First Up Podcast Options

5:34 AM.We've heard about a trans-tasman bubble but what about a cruise ship bubble? The union representing ships' captains and officers has come up with the idea and wants to see it go ahead this year. It… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.2020 saw more people than ever before adopting former racing greyhounds. And for one rescue organisation it was a record breaking year. But as Ella Stewart reports, greyhounds aren't the easiest of… Read more Audio

5:21 AM.This week on TradeMe a classic American 4X4 - a legendary Ford Bronco in black - not white - so you won't be mistaken for OJ Simpson.. which has to be a good thing.. But first on the auction block is… Read more Audio

5:14 AM.Renowned New Zealand artist Bill Hammond, whose strange, dream-like birds became one the the most recognisable images in New Zealand art, has died aged 73. The Lyttelton-based artist was considered… Read more Audio

5:08 AM.Captain Sir Tom Moore the 100 year old British man who raised millions of pounds for the NHS by walking laps of his garden has now tested positive for covid-19, His daughter Hannah confirmed the news… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.As the world grapples with the worst health crisis in a century, a secondary pandemic is starting to take hold, one which could be with us for months if not years after Covid-19 has been erradicated… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.Our next guest is cementing herself as an important voice in Aotearoa's film and cultural landscape. As programme manager of the Maoriland Film Festival, Madeleine de Young has been helping rangatahi… Read more Audio

5:31 AM.The Climate Change Commission says New Zealand is not contributing enough to world-wide efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. The Government has committed to… Read more Audio

5:20 AM.Our Minister of Fruit and Veges Glenn Forsyth on where are the coconuts and pomegranates? Audio

5:11 AM.We're delighted to be joined for the first time by our new correspondent in Sweden, former RNZ International reporter Anita Purcell-Sjölund. Audio

5:52 AM.People offer and hunt for all kinds of things on the Auckland Family Free Cycle Facebook page, but one mum is on the hunt for something very specific for her five-year-old son. Ellie Jay meets James… Read more Video, Audio

5:47 AM.Our managed isolation hotels have come under scrutiny this week following revelations a Northland woman and two other guests tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving Auckland's Pullman Hotel. The… Read more Video, Audio

5:43 AM.One of our new weekly segments on First Up this year is looking at wildlife and animals. The Lonely Miaow is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the rescue and care of stray and abandoned cats and… Read more Audio

5:32 AM."What the World Needs Now" is "The Look of Love" - and that's what entertainer Ali Harper has brought to Wellington audiences at Circa Theatre. Ali's extensive Musical Theatre and Cabaret background… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.Joining us now for the weekend market report is our Minister of Fruit and Veges Glenn Forsyth - looking at what are the best salad ingredients and garlic. Audio

5:14 AM.Ahhh the sounds of a Kiwi summer. But we've noticed that the annual chorus of the cicadas has been missing this year. Our reporter Ella Stewart asked entomologist Thomas Buckley why the cicadas seem… Read more Audio

5:07 AM.Joining Nathan Rarere from Doha, is our man in the Middle East, Kamahl Santamaria who talks about quarantining after a trip to the US and Israel's warning to the new US President about re-engaging… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.The Ministry of Health confirmed late last night that there are two more cases of Covid-19 in the community. The two cases completed managed isolation at the same time as the weekend's Northland case… Read more Audio

5:44 AM.A slew of new members of Parliament after last October's general election, and in 2021 we'd like to introduce you to as many of them as possible. One of the most talked-about was the infectious… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.We're all too aware that the news can be a bit too Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch focused, so this year we're incredibly grateful to have access to the marvellous Local Democracy Reporting… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.The number of sharks and rays worldwide has fallen by 71 per cent in the last 50 years and according to Australian and international research more than three-quarters of species are now threatened… Read more Audio

5:15 AM.This week on First Up, we have been bringing you a mini-series of interviews where Nathan Rarere posed the same four questions to three everyday Americans about their reflections of life over the… Read more Audio

5:09 AM.To Europe now, where a row is escalating over the supply of COVID vaccines.. EU authorities are urging pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to publish details of the contract they signed for Covid… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.Well the discovery of the South African variant certainly gave people in Northland a big scare, just when the region was bouncing back from the initial economic hit from Covid. Joining us now is… Read more Audio

5:46 AM.Scientists have discovered people who've had Covid-19 aren't always protected from the new South African variant of the virus. The South African strain, called 501Y.V2, was detected in Northland over… Read more Audio