Nine To Noon

Quentin Johnson reviews Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy by Anne Sebba, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand.

Five years ago, while living in Amsterdam, Floris van Hees and Ivar Smits decided to quit their jobs - fix up their boat, and set sail on a trip around the world. More than a holiday, their plan was to find and share stories of people all over the globe working on projects to restore or protect the environment.

Karen joins Kathryn for an update on Australia's lockdowns in Sydney, Melbourne and now Adelaide as Covid case numbers continue to rise, and the vaccine rollout takes its toll at the polls for Scott Morrison's government.

New Zealand being downgraded in a global ranking for our response to trafficking is no surprise to an anti-trafficking coalition, but still an international embarrassment.

Pandemic immigration restrictions and labour shortages are about to collide with the busiest time of the year on dairy farms - with concerns some workers are being poached to cover the shortfall, while others are working horrendous hours - leading to stress and burnout.

It's every parent's dream to see their children succeed in life and sometimes that means helping them along the way. But how much help should children get? Financial planner, Liz Koh says people with adult children will tell you that children are a lifetime financial commitment.

Infertility is something that affects one of every four heterosexual couples in New Zealand. Social infertility too affects people who are single, or in same-sex relationships but wanting to have a child. There are of course treatment options for infertility but the process can be incredibly stressful. Sue Saunders is a trained counsellor who has worked for a major fertility clinic in New Zealand for 19 years - and has faced the struggle of not being able to conceive naturally herself. She says while fertility clinics offer counsellors, often those seeking the treatment find themselves overwhelmed, or don't want to talk to the counsellors available. So, Sue has written a practical guide not just to help people understand the process they're going through, but to give practical tips to cope, and to remind those trying to have a baby that they're not alone. It's called Maybe Baby: Navigating the emotional journey through assisted fertility.

Rebecca asks - Are the walls closing in on former rich lister, Eric Watson. He is potentially facing more legal action amid insider trading allegations. Rebecca Stevenson is BusinessDesk's head of news.

David Hill reviews Brutal: The 100-year fight for world rugby supremacy by Ron Palenski, published by Upstart Press.

The dirt beneath our feet can be easy to take for granted. But it's incredibly important for the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. Twelve years ago Australian chef and food writer Matthew Evans chucked in the city life and took on the running of the Fat Pig Farm farm in Tasmania. He's been getting down in the mud since moving on to the land and it's taken him on a journey of discovery. Matthew has written it down in a book titled Soil; the incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy.