Nine To Noon

Rebecca talks about the new do it yourself online investment platforms, how the market leader Sharesies plans to stay a household name, and how regulators around the world are grappling with the ever-changing investment environment. Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

Lisa Finucane reviews three of her favourite books from last year: Castle Shade by Laurie R. King published by Allen and Unwin; Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro published by Penguin Random House and The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray published by Penguin

Roland Ennos says humanity owes a huge debt to the most humble of materials; wood. His book The Wood Age: How One Material Shaped the Whole of Human History takes us on a sweeping ten-million-year tour, charting how wood has been critical to our evolution; shaping our bodies and our minds. Starting from great apes who built their nests among the trees, to early humans who depended on wood for fire, shelter, tools and weapons; on to the structural design of wheels and woodwinds, and to the invention of paper and the printing press. Roland Ennos a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull and has an expansive knowledge of all things arboreal - and has literally written the book on trees; the author of the Natural History Museum's official guide to trees.

All eyes are on Russia and Ukraine and whether the US should impose sanctions on Russia for raising tensions and threatening, or wait for them to invade. Ron says it comes down to how much economic and energy pain the US and NATO are willing to endure to punish Vladimir Putin. And American fingers are crossed that Omicron may be peaking, or on a plateau, with hopes for it to decrease soon. Ron Elving is Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

Monica Araya is at the forefront of a global campaign to get rid of fossil fuel vehicles in favour of emissions free transport, and says the next five years are utterly critical. She is a member of the United Nations Climate Champions team, and a distinguished fellow with the Drive Electric campaign - a coalition of over 70 organisations lobbying for the cause. It was instrumental in persuading the European Commission to propose that after 2035, there will be no more sales of petrol and diesel cars. With more than a billion internal combustion vehicles around the world, how much progress has been made to change the system?

The Office for the Privacy Commission is cracking down on property managers and landlords who risk breaching the Privacy Act in how they handle tenants' personal information. Renters groups call the industry a "wild west" with little regulation or oversight for how property managers and landlords conduct their business. They describe the invasive process of applying for flats; asked to provide information about their race, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliations, or required to submit bank statements to show spending habits. Kathryn speaks with Ashok Jacob from Renters United, and the Deputy Privacy Commissioner, Liz MacPherson, about the guidelines the Commission has introduced for landlords and property managers.

Kennedy talks to Kathryn about his summer of islands and the places he's visited during voyages from the Hauraki Gulf to Whangaroa Harbour, and also the tsunami damage to Tutukaka marina.

Stephanie Alexander is one of Australia's most prominent food educators. Her 50 year career includes being the owner-chef of several restaurants, the author of books and countless of articles about food matters. She has been awarded the Order of Australia - and has done groundbreaking work in creating the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Home is Stephanie Alexander's 19th cookbook and it contains more than 200 recipes as well as ten essays. She will share some recipes suitable for summer dining.

Neale, Ben and Kathryn discuss the Government's planning and Covid communications now that Omicron is in the community. Also food price inflation and the bank credit crunch situation.

David Hill reviews three of his favourite books from last year: The Front Line by Glyn Harper published by Massey Press, The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither published by Quentin Wilson Publishing and The End of Everything, by Katie Mack, published by Penguin Random House.