Nine To Noon

How will the Government's new recycling plan across the country and will it make recycling less confusing? The Ministry for the Environment's proposed Transforming Recycling plan includes a 20 cents return scheme for most drink containers, though excludes dairy. It's one of three key elements in the proposal to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The other two proposals in the plan are for standardised kerbside recycling collections across all regions and for households and businesses to separate food scraps from general waste. Roderick Boy, Principal Advisor at the Ministry for the Environment, explains the plan, and we'll discuss with Sophie Mander, Chair of the Territorial Authorities' Officers (TAO) Forum, the nationwide body run by Waste Minz - who have submitted to to the proposal and Marty Hoffart, Chair of the Zero Waste Network.

A sweeping change to the Australian political landscape; Anthony Albanese is the new Prime Minister, Labor has won the election, but it's not yet clear whether it has an outright majority. It could yet depend on the support of a large cross bench, including 10 so-called `Teal' independents, and/or Green MPs. Both major parties lost support, with the Liberals taking a hammering in traditionally strong seats, and the Coalition Government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison dumped. Mr Morrison will now hand over the party leadership. One of the biggest changes to the landscape is the success of the 10 'Teal' independents  - all women, and many former Liberal Party MPs , as well as the Greens. Kathryn speaks with Australian correspondent Karen Middleton.

Comedians Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks with some of the interesting and unusual names that Dunedin dog owners are naming their pooches, including Lord Furball MacFluffy (not featured below).

The aftermath of the latest damning inquiry into Cycling NZ's poor treatment of elite cyclists. Is a new independent sports integrity body the answer?

John Duke from Unity Books Wellington reviews When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà, translated by Mara Faye Lethem, published by Allen & Unwin A prize-winning, spell-binding, polyphonic debut of love, wildness and tragedy that marks the generations - for readers of Sarah Baume and Max Porter. When Domenec - mountain-dweller, father, poet, dreamer - dies suddenly, struck by lightning, he leaves behind two small children, Mia and Hilari, to grow up wild among the looming summits of the Pyrenees and the ghosts of the Spanish civil war. But then Hilari dies too, and his sister is forced to face life's struggles and joys alone. As the years tumble by, the inhabitants of the mountain - human, animal and other - come together in a chorus of voices to bear witness to the sorrows of one family, and to the savage beauty of the landscape. This remarkable English-language debut is lyrical, mythical, elemental, and ferociously imaginative.

Last week was an epic week for astronomers, mathematicians and astrophysicists around the world with the capturing of the first picture of a black hole in this galaxy.The picture shows a halo of dust and gas, tracing the outline of a colossal black hole, at the heart of the Milky Way, 27,000 light years from Earth. Known as Sagittarius A* the object is a staggering four million times the mass of our Sun.It was a particular thrill for the University of Canterbury's Canterbury Distinguished Professor Roy Kerr as it proved a his theory - posited more than 50 years ago -when he found the exact solution of Albert Einstein's equations that describe rotating black holes. Dr Kerr's colleague and University of Canterbury Professor of Physics David Wiltshire says it's an incredibly exciting development that will enhance understanding of the crucial role that supermassive black holes play in the life cycle and ecology of galaxies.

This morning's tornado in Levin has damaged buildings, toppled trees and power lines and caused road closures. Wayne McKinlay is the manager of the Honda Horowhenua & Stihl shop in Oxford Street, in the town centre. He says there's a big clean up job ahead.

RNZ Pacific news editor Susana Lei'ataua

There are fears for the survival of building companies waiting for gib. The supply of this crucial lining and bracing material has slowed since the August 2021 lockdown, seeing some builds stop in their tracks, leaving partially built homes at a complete standstill, with some gib orders taking up to seven months to arrive. Some builders are moving to landscaping, or worse, losing out on work completely. Clients are faced with choosing alternative bracing materials like plywood, until supply-chain issues ease. One of the regions badly affected is Taranaki, from where Kathryn is joined by Director of Location Homes Campbell Mattson.

Kathryn speaks with Principal economist and director at Infometrics Brad Olsen for his reckons on Budget 2022. He says inflation is the tiger that must be tamed.