First Up Podcast Options

5:25 AM.A woman who performed with the world's greatest ballet dancers before teaching go-go girls to shake and shimmy on New Zealand tv has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Dorothea… Read more Audio

5:10 AM.Venetians are calling for a ban on cruise ships after a massive cruise liner rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat injuring at least five tourists including a New Zealander. The MSC Opera cruise… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.Each week we'll speak to a venue, pub or band about their upcoming gig...this week our producer Lydia Batham spoke to the owner of The Mussel Inn, in Golden Bay - Jane Dixon. Audio

5:45 AM.The Tamaki Regeneration Company says tenants forced out of the area are welcome to return. Earlier this week, First Up went to a breakfast club at Tamaki College where students told us a new housing… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.Every morning we answer one of your business questions. Jobs for the future is one of the goals of the government's wellbeing budget. So will a robot take my job? Here's our business reporter, Nona… Read more Audio

5:55 AM.Indira speaks with Tamaki MP Simon O'Connor about the Tamaki housing regeneration project. Audio

5:40 AM.Pupils at Auckland's Tamaki College say they're hoping an investment in social housing will be a priority for the Government in today's Wellbeing budget. The students say many of their families have… Read more Video, Audio

5:37 AM.A couple of weeks ago we told you about the plight of some bird owning pensioner housing tenants in Whanganui. They were initially ordered to get rid of their pet birds by the 9th of May or face 90… Read more Audio

5:26 AM.For our mid week report on the economy I spoke to ANZ strategist Sandeep Parekh. The government is announcing the budget later today, at 2pm. So they've already announced what they're going to spend… Read more Audio

5:51 AM.Now, those students said one of the priority areas for them was education - and expressed concerns over teachers' pay. Today, that issue comes to a head - with around 50,000 teachers hitting the… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.It is Budget week, and while our school students don't have an official say until they turn 18, it doesn't mean they aren't aware of the issues. Our producer Ellie Jay spent the morning with students… Read more Video, Audio

5:35 AM.There's been a lot of talk in the past week about the government relaxing its net debt target from 20 percent to a range of 15 to 25 percent in a couple of years. What does it mean and does it matter… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.A lung cancer sufferer and pharmacology expert's told says he doesn't think Pharmac is fit for purpose. In late 2012, at 48-years-old, John Ashton - who's an associate professor at the Univeristy of… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.The dental association is calling for a review of children's dental care, saying there are too many kids waiting in pain in the public system. Thousands of children are waiting months with serious… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.Answering listener questions - which is better for the country .. a high valued dollar or low valued dollar ? Here's our business editor Gyles Beckford. Audio

5:23 AM.People living with mental health problems, in the community, say they value the support but also want more acceptance from others. Long-awaited improvements in mental health services are expected to… Read more Audio

5:12 AM.The government wants to halve child poverty within the next decade, and the funding to do this is expected to be a key part of the government's Wellbeing Budget this week. Official figures show more… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.An Spinal Muscular Atrophy advocate says Pharmac is playing a money game while patients are dying and she's now looking to take the agency to the Human Rights Commission. Fiona Tolich has SMA herself… Read more Video, Audio

5:47 AM.A Cambridge family says Pharmac has robbed their daughter of a chance at life. 14 year old Stella has Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 - a disease where few who have it ever reach adulthood. The drug… Read more Video, Audio

5:35 AM.The US-China trade war has stepped up a notch recently, with both sides bumping up tariffs... so who are the winners and losers? With the answer is our business reporter, Madison Reidy Audio