Nine To Noon

09:05 News and current affairs

09:30 New wastewater standards explained

New Zealand has its first national wastewater standards - after Cabinet agreed to new rules that will come into force on December 19. Previously,  public wastewater plants needed to get consent from the relevant regional council, which decided based on its interpretation of the Resource Management Act. Now those councils will all have to make consent decisions using the national standards - and they cannot enforce a higher standard. Steve Carne, director of Taonga Water Advisory, explains how the new standards will work. 

09:45 UK correspondent

10:05 Kite Runner to The Crown: Khalid Abdalla on his remarkable career as an actor and activist

He's known for his roles in movies including The Kite Runner, Green Zone and United 93 - as well as playing Dodi Fayed in Netflix series The Crown. But Khalid Abdalla is also an activist - and it's that side of his life he'll be letting Kiwi audiences see next year as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Khalid was born in Glasgow to Egyptian parents, who fled repression in that country and raised their son in London. After Cambridge he studied theatre in France, then the screen roles flooded in. But it was the Arab Spring in 2011 which helped inform Khalid's work Nowhere, that he'll perform here in March. Khalid spent time in Cairo's Tahrir Square at the height of the major protests. Earlier this year he was summoned for questioning by police over his part in a pro-Palestine protest. He joins Kathryn to explain how he balances acting and activism. Khalid Abdalla will be performing Nowhere at Wellington's Tāwhiri Warehouse from the 4th to the 7th of March. He'll also be in conversation with Tainui Seasons at Māoriland Film Hub on March 7.

10:30 Medical drone trial a success, what next?

A drone successfully delivered medical supplies to a remote island in the Western Bay of Plenty last week. The first medical drone delivery done in New Zealand is part of a trial between drone company VertiLink, the University of Auckland and Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi. Last Thursday, the drone left Omokoroa at 10:45am -with a full load of trauma treatment equipment - and arrived at a simulated emergency at Te Kutaroa Marae on Matakana Island in less than 4 minutes. VertiLink chief executive Charlie Nelson says this is a groundbreaking milestone - and the quick responsiveness of the drone could save lives.

10:35 Book review: 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal edited by Carwyn Jones and Maria Bargh

Paul Diamond reviews 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal edited by Carwyn Jones and Maria Bargh, published by Huia Publishers.

10:45 Around the motu :

11:05 AI agents: What are they and who's liable if things go wrong?

Tech commentator Alex Sims looks at computer programs that use artificial intelligence to pursue goals and tasks with minimal input, over time learning to plan and adapt what you need. She'll look at some examples of what they can be used for, and some realistic examples of where things could go wrong. What does the law say about who's liable if mistakes are made?

Alex Sims is a Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland Business School and an expert on blockchain technology, copyright law and consumer law

11:25 Sibling rivalry: a normal part of growing up?

Is competition, jealousy, and conflict between brothers and sisters a normal part of growing up? While bickering and nitpicking in the back of the car can be hard for parents, is sibling rivalry also a way for children to learn life skills? Kathryn talks with Clinical Psychologist and mum of three, Jacqui Maguire.

11:45 Screentime: Wake Up Dead Man (A Knives Out Mystery), After the Hunt, Nuremberg

Film and television reviewer Tom Augustine joins Kathryn to look at how the latest Knives Out mystery starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc compares to the first two. After the Hunt is a psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts as a college professor caught in a sexual abuse allegation between a student and a colleague. Nuremberg stars Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring and Rami Malek as the US psychiatrist who examined him ahead of the war crimes tribunal. And Tom also reviews Stranger Things 5.

Tom Augustine is a Tāmaki based filmmaker and critic.