Nine To Noon

RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson as a special caucus meeting takes place following the sudden demotion of Simon Bridges by National Party Leader Judith Collins, following an allegation of serious misconduct, some four years ago. RNZ has been told that Simon Bridges apologised to Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean following the incident, after being spoken to by the the-then leader Bill English. This follows prolonged speculation Mr Bridges may be preparing to challenge for the leadership, the process delayed by the party's Auckland MPs having been absent from Parliament during lockdown. Simon Bridges says Ms Collins' behavior was desperate and she'll do anything to retain leadership

Legal correspondent Garth Gallaway joins Kathryn to look at how Covid risk assessments might work in the workplace. Will WorkSafe crack down on employers who fail to keep their employees and customers safe from Covid? He'll look at an example from Australia, where state health authorities in Victoria were charged over health and safety breaches in MIQ. And he'll look at the case of a Waikato school accused of breaching health and safety laws over the "pyschological risk" to staff.

When daybreak revealed the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake that ripped through Kaikoura five years ago, Andrew Spencer did what came naturally...he grabbed his camera. The 7.8 quake hit just after midnight on November 14 and ruptured along 20 faults - the most on record. It caused extensive ground uplift, triggering the biggest local-source tsunami since 1947 and massive landslides. The town was cut off, stranding locals and a thousand tourists alike. Andrew roamed the town and his photos became a day-to-day record of what was happening. To mark the fifth anniversary of the quake this month, the photos have been compiled into a book simply entitled Remembering Kaikoura Earthquake.

Elisabeth Easther reviews Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters, published by Allen and Unwin

The writer, Amitav Ghosh critiques Western society and exploitative practices in his latest book The Nutmeg's Curse - Parables For A Planet In Crisis. It is a follow to his critically acclaimed book, The Great Derangement. With his work translated into more than 30 languages, Amitav Ghosh has been Man-Booker shortlisted, his essays have appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic and the New York Times, and two years ago, Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the most important global thinkers of the preceding decade. The Nutmeg's Curse traces the violent history of the spice which was of extreme value in the 17th Century and originated in the Banda group of Islands in Indonesia. Amitav Ghosh argues that nutmeg has huge significance in tracing Western colonialism and the exploitation of the natural environment and genocide and he believes the dynamics of climate change are rooted in the centuries-old geopolitical order.

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about the final two weeks of Parliament as Prime Minister Scott Morrison faces a revolt from his own ranks by conservatives who want him to override state government's vaccination rules. There's renewed attention on the William Tyrrell case, as his former foster parents appeared in court over alleged mistreatment of another foster child. And Tim Paine may've stepped down from his captaincy, but there are questions for Cricket Australia over its handling of the scandal before it became public.

From next week all default KiwiSaver funds will have had to quit investment in fossil fuels. But a recent analysis shows when it comes to retirement funds, Kiwis are still well invested in the fossil fuel industry to the tune of $1.5 billion in Kiwisaver, and another $1.3 billion in retail funds. The analysis was done by Mindful Money, a charity that promotes ethical investment. CEO Barry Coates believes many Kiwis are unaware of the extent to which their KiwiSaver is helping to prop up the fossil fuel sector, even as financial risks of doing that - let alone the climate risks - become clearer.

What is the future for contact tracing as the delta outbreak continues its spread around the country? As of Monday there were nearly six and a half thousand active contacts being managed in conjunction with just over four and a half thousand active cases. Of those contact, though, only 69 per cent had received a call from contact tracers - either to confirm testing or isolation requirements. There are three weeks to go til the Auckand border is opened, and health officials say the worst case scenario is 16 thousand COVID cases per week during January. So how can a contact tracing system which appears unable to keep up with the current number of cases, manage with a surge over summer? Kathryn speaks with Professor Philip Hill, a public health expert at the University of Otago.

Massey University has just released their Retirement Expenditure Guidelines which show the difference between what retirees need to spend in retirement and their income from NZ Superannuation. Financial planner, Liz Koh talks to Kathryn about the size of the gap and how people can plan ahead to close the gap.

The extremes of temperature, short summers and high rates of erosion are making for an uncertain environment for the flora and fauna in alpine areas, and also for the people who explore it. Sir Alan Mark is an emeritus professor from the Botany Department of the University of Otago.