Nine To Noon

COP26 has wrapped up in Glasgow, reaching an agreement filled with compromise. An agreement to holding global warming to 1.5 degrees was retained, but the means of getting there far from clear. All the commitments made by countries at the summit still saw the combined effort fall well short of what's needed to keep global warming to the target of 1.5 degrees .New Zealand has pledged to halve emissions by 50% on 2005 levels by 2030, a significant step up on our previous pledge to cut emissions by 30% by 2030. But how this will be achieved is the subject of debate and criticism as two thirds of the promised emissions reductions will have to come through buying carbon credits from others countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, and counting these towards our own tally. Kathryn discusses the climate summit and New Zealand's approach with Chair of the Climate Change Commission, Dr Rod Carr.

Discovery is creating new tv channels and will have 5, the most of any free-to-air broadcaster. Andrew says more local content will be produced, though the skew is clearly to reality TV. And Broadcasting and Media Minister Kris Faafoi has received the final business case on the public broadcasting plan for TVNZ and RNZ but it won't be considered by Cabinet until the New Year.

Tamaki Makaurau has a complicated and busy history. But it's a past that has been constantly built over, dug up or destroyed. Historian, author and curator at Auckland Museum Lucy Mackintosh has spent decades poring over the landscapes of Auckland. She's condensed her thinking into a new book titled Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, published yesterday by Bridget Williams Books. Starting from the ground up Lucy is charting the relationships between people and place.

There's been a large number of people leaving KiwiRail, Pattrick talks to Kathryn about what's driving it. Also, with the impending summer of Covid, a look at where rapid antigen testing is at. Pattrick Smellie is the editor and co-founder of BusinessDesk and has reported on the New Zealand economy and business since 1983.

Leah McFall reviews Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020 by David Sedaris, published by Hachette Aotearoa NZ Leah says: A second astringent instalment of diaries from America's foremost humorist, spanning 2003-2020. With an appetite for the odd, uncanny, and grotesque, he finds the sparkle in every encounter, from London to Paris, Tokyo to New York. But the finest entries describe the people he loves.

Wellington writer John McCrystal has been interested in shipwrecks since he was a child, when at the age of six he first heard the tale of the General Grant, which struck the Auckland Islands in 1866 and went down laden with gold. John became consumed by the prospect of uncovering sunken treasure, and has been fascinated by stories of nautical disasters and misadventures ever since.

Ron talks to Kathryn about surging inflation and the effect on President Joe Biden and the Democrats, how the conversation around Donald Trump is changing, and the January 6 investigating committee and its subpoenas.

What's in a name? Two Auckland academics have just released a report arguing for a change to naming conventions for native plants.

From this week, Australians will be able to use Afterpay to pay for food and beverages at 160 pubs and restaurants around the country. The hospitality group Australian Venue Co has partnered with Afterpay to launch "Dine Now, Pay Later". But that's sparked concern for budgeting service providers on both sides of the Tasman, who are already worried about increased debt as a result of Buy Now, Pay Later services like Afterpay, Humm, Zip and Laybuy.

Bill McKay talks to Kathryn about the New Medium Density Residential Standards: Three, three-storey townhouses on many urban and suburban sites Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.