Nine To Noon

Employment law specialist Charles McGuinness joins Kathryn to answer some of the big questions about mandatory vaccines and employment. Also, does your employer have the right to ask about family violence history?

Auckland-based artist Dave Gunson has been illustrating New Zealand wildlife for many years, but this time he's really got inside his subject. He's written and illustrated a new book called Inside New Zealand Wildlife, taking a selection of Kiwi flora and fauna and detailing it in cross-sections. Readers can see what's inside everything from leaves and snails to tuatara and fur seals. Dave is a prolific artist, and he's contributed to well over 200 books. And this work is actually one of three all coming out this month. The other two, are part of a Which? Why? What series and focus on forest wildlife and country wildlife.

Music reviewer Jess Fu joins the programme to talk about Crush, a new garage-pop band that has a new debut EP out called Fantasy Fiction. She'll also play a track from London-based psych-pop quintet Vanishing Twin and one off a reissued album called Drum Message that was recorded by two African artists in 1977.

The Government will force local councils to be part of its Three Waters reforms, as it pushes ahead with the major changes. The reforms will remove responsibility for the provision of drinking, waste and stormwater services from local authorities and create four entities to deliver them across New Zealand. Kathryn gets the latest from RNZ political editor Jane Patterson.

Louise O'Brien reviews Better off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child, published by Penguin Random House.

Chris Hadfield is a retired astronaut, former fighter pilot, engineer and now author of the high-stakes thriller, The Apollo Murders. Colonel Hadfield was the first Canadian to walk in space, and is probably the world's best-known and most beloved modern astronaut. Over the course of his career, he flew three space missions, commanded the International Space Station and has spent more than 160 days in space. Prior to that, he was a Cold War fighter pilot in the 1980s, embarking on missions to intercept Soviet bombers in North American airspace. On top of his aeronautical career, Chris Hadfield is also a real life star man. In 2013, he recorded David Bowie's Space Oddity on the International Space Station, a video with more than 50 millions views, and the first ever music video performed in space. His TED Talk on fear has been watched 11 million times. Since retirement, he has published his first work of fiction, The Apollo Murders, a thriller plunging readers into the paranoia of the Cold War, through the lens of competing space programmes. The novel is set in an alternate history, where Apollo 18 - a real mission cancelled during the Nixon administration - actually went ahead as a spy mission.

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about Prime Minister Scott Morrison's 'plan' for Australia to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions just days before he heads to the G20 and COP26. Casino giant Crown Resorts can continuing operating on probation - despite being found unfit to hold a gaming licence. The search continues for four-year-old Cleo Smith, who disappeared from a tent she was sharing with her parents. And St Paul's residential college at Sydney University has decided to admit women for the first time in its 165-year history.

The Electricity Authority says households may be paying an extra $200 per year for power, as they subsidise the cheap energy the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter receives. The Authority has just released its review into the wholesale electricity market to see if it's competitive. RNZ Business Editor Gyles Beckford speaks with Kathryn.

Many museums and art institutions offer online kids programmes in the best of times, and this has been ramped up since lockdowns first began in March last year. This year's final school term, started last week, with nearly 400,000 children in Auckland, Northland and Waikato still learning from home. To provide a couple of hours relief from lockdown home-schooling - Auckland Art Gallery senior manager operations and audiences Richard Wormley says they are offering kid-friendly versions of virtual exhibit tours, as well as ideas for creative projects that don't involve staring at a screen. And New Zealand Maritime Musuem Public Programmes Manager Alison Roigard says they have baking, craft-making and knot tying activities to engage children and their whanau.

Westpac New Zealand is moving to offer discount loans for businesses attaining environmental targets. It's signed an $85 million loan with Pamu, also known as Landcorp, New Zealand's biggest farming business with 114 farms around the country. Pamu will receive a pricing discount from Westpac if it meets specific environmental targets - including a 1.5-degree science-based emissions reduction target. Kathryn speaks with Westpac NZ's General Manager of Sustainability and Strategy, Karen Silk and Chief Executive of Pamu, Steve Carden.