Nine To Noon

If you've ever been skiing at any of New Zealand's main ski fields, you're going to know Jim Niehues' artwork - although you've probably never given it much thought. He's the artist behind the world's most recognisable ski maps. His hand-painted works of art have mapped over 200 ski fields in the US, Canada, Australia, Chile, Japan, Scotland and Serbia. In New Zealand he's illustrated Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona, Treble Cone and Whakapapa. Mr Nieheus has been described as the "Rembrandt of snow," able to distill epic mountain ranges onto one page, its slopes rendered in light and shade, with enough detail for skiers to map out their route. And while his treasured works of art will usually be found crumpled in your ski jacket pocket, he says that's the best part - his art truly gets used. Three decades of work has now been collated into a book: The Man Behind the Maps. Kathryn speaks to James Nieheus from his home on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado.

Ron talks to Kathryn about the deadly tornadoes in Kentucky and, uncertainty over the direction of the pandemic with the advent of the Omicron Covid strain. Also high inflation is affecting the effort to get the 1.7 trillion-dollar package through the Senate. And the Congressional panel investigating January 6 riot continues its quest for information and witnesses, who are fighting the subpoena or claiming their right against self-incrimination.

It's been a tough year for many, but particularly for those working within the education sector. A survey out just last week from the Education Review Office found the pandemic had left teachers feeling more stressed and tired than ever, and student behaviour had gone downhill. But despite a second Covid-disrupted school year and all the challenges it's brought, one Northland principal has shone bright. So bright in fact, she's taken out two top honours in the National Excellence in Teaching Awards - the Outstanding Mentor Award and Founders' Principals Award for Leadership. Leanne Otene has been a principal for 26 years, 15 of them at her current school, Manaia View in Whangarei. She talks to Kathryn about her team, tamariki and their whanau.

Every region except Northland will be moving to orange traffic light setting on December the 30th. The government made the announcement yesterday after the final cabinet meeting of the year. How will the traffic light system hold up over the summer as the country goes on the move for the holiday period? Are our contact tracing and testing systems up to scratch as hundreds isolate at home? Sir Brian Roche is the chair of the continuous review, improvement and advice group advising the Government on its pandemic response.

Food writer, Jenny Garing whips up some edible and quaffable treats to end up under the Christmas tree. You will find many recipes here, including tipsy cherries, almost sugar free chocolate bark, mint sugar shortbread and Christmas flavoured vodka.

Food writer, Jenny Garing whips up some edible and quaffable treats to end up under the Christmas tree. You will find many recipes here, including tipsy cherries, almost sugar free chocolate bark, mint sugar shortbread and Christmas flavoured vodka.

Neale Jones was Chief of Staff to Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern, and prior to that was Chief of Staff to Andrew Little. He is the director of Capital Government Relations. Ben Thomas is a PR consultant and a former National Government press secretary.

Holly Walker reviews How to End a Story: Diaries: 1995-1998 by Helen Garner, published by Text Publishing

Maru Nihoniho is the first Maori woman to run her own gaming company. She's the brains behind Metia Interactive, which creates educational, interactive games, with Maori stories and language at their heart. A pioneer of New Zealand's gaming industry, Maru first entered the industry in 2003, with the launch of her game Cube, for PlayStation Portable. Since then she's worked on countless projects, and picked up many accolades along the way, including being named as one of the World's Top 50 Women in Technology by Forbes magazine. But success was hard won over many years. She came to the industry with no real experience in developing a game, armed only with a vision and a lot of optimism.

Amid growing alarm in Europe about the threat of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, G7 foreign ministers have warned President Putin of 'massive consequences' in the event of any 'further military aggression'. The ministers, meeting in Liverpool in the UK, also warned that there would be a 'severe cost' to Russia if Ukraine was attacked. And the new German Chancellor has hit the ground running after his recent swearing-in ceremony, promising a 'new start' for Germany after 16 years under Angela Merkel. Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats will rule alongside the Greens and the Free Democrats party.