Nine To Noon

Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele ousted, New Caledonia suspends trade cooperation with Vanuatu, Starlink set to return to Papua New Guinea and a security deal between Fiji and Australia appears close. RNZ editor Koroi Hawkins with the latest from the region.

After more than a century of neglect, restoration work is well underway to restore Wellington's largest stream system, the Kaiwharawhara awa. The programme is led by Zealandia and its General Manger is Mark Ormsby.

Stagnant rents, vacancies and falling capital gains and seeing so-called mum and dad investors are pulling back from owning rental properties. But what does that mean for the housing market? Auckland University associate professor Michael Rehm.

Dunedin Hospital has a new nurse led assessment unit that it's hoped will take the pressure off the emergency department. Southern chief nurse, Jane Wilson explains more about how the until will work in with the emergency service.

Film and TV reviewer James Croot joins Susie to discuss The Devil Wears Prada sequel, does it live up to the first - which was made 20 years ago? Widow's Bay is a horror comedy starring The American's Matthew Rhys as a small town mayor keen to overcome the community's cursed reputation. And Secret Service is a spy thriller, based on the book by Tom Bradby. You can listen to the interview Kathryn did with Tom about his novel in 2019. James Croot is a TV Guide and The Press film and TV reviewer.

André Ngapo is learning designer and national coach at Brainwave Trust Aotearoa which focuses giving tamariki the best start in life.

Technology journalist Bill Bennett joins Susie to talk about how a move to "digital minimalism" is seeing younger parents reinstalling home phones to combat smartphone burnout, or switching to "dumb" phones. But how does that work in New Zealand where the old copper phone network is about to be turned off? A Chinese court has ruled it's illegal to replace human workers with AI and major battery manufacturers are moving to deploy sodium-ion batteries for home energy storage - could this be a major breakthrough that will substantially cheapen EVs? Bill Bennett is an Auckland-based technology journalist

Local worries over council reform, drive to prevent deaths during Road Safety Week, winter PJ drive, and new bridge underway for Tongariro River Trail. Jesse Archer is with LakeFM in Taupo.

Jane Westaway reviews Departure (s) by Julian Barnes, published by Penguin Random House.

Caterpillar is a drama about three generations of a family of women living together: one struggling to hide her dementia, a tetchy teen with acting aspirations and a middle-aged filmmaker who's trying to juggle her career and home life.