First Up Podcast Options

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

5:09 AM.Ellie Jay spoke with our Australian correspondent Pam Corkery - politics and religion, politics and ANZAC Day and politics and defamation. Audio

5:53 AM.Ellie Jay asked the National Party's deputy leader Shane Reti whether he thought the criticism of the Government over its relationship with our Five Eyes partners is justified. Audio

5:46 AM.A leading defence analyst says the backlash the government is facing over its reluctance to extend the Five Eyes alliance beyond security matters is entirely misguided and seems rooted in misogyny… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.With less than 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics we are speaking with as many Olympic athletes as possible to hear how they're preparing. Canoe sprinters Max Brown and Kurtis Imrie are set to… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.This week's feature auctions on Trade Me include an incredible collection of Chinese porcelain - 41 pieces of the finest Nanking China with a fine price to match - and a multi-million dollar property… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.To the UK where Ellie Jay spoke with our correspondent Henry Riley about British/Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who has been sentenced to another year in an Iranian prison. Audio

5:54 AM.Wellington's bus drivers have gone on strike this morning as their stoush with NZ Bus heats up. The drivers have been told by their employer that they'll be locked out indefinitely due to the… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.The annual muster of the central North Island's wild Kaimanawa horses is due to take place this weekend, with more horses than usual having to be rounded up due to last year's muster being cancelled… Read more Audio

5:34 AM.Donkeys, rescued battery hens and a cow that's sure to steal your heart. This animal sanctuary has it all. Founded in 2002, the Matakana Animal Sanctuary provides a safe haven for abused and neglected… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.Now we're having a look at what's fresh this weekend, Joining Ellie Jay from the markets this morning is our Minister of Fruit and Veges Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:16 AM.Large crowds are expected at Anzac Day services around the country on Sunday after public events were cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Over 300 veterans will be joining former soldier… Read more Audio

5:12 AM.An Australian doctor says GPs are the best place to administer the Covid-19 vaccine because they know their patients and can prioritise them and are experienced vaccinators. Sydney GP Dr Brian Morton… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.Let's begin this morning in India, where it's looking increasingly unlikely the travel ban will be lifted next week after the country recorded its highest daily death toll this week as a triple mutant… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.And Nathan Rarere was able to put some of these concerns to the Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson. He began by asking about concerns that people who live outside of Auckland, Wellington or… Read more Audio