The Panel

A tweet by a high school student in the US about not forcing kids to make presentations in front of the class has gone viral. Nerves is one thing but anxiety is another. We ask Toastmaster David O'Brien what it's like to suffer from debilitating nervousness about speaking and how he overcame them.

The latest quality of life survey reports that Christchurch and Hamilton are the saddest cities, with Tauranga and Wellington rated the happiest. Eighty-four per cent of people surveyed felt positive about their quality of life. Thirty per cent said it had improved over the past year but 25 per cent believe their city has become a worse place to live.

What the Panelists Catherine Robertson and Scott Campbell want to talk about.

Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud expects that one day houses will just end up being toilet blocks as the trend is for there to be a loo for every bedroom - and then some. How many toilets does a house need?

The Otago Regional Council has had a fruitless search for new offices but according to the ODT it's spent $437k on it. Councillor Michael Laws says the ORC's gone down a lot of "blind alleys". Now they'll have to spend even more moving the whole she-bang into a temporary HQ.

Cancer patients who have a rare adverse reaction to chemotherapy are having to pay for alternative treatment after Pharmac rejected their applications saying they didn't come under "exceptional cirumstances". for The medical director for the Cancer Society Chris Jackson says Pharmac should be covering the cost of the cancer patients' drugs during the review.

Environmentalists took their fight against an airdrop of 1080 in the Hunua ranges to the Environment Court today. There was a temporary injunction in place, that was due to lift at four o'clock. Associate Professor James Russell is a conservation biologist at the University of Auckland

For the first time in its 17-year history the country's dairy co-op has posted an annual loss. Fonterra's after-tax loss of $196m raises questions about the co-op's business model. Does it need to be split into retail and wholesale branches.

For the first time in its 17-year history the country's dairy co-op has posted an annual loss. Fonterra's after-tax loss of $196m raises questions about the co-op's business model. Does it need to be split into retail and wholesale branches. Environmentalists took their fight against an airdrop of 1080 in the Hunua ranges to the Environment Court today. There was a temporary injunction in place, that was due to lift at four o'clock. Conservation biologist James Russell of the University of Auckland explains why 1080 is a valid tool against pests. Cancer patients who have a rare adverse reaction to chemotherapy are having to pay for alternative treatment after Pharmac rejected their applications saying they didn't come under "exceptional circumstances". for The medical director for the Cancer Society Chris Jackson says Pharmac should be covering the cost of the cancer patients' drugs during the review. The Otago Regional Council has had a fruitless search for new offices but according to the ODT it's spent $437k on it. Councillor Michael Laws says the ORC's gone down a lot of "blind alleys". Now they'll have to spend even more moving the whole she-bang into a temporary HQ.

There's the meteorological storm and there's the political one. The latest on monster storm Hurricane Florence as it ominously approaches the South East Coast of the United States.