Midday Report for Wednesday 18 August 2021

12:45 PM.Teddy bears around the country will no doubt be coming out of hibernation if they haven't already. During last year's lockdown, thousands of toy bears appeared in windows and doors and driveways of… Read more Video, Audio, Gallery

12:42 PM.Lockdowns are not easy, and in some households they're terribly difficult. Clinical Psychologist Jacqui Maguire has written a children's book with effective tools for helping children through scary… Read more Audio

12:35 PM.Primary industry leaders met online this morning to discuss the national lockdown, as the majority of businesses in the primary industries are allowed to keep operating during Alert Level Four. Audio

12:28 PM.All rugby games in New Zealand this weekend, both professional and amateur, have been cancelled. Rugby reporter Joe Porter has more. Audio

12:20 PM.A house building boom, demand for building products, and tight control of its finances have delivered a solid full year profit for Fletcher Building. Audio

12:18 PM.In Ōtepoti/Dunedin RNZ's Tim Brown reports locals are not panic buying to the extent seen further north.  Audio

12:18 PM.One of the five positive cases is a fully vaccinated nurse at Auckland City Hospital. RNZ's health correspondent Rowan Quinn has been looking into this and speaks to Māni Dunlop. Audio

12:17 PM.Tai Tokerau Border Control coordinator Reuben Taipari was disappointed to see hundreds of vehicles pour into Northland yesterday evening. Audio

12:14 PM.With the shift to Alert Level 4, people have 36 hours left to get home. Māni Dunlop checks in with RNZ reporters Jake McKee at Wellington Airport and Rachel Graham at Christchurch Airport. Audio

12:11 PM.Aotearoa is locked down for the second time. There are now five cases of Covid-19's delta variant detected in the Auckland community. One of them is a fully vaccinated nurse at Auckland City… Read more Audio

12:00 PM.Aotearoa is in lockdown. As cases grow to 5, confirmation it's the more transmissible delta variant. Audio