Nine To Noon for Tuesday 11 February 2025

09:05 Disability support services back in the spotlight

Disabled people's funding is back in the spotlight with consultation now open on how disability support services should be structured. In March last year, as the Ministry of Disabled People's support services budget lurched toward another blow-out, it attempted to stem the flow of cash by limiting what disabled people could spend their money on. It set off a series of changes, including the then-Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds losing the portfolio to Louise Upston.  Ms Upston commissioned an independent review into the system. That report found the delivery of support services was inconsistent, policy settings were inappropriate and there was inadequate control of the budget.  That led to a pause on the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives demonstration sites, moving responsibility for support services into the Ministry for Social Development,  and putting a freeze on residential care funding. More recently, disabled people and their carers have reported their funding allocations being slashed by as much as 50 percent - with Carers NZ saying they are often told this is due to budgetary constraints. Now, almost a year since those initial changes,  fresh consultation has begun on options for changes to flexible funding. Kathryn speaks to Joanne Dacombe who is the immediate past President of the Disabled Persons Assembly, and Jade Farrar who is the chair of the National Enabling Good Lives leadership group.

09:25 What businesses need to do to get in front of AI searches 

As AI 'zero click' online searches continue rapid growth, what do businesses need to do to get in front of customers online? A 'zero click' search means someone searching online gets given an answer by artificial intelligence rather than being offered websites that may contain an answer. Businesses have spent years focusing on SEO - search engine optimisation - which is a technique using keywords and content to get consumers to visit a certain website. Last year saw a decline in Google search use in New Zealand as ChatGPT and other platforms grew in popularity, according to Pure SEO chief executive Richard Conway. He says Google search is at risk because ChatGPT has more complete answers, with less spam. With traffic from Google on a decline since 2020, Richard has advice for businesses wanting to stay in front of customers. 

09:45 USA correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben

President Trump's big talk on tariffs on China have the world waiting for more clarity. Elsewhere a federal judge has blocked Elon Musk from accessing Treasury data and the President is trying to turn campaign rhetoric against transgender rights into law. 

Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk.

10:05 Longevity expert Luigi Fontana on the best foods to prevent age-related diseases

Can you eat your way to living longer? Kathryn's guest Luigi Fontana can provide some crucial insights into which foods can help prevent age-related diseases. He's a professor of medicine and nutrition who's based at the University of Sydney and is recognised as a leading expert on longevity. He's written three books: First - The Path to Longevity: How to reach 100 with the health and stamina of a 40-year old; then the Manual of Health Longevity and Wellbeing: A Three-Step Plan. His latest is Plant Power: The Essential Plant Food Guide to Enrich Your Health. It's aimed, he says, at answering some of the most common questions he gets from people he knows - what should they be eating to maximise their health?  As well as explaining the science behind plant-based food benefits, and advice on incorporating it into your diet - it's also chock-full of recipes.

10:35 Book review: Three of the best from 2024

Harry Ricketts reviews three of his favourite books from last year: The Mermaid Chronicles: A Midlife Mer-moir by Megan Dunne, published by Penguin, The Raven's Eye Runaways by Claire Mabey, published by Allen & Unwin Children's NZ, Slim Volume by James Brown published by Te Herenga Waka University Press 

10:45 Around the motu: Piers Fuller in Wairarapa

Piers discusses the latest issues in Wairarapa including the community's response to the Wairarapa hospital's lacking orthopaedic services, the council is set to throw weight behind the new hill road, updates in the upcoming race for South Wairarapa's Mayor, and the impact of overnight speed limit changes.

Piers Fuller is the editor of the Wairarapa Times-Age, based in Masterton.

11:05 Business commentator Dan Brunskill

As the Government opens more avenues for foreign investment to come into the country, bank CEOs face scrutiny over their climate lending policies. Dan also takes a look back at last week's unemployment data, an interesting speech at Ōnuku marae in Akaroa, and a new idea to raise funds for infrastructure.

11:30 50 shades of fey: Helen Scheuerer on the rise of the romantasy genre

An interesting phenomenon's been happening in the world of publishing - the rise of the romantasy book genre. It's where fantastical worlds mix with romantic plotlines - and the number of books sold is booming, in the US alone it helped drive an increase in fiction by one percent or 9.5m units - in the UK sales of science fiction and fantasy books increased in value by 41 percent between 2023 and 2024. Someone who knows the genre inside out is Queenstown-based author Helen Scheuerer. She's behind the best-selling series The Legends of Thezmarr - and now, The Ashes of Thezmarr. Book one of the new series is called Iron & Embers - and tells the story of Wren - an alchemist-turned assassin who's been seeking revenge over the deaths of her friends in a previous war. There's love - and some activity that necessitates an explicit content warning on the book. And it also comes with a legion of fans, already waiting for her next installment.

11:45 Sport with Joe Porter

RNZ Sports reporter, Joe Porter, previews the opening round of Super Rugby this weekend. Joe also discusses the Black Caps' promising start in Pakistan, and the Queenstown skier Alice Robinson, who is up for her big event at the ski world championships in Austria.