published by Macmillan.

10:45 Around the motu: Jesse Archer in Taupō

Jesse Archer from LakeFM in Taupō

11:05 Music with Maggie Tweedie: Not your usual Christmas songs

11:30 The biggest space stories of 2025 and a sneak peek of what's on the horizon

2025 marked another year of big developments in space exploration, including NASA's Project Artemis that will take humans farther from Earth than anyone's been for over 50 years. Commercial space tourism continues apace, with celebrities like Katy Perry making it past the Karman line on the all-female Blue Origin flight.  A number of space rover missions are providing invaluable data about some of our neighbouring planets, their moons and visiting asteroids to our galaxy. And down on Earth we've seen some stunning auroras this year. To talk in more detail about this year's big space stories and look ahead to what's planned for next year, Kathryn is joined by Rob Davison from Auckland's Te Whatu Stardome. Te Whatu Stardome is running its Year in Space show through to mid-January. More details here.

11:45 The biggest science stories of 2025

Science commentator Dr Jen Martin joins Kathryn with four of the top discoveries of the year - including that Neanderthals made fire far earlier than was thought, there are five distinct stages a human brain goes through as it rewires itself from birth to old age (which are you in right now?), 2025 is on track to tie with 2023 as the second-hottest year on record and what we attribute to someone we think of as 'cool'.

She founded the science communication program at the University of Melbourne, runs the espressoscience.com blog and is also the author of Why Am I Like This?: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits.