First Up Podcast Options

5:53 AM.With Auckland, Northland and Hawkes Bay in drought, rainfall is needed - but for much of the country this Autumn has been mostly dry and warm - NIWA's Chris Brandolino joins us now, Audio

5:43 AM.The government had no choice but to go into a nationwide lockdown - in fact, the only choice was to either go early or go late - and New Zealand went early, that's according to the Director General of… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.While there is that drive to buy local - New Zealand's fashionistas say they aren't sure whether they'll be able to make up lost revenue. Benny Castles from WORLD says the company took a massive… Read more Audio

5:14 AM.The Auckland Arts Festival is excited to hear from artists, designers and creative thinkers for its next festival and beyond. It's calling for proposals from established or emerging artists and is… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.US Scientists are getting closer to having a viable antibody treatment for Covid-19 - with Distributed Bio today announcing their antibodies have been confirmed to successfully block the virus from… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.A digital diary style app to help people record where you've been on any given day will be released by the government tomorrow Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says people can use the app to log their… Read more Audio

5:46 AM.Queenstown residents say they're trapped in tenancy agreements they can't escape as rents begin to return to normal. Thousands of jobs have been lost in the resort town with more expected to go after… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.We're now officially a country of 5 million. According to Statistics New Zealand, at some point in March our population hit the milestone number - 17 years after we grew to 4 million. So who could the… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.All across New Zealand yesterday playgrounds were filled with the sound of school kids as schools fully opened up again for the first time in eight weeks. About 800,000 children were back in the… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 AM.Every Christmas TradeMe opens the Kindness Store and even though we're nowhere near Christmas, the company has decided to put one on now because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our producer Jeremy Parkinson… Read more Audio

5:07 AM.We begin in the UK where we're joined by our correspondent Henry Riley. Audio

5:52 AM.Well, during lockdown our only option was to shop online - at level 4 it was essentials only, at level 3 it was almost anything - but malls are now back open, and it seems people were happy to hit the… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Buying and supporting local plays a key part in our Covid recovery - and many New Zealand small businesses have received a boost in the past few weeks thanks in part to a Facebook page.

The 'NZ made'… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.Farmers markets were able to open again at the weekend for the first time in seven weeks. The risk of spreading Covid 19 meant they were forced to close under level four and three, leaving the many… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.We're joined now for the first time in AGES by our Minister of Fruit and Vege, Glenn Forsyth.. Audio

5:12 AM.Taiwan's representative in New Zealand is urging the World Health Organisation to put politics aside and accept the island nation into its ranks when it meets this week. New Zealand, the US, Australia… Read more Audio

5:51 AM.In a bid to keep staff and patients safe, GP's around the country will today move to virtual appointments, aiming to reduce face-to-face contact by 70 per cent. The Royal New Zealand College of… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.Lock down now. That's what more than 20 thousand people who've signed a petition want to happen. They're calling on the government to raise the COVID-19 alert level to four - meaning education… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.OCD and anxiety disorders can be complicated by coronavirus fears. Worries about hand washing, touching the face, and infection are increasing. Louise Ternouth spoke to Positive Mind Works… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.It's time to see how the country's fruit and vegetable markets are shaping up this week with our Minister of Fruit and Veges Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:11 AM.Global anxiety over COVID-19 has recently centered on Europe, where Italy is bearing the brunt of the pandemic's spread. Amidst a nationwide lockdown, its toll has grown to more than 53,500 cases and… Read more Audio