First Up Podcast Options

5:50 AM.Flights between New Zealand and Western Australia can resume despite the region's latest Covid-19 scare. An MIQ security guard in Perth contracted the virus and is believed to have been infectious in… Read more Audio

5:46 AM.Today marks two weeks since the first quarantine-free flights between New Zealand and Australia. Tourism operators in both countries pinned hopes of an economic boost on the travel bubble, but how… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.Customs has fired nine border workers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19. It says the move complies with public health regulations that came into force this month. Customs deputy chief… Read more Audio

5:21 AM.Anna Thomas took a look at what's good in the fresh produce market this week with our Minister of Fruit and Veges Glenn Forsyth. It's all about pumpkin and persimmons! Audio

5:12 AM.People aged over 65 or who have underlying health problems will start getting their Covid-19 vaccines this month. About a quarter of a million doses have been administered to New Zealanders so far… Read more Audio

5:07 AM.To Europe now where we join our correspondent Anita Purcell-Sjölund in Sweden where there are plans afoot for a Covid-19 passport so people can travel for the upcoming summer season. Audio

5:52 AM.Auckland Council will today meet with a group taking the council to court over its plan to turn much of Queen Street in central Auckland into a pedestrian space. Barriers originally put in place for… Read more Audio

5:31 AM.Joseph Parker's path back to the heavyweight world title reaches another crossroads this weekend when the New Zealand boxer fights British veteran Derek Chisora in Manchester. The former WBO belt… Read more Audio

5:15 AM.A woman who was excommunicated by the Exclusive Brethren Church when she was 20 likens it to becoming a refugee in her own country. Lindy Jacomb, who grew up in South Auckland, was cut off by her… Read more Audio

5:09 AM.Here at First Up we absolutely love native birds and April is Takahe awareness month. These Native taonga are slowly being brought back from the brink of extinction. Julie Harvey is Takahe Advocacy… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.We begin in the UK where Boris Johnson is under fire over a 115-thousand-pound renovation on his Downing Street flat paid for by a mystery donor. It comes in a week when it's been alleged the UK Prime… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.New Zealand Rugby holds its Annual General Meeting today where members will consider a bid by American company Silver Lake to but a 12.5 per cent stake in the organisation. It's seeking approval for a… Read more Audio

5:43 AM.Cook Islanders are patiently waiting for the travel bubble with New Zealand to open as the country's tourism operators shut shop ... but it keeps being put off ... and put off. A two-way travel bubble… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.The Covid tragedy is continuing to escalate in India with the official death toll now at 200-thousand. A second wave is devastaing the country, hospitals overrun and a lack of crucial life saving… Read more Audio

5:28 AM.It's less than 100 days to the Olympics and in the lead up we are speaking to Olympics athletes each week to hear how they are preparing for the upcoming Tokyo games. Surfing is one of the new sports… Read more Audio

5:20 AM.As we do every week, it's time now to catch up with one our reporters from the Local Democracy Programme. The free public-interest news service is dedicated to strengthening coverage of local… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.We head to Fiji where the country is in lockdown as the country's Covid cases top 100. Ellie Jay spoke with our Fiji correspondent Lice Movono shortly after the government announced two new Covid… Read more Audio

5:08 AM.To Europe now, where it's hoped the last chapter of the years-long Brexit saga is finally at an end. The European Parliament announced today it has voted to back the trade deal although tensions… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.A man is self isolating in Northland after travelling to New Zealand from Perth, despite the city being in lockdown. The breach was found during routine passenger checks after the man arrived here on… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.New Zealanders in India are becoming increasingly desperate as the country's Covid-19 pandemic spirals out of control. In excess of 300-thousand people a day are being infected with the virus and the… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.Showing at the Circa theatre in Wellington this week is an honest and uplifting inclusive play. Up Down Girl is about the extraodrinary life of a person with Down Syndrome and their mother's… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.Down Under Honey is a family owned and operated business in Manawatu that manages a team of beekeepers and 1500 beehives. They produce everything honey related from simple Manuka honey to reusable… Read more Audio