Nine To Noon

Liz says KiwiSaver is not a 'set and forget' investment. There are many mistakes you can make along the way that can potentially have a significant impact on your retirement outcome. There are mistakes that can be made right from the outset and all the way through to the end of retirement, in terms of the level of contribution, the choice of fund and how you withdraw your money.

Lockdown is not an easy time for many people. It puts financial stress on many households and the disruption to normal daily life also poses unique difficulties and a fair bit of confusion about what's allowed and what's not. Since level four began, the Citizens Advice Bureau has been fielding a number of calls and messages from clients relating to difficulties associated with the lockdown. That includes where to get food assistance, information about employment rights and income relief, issues around moving house or tenancies, as well as a range of questions related to restrictions under level four. Kathryn talks through the most common issues with Andrew Hubbard, the acting chief executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Rebecca says Amazon has just reserved the name Amazon Kuiper New Zealand Limited at the Companies Office. Project Kuiper is a US$10 billion project which aims to put 3,236 satellites in low orbit around earth to make high-speed broadband available to tens of millions of unserved and under-served internet users globally. Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

Guy Wishart is a resident of Board Crescent in Kumeū and he's the Chair of the Kumeū Ratepayers Association. His freshly renovated home has suffered major damage in the deluge.

Hours of continuous heavy rain in Auckland has caused evacuations from flooded homes in the city's West, submerged cars and some roads are awash.The suburbs of Kumeū, Ranui and Henderson Valley have been particularly hard hit.The deluge has forced the closure of State Highway 16 through the Kumeu township and an evacuation centre has been set up in Henderson. Auckland Emergency Management deputy controller Rachel Kelleher says residents who feel unsafe, should leave their homes - and the emergency situation overrides the Covid-19 stay at home order.

Elisabeth Easther reviews The Night Village by Zoe Deleuil, published by Fremantle Press

Every morning - when not in lockdown level four - Grant Schofield and his dog Bluey, head down to their local beach in Auckland for a swim. It's their year-round daily ritual, winter or summer, and they're among growing movement of people who swear by the physiological and mental effects of cold water swimming. Grant is a Professor of Public Health at Auckland University of Technology and director of the university's Human Potential Centre. His research areas are wellbeing and chronic disease prevention. He says taking a cold dip is like upgrading your brain.

Joe Biden says evacuations of US citizens and allies from Afghanistan will continue, despite the attack this week in Kabul that has killed 13 American soldiers and many others. Ron also reports on the category 4 hurricane which has battered New Orleans on anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and covid continues a deadly swathe as it continues to run rampant through much of the US.

Business and chemical engineering academics are transforming native Kanuka into a 'liquid smoke' startup - tasting like hangi in a bottle. The hidden flavour of Kanuka has been captured in an inter-departmental University of Auckland collaboration, together with whanau from Ruatoria. Dr Kiri Dell is part of the team behind the new business venture, Nuka Institute. She is a lecturer at the University of Auckland lecturer and director of post graduate diploma in Maori business development. Dr Dell says she wanted to replicate the smell of the native tree from her childhood memories and use it as a flavoursome ingredient for food.

Construction costs have risen at a pace not seen for nearly a decade, as anyone building or renovating a house will know. So what are the implications of this for house insurance? According to CoreLogic's Cordell Housing Index Price (CHIP), residential construction costs surged 2.2 per cent in the June quarter, the largest since the index began in 2012, pushing the annual growth rate of building costs to 4.5 per cent, up from 3.3 per cent in March. Those in the construction industry report double-digit cost increases for some materials, as well as wage pressures pushing up overall build prices. The Insurance Council says this does have implications for policy holders - but the responsibility lies with homeowners to ensure they're paying for adequate cover. Kathryn speaks with Chief Executive, Tim Grafton.