Nine To Noon

Karma Drinks has spent the past 12 years building a company that aims to make the most ethical soft drinks in the world. Its ingredients are ethically sourced, organic and one percent of revenue from every drink goes back to the Sierra Leone villages that grow them. In October this year Karma Drinks achieved B Corp certification - recognition that the company has achieved the highest standards of social and environmental performance. And last month the company took top honours at the Sustainable Business Awards. Chris Morrison is Karma Drinks co-founder, director and part of the Executive Team and joins Kathryn to talk about how the company is improving the lives of others, one drink at a time.

Danielle has the latest on the Jan. 6 panel which is to vote on criminal referrals against former President Trump. Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk

Almost a year on from Tonga's devastating undersea volcanic eruption, volcanologist Shane Cronin asseses the impact and implications for monitoring other Pacific fault lines. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha apai eruption in January generated a huge tsunami that reached the coasts of Japan and the Americas, claiming six lives, injuring 20 people and causing damage in excess of 100 million dollars. The submarine volcano lies around 65 kilometres north of the Kingdom's main island, Tongatapu, and it was biggest atmospheric explosion recorded on Earth in more than 100 years. It is part of the active Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone and the volcanic arc associated with it extends from New Zealand to Samoa. Since the eruption University of Auckland vulcanologist Shane Cronin has been back to Tonga, leading the local science response and identifying ongoing hazards.

What can drivers expect from our roads as they set out to hotspots and hideaways around the motu this holiday period? The ribbon is being cut on the brand new thirteen kilometre four-lane stretch of State Highway One from Peka Peka to Otaki tomorrow. It's the second new road to open this year to smooth traffic flows north of the capital. Meanwhile roadworks have slowed traffic to single lanes recently north and southbound on Transmission Gully, after the brand new chip seal road surface was pot-holed by heavy rain. Meanwhile road works on State Highway 6 between Hira and the Rai Valley have been completed ahead of schedule. Kathryn speaks with Waka Kotahi Regional Manager Mark Owen for a driver's seat view of the state of our roads as the rubber hits the road for the festive season.

AUT's plans to made 170 academic staff redundant have been knocked-back by the Employment Relations Authority. It has found the University's process for issuing redundancy notices was flawed and breaches the collective agreement. The ERA has ruled that volunteers for redundancy should have been called for once specific positions were identified as surplus. If this had happened potentially affected staff should have then been given the opportunity to apply for voluntary severance. But AUT called for voluntary redundancy before individual staff knew whether their jobs would be among the 170 academic positions to disappear. Kathryn speaks with a a Senior lecturer at AUT with more than 20 years experience who is one of 170 staff made redundant

Bill McKay talks to Kathryn about architecture and three events which have promoted more public discussion about the built environment. He says all good in their own ways but all quite different, so an exploration of the pros and cons.

It's been a hard year for many New Zealanders, particularly with grocery prices soaring. Budget food blogger Kathrine Lynch has dollar stretching ideas for a hearty Christmas meal for 8-10 people for under 200 dollars. The menu includes range of sides, a couple of desserts, chicken and a Christmas ham.

Gareth, Trish and Kathryn discuss the pressure the Government is under with a looming reset and MP resignations. Also changes in immigration policy for teachers and nurses, inflation and the domestic and international factors driving it, the rise of smaller parties and a look at the cracks exposed by the Covid years in health, education and crime. Gareth Hughes is a former Green MP and now works for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa. Trish Sherson is from corporate affairs firm Sherson Willis, and a former ACT press secretary.

Mary talks about the precarious nature of aged-care facilities, as a South Wairarapra retirement village on the brink of closure has been just been saved. Also a fentanyl investigation in Wairarapa, Masterton's beleaguered civic facility project, and the region's line-up of summer activities.

Seamus reports from a national in mourning with the French beaten in the FIFA World Cup final by Argentina in extra time. In what had been described as a clash of the Titans, France was hoping to score a second consecutive world cup win. French President Macron was at the match, his second time in Qatar in a week. His visits come amid the growing corruption scandal involving the Gulf state at the European Parliament, where all work on files involving Qatar have been suspended. Also, Judges in Brussels have ruled that four people arrested as part of the EU Parliament corruption scandal are to remain in custody.