Nine To Noon

Professor of Social Architecture at the University of California, Galen Cranz hasn't had conventional chairs in her house for some 20 years, out of concern for how damaging they are to our health. She prefers stools, including ones that wobble. She doesn't want us to keep still. Professor Cranz says right-angled chairs force a C-slumped spine, causing the chest to cave in, the pelvis to crunch, the lower back to collapse, our head to jut forward putting pressure on our neck. Many of us are left with all sorts of aches and pains, especially as we spend long hours in front of a computer. Professor Cranz concurs with research published in the American Journal of Public Health suggesting sitting for prolonged periods can be more damaging to our heart health than smoking. But, as she tell Kathryn Ryan, she has some solutions. Professor Cranz is a designer, a consultant specialising in chairs and body conscious design, author of The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design and a certified Alexander Technique teacher.

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche looks at some of the challenges ahead for newly-minted NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Victoria hits a record-high 1,763 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and what has the Pandora Papers revealed about some foreign real estate deals in Australia?

NIWA and the Department of Conservation have teamed up to create detailed weather forecasts of the country's National Parks, huts and most popular trails. Anyone who's been out in the bush knows how rugged and remote trails can be and how fast the weather can change. NIWA and DOC hope to improve people's ability to safely plan trips into the great outdoors, and have put safety at the heart of the forecast. Parks Weather focuses first and foremost on the risk of hazards such as heavy rain, extreme temperatures, strong winds and snow. The website launched several months ago with 49 sites, concentrating on the Great Walks and locations in the country's 13 National Parks. It's now rolled out an additional 22 sites, as chosen by DOC - based on the areas with the highest risk of severe weather, and with the greatest number of visitors. There are now over 70 locations, with hopes that more will be added in future. Kathryn speaks to Nava Fedaeff, a forecaster at NIWA who has been working on the project this year.

The lockdown following the outbreak of Delta triggered an immediate drop in demand for credit .. but demand is recovering, particularly in parts of the country in Alert level 2. The latest Centrix Outlook which looks at how consumer and business credit performed in September indicates there was an overnight fall of 30 percent in demand for credit in mid-August. Centrix is the only locally owned consumer credit agency and managing director Keith McLaughlin says credit demand has fully recovered in regions operating under Alert Level 2 ...And there's been a 16 percent increase in Auckland at Alert Level 3.

A Canterbury-based EV technology which short-circuits the peak 6 o'clock charging surge has just received a funding boost. Christchurch startup Evnex is bridging the gap between the electric car owner and the electricity industry. The team at Evnex has developed and is now installing a fast at-home re-charge unit, which sets timings for when electricity is plentiful and cheap. Evnex has recently raised $2.7 million in a seed round led by technology investor Movac and Sir Stephen Tindall. Kathryn is joined by Evnex founder and chief executive Ed Harvey.

Andrew talks to Kathryn about the many and varied examples of data journalism. Currently the Pandora papers has 650+ journalists around the world sifting through nearly 12 million documents to identify tax dodging and hidden billions He says that's the top end of data journalism. Other examples are going through datasets, such as health records, to find themes and new information. Andrew also highlights the work of some local data journalists. Andrew Holden is a journalist for more than 30 years including five as Editor of The Press (in Christchurch) and four as Editor-in-Chief of The Age in Melbourne.

Which food matches your personality? What city should you really live in? Which Disney princess are you? Questions like these are often packaged into quizzes on social media - but the information users are providing could be a veritable gold mine for scammers. Gemma Rasmussen from Consumer NZ joins me this morning to talk about the things you need to consider before you click, as online safety becomes more important than ever.

Pattrick talks to Kathryn about who is behind the would-be third supermarket chain, Northelia, which says it wants to take on Woolworths and Foodstuffs? And a look at the last time anyone had a go at this - Albert Gubay and the Three Guys supermarkets that came to NZ in the 1970s. Also last week's loss in the Supreme Court by Trans Tasman Resources which was quickly hailed as the death of seabed mining aspirations in NZ. Pattrick Smellie is the editor and co-founder of BusinessDesk and has reported on the New Zealand economy and business since 1983.

Quentin Johnson reviews The Altar Boys by Suzanne Smith published by Harper Collins

Right now, there's probably a uncomfortable conversation you've been meaning to have with someone, but you've been avoiding it. Perhaps you fear saying the wrong thing, or the person getting emotional, or that you won't know what to say to help them. Dr Kathryn Mannix knows how daunting these types of conversations can be. She's been a palliative care doctor for 30 years and is a qualified cognitive behaviour therapist, and in that time working with the dying, has had to navigate more than her fair share of tough conversations. Kathryn understands that we all have moments when words fail us, and has written a book to help others find the words to start these difficult conversations, called Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations. She speaks to Kathryn from Northumberland.