Morning Report for Tuesday 17 March 2015

8:51 AM.As anyone with even a lick of Irish blood in them will know only too well, today is Saint Patrick's Day. Audio

8:48 AM.The Christchurch City Mission says Maori are suffering disproportionately in the aftermath of the earthquakes with housing shortages forcing two or three families to squeeze into one home and… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Crimea's Prime Minister says the peninsula has finally returned to its homeland of Russia. Audio

8:37 AM.A deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme isn't likely to be reached until at least the end of March. Audio

8:32 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:28 AM.UNICEF says 14 million children in Syria and Iraq are now suffering from the escalating conflict. Audio

8:23 AM.Israel is about to go to the polls, in a race which has ended up a lot closer than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have liked. Audio

8:20 AM.In the lead up to the by election in Northland the National Party has been claiming credit for new jobs created in the region. Audio

8:17 AM.Back home, severe southerly gales and heavy swells along the the East coast of the north island are all expected to ease today. Audio

8:14 AM.Residents in the Chatham Islands are being urged to hunker down and wait for ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam to pass. Audio

8:11 AM.New Zealanders returning from cyclone-devastated Vanuatu say they are in admiration of the resilience of the people of Vanuatu. Audio

8:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport Audio

7:57 AM.It's one of the most talked about stories on social media, and after an online campaign got nearly 80-thousand supporters in less than a day -- some are saying it's a win for people power. Audio

7:54 AM.Whangarei homeowners could see their rates rise by 9 per cent this year - with more hefty increases to follow. Audio

7:51 AM.The Crown and Defence yesterday tusselled over a pathologist's change of opinion about what time Christine and Amber Lundy died nearly 15 years ago. Audio

7:45 AM.News that a Gore nurse has been cleared of Ebola is being welcomed by her friends, family and locals who say she's been making a difference in the fight against the virus. Audio

7:39 AM.Labour would have supported the amendment which lawyer Graeme Edgeler claimed could have doubled the travel entitlement for some former MPs to twenty thousand dollars. Audio

7:37 AM.The Green Party insists it's not being mean-spirited by scuppering a change to the way international travel perks are calculated for former MPs. Audio

7:34 AM.The Northland by-election is less than two weeks away and the candidates have been busy traversing the region trying to convince locals they should be their Member for Parliament. Audio

7:26 AM.In the Chatham Islands a state of local emergency has been declared in anticipation of the arrival of Cyclone Pam. Audio

7:19 AM.The first New Zealanders arrived home from Vanuatu aboard a RNZAF plane late last night..We spoke to some of them on their arrival at Whenuapai Audio

7:14 AM.Aid workers who have arrived in Vanuatu's worst-hit southern island Tanna say most houses have been destroyed -- and residents are in need of food and water. Audio

7:11 AM.Investigators today will begin unravelling unanswered questions around a fatal crash near Queenstown's Motatapu River which killed four members of a prominent Canterbury aviation family. Audio

7:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport Audio

6:58 AM.The Dow Jones Index is up 182 points to 17,931. Audio

6:56 AM.A visiting academic says the trend toward corporate social responsibility makes good, hard business sense. Audio

6:55 AM.An economist says tourist spending from the Cricket World Cup and Chinese New Year should carry the sector through 2015. Audio

6:54 AM.New Zealand's oil refinery is delaying the maintenance shutdown for a week to make the most out of recent high returns. Audio

6:53 AM.Meanwhile, the general insurer Tower says it doesn't expect to be affected by Cyclone Pam in the Pacific Islands. Audio

6:51 AM.Port Vila hasn't wasted anytime getting the doors open for business, following the destructive cyclone that passed through Vanuatu over the weekend. Audio

6:50 AM.An analyst is picking dairy prices will snap recent gains at this week's twice monthly auction, but she's not expecting the recent 1080 poison threat will have much bearing on the outcome. Audio

6:48 AM.Fonterra has bought an 18 point 8 percent stake in China's Beingmate Baby and Child Food Company for about 754 million dollars. Audio

6:39 AM.Gisborne residents were spared the worst yesterday when ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam passed by without inflicting serious damage. Audio

6:26 AM.The Christchurch City Mission says Maori are suffering disproportionately in the aftermath of the earthquakes with housing shortages forcing two or three families to squeeze into one home and… Read more Audio

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

6:13 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:10 AM.The Chatham Islands will this morning suffer the sting in Cyclone Pam's tail with the remnants of the storm system reaching the islands at midday today. Audio

6:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport Audio

6:00 AM.The bodies of a Christchurch couple and their two young children are recovered from a crash site near Wanaka. The full extent of Cyclone Pam's devastation of Vanuatu becomes clear and Winston Peters… Read more Audio