Nine To Noon for Tuesday 18 March 2025

09:05  Concern over national waste water proposals

The national water regulator is proposing allowing no limit on some types of discharge from wastewater plants into the sea, alarming a leading water scientist. Consenting for wastewater plants is done by regional councils, but as but as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well initiative, Taumata Arowai is setting national standards for consenting.  It is proposing that apart from e-coli and ammonia, no limit be imposed on any other discharge,  because of the ocean's ability to dilute and break up contaminants.  Kathryn speaks with Freshwater scientist Dr Mike Joy;  and Sara McFall, head of systems, strategy, and performance at Taumata Arowai.

09:20  The  "largest ever" wealth transfer is starting as baby boomers begin to die.     

The "largest ever" intergenerational wealth transfer is underway in New Zealand, and around the world, as baby boomers begin to pass. A report from financial advisors, JBWere, estimates that inheritances in New Zealand of around $27 billion in 2024 will grow to a staggering $1.6 trillion by 2050. New Zealand remains near the top, globally, for average household wealth, despite pressing inequality issues and a significant wealth gap between young  and old. But this country is behind many others when it comes to leaving charitable bequests. Kathryn is joined by the author of the JBWere report John McLeod 

09:35 Government need not 'reinvent the wheel' when digitising services 

The Government need not 'reinvent the wheel' when digitising services, according to a leading tech chief executive. Several aspects of the public service are in the middle of digital initiatives with several hundred million dollars planned to be spent on IT overhauls. But should the Government be doing more to consider cheaper alternatives - such as using more open source software. It is not unheard of for a government to use open source software - the Covid-19 tracer app was based off open source software. Sigurd Magnusson is chief executive of Silverstripe - an IT company that provides open source content management systems. He says we should look to what similar parts of the world are doing well and copy them.

09:45 USA correspondent Ron Elving

US Congress passes a stopgap spending bill to the chagrin of some Democrats but the big budgeting decisions are still to come. That as President Trump says he will talk to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later this week about the Ukraine ceasefire deal. 

Ron Elving is a Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk for NPR news.

10:05 Behavioural economist Cahal Moran on why we're getting poorer 

Donald Trump's yo-yo moves on tariffs, and the retaliatory response from America's trading partners has created global tumult, market volatility and stoked fears the world's biggest economy could be on the road to recession. But this economic erraticness has been the norm for quite some time. Dr Cahal Moran is behavioural economist and a fellow at the London School of Economics, who founded a YouTube channel called Unlearning Economics. He says his entire adult life has been punctuated by economic crises: the global financial crisis, austerity, Brexit, pandemic, supply chain issues, cost of living crisis...and now this. So where did the global economic system go so wrong? What happened to put home ownership out of reach for so many? Why are there so many billionaires now? Cahal talks about all these issues in his book 'Why we're getting poorer: A realist's guide to the economy and how we can fix it'.

10:30 Kiwi Gene therapy scientist's warning over GMO bill

A New Zealand scientist who works on gene therapies to treat human diseases - is sounding a warning over the loosening of our laws on genetic modification. The government's Gene Technology Bill before parliament, overhauls the regulatory regime governing the use of gene technology and genetically modified organisms, with the aim to enable their safe use. If passed, it will end New Zealand's nearly 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab, with the government citing `health, productivity and climate gains. ' The bill has received around 15,000 submissions.  New Zealander David Williams is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he's working on gene therapies to treat inherited human diseases. He grew up on the sheep and beef farm in Canterbury, and says easing GMO regulations will not necessarily deliver any sustainable net benefit to kiwi farmers.

10:35 Book review: Theft  by Abdulrazak Gurnah 

Kim Pittar from Muir's Independent Bookshop Gisborne reviews Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah published by Bloomsbury

10:45 Around the motu: Mike Tweed in Whanganui

Mike discusses the latest events in Whanganui including the food scraps collection service being scrapped, updates on the Dublin St Bridge, council staff abuse, and there will be a citizens' assembly to decide what happens to an open air pool in Whanganui East.

Mike Tweed is a Multimedia Journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle.

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

NZME is going through a possible board overhaul led by private equity founder Jim Grenon. Rebecca looks at a possible deal around international flights between New Zealand and India as well as moves from the union supporting thousands of Starbucks workers in the US.

11:25 A love letter to fallen Irish music icons

Camille O'Sullivan is an Irish-French musician, vocalist and actress. Previously an award-winning architect and portrait painter, she is known for her interpretations of the songs of Nick Cave,Tom Waits, David Bowie, Radiohead and more. The Daily Telegraph recently voted her one of the top 25 performances ever on the BBC TV music show, Later with Jools Holland.  She has also toured with The Pogues. Camille O'Sullivan has headlined the likes of Sydney Opera House and London's Royal Albert Hall, and performs her show Love Letter this week as part of the Auckland Arts Festival. The show, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, is in memory of her dear departed friends, Sinead O'Connor and The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, among others.  

11:45 Sports-chat with Sam Ackerman

A mixed rowing eight will be trialled as a new competition at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai - with the prospect of it being added to the 2028 LA Olympics. Sam also discusses Liam Lawson's start to the F1 season and how the 'Wahs' and Auckland FC share a stadium.