Nine To Noon

09:05 Ports and maritime select committee inquiry underway 

There's yet another inquiry into the country's ports system. This time Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure select committee is undertaking an inquiry into the ports and maritime sector. It will examine the current infrastructure settings, workforce and training challenges, regulation, resilience and overall economic contribution. The country's ports have struggled in recent years - a report from market analysis company Forsyth Barr earlier this year found the sector was not earning anywhere near its cost of capital and suggested increased user pricing as the remedy. Both ports of Auckland and Tauranga are lifting user rates - citing increased regulatory and compliance costs. Meanwhile, changes to workplace safety are also underway, following the 2023 sector-wide agreement to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on ports. Charles Finny is the spokesperson for the port company CEO group, which represents 13 ports. 

09:30 The need for trees in increasingly hot New Zealand cities

Many parts of Europe are still baking under a heatwave, with Spain and Portugal hitting the mid forties. While not hitting these extremes, New Zealand's cities are also getting hotter. According to NIWA data, cities like Wellington and Hamilton saw record temperatures last summer and Auckland could face nearly 50 extra hot days each year by the end of the century.  The rise in temperature is partly due to the urban heat island effect, where roads, buildings, and concrete trap heat, making cities even warmer than the countryside. But could increasing the presence of cooling trees and plants help? Timothy Welch, -a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning from the University of Auckland, talks to Kathryn about some of the changes he says could be made quickly. 

09:45 Australia: Warnings of 'bomb cyclone' for east coast

Karen Middleton is a political journalist based in Canberra

10:05 John Clarke to Fred Dagg to dad. A daughter's documentary tribute

Comedian and satirist John Clarke made audiences laugh over 40 years. From beloved characters like Fred Dagg, a parody of a New Zealand sheep farmer, to his brilliant political satire with long time writing partner Bryan Dawe. Born in New Zealand, he quickly made a name for himself after a move across the Tasman in the 70s. John Clarke died in 2017 while hiking in Grampians National Park in Victoria. Now an intimately produced doco tells his story in his words. Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke has been produced by Clarke's daughter Lorin, and features in this year's New Zealand International Film Festival.

10:35 Book review: My Sister by Emmanuelle Salasc, translated by Penny Hueston

Gail Pittaway reviews My Sister by Emmanuelle Salasc, translated by Penny Hueston published by Text Publishing

10:45 Around the motu: James Pocock in Gisborne

11:05 Twentieth-century film music styles: A long generational shift

Music commentator Dave Wilson looks at the work of Lalo Schifrin, an Argentine composer who died at the age of 93 this week and may best be remembered for creating the theme to Mission Impossible. Dave joins Kathryn to talk about how his style of film music rejected the boundaries around jazz and classical music and had an impact far beyond the projects her wrote for. 

Dave Wilson is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and interdisciplinary scholar, a Senior Lecturer in Music at the New Zealand School of Music-Te Kōkī.

11:20 How a $10,000 coat could help more customers access quality clothing

A coat worth $10,000 is out of reach for most of us, but a Wanaka-based design label has come up with a creative way to put quality goods in front of more customers. It's selling the coats, designed by Liz Mitchell, to help subsidise a further 20 items on the rack. The aim is to help put quality New Zealand woollen items with reach. Instead of their true cost of $690, the items' "gift" price drops to $189. The idea belongs to Precious Collaborative's founder Claire O'Connell. She says in the era of fast fashion, nothing is made to last. Even quality second-hand goods are hard to come by, as fast fashion items now dominate that market too. So will the idea take off, with those with the means support it? She joins Kathryn to talk about about how creative ideas are needed to help both New Zealand's wool and fashion industries.

11:45 Science: Earth traps more heat, star-navigating moths, chemo gene test

Science commentator Laurie Winkless joins Kathryn to talk about how the Earth is trapping more heat in the atmosphere and what happens when its energy balance is out of alignment. Chemotherapy has saved countless lives, but it can be unpleasant, and up to 20 percent of people don't respond to the drugs. Now a genomic test has been developed to see which patients might experience a bad reaction to the most commonly-used chemo drugs. And Australia's bogong moth makes an epic journey south each year - now scientists have found they use stars to navigate.

Laurie Winkless is a physicist and science writer