Koroi Hawkins discusses the beginning of cyclone season, with two storms pummeling the Pacific in its first week. And in Vanuatu, a dissolution of parliament has been avoided after a meeting between the President Nikenike Vurobaravu and political leaders on Monday morning. It has been just over a year since the last snap elections in October 2022, with the country's people and economy still reeling from the impacts of multiple cyclones this year.

An early childhood literacy programme which is in almost half of all the country's state primary schools has just been recognised with the University of Canterbury's innovation medal. Professor Gail Gillon co- leads the team which developed the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA). It has so far helped 45,000 children to read and write. Professor Gillon talks to Susie about how the programme works and why it works.

This year's Technology Investment Network's TIN200 companies report indicates the top 200 tech sector companies generated more than 17-billion in revenue in the year to June - an increase of 1-point-8 billion on the year earlier. The report surveys 1200 companies, with the top 200 businesses ranked by revenue. Fisher and Paykel Appliances and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare lead the pack, followed by Datacom and Xero. TIN Managing Director Greg Shanahan says it's a rosy picture for the tech sector but the biggest thing holding it back is our ongoing skills shortage. Susie also speaks with Wellington tech investor and director Serge van Dam, who says the sector is in good heart but the advance of the artificial intelligence revolution has massive implications for white-collar workers who urgently need to upskill and adapt.

Film and TV reviewer Tamar Munch joins Kathryn to talk about the second season of British prison drama Time (Neon, SkyGo), A Murder at the End of the World (Disney+), a drama about a Gen Z amateur sleuth who tries to solve a murder at a secluded retreat and Every Word Counts (Spinoff), a documentary about competitive Scrabble.

Sextortion, kids being groomed online, nudes being sent around kids, who should be blamed for that? Sex therapist Jo Robertson has advice about how to have those tricky chats with children and teens.

Tech commentator Paul Matthews looks at at how new ChatGPT is smarter and more connected. It's able to consume more information than ever before, and has a whole ecosystem of mini smart apps all working together. Sound scary? Major Australian ports are coming back online following yet another major cyber-attack, seemingly designed to disrupt and destabilise our closest major neighbour. What's behind it and what could that mean for New Zealand? We're a little over one week away from "Black Friday", the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. So how much shopping will Santa do online this year?

Housing is at a premium in Queenstown and Peter says there is an ongoing issue with slum landlords. He also updates on the fallout from recent storm damage including debris strewn through the main Queenstown cemetery. Managing Editor, Crux, based in Arrowtown.

Jenna Todd of Time Out Bookstore reviews The Bee Sting by Paul Murray published by Penguin Books

Miriam Margolyes "can't resist naughtiness". The actor famed for her character roles and her outrageous chat show appearances is described as someone for whom currency is laughter - by any means possible: outrage, obscenity, and occasional flatulence. Despite recent heart surgery and a body she describes as "crumbling concrete", the 82-year-old is refusing to slow down. Miriam will be in New Zealand this summer to shoot Holy Days - a film about a group of nuns fighting a development order, starring alongside Judy Davis and Joanna Scanlan, and has just finished her second memoir: Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life. She speaks to Susie Ferguson.

UK correspondent Lara Spirit joins Susie to talk about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledging to introduce legislation to mark Rwanda as a safe country, even after the UK's plans to deport asylum seekers there was ruled unlawful. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has launched a broadside at Sunak after he sacked her, and Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure over Labour's stance on a ceasefire in Gaza. Lara Spirit is a reporter for The Times Red Box, where she covers politics from Westminster