Nine To Noon RNZ Radio

Sam Ackerman joins us to get the lay of the sporting landscape after a halter skelter weekend of sporting results - including the final round of Super Rugby Pacific, some big performances for New Zealanders in American competitions, and the Twenty20 World Cup.

It was 40 years ago that Wellington man Gregory Hill first got the idea to travel to the direct opposite part of the world to New Zealand by train.

Hawke's Bay fast-food software company Fingermark has a new investor. US-listed giant Ecolab is taking a more than 9% stake, putting a nine-figure valuation on the tech firm. Victoria backgrounds what Fingermark does, and what the investment means. Also, she looks at what is next for the electricity sector with the Tiwai deal and Port of Auckland price hikes.

Enterprise North Canterbury has been working with other regional tourism organisations to develop a Canterbury dark sky trail. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve was established in 2012, while the Kaikoura Dark Sky Trust is about to apply for dark sky sanctuary status and interest is growing in other Canterbury communities. Crunch time is fast approaching for two North Canterbury schools bulging at the seams. Woodend School and Te Kura o Tuahiwi are on the Ministry of Education's list of 352 building projects under review. And there'll be a review of the rules protecting Canterbury's coastline next year. David Hill is a Local Democracy Reporter with North Canterbury News, based in Rangiora.

Lynn Freeman reviews At The Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley published by Penguin Random House NZ.

Dai Henwood is well known to TV viewers, as a funny guy, but he's been going through some serious stuff.