A recent report by the Education Review Office painted a grim picture of student behaviour - saying violent and disruptive behaviour in schools has reached critical levels. Half the teachers surveyed said the problem has become worse in the past two years, and half say they are spending nearly an hour a day dealing with bad behaviour. The Education Review Office says the trend is harming children's learning, and schools need to take a nationally consistent approach to addressing it. The approach it favours is called PB4L, which stands for Positive Behavior for Learning. But a group of teachers in Porirua East who work with students with high levels of dysregulated behaviour say ERO is promoting ineffective, outdated practices. They say teachers need to understand the neuroscience that underpins behavior and stress, and its programme 'Hauora' is working. Lynda Knight principal at Glenview School in Cannons Creek, and founder of the Hauora programme.

The government's recently announced plans to reform the building materials sector, has the potential to be a massive shake-up to the industry. Before a product can be used on site, builders must demonstrate it meets the standards laid out in the NZ Building Code. Under the newly proposed system, they may soon be able to rely instead on certifications from trusted overseas jurisdictions. The aim is to increase product choice and decrease the costs of construction. Former Naylor Love chief executive Rick Herd, and leaky homes lawyer Paul Grimshaw join Kathryn Ryan to discuss.

Science commentator Dr Allan Blackman joins Kathryn with three new studies.

Dunedin's history is front and centre of a new book by Karen McMillan.

Music commentator Dave Wilson joins Kathryn from New York, where he's been hitting Broadway.

North Otago gold mine OceanaGold has unveiled a fully electric excavator and the race is on to secure a water supply for the Otago town of Lawrence.

Sally Wenley reviews A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci published by Pan Macmillan

Author Leslie Jamison has been compared to some of the American greats, Joan Didion and Susan Sontag. A novelist and essayist, Jamison's writing style blends journalism and memoir.

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche on a rare win for the media in a high-profile defamation case, the fallout of the Bondi stabbings, and why the Woolworths CEO has been threatened with jail time.

Educationalist Jill Corkin is leading a community intiative aiming to get a secondary school built in Mangawhai, one of Northland's fastest growing areas.