Midday Report

There is growing interest in the use of psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to treat mental health conditions. David Menkes, an Associate Professor in Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Weekly chat about the week in politics with Patrick Gower and Guyon Espiner.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

The latest news from RNZ's business team.

Ferries and flights cancelled as fierce weather hits the capital. Wellington Emergency Management's urging people to stay home if possible. Wellington reporter Sammy Carter spoke to Guyon Espiner.

New details breaking about who made the complaint against the country's top cop Richard Chambers and when the Police Minister knew. RNZ National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood broke the story and spoke to Guyon Espiner.

National rolls out a solar incentive - low cost loans is their election policy; We spoke to a 20 year Microsoft veteran about why fighting AI with AI might not be the best solution for New Zealand to patch its vulnerabilities in mission critical infrastructure; and political marketing expert Claire Robinson on why the two majors are striking a minor key and why Opportunity seems to be resonating.

The first qualifiers have been confirmed for the knock-out round at the World Cup?

The 1News Verian poll had a combined total of just 60 percent for the two major parties: Labour and National, when in past years that total has been close to 80 percent. That trend of fragmentation away from legacy parties has been bedding in in the UK and Australia too, with a rise in populist players. Political scientist and political commentator Dr Claire Robinson spoke to Guyon Espiner.

The latest news from the United States with 9 News Washington correspondent Lauren Tomasi.

News from the rural farming sector.

News from the business sector.

This week the world's top intelligence agencies sounded the alarm on the significant rise in risks from AI. In a rare joint statement, the Five Eyes Alliance warned governments to "act swiftly" to address the imminent threat of frontier AI models like Anthropic's Mythos, being used to hack critical national systems. Boyd Multerer, chief executive at cyber security company Kry10 spoke to Guyon Espi...

National has today promised to help households shift to solar power through low interest loans, if reelected. The Home Energy Fund will offer low-interest loans so households can invest in solar, batteries, insulation and heat pumps without big upfront costs. Energy Spokesman Simeon Brown says National would also allow people to install solar without the need for council consent. Brown spoke to Gu...

Welcome to Midday Report essentials. In this episode: A new study is out on smoking decline in New Zealand. We spoke to ASH who say smoking rates among Maori have fallen faster than anywhere in the world. They say the drop in smoking has coincided with the rise of vaping - which is now the major quitting tool. Pike River miner's advocate Sonya Rockhouse told us why she's at Parliament today protes...

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

Long before ChatGPT brought AI into the mainstream, journalist Karen Hao was reporting on OpenAI and its leader Sam Altman. Drawing on years of access and reporting, including her book Empire of AI: Inside the Reckless Race for Total Domination, she spoke to Guyon Espiner about the people, ambitions and power driving the AI revolution.

The latest news from Australia with correspondent Amanda Copp in Canberra.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

The latest news from RNZ's business team.

Pike River campaigners Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse are in Wellington, hoping to persuade politicians to reject legislation they say risks a workplace disaster. Sonya Rockhouse spoke to Guyon Espiner.

New Zealand Rugby has announced it has rejected the joint bid by the Samoan and Tongan governments to save the Moana Pasifika franchise. Rugby reporter Joe Porter spoke to Guyon Espiner.

But first a new study published in the Lancet says New Zealand's smoking rates have fallen at an unprecedented pace in recent years. It says the rapid acceleration coincided with the increased uptake in vaping, which is now the most used method for adults to quit smoking. Ben Youdan, director of ASH spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Cyber security boss discusses five-eyes warning over AI; ERO report says education system failing thousands of students; Sacha Judd discusses new music streaming platform, Lume.

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.