First Up for Tuesday 18 August 2020

5:54 AM.Westmere Butchers in Auckland believe it would also be safer to be open during alert level 3 - rather than operating a click and collect service. Manager Glen McKendry spoke with Indira. Audio

5:51 AM.Nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition calling for butchers, greengrocers and bakeries to operate as normal at alert level 3. Under current rules, they can only operate through contactless… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.The election date announcement has come as a shock to many - especially to the group of young New Zealanders now eligible to vote. Jacinda Ardern revealed yesterday the election would be pushed back… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.A rare plant has sold for more than $8,000 after an online bidding war broke out on Trade Me - breaking the sites record sale price for a plant. The Variegated Minima leaves are half green and half… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.South Auckland and its Pacific community has been the target of online hate after a local family was the first to test positive for Covid 19 in the current outbreak. Four positive cases has ballooned… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.Two political heavyweights will go head to head in a battle royale - but not at the ballot box but on the Monopoly board, and you can be part of the action. TradeMe's Ruby Topzand tells producer… Read more Audio

5:11 AM.A cookbook that was meant to put food on the table for the Waikato's most vulnerable during the Covid-19 lockdown has gone on to pick up awards previously won by the world's elite chefs. The Mighty… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.To the UK, where high-school exam results will be overturned after days of concern from students. Students in Wales and in Northern Ireland have been given the grades predicted by their teachers - not… Read more Audio