Midday Report for Wednesday 17 December 2014

12:46 PM.A just released report has found that children in rural areas are four times more likely to die in accidents than in urban areas. Audio

12:45 PM.Researchers at Lincoln University are developing a new way to find out which part of the world unwanted insect pests have come from. Audio

12:44 PM.The union representing workers in the meat industry is launching a campaign today to highlight job insecurity in the sector. Audio

12:42 PM.The kiwifruit marketer, Zespri, is telling kiwifruit growers in its latest forecast they can expect a big boost in returns from this year's crop. Audio

12:39 PM.The dairy industry will be hoping that the results of last night's global dairy trade auction are a sign that dairy prices may be at last starting to recover. Audio

12:35 PM.Farmers in the Hikurangi swamp north of Whangarei are living on their nerves as water levels rise steadily after a week of rain and they face the prospect of being flooded for the fourth time in a… Read more Audio

12:30 PM.Coming off a 147-run hiding in their last match, the New Zealand cricketers can only look up heading into tonight's 4th one-dayer against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Audio

12:28 PM.For the latest from the markets we're joined by James Malden at Macquarie Private Wealth. Audio

12:24 PM.Intueri Education Group says it's buying the other half of Online Courses Australia, for about 15 million Australian dollars. Audio

12:22 PM.The managing director of Scales, Andy Borland, says the Mr Apple crop is expected to meet or exceed volume estimates, while ongoing strength in the Asian and Middle East markets will more than offset… Read more Audio

12:20 PM.An ASB economist says global dairy prices have signed off the year on a positive note, with a 2-point-4 percent rise in the overnight auction. Audio

12:18 PM.The current account deficit swelled to 2.5 billion dollars in the September quarter to a near six-year high, driven by falling dairy prices and rising imports. Audio

12:16 PM.The Reserve Bank says its new measure of the New Zealand dollar, which comes into effect today, doesn't materially alter its view that the exchange rate is unjustifiable and unsustainable at current… Read more Audio

12:00 PM.The Taliban massacre of schoolchildren in Pakistan draws and more details emerge about the end of the Sydney siege. Audio