Nine To Noon

Comedians Te Radar and Irene Pink have a few laughs including an explanation about the essence of the scent of Auckland's K'Rd, but would you buy the perfume?

Sam looks ahead to the long weekend sporting highlights - including what to look out for in the final round of Super Rugby and some budding rivalries worth keeping an eye on.

Rates are on the rise with the Thames Coromandel District Council rate increase up to 14 percent in some areas which John says contrasts unfavourably with the neighbouring Hauraki District Council. He also talks to Kathryn about the recovery from this year's weather events, the cost of the cancellation of summer concert which was scheduled for Whitianga and what's being done about a group of people rough sleeping in mangroves. John Freer is a reporter at Coromandel FM

Louise Ward of Wardini Books in Havelock North reviews Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi, published by HarperCollins

Shinrin yoku is the Japanese practice of 'forest bathing', which is growing in popularity around the world for its therapeutic benefits, both physiological and psychological. Forest bathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the 'rest-and-digest' system. It's the opposite to our 'fight-or-flight' sympathetic nervous system. It's also called forest therapy and has been shown to lower blood pressure, pulse rate and levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as having mental health benefits. Kathryn speaks with Geoffrey Handsfield, a certified forest guide who teaches others how to make the most of their time in the forest. He's also a senior research fellow with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, working with the Musculoskeletal Modelling Group, looking into cerebral palsy, and its effect on the muscles.

Tokelau is experiencing its first Covid-19 community outbreak, it is now officially the second to last country in the world to experience community transmission. Immigration New Zealand says it is not dragging the chain in processing refugees from Nauru under the New Zealand - Australia Resettlement Arrangement. 31 of the 150 people meant to be resettled by 30 June have arrived so far. Fiji's 2000 coup leader George Speight is seeking a pardon. And Tonga is mourning the loss of her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu'ilikutapu. She passed away at Auckland Hospital on 28 May.

Researchers in Sydney and Tokyo have created a database of more than 280 crowd accidents, including multiple fatalities at religious festivals and sporting events. Their findings have been published in the Safety Science journal with the hope of reducing future mass casualties at large events. In the most recent deadly gathering, 12 people died and 500 were injured last month during a stampede at a football match in San Salvador. Last year a Halloween crowd crush in Seoul resulted in more than 150 deaths. And 24 years ago 97 British football fans at the Hillsborough Stadium disaster. University of New South Wales senior lecturer and crowd safety researcher Dr Milad Haghani says there are many ways that such tragedies could be averted.

We head across the Tasman to Australia correspondent Karen Middleton, where the country's most decorated living soldier Ben Roberts-Smith VC has lost his defamation case, and a federal court judge has found that the former SAS soldier committed war crimes - murdering unarmed civilians while serving in Afghanistan. Kathryn talks to Canberra journalist and chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton - who has reported from Afghanistan , whilst embedded with Australia's troops there, and authored the book, An Unwinnable War, on Australia's participation in the war.

Warnings for retailers as Chinese eCommerce giant Temu expands to target the New Zealand and Australian market. The new online marketplace launched here in March, after a staggeringly successful open in the US in September last year. Temu sells everything from fashion and homewares, to electronics and car parts - at very low prices, and offers free delivery, and returns. It's also gamifying how people shop; shoppers can earn credit or win prizes if they refer friends to sign up for the app. Chinese company PDD Holdings owns Temu, plus another site called Pinduoduo - currenty the fourth largest eCommerce site in China. Using Pinduoduo's established supply chains and infrastructure, Temu is being launched as a "western" version of that site, localising for each market. Kathryn speaks with Tony Hou, a digital eCommerce expert who has been looking into the rise of Temu and also Chris Wilkinson from First Retail Group about what impact it might have on retailers here.

Film and TV correspondent Tamar Munch looks at the second season of local documentary series No Place Like Home, screening on Stuff and YouTube, this time featuring the journeys of six refugee families as they settle in New Zealand. She'll also review The Clearing, the first "scripted" Australian series that's an eight-part psychological thriller based on the book by J.P Pomare and stars Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce. And The Great is back for a third season on Neon.

Californian academic Dorsa Amir recently shared a comforting, science-backed list of things that parents can "worry less about".

Cybersecurity expert Tony Grasso joins Kathryn to talk about the big drop in earnings cyber-crime gangs are experiencing as victims refuse to pay ransomware demands.

Alisha talks to Kathryn about how paid parking in Tauranga's city centre has reduced the number of people visiting. Bill Campbell who owns the gift and souvenir store, Fancy That is leaving the CBD after 15 years. He's fed up with parking and ongoing constructions issues. Alisha has an update on Chopper, the rottweiler who bit a vet.

Murray Williams reviews Takahe by Alison Ballance, published by Potton & Burton.

On a cold Melbourne night, the body of a woman is found in a grimy, graffiti-riddled alleyway. But the position she's found in - and the giant mural she's found beside - makes the hairs on Detective Inspector Robbie Gray's neck stand on end. The detective is back in Chris Stuart's second novel The Glasgow Smile, which teases out the victim's possible links the civil unrest on Melbourne's streets and the secrets held by her dysfunctional family.

UK correspondent Lara Spirit joins Kathryn to dive into the latest on the looming inquiry into how ministers handled the pandemic, as Boris Johnson says he's handed over all the WhatsApp messages and notebooks he's been asked to. And the UK's trade deals with New Zealand and Australia kick in today - but not everyone's convinced the UK got the good end of the bargain.

An increasing number of secondary schools around the country are ditching NCEA Level One - ahead of a refresh to the qualification that's being introduced over the next few years. Hobsonville Point Secondary School was one of the first schools to opt out of offering Level One. Principal Maurie Abraham joins Kathryn to explain why. And Christ's College Assistant Principal - Curriculum Nicole Billante talks about the school's experience of offering its own diploma.

Auckland's mayor Wayne Brown has just made public his plan to balance the city's books restating his intention to sell Council shares in the city's airport and promising to keep household rates under 6.7 per cent. Auckland has a $325 million hole in its budget, with another $50 million needed to fund storm recovery. The Mayor has spoken to some media this morning, saying this year's budget was one of the hardest in Auckland's history. RNZ reporter Finn Blackwell has been the announcement.

The Director General of Conservation, Penny Nelson, discusses DOC's large and ageing assets, and the tough decisions that need to be made on what to replace and what to maintain. DOC administers New Zealand's largest recreation network including more than 14,000km of tracks, 326 campsites, approximately 950 backcountry huts and numerous heritage sites across one third of the country. Recent extreme weather events have caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the budget earlier this month allocated $12.6 million to DOC to plan and rebuild biodiversity, heritage, visitor and other conservation sites damaged in the weather. Last year's budget provided DOC with new funding of $60 million over 4 years for visitor asset management. But documents released under the Official Information Act recently show the Department has dozens of high risk structures overdue for maintenance, and a backlog of maintenance on its huts and tracks network worth over three hundred million dollars.

Science correspondent Allan Blackman joins Kathryn to talk about a discovery by researchers in Singapore that wavy wounds heal faster than straight wounds. What implications might that have for surgery? A new study has found even lawyers hate legalese, and a frothy beer is actually better for you - don't tip that glass to avoid beer head! Allan Blackman is a Professor of Chemistry, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology.