Morning Report for Thursday 18 July 2013

8:55 AM.Thirty years ago, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy went out of the gate and off for a walk. Audio

8:50 AM.The second Ashes test between Australia and England is set to get under way at Lord's overnight. Audio

8:47 AM.The Queensland branch of the Maori Wardens is feeling the backlash from the community - including Maori who say they are racist and arrogrant; The Bay of Plenty tribe of Ngati Makino is accusing the… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Three women in Waitara say a lack of action by community leaders has prompted them to start providing free breakfast and afternoon tea to young people themselves. Audio

8:40 AM.A 15-million-dollar upgrade to a health identification number held by almost all New Zealanders is almost complete. Audio

8:37 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

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

8:27 AM.After 30 years of debate, the South Otago town of Balclutha will do up its main street, at a cost of two-point-six million dollars. Audio

8:23 AM.A health and disability advocate says patients being ordered by judges to undergo psychiatric treatment need a "less scary process" to fight compulsory treatment. Audio

8:18 AM.Housing New Zealand tenants around South Auckland are up in arms at having to wait months for what they say are shoddy and unsafe repair jobs on their homes. Audio

8:14 AM.A tourism heavyweight and former Queenstown mayor says Milford tourism will continue to suffer because of the decision not to build the Milford Dart tunnel. Audio

8:09 AM.The families of the men who died in the Pike River coal mine explosion are disappointed but not entirely surprised by a police decision not to prosecute anyone in Pike River Coal management over the… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.Despite it being close to seventy years since the end of the Second World War, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre says it has not given up chasing Nazi war criminals. Audio

7:54 AM.While the former South African President Nelson Mandela remains in his hospital bed, the country is preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday. Audio

7:51 AM.A New Zealand investment banker based in China says authorities there are forcing some importers to cut their prices - and New Zealand's biggest company has been caught up in the crackdown. Audio

7:47 AM.Changes to Auckland's hotly debated growth blueprint appear to have satisfied many of the leaders of communities worried about higher density housing. Audio

7:44 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:40 AM.Mental health and human rights advocates are alarmed by the growing numbers of people being compelled to accept treatment for mental disorders. Audio

7:34 AM.South Auckland Housing New Zealand tenants are waiting months for what they say is often shoddy and unsafe building work to be done on their homes. Audio

7:23 AM.The government pressed ahead with its SkyCity conference centre deal, despite the Treasury warning the facility is unlikely to attract many more international visitors. Audio

7:20 AM.An action group that fought to stop a tunnel linking Queenstown with Milford Sound says the Conservation Minister Nick Smith's decision to decline the proposal is no reason for complacency. Audio

7:17 AM.The fire service says workers at a scrap metal factory in South Auckland are incredibly lucky to have escaped unharmed after a massive explosion at the plant last night. Audio

7:13 AM.The families of the 29 men who died in Pike River Coal mine aren't dropping their quest to have someone made accountable for the fatal explosions in 2010. Audio

7:09 AM.Police say no criminal charges will be laid against any of the individuals who were managers of Pike River Coal before the November 2010 mine disaster. Audio

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

6:40 AM.The Conservation Minister, Nick Smith, has declined a controversial proposal to build an 11-point-three kilometre tunnel through Fiordland National Park. But he has another contentious decision to… Read more Audio

6:38 AM.The MP for West Coast Tasman, Damien O'Connor, says he's pleased the police will keep the Pike River file open, despite deciding yesterday not to lay criminal charges against anyone in the management… Read more Audio

6:27 AM.The Queensland branch of the Maori Wardens is feeling the backlash from the community - including Maori who are criticising them for being racist and arrogant; The Bay of Plenty tribe of Ngati Makino… Read more Audio

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

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

6:14 AM.Auckland's Deputy Mayor says efforts to build community feedback into the city's thirty-year growth plan should resolve most worries about the impact of higher density housing. Audio

6:10 AM.Some Whanau Ora providers say changes to the social welfare policy marginalise Maori and fear it will lose its values if privatised. Audio

6:00 AM.Pike River Coal - Police will not be laying charges; West Coast community disappointed at police decision on charges; Explosion at scrap metal factory not first accidental blast; Tunnel campaigners… Read more Audio