Political commentators Shane Te Pou and Ben Thomas look at the decision to extend the fuel excise cuts and public transport subsidies through to the end of January ahead of key inflation data out today, whether the government's stuck between a rock and a hard place with its Covid settings and how both big party leaders have achieved from their recent overseas sojourns. Shane Te Pou is a former candidate, campaign manager and executive member of the Labour Party, and a former union official. He is no longer a member of any political party. He is a Director and HR Manager for IT Company Mega. Ben Thomas is a PR consultant and a former National Government press secretary.

Inflation is expected to hit a fresh three-decade high in numbers due at 10:45 am. Economists are forecasting the annual rate to go just above seven percent. RNZ business editor Gyles Beckford discusses the new figures with Kathryn Ryan, including how ongoing inflationary pressure will affect interest rate hikes.

Writing a book about your own life is not for the fainthearted, says entrepreneur Kaz Staples. She writes about business-building, cancer and the difficult decision to sell her high-end cereal company Pure Delish in the new memoir Cereal Entrepreneur.

Africa correspondent Debora Patta looks at how extreme weather has caused a severe hunger crisis in South Sudan, and the war in Ukraine has pushed the country to the brink of famine. The situation is similar in Somalia - and famine is having a ripple effect...with a rise in the number of child brides.

The recent mass deaths of korora, little blue penguins in Northland and concerns about fate of Emperor penguins in the Antarctic have highlighted the threat of global warming to seabirds. Researcher and photographer Edin Whitehead is tracking the fate of several seabird species in northern Aotearoa, to see what changes parents are making to ensure their chicks' survival. Edin's a doctoral researcher at the University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences. She's most focused on petrels and shearwaters for her PhD but she's deeply concerned about all seabirds.

Big changes are coming that could affect the planning and the future face of the Auckland region, including the housing landscape. Aucklanders have been able to have their say on the council's proposed plan change to the Auckland Unitary Plan - it is scheduled to be publicly notified by 20 August .There's also the Resource Management Act (Enabling Housing Supply) Amendment Bill - a rare cross-party agreement designed to speed up the building of new houses - which affects Auckland and other main centres. So what impact might this have, amid talk of a period of rapid housing intensification and a loss of character buildings? Joining Kathryn to discuss it are Simon O'Connor, a former Auckland Council planner who now runs his own company, Sentinel Planning, and architect Patrick Sloan who is calling for a Government Architect role to oversee how the city develops.

We have a few laughs with comedians Te Radar and Donna Brookbanks, including one woman's polarising sandwich cutting technique

Sam takes a deep dive into the theme of identity and why that is what is truly at the heart of the ever-growing chorus of discontent surrounding the All Blacks and some of our national teams.

Mellissa Oliver from Unity Books Wellington reviews Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen, published by Queensland University Press.

After decades of studying circadian rhythms, Oxford University sleep scientist Russell Foster shares his findings in the new book Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionise Your Sleep and Health.