It's a month til the Paris Olympics - NZ Chef de Mission, and former Olympic weightlifter, Nigel Avery with the overview

A group that helps Kiwi businesses investigate the health benefits of the food they produce says as of next week, many of the researchers they've funded will effectively be working for free.

As locals in the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa once again clear flood debris from their homes and properties, questions are emerging about whether more could've been done to open the Wairoa river mouth to the sea.

Science correspondent Jen Martin joins us to talk about how your ability to recognise faces might be affected by how many high-quality close relationships you have. Chimpanzees have been observed going out of their way to find plants with medicinal qualities when they're ill. And a study in rats has found that a key brain signal linked to memory formation deteriorates after broken sleep. Jen Martin founded the science communication program at the University of Melbourne, runs the espressoscience.com blog and is also the author of Why Am I Like This?: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits.

Detailed planning is the best way to set yourself up for a fulfilling retirement, say mother and daughter Di Murphy and Kristin Sutherland. To help people get the "scaffolding" in place for an enjoyable post-work life, theyve developed the online platform SMART Retirement and written the new book Dare to Retire Free.

New Plymouth businesses are concerned about rising inner city crime, as more than 30 people have been trespassed from a pedestrianised space in the CBD, that has become notorious for trouble. And tentacle drums, fire poi and music are set to delight at New Plymouth's Winter Festival of Lights this weekend.

In the Northern Hawkes Bay town of Wairoa, residents have been evacuating since about 6am. Mayor Craig Little speaks to Kathryn

Simone Moro has been involved in some extraordinary missions over the years through his high-altitude mountaineering career, and as a helicopter pilot.

The coastal area of Haumoana is one of the worst hit by the storm overnight.

Australia correspondent Bernard Keane joins Kathryn to talk about the likely return this week of Australian citizen Julian Assange following his plea deal with US prosecutors that ends his long-running legal saga.