Nine To Noon

Correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about Jacinda Ardern's visit to meet Australia's new Prime Minister, who was sympathetic to Kiwi concerns over deportees but offered no commitment to changing the policy. Australia's cold snap is turning into an energy crisis with old coal-fired power stations failing just as all local gas is being sold offshore at high prices. Will the government find a solution before the weather worsens? And the Sydney Morning Herald is under fire over its columnist's attempt to "out" Rebel Wilson - and his reaction when she did it for him.

When Neil Edmond's children were at school, he became alarmed that they weren't being taught financial literacy.What is a bank account? How does interest work? What's the difference between a credit card and a debit card? Neil was a marketing consultant at the time, but set about researching financial literacy programs for kids and, not finding anything satisfactory, decided to create his own. He launched MoneyTime in 2018, and the programme is now used by more than 700 primary schools nationwide, as well as in some schools in South Africa, Australia and the United States. Neil Edmond has just been a finalist in the inaugural Money Inclusion and Awareness Awards in Singapore.

The All Whites missed out at a shot at the World Cup this morning after a 1-nil lost to Costa Rica in the intercontinental playoff. The South Americans scored first, taking a 1-nil lead in the third minute - which netted them a place at the World Cup in Qatar later this year. Kathryn speaks to former All Whites coach Kevin Fallon.

The Children's Commissioner is aghast that a bill effectively dismantling the role is proceeding, despite the majority of submissions opposing it. The Social Services and Community Select Committee heard hundreds of submissions on the bill - which scraps the statutory position of Children's Commissioner. A new Children and Young Person's Commission is to be established, which would be run by a board of up to six members. This Bill also sees the Children's Commissioner stripped of their power to investigate, no longer handling complaints from children and their families. Children's Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers says the vast majority of submissions opposed the changes and children in care deserve to have a monitor that is independent of Government. Kathryn speaks with Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Children's Commissioner Frances Eivers.

Simran Kaur is the co-host of the podcast Girls That Invest. She talks to Kathryn about the volatility in the market, the rise in inflation and living costs, and has advice for how to ask for a raise during these high inflation times. This discussion is of a general nature, and does not constitute financial advice.

As winter sets in, and leaks and mould appear in homes around the country, the Citizens Advice Bureau wants renters to know their rights. It's landlords who hold the power, especially in the current rental market, says acting CE Andrew Hubbard, but tenants are being forced to chase them up to fulfil their obligations.

Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson talks to Kathryn about Starbucks and unionisation and whether the coffee chain is a a time capsule of what's going on in America. And consumer groups in 18 European countries have backed a report calling gaming loot boxes "exploitative". Rebecca explains what loot boxes are.

Kiran Dass reviews The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight, published by Allen and Unwin Pub by: Allen and Unwin RRP: $37.00

Today exercise is a multi billion-dollar fitness industry, and women account for more than half of all gym memberships, and dominate yoga, pilates and barre studios. But it hasn't always been this way. For much of the twentieth century, sweating was considered unladylike, and physical exercise was discouraged. Women were not allowed to run marathons in case they turned into men, or lesbians, and it was feared that physical exertion could damage a woman's reproductive organs or cause her uterus to fall out. Journalist Danielle Friedman has tracked the fascinating history of women's exercise culture through her book Let's Get Physical and found it was only in the sixties that a few forward-thinking fitness pioneers began to promote exercise for women, and women began to move en masse, setting in motion an exercise revolution.

Ron Elving in the United States, where the January 6 hearings will continue this morning, 10 Republican senators look like they're - tentatively on board for modest gun control measures and the price of petrol and diesel continue to spike inflation. Ron Elving is a Senior Editor and Correspondent, Washington Desk for NPR news