Nine To Noon for Wednesday 29 October 2025

09:05 Firefighters frustrated with delays and station problems

Lower Hutt firefighters say they can't get to fires fast enough because a key station has been closed for nearly 4 years, and their union says there are there are also problems elsewhere. Hutt firefighters have been largely working out of the Avalon station, after the station on Marsden St had to be closed in December 2021, due to water leaking through the ceiling. As a result, they are no longer able to meet the target of reaching 80% of call outs within eight minutes. Wellington secretary of the Professional Firefighters’ Union Kurt Walsh says residents, particularly in Petone and the Western hills, are paying fire levies but receiving a reduced service. National secretary Wattie Watson says there are also problems with stations in Auckland and Tauranga. In response, FENZ says Hutt crews are still able to serve the region, and there are plans in place to resolve issues elsewhere.

09:20 Top scientist calls out woeful funding arrangements

A recent government science funding announcement has not impressed one of the country's top scientists, who says the country's best researchers are being driven overseas. Cognitive scientist Dr Samuel Mehr says New Zealand's top minds will leave if the science funding system doesn't change. He was awarded the Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize in 2023 - a top honour for New Zealand researchers - for his work on how humans perceive and create music. Earlier this month, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti announced a single, independent board, called Research Funding New Zealand, will be established to make most funding decisions. But, Samuel Mehr says New Zealand has lost its reputation as a hub for innovation, and with other countries offering millions of dollars in grants and relocation fees, the best researchers will being driven overseas.

09:30 Helping thousands in need: Wellington City Mission

Wellington City Mission is celebrating one year in its purpose-built $50 million innovative hub in Newtown where it has supported thousands of people and families in need. Whakamaru provides transitional housing apartments,  pay-if-you-can cafe, social supermarket, medical centre and free showers and laundry for anyone in need. Whakamaru is home to a team of social workers, financial mentors, counsellors, and peer support workers. Kathryn speaks with Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge.

09:45 Australia: Watchdog sues Microsoft, Albanese's US success

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche to talk about the decision by the competition watchdog ACCC to sue Microsoft for alleged misleading conduct over adding Copilot AI to its 365 subscription and charging customers more for it. Meanwhile Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was photographed getting off his plane in a Joy Division t-shirt after his US trip.

Chris Niesche is a business journalist with two decades' experience and a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. 

10:05 Why is the world so transfixed with art heists? 

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from Paris' Louvre museum. The seven-minute heist last week saw the thieves get away with priceless necklaces, earrings, brooches and crowns once belonging to the French aristocracy. Ever since the audacious Parisian break-in, Dr Penelope Jackson's phone has been ringing off the hook. With the world seemingly transfixed by the thrill of the heist - people are desperate to know more. But why is the world and Hollywood transfixed by the thrill of the heist? What motivates thieves? What happens when a burglary goes wrong? Which they sometimes do. In 2023, Penelope became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to art crime research and visual arts. She also has a new book coming out, focusing on Australian art crime. Penelope Jackson speaks to Kathryn Ryan. 

10:30 Farmers in Southland juggling power supply

A week after storms that caused widespread damage, farmers in Southland are still struggling with power supplies. The local rural support trust says nearly 4 thousand households in the region are still without power. The chair of Rural Support Trust Southland,  Simon Hopcroft, says dairy farmer do now have generators, but some are starting to fail as they've been running so long. He says there is a huge amount of damage to clean up, but people are now  beginning to grapple with severe fatigue.

1035: Book review: Twist by Colum McCann

Sally Wenley reviews Twist by Colum McCann, published by Bloomsbury. RRP: $37   

10:45 Around the motu: Kirsty Pickett on Southland

Southland correspondent Kirsty Pickett joins Kathryn to talk about how the deep south fared in the recent bad spring weather, particularly in Fiordland, where a landslide left a house perched on a cliff edge. The Labour weekend weather left the region unusually quiet.

Kirsty Pickett co owner of the Southland App based in Te Anau, covering Southland and Fiordland.

11:05 'The ants are my friends, they’re blowing in the wind’ (and other misheard lyrics)

Today Ian Chapman explores the entertaining and often amusing world of the mondegreen - aka the misheard lyric. Many of the world's biggest and most-loved pop and rock artists have released classic songs that feature hard to discern words or lines. When this happens listeners will frequently insert their own interpretation(s) - for better or for worse. Today’s show will feature several examples of this phenomenon, including some where the artist has later acknowledged the ambiguity and even playfully adopted a mis-heard version in place of the original. 

Ian Chapman is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Music at the University of Otago. 

11:25 Māori Land March, 50 years on

This month, 50 years ago the Māori Land March entered Parliament grounds on a rainy day led by Dame Whina Cooper. It had begun a month earlier from Te Hapua in the Far North, and over the month, the march grew from 50 to 5,000 people, with 60,000 signing a petition protesting the loss of Māori land. Days before the march reached Wellington, the Waitangi Tribunal was established in law, and it would become a major forum for expressing Māori concerns about the loss of rights to land and sea. Historian Jock Phillips reflects on what effect the march had on Pakeha and Māori relations.

11:45 Why you shouldn't leave your retirement saving to chance

Money expert Liz Koh joins Kathryn to talk about the annual Massey University retirement spending guidelines, which yet again shows that retirees spend more than they get from NZ Superannuation. She'll talk through the differences between planning for retirement and saving for retirement and why retirement saving shouldn't be left to chance.

Liz Koh is a money expert specializing in retirement planning. The advice given here is general and does not constitute specific advice to any person.