Concern is mounting about potentially life-threatening situations with rubbish and recycling truck fires are on the rise. In Auckland alone, there's been a particular spike in the last 18 months, with several fires every couple of months breaking out in the back of trucks, this is because people are disposing hazardous waste products in their kerbside collection bins. Parul Sood is the General Manager of the Auckland Council Waste Solutions and says the the likes of batteries and gas bottles are highly flammable and it's imperative they're disposed of safely.

Post-graduate students are petitioning the Auckland University of Technology over academic staff cuts - saying it's hugely disruptive and will impact New Zealand's research sector. AUT planned to cut 170 academic positions - those affected had till last Thursday to take voluntary redundancy or face a compulsory layoff. The petition states the criteria for selecting which staff would go was based on unjust and flawed performance criteria - something backed by the Tertiary Education Union which is taking legal action against AUT on similar grounds. Susie talks to TEU organiser Jill Jones, PhD students Sarah and Melanie Welfare - who have both signed the petition requesting AUT reinstate staff.

Bill talks to Susie about the concept of designing disorder - loosening up on planning rules and urban design so people and neighbourhoods can do their own thing. Bill McKay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland.

Sick of feeding his kids salami that was full of additives, former chef Miles Drewery started making his own naturally preserved meats. "Just by messing around with salt and smoke, I've figured out how to do it without nitrates", he tells Susie Ferguson. Miles and his wife Steph – also a trained chef – run the smallgoods business Sausage Press Deli Company from their home in Nelson.

Brigitte Morten is a director with public and commercial law firm Franks & Ogilvie and a former senior ministerial advisor for the previous National-led government. Gareth Hughes is a former Green MP and now works for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa.

Harry Broad reviews Bushline by Robbie Burton published by potton and burton

As the holiday season looms, State Highway 6 is still closed after the widespread damaged caused from the severe weather event in August, but will it be open in time for Christmas travel?. Samantha also delves into what is happening with a contentious new library project for Nelson. The 44 million dollar library is in a riverside location that's exposed to sea level rise.

Genetic epidemiologist and award winning author, Professor Tim Spector introduced the world to the wonders of the gut microbiome in his first book The Diet Myth. His latest book - Food for Life is an eater's guide to happy gut microbes. He says the gut is like an organ in the body that can be trained to be healthy. Professor Spector says almost everything we think we know about food is wrong including calorie counting, the war on carbs and the idea that there is any such thing as a superfood or a toxic food.

The EU has announced it will work with the International Criminal Court to set up a specialised court to investigate war crimes in Ukraine committed by Russia. And Justice Ministers from the G7 will cooperate on collecting witness' statements beyond Ukraine, in countries with a big population of Ukrainian refugees. Also, the German cabinet has agreed to immigration reform in a bid to attract more skilled workers, particularly for the IT sector, construction and health care.

Five years ago, a group of six Wellington friends starting talking about the idea of living together in a purpose built co-housing complex. The idea gathered steam, a site was purchased, plans drawn up, and consents eventually granted. As of this week, the Buckley Project is complete. The two couples - one now with a newborn, and two singles, are living in four terraced townhouses with shared communal facilities on one site in South Wellington. The group has learned a lot on the journey - about design, building regulations, finance, the cost of building, insurance and much more. Susie speaks with two of the group, Tania Sawicki Mead and Alana McCrossin.