Nine To Noon for Wednesday 10 April 2024

09:05 Onus on businesses to prove need to collect personal data 

The Privacy Commissioner wants businesses collecting biometric information to have to prove the benefits of doing so outweigh the privacy risks. It's one of several proposed rules the commissioner's office is releasing this morning as it grapples with the increasing use of tools like facial recognition technology in stores. Other rules the commissioner wants would require parties collecting biometric data to disclose to individuals they are doing so and that biometric information is not used outside of the reason it was gathered. Retail NZ has called for a widespread, coordinated roll out of facial recognition technology to cut down on retail crime. Foodstuffs is holding a major trial of the technology in its North Island supermarkets. The Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster talks to Kathryn about the draft rules, while Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young gives her reaction to them. 

09:30 As telcos get ready to switch off 3G - are we ready?

On Monday it was revealed more than a million mobile phones could be prevented in Australia from calling emergency services, as the country progresses its 3G shutdown. The ABC reported a subset of older 4G-enabled handsets may not be able to make emergency calls once the 3G networks are shut off because of how they're configured. Across the Ditch, Vodafone switched off 3G services in December and January - while deadlines are looming for other telcos.  New Zealand will also see 3G switched off - but plans to do it this year have been pushed back by One NZ. So when will it kick off, what do customers need to do and why is it happening? Kathryn is joined by Paul Brislen, chair of the Telecommunications Forum.

09:45 Australia: Gaza latest Higgins saga, Aukus with a J

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about indications by Foreign Minister Penny Wong that Australia could be prepared to recognise a Palestinian state to advance peace in the Middle East. A judgment is pending in a defamation case connected to a rape allegation at Parliament House. Bruce Lehrmann sued Ten television network over an interview with Brittany Higgins, who said she'd been raped by a colleague in their boss's ministerial office. Karen looks at how this became a defamation case when no names were mentioned, and the 11th-hour explosive evidence that forced the judge to delay his verdict. Could Japan be about to join the AUKUS technology-transfer agreement?

Karen Middleton is political editor of the Guardian Australia

10:05 The team that hit the rocks: Peter Jerram's Wahine memoir

Today marks fifty-six years since New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster, the Wahine Ferry sinking. Peter Jerram along with his university cricket team were nursing their hangovers onboard when the ferry was caught between ex-tropical cyclone Giselle and a southerly front. At the entrance to Wellington harbour, the towering waves shoved the ship and its 734 passengers and crew onto Barrett Reef. For decades Peter and his team-mates - who all survived - chose not to talk about the disaster. Eventually a cricket team reunion saw that change, with the stories flooding out. Now Peter has gathered his team-mate's memories of that day and complied them into a new book The Team that Hit the Rocks: The Inside Story of the Wahine Disaster.

10:35 Book review: Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti 

Kiran Dass reviews Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti published by Fitzcarraldo Editions

10:45 Around the motu: Simon Wilson in Auckland

A new report commissioned by the Committee for Auckland from Deloittes and council agencies has ranked Auckland against 9 comparable cities, including Brisbane, Vancouver and Copenhagen. The City of Sails is in the middle, with the report noting the need for better infrastructure, especially transport. And Simon says gridlock is coming and explains why the transport network in Auckland is close to collapse.

Simon Wilson is a Senior Writer NZ Herald 

11:05 Music with Kirsten Zemke: Flute infusion

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about how the flute can be used to maximum effect within songs. Among the tracks she'll play today - one from Men at Work with a flute riff that landed the band in court and another from the classically trained flautist Lizzo.

Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Auckland's School of Social Sciences.

11:25 Newshub closure confirmed: 250 jobs lost

Newshub staff have been told the news operation is to close from the fifth of July with the loss of 250 jobs.Newshub staff are in a meeting where they've just heard the news from Warner Brother Discovery which owns the network.The news comes a day after TVNZ confirmed it would go ahead with axeing its consumer affairs programme Fair Go, along with the midday and late night news bulletins.The fate of staff at TVNZ's current affairs programme Sunday, will also be announced today. Colin Peacock of RNZ's Mediawatch speaks with Kathryn.

11:35 Dame Susan Devoy reflects on sport, family and career

Dame Susan Devoy is a household name. A four time squash world champion, high level sports administrator and former Race Relations Commissioner,  she also appeared on Celebrity Treasure Island, famously saying she was there to "represent menopausal women".  Susan Devoy grew up in Rotorua - the youngest child with six older brothers,  in a sports-mad household. She and her husband John are parents to four adult sons. She's just published a memoir, entitled Dame Suzy D: My Story in which she reflects on her sporting career, her surprise at her Damehood, and her experiences -- good and bad -- as Race Relations Commissioner. She shares her story with Kathryn Ryan.

11:45 Personal finance: Think about giving

Money expert Liz Koh talks about the benefits of giving. She reminds people the charitable donations they make are eligible for tax refunds, but also that charities are struggling right now. While it might be hard to think about others if your own finances are stretched, conscious giving can be a way to give what you can - within your means. 

Liz Koh is a money expert specialising in retirement planning. The advice given here is general and does not constitute specific advice to any person.