Nine To Noon for Tuesday 10 June 2025

09:05 Regional council says new wastewater rules too lenient

Environment Canterbury has written a scathing submission to the water regulator saying proposed wastewater treatment standards are far below what it demands currently. The new standards are set to come into force from August and will be implemented as councils go for new resource consents to upgrade or build new plants. But the standards - which Taumata Arowai say will make consenting much easier and cheaper - have been criticised for being too lenient and taking a one-size-fits-all approach. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton criticised the lack of analysis backing up the standards and was concerned they would lock in inadequate infrastructure unable to respond to climate and population changes. Environment Canterbury's chair is Craig Pauling.

09:20 Geoengineering: what is it and why is the UK funding trials

The UK is putting tens of millions of dollars into trials for the technique known as geoengineering - intervening in nature in an attempt to slow climate change. The funding will support trials in marine cloud brightening and stratospheric aerosol injection, which aim to reflect sunlight or absorb carbon dioxide to cool the planet. Officials say the move is out of concern that emission reduction efforts may not be enough to avert dangerous climate tipping points. However, critics warn that geoengineering could have unpredictable side effects, potentially altering weather patterns and diverting attention from emissions cuts. Damian Carrington is The Guardian's environment editor. 

09:30  Simon Strombom on his drive to maintain the graves of service personnel 

Cleaning and tidying the graves of former service personnel has become a passion for Simon Strombom. The retired major left the army in 2013 after a career that included a tour in Afghanistan that earned him a Distinguished Service Decoration. Now he has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for founding the New Zealand Remembrance Army, which has worked to identify and restore tens of thousands of graves around the country.

09:45 US correspondent David Smith

The California Governor wants to sue the President for sending the National Guard to protests in LA without his permission. David gives an update on the President's fight with his supporter and close advisor, Elon Musk. Ukraine says it has damaged Russian fighter jets in a night-time raid. 

David Smith is Washington bureau chief for The Guardian

10:05 Spirituality, science and the Amazon    

Rosa Vasquez Espinoza is a Peruvian and Amazonian scientist, conservationist, award-winning artist, and National Geographic Explorer. But as an author she writes about how indigenous wisdom and scientific curiosity work together to provide a connection to the natural world. She established Amazon Research International, a foundation in Peru dedicated to advancing conservation and knowledge of Amazonian biodiversity and culture. Last year she was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women - a list that celebrates influential women worldwide. She joins Kathryn from the UK.

The Spirit of the Rainforest : How indigenous wisdom and scientific curiosity reconnects us to the natural world by Dr Rosa Vasquez Espinoza. Published by Hachette $39.99   

10:35 Book review: A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

Kim Pittar from Muir's Independent Bookshop Gisborne reviews A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan published by Allen and Unwin

10:45 Around the motu: David Hill in North Canterbury

David discusses the latest news in North Canterbury including updates on the earthquake damaged Glen Alton bridge funding, calls for a local driving licence test route in Kaikōura, reactions from local mayors on the government's bid to get young people off a jobseekers benefit, and there have been reports of dog attacks on little penguins along Kaikōura’s coastline.

David Hill is a Local Democracy Reporter with North Canterbury News, based in Rangiora.

11:05 Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

There are moves in the UK to make 'shrinkflation' more transparent. In China, a movement is taking hold where young people are turning away from work and choosing to stay in bed, and scroll on their phones - known as 'rat people. Rebecca also discusses pharmaceutical products company Ebos and the background of its 2013 acquisition of $1 billion Australian pharmaceutical wholesaler. 

Rebecca Stevenson is a senior journalist at BusinessDesk.

11:30 How a motorbike trip sparked a novel set on the Otago goldfields

Two years ago, twenty-four graves were exhumed from a property in Lawrence, including one that contained a woman and a young child. The Androssan Street cemetery had been in use since the early days of the goldrush, when Gabriel Read first discovered gold in Otago in the early 1860s. Author Kirsty Powell has imagined the story of the woman in child in a new book called The Strength of Old Shale. Many parts - and characters - in the book are real. She's woven in the stories told to her by Wally Dalziel, a friend she met on motorcycle trips in China, Peru and Turkey. Wally's ancestors worked the goldfields for years, finally buying the farm he continues to run even now. Kirsty's first novel The Strength of Eggshells won the 2020 New Zealand Booklovers Award for best adult fiction.

11:45 Sports correspondent Sam Ackerman 

Ryan Fox is having the time of his life, winning a second PGA Tour competition within a month by claiming the Canadian Open. In attendance and in support of Ryan Fox were the All Whites - who played in Canada earlier, beating the Ivory Coast 1-0 - one of the team's best-ever results. A thrilling round of Super Rugby playoffs saw the Blues sneak into the final four, alongside the Crusaders, Chiefs and Brumbies. And in the ANZ Premiership - the Mystics overturn the Pulse in a top-of-the-table clash.