The Panel

A couple of stories today, one looking at a new superstar in the world of children's book endorsements and the other at the ever-changing world of language.

Myco bovis, cannabis, eating grass.

A study by the Girl Guides in Britain finds that exam stress and the pressures of social media have made girls and young women feel far less happy than they did 10 years ago.Social media is one of the main causes of stress among girls. What the Panelists Chris Gallavin and Sally Wenley want to talk about. Pareora has been branded as a dying town. The town near Timaru has a population of 500. The Associate school principal and Pareora campus leader Jo O'Sullivan wants to save the school playground as the school itself teeters just months away from closure. The Proctor of the University of Otago Dave Scott took it upon himself to uplift water bongs from a student flat after he let himself in to deliver some pamphlets when apparently no-one was at home. He didn't report the confiscation of the drug smoking paraphenalia to police. Tiger Woods is back. He's finally had his 80th PGA Tour win, the PGA Tour Championship, his first victory in 5 years. A second woman has gone public with a claim of historic sex assault by US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.It is another alleged assault stemming from Kavanaugh's teens. Meanwhile, Yale Law School professor Amy Chua is denying a damaging story about her telling would-be clerks to dress a certain way when interviewing for jobs with Brett Kavanaugh. The National Party leader Simon Bridges has Tweeted his opposition to tenants evicted from Housing NZ properties receiving compensation for being wrongly evicted over suspect methamphetamine contamination.

A Wairarapa primary school has been lockdown this afternoon after a plane nearby dropped an unknown substance, causing multiple children to feel ill.

New research from Otago University says teenagers are heavier and less fit than their parents were at the same age. Kate McCartney from Sport Wellington joins us to explain how to turn that around.

Political lecturer Bryce Edwards joins us to talk about a tumultuous week for the coalition government, and to look ahead to how it might respond.

The Auckland Council will be able to drop 1080 on South Auckland's Hunua Ranges after winning an Environment Court decision which was announced today.

A woman who stabbed her partner as he lay in bed has had her sentence in the High Court reduced considerably because of her Māori cultural background, and because she had a difficult upbringing. That's despite objections from the solicitor-general. We ask the panelists what they think of the ruling.

Principals say teachers are worried about being hauled before the Education Council for handling disruptive children. Pat Newman says the guidelines leave grey areas.

What our panellists Ruth Money and Peter Fa'afiu want to talk about.