Morning Report for Friday 1 June 2012

8:56 AM.Let's have a chat to our Australian correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh, who is in Brisbane. Audio

8:53 AM.Auckland musician Tami Neilson has won the best album award at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in Gore. Audio

8:49 AM.It's sixty years this year since Elizabeth became Queen. Audio

8:46 AM.A Maori incorporation heavily involved in farming in Taranaki says if a local water scheme is privatised - it will lose money; The convenor of a Maori delegation heading to China to strengthen… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Men are dirty pigs, women are more clean and tidy. It's a common belief and now there is evidence there may be some truth in it. Audio

8:40 AM.More than 800 journalists from Fairfax's largest Australian newspapers are on strike today over the organisation's plans to move local jobs to New Zealand. Audio

8:36 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:28 AM.Today marks 50 years since Samoa gained its independence from New Zealand. Audio

8:25 AM.Samoans in New Zealand are celebrating this weekend to mark Samoa's half-century as an independent nation. Audio

8:20 AM.A young Syrian student living in Auckland says such is his despair at what is happening in his homeland, he is contemplating heading back to the Middle East to try and help refugees fleeing the… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Employees whose workplaces don't meet the earthquake code could walk off the job, as unions react to a string of natural disasters. Audio

8:09 AM.The Government's being accused of not doing its homework on controversial changes to student-teacher ratios in schools, and the drastic effect they'll have on technical centres. Audio

7:57 AM.It sounds like a bad joke, a man walks into a bar, says he's on the run, and asks for a drink of water. Audio

7:54 AM.The New Zealand military contingent heading out to Papua New Guinea to help people vote in next month's election say they won't be armed during their deployment. Audio

7:49 AM.Voting packs have begun landing in dairy farmers' mail boxes around the country so they can decide in the next few weeks whether they want to support or reject Fonterra's Trading Among Farmers plan. Audio

7:45 AM.Opposition politicians are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the Treasury's handling of the Crown retail deposit guarantee scheme after a second highly critical report. Audio

7:42 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:38 AM.Samoa today celebrates fifty years since it gained independence from New Zealand. Audio

7:27 AM.The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Russia's policy toward Syria will contribute to a potential civil war. Audio

7:24 AM.A High Court Judge says he could not convict wealthy Chinese businessman Yan Yong Ming on fraud charges because of a lack of proof, but still says it is a highly suspicious situation. Audio

7:17 AM.Listening to that, the Education Ministry's secretary for education and chief executive, Lesley Longstone. Audio

7:14 AM.The government is facing a growing backlash from parents, teachers and school trustees angry over its plans. Audio

7:10 AM.The fallout over school class sizes has spread to National's own political allies, with two of its support partners expressing reservations about the new policy. Audio

6:47 AM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:40 AM.The SpaceX Dragon capsule has splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Audio

6:38 AM.One of National's support partners says it will be taking up the potential closure of some school technology centres and teacher job losses with senior ministers, if the Government fails to resolve… Read more Audio

6:27 AM.The convenor of a Maori delegation heading to China to strengthen economic ties says offering language revitalisation advice to minorities in the Republic may also be on the cards; A Maori… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:18 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:15 AM.Opponents to proposed Government changes to prison strip searches say they could give a free reign to rogue prison guards to humiliate and degrade inmates. Audio

6:11 AM.The Green Party will focus on how to expand its presence in Parliament at its annual meeting this weekend. Audio

6:00 AM.The growing backlash against the government's education reforms and signs its political partners are getting nervous. As the violence in Syria escalates, the United States accuses Russia of… Read more Audio