Morning Report for Tuesday 23 July 2013

8:56 AM.The song of the endangered kokako could soon become a more common wake-up call for Aucklanders. Breeding pair numbers of the endangered bird have increased by 20% since the Department of Conservation… Read more Audio

8:54 AM.Thousands of Maori and Pacific men with painful gout now have better access to an effective drug that's been largely unavailable until now. The improved access comes after a six-year struggle by… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.A Maori consultancy firm is thinking of ways to protect manuka honey products after research has found properties of manuka honey can be chemically faked; The leader of a Nelson iwi says some of its… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Thirty New Zealand veterans of the Korean War are returning this week to Korea to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice that brought an uneasy truce between North and South Korea. Audio

8:39 AM.Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a son. The news has been greeted with joy by Monarchy New Zealand, which describes the event as :"a great moment in the continuity of Aotearoa's… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:25 AM.The planned change to the law governing the Government Security and Communications Bureau, has been criticised by opposition parties as posing an undue risk to the privacy of ordinary citizens. Audio

8:20 AM.A new law allowing the Government's external spy agency to turn its gaze on New Zealanders looks set to go ahead after Peter Dunne said he was now prepared to support the change. Green Party co-leader… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Richard Fitzwilliam was one of the royal-watchers among the hundreds of journalists outside the hospital. Audio

8:11 AM.A frenzy of fans and media from around the world has greeted news of the royal birth with wild cheers, as they waited outside St Mary's Hospital in London's Paddington on one of the hottest days of… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.Seismologists are considering the possibility that the current cluster of earthquakes centered on Seddon in Marlborough are being driven by a previously unidentified faultline. Audio

7:50 AM.152 asylum seekers in Nauru are due to appear in court after a riot at the Australian-run detention centre that caused almost $70 million in damage. Audio

7:45 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:39 AM.Kaikoura tourism operators are shocked by the killing of a female fur seal and a seal pup at Ohau Point north of the town. Audio

7:27 AM.Changes negotiated by the independent MP Peter Dunne to the Government Communications Security Bureau bill have been described as cosmetic, and as doing little to improve deeply flawed legislation. Audio

7:24 AM.Crowds have gathered outside both Buckingham Palace and the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted last night in the early stages of labour. Audio

7:21 AM.Wellington's CBD is returning to normal. Audio

7:16 AM.There have been 30 aftershocks since midnight, the strongest a 5.0 magnitude tremor. Audio

7:09 AM.It's expected to be business as usual in central Wellington, after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake and a swarm of aftershocks led to a virtual shutdown of the capital. Audio

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

6:37 AM.Central Wellington will be open for business again today after Sunday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake. All trains are again operating and most businesses will be opening their doors. Audio

6:27 AM.A Maori consultancy firm is thinking of ways to protect manuka honey following research which found properties of manuka honey can be chemically faked; The leader of a Nelson iwi says some of its… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:17 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:14 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key, says the changes to a law allowing the Government's external spy agency to monitor New Zealanders have made the legislation stronger. Audio

6:00 AM.Wellington expected to be business as usual; Greens say GCSB bill changes 'cosmetic' only; Winston Peters on GCSB law changes; Monarchists welcome news of royal baby; Kaikoura shocked by latest seal… Read more Audio