Nine To Noon

09:05 Govt backtracks on 2024 controversial disability cuts 

The Government has completely wound back the 2024 controversial cuts made to disability support service funding, but those affected say this is not the end of their struggle. On March 18 2024 Whaikaha - which at the time was in charge of the disability budget - abruptly introduced new purchasing guidelines which severely restricted what disabled people and their carers could use their allocated budgets for. The Minister in charge was Penny Simmonds - who said Whaikaha was just days away from spending all its money - and partly blamed the overspend on carers using budgets for things like massages and pedicures. Disability operations moved into a unit within the Ministry of Social Development, the government commenced a review and overhaul of the system, and most recently people were told that on April 1 their new budgets would reflect what they had spent between June 2023 and June 2025 - which for many would be less due to the restrictions. All of that has now been wound back, with Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston saying the system was now stable enough to re-introduce flexible funding, and assured disabled people and carers that their budgets would not be reduced. Carers and advocates Emily Writes, Katy Thomas and Kristy Kewene respond to the decision and Disability Support Service Transformation general manager Alastair Hill discusses the changes. 

09:35 EQs much more damaging to basin edge in Wellington - study

A new study using gravity modelling may explain why a part of Wellington's inner city was severely damaged in the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. Researchers at Victoria Unviersity found the subsurface basin in the city was twice as deep as previously thought going down 500 metres. The edge of that drop is the land that runs from Lambton Quay, past the Wellington Regional Stadium and out towards the ferry terminal. Lead author Emeritus Professor Tim Stern says this means earthquake waves become trapped in the large basin and resonate - with a tripling of their intensity compared to the shaking in the CBD. Professor Stern tells Kathryn this research needs to also be carried out in other cities with similar profiles such as Nelson and Christchurch. 

09:40 Rural Games' coal shovellers get ready to test their mettle

Get ready to hear the roar of the chainsaw and the call of the dog whistle in Palmerston North this weekend, as the Rural Games fire up this weekend. The free event runs over two days in The Square, with the best of the country's shearers, woodchoppers and tree climbers all in competition. It's also one of the few events in the country where coal shovellers test their mettle. One of the judges is Brian Coghlan - who incidentally still holds the world record, along with Piet Groot, that they set in 2004... using a banjo shovel to shift 508 kilograms of coal into a hopper in just 14.8 seconds!

09:45 UK: New Mandelson docs released, fuel excise rise on hold, Kneecap quash stands

UK correspondent Hugo Gye joins Kathryn to talk about the release of the first set of documents related to the appointment of Lor Mandelson as British ambassador and what the government knew of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The UK will release 13.5m barrels of oil as part of a IEA plan to ease price rises, as the govt puts a planned fuel excise rise under review. The UK govt has lost an appeal over the decision to quash a terror charge for a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap and Greens leader Zack Polanski's claims about hypnotherapy's ability to increase breast size are making headlines.

Hugo Gye is political editor of The i Paper, based at Westminster

10:05 Crime writer S.A. Cosby on his 'Southern Noir' books and having Barack Obama as a fan

S.A. Cosby has been lauded for his stories set in America's South - gritty, fast-paced novels that have become best-sellers and featured on the reading list of former US President Barack Obama. The author grew up a trailer in Virginia, where he loved being read to - but his constant questioning of plotlines led is mother to challenge him to write his own stories. So he did. His first novel My Darkest Prayer was published in 2019, his second Blacktop Wasteland, the year after - winning the LA Times Book Prize. By the time Razorblade Tears was released in 2021, it debuted at number 10 on the New York Times bestseller list. His work All the Sinners Bleed is being made into a Netflix series - by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company no less. The former president was already a fan, S.A Cosby books - including the latest, King of Ashes - had appeared on a number of his reading lists. Kiwi audiences will be able to see S.A Cosby in person when he's here for the Auckland Writers Festival. You can find more information here. Kathryn speaks to him about his unique Southern Noir style.

10:35 Book review: This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Jenna Todd of Time Out Bookstore in Auckland reviews This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin, published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

10:45 Around the motu: Jared McCulloch, 1 News Reporter in Queenstown

Jared talks to Kathryn about the new rules allowing the purchase of  $5m dollar homes under Golden Visa rules and the rents in Queenstown hitting $900 for the first time. He also discusses a council meeting  on the future of the  Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant and a surge in golf tourism

11:05 Tech: Microsoft sides with Anthropic, Apple debuts its low-cost Neo

Technology commentator Peter Griffin talks about Microsoft's siding with Anthropic amid its battle with the Pentagon about how its AI model Claude should be used. Apple's new low-cost Neo MacBook could be a real challenger to the traditional lower cost PC laptop market for the first time, and what is the new scam code that's been launched in New Zealand and can it really make a dent in the ever-increasing number of scams?

Peter Griffin is a Wellington-based technology journalist

11:25 Parenting: Ensuring good dental care into adulthood 

As children get older and take more responsibility for their teeth, what can parents and caregivers do to ensure good habits through to adulthood? Basic dental care is free in New Zealand for children from birth until they turn 18, but more than a quarter of children are not getting that treatment. Dental Association's oral health promotions manager Anishma Ram speaks to Kathryn.

11:45 Screentime: Crackhead, Vladimir, Rooster, Saipan

Film and television reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to talk about Kiwi comedy Crackhead (Three), where a drug-addicted party animal blows through her inheritance and relationships and has to go to rehab. Vladimir (Netflix) is a US comedy starring Rachel Weisz as a college professor who falls for a younger colleague. Rooster (Neon/HBO) stars Steve Carrell is also set on a college campus and revolves around an author's bond with his daughter. And Saipan (rent from Neon/Prime Video) is a film depicting the infamous conflict between an Irish football manager and his captain ahead of the 2002 World Cup.

James Croot is a TV Guide and The Press film and television reviewer