Nine To Noon for Tuesday 25 March 2025

09:05 Have primary health organisations become overly corporate?

A retired accountant says Primary Health Organisations have become overly corporatised and top-heavy, taking too much of the health spend compared to GP's. Murray Lilley has used publicly available records to compare some of the biggest PHO's -  ProCure, Pinnacle, Pegasus and Tu Ora Compass, and a couple of smaller ones -- on how they were managing and distributing government funding. He found the PHO share of government funding for primary health had increased by 70% over pre-Covid levels,  reducing the share available for GPs.  Murray Lilley also points to an increase in the size and operating costs of PHOs and the number of staff now being paid over $100,000 dollars a year. His report was sent to the office of the Health Minister - Simeon Brown - but has also been leaked and sent to many GP practices. Christchurch GP Dr Angus Chambers, who is also the chair of GenPro - the organisation that represents independent GPs,  says his sector shares Mr Lilley's concerns. Dr Bryan Betty - who chairs GPNZ, which represents the Primary Health Organisations, responds, saying the report is piecemeal and inaccurate.

09:20 The Kiwi start up turning dairy industry waste into high-quality protein

A Hawke's Bay biotech company is using cutting edge technology to turn waste from the dairy industry into high value protein. Start-up Mara Bio uses fungal fermentation and microorganisms to upcycle what is usually destined for landfill - thus reducing waste and emissions and generating new revenue streams for dairy producers The resulting protein can be added to range of food products, from oat milk ice cream to protein-enriched pasta, and protein bars and shakes. Mara Bio has won the start-up the top award at Australia's Agriventures evokeAG conference, and its now working to bring the product to market. Mark Balchin is one of the brains behind Mara Bio.

09:40 Auckland councillors told neither stadium option viable

Auckland Councillors are due to vote on two competing projects to be Auckland's main stadium today - but advice from Council staff is that neither is a viable option without significant public funding. The two options are an upgrade to Eden Park or a new waterfront stadium. Kathryn speaks with RNZ journalist Felix Walton about the advice released to councillors ahead of their vote on Thursday.

09:45 US correspondent Ximena Bustillo

The Department of Homeland Security is cutting back its civil rights and oversight offices after it revoked parole status from half a million people. The Education Department has become another target of Government cuts while farmers voice fears about a possible trade war.    

Ximena Bustillo NPR politics reporter based in Washington 

10:05 Sarah Anderson: why silence is golden

Sarah Anderson is a writer, painter and the founder of the Travel Bookshop in London which featured in the film Notting Hill. Sarah latest book is called The Lost Art of Silence : Reconnecting to the Power and Beauty of Quiet, in which she argues that in the cacophony of the world, silence is often overlooked. She says even if it feels uncomfortable sometimes - spending time in silence is a place worth discovering. She joins Kathryn from London.

10:35 Book review: Invisible Boys TV Tie-in edition by Holden Sheppard 

Sally Wenley reviews Invisible Boys TV Tie-in edition by Holden Sheppard published by Fremantle Press

10:45 Around the motu: Tess Brunton in Dunedin 

Tess discusses updates on the Queenstown Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant, Dunedin's mayor has expressed frustration with the slow progress of the hospital upgrade, and a new bylaw for freedom campers in Queenstown Lakes is being pursued.

Tess Brunton is a RNZ reporter based in Dunedin covering Otago and Southland.

11:05 Business commentator Dan Brunskill

The Government is moving to standardised zoning as part of its Resource Management reform to simplify more than 1000 different zones used by various councils. How do we define a recession? It is the question economists are juggling with consumer confidence low as GDP ticked upwards. Dan also discusses the Prime Minister's visit to India to get a trade deal over the line.

Dan Brunskill is an economic policy reporter for Interest NZ

11:25 Ruben Mita's mushroom guide 

Mushroom season is upon us but how do you know what to look for?  Ecologist Ruben Mita has written a guide to all of the typical mushrooms you will find in various parts of the country. The guide includes edible favourites like porcini, the good old white field mushroom - but also the psychedelics and the poisonous. There are also the weird ones - the stinkhorns like a red claw coming out of the ground - and the bird's nest fungi. Ruben has degrees in Ecology, English and Music from Victoria University. 

11:45 Sports correspondent Glen Larmer

New Zealand qualifies for their third appearance at a FIFA men's football World Cup after a 3-0 win over New Caledonia in Auckland. Could Liam Lawson be axed before the Japanese Grand Prix next month, and Glen remembers one of the great characters in New Zealand rugby coaching - Alex 'Grizz' Wylie.