Last week's cold snap had many around the country reaching to turn up the heat - putting pressure on the national grid and household power bills. Those higher bills are of great interest to the Consumer Advocacy Council - born out of a recommendation from the Electricity Price Review, which looked into how the market was working for residential consumers. Deborah Hart is chair of the Council - which has recently held its first board meeting. She joins Kathryn to talk about what the Council will be focused on.

The rain is pouring down on the West Coast and at the top of the South - with real fears about what's to come. A state of emegency is in place on the West Coast with 'red' severe weather warnings for Buller and Westland. Further north, emergency operations are gearing up at the top of the South Island, with orange level warnings in place in the Tasman, Marlborough and Nelson regions. In Golden Bay, rivers reached alarm levels early this morning - an emergency operation centre has opened as the region prepares for expected flooding and road closures. The heaviest rain so far has been at Franz Josef where a close watch is being kept on the Waiho River. Andy Thompson from West Coast Civil Defence tells Kathryn rivers are already swollen and fears of serious flooding are mounting.

Andrew talks to Kathryn about Today FM host Tova O'Brien travelling to Ukraine for an extensive interview with President Zelenskyy and how it was funded. His marriage might be over, but Rupert Murdoch's doing ok. His company News Corp's annual profits have jumped by a third to a US $1.67 billion. And there's been glacial progress for most of NZ media in negotiating with Google and Meta for additional revenue.

Landscape gardener Xanthe White says the compact nature of topiaries can be put to good use to create space in even a small garden for natives.

Pattrick talks to the Kathryn about the staff hiring issues for a range of businesses desperate to hire people and fearing a recession. The often asked question is Why can't I hire anyone?. So where have all the workers gone?. Also the latest on the deficit ridden mega-polytech, Te Pukenga, which has just published its new transition plan.

Chris Tse reviews Time is A Mother by Ocean Vuong, published by Penguin.

A new documentary gives an eye-opening look into the secrets of the Gloriavale Christian Community and the fight for justice by a group of former residents and supporters. Including never-before-seen home videos, Gloriavale features members of the Ready family as they mount a ground-breaking legal case against the sect's powerful leaders. Gloriavale has long been associated with allegations of sexual and physical abuse, human rights violations, corruption and fraud. The documentary lifts the lid on those allegations and reveals the true extent of the absolute control exercised by the 12 male 'Shepherds' at the top. Kathryn speaks to co-producer and co-director Noel Smyth along with Virginia Courage who left the community with her children over alleged sexual abuse.

The ongoing saga of FBI raid and documents retrieval from Donald Tump's Mar-a-lago estate. Also Danielle says Republicans are increasingly deciding they don't need to talk to the media, and the upcoming primaries will be a big test of Trump's continuing influence.

Mario Cucinella is an architect whose work is at the nexus of sustainability and technology. Based in Milan, Italy, some of his notable projects include an eco-residential 3D-printed building using clay, a hospital with 'smog eating' ceramic fins and a nursery school grounded in nature. He's is in Auckland for the Institute of Architect's conference this week.

A cycling group is threatening legal action against Waka Kotahi for putting the brakes on trialling a walking and cycling lane on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. And in an ironic twist - the action could be funded out of money the transport agency paid the group to purchase the SkyPath design three years ago.The issue of walk and cycle access over the Bridge has a long and contentious history. Most recently, calls for a trial were rejected by Waka Kotahi - now advocacy group Movement has threatened to seek a judicial review of the decision unless it's reconsidered. Waka Kotahi says that will happen at a board meeting on Thursday. Joining Kathryn to talk about why the legal threat is necessary is Movement's project director and trustee Bevan Woodward.