Morning Report for Tuesday 26 May 2015

8:52 AM.Whanganui is to push ahead with plans to sell its pensioner flats. Audio

8:48 AM.Skycity and the government have agreed on a preliminary design for Auckland's new convention centre. Audio

8:45 AM.A Tauranga historian is backing one of Māoridom's leaders in calling for a commemorative day to recognise the battles that helped shape Aotearoa; The head of a Māori health provider says the… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.New early closing times for bars in the Waimakariri District have already cost jobs as bars notice a downturn in their customers. Audio

8:38 AM.Pope Francis has revealed he hasn't watched television for almost 25 years and doesn't use the internet. Audio

8:36 AM.New Zealand has lost the first cricket test against England at the Lord's ground in London by 124 runs, after being bowled out for 220 in its second innings this morning. Audio

8:31 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:28 AM.The Goverment's being urged to consider boosting its security ties with Indonesia despite concerns over human rights. Audio

8:25 AM.Iraq has vowed to take back the fallen city of Ramadi within days. Audio

8:20 AM.Speaking to us from Frankfurt, the Energy and Resources Minister, Simon Bridges, says royalties are down because of a global fall in prices and profitablility. Audio

8:17 AM.Falling oil prices have slashed the royalties New Zealand receives from mining companies. Audio

8:11 AM.Andrew Little says it's unfair that wealthy people aged over 65 get paid superannuation. Audio

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

7:58 AM.Children in South Auckland are braving the winter weather in traditional Samoan attire this week to celebrate Samoan language week. Read more Audio

7:54 AM.A month on from Nepal's magnitude 7-point-8 quake killed more than 8-thousand 6-hundred people, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis are still homeless and living under tarpaulins. Audio

7:51 AM.Contact has ditched plans to invest in overseas power stations after shareholders objected and will instead pay shareholders a one-off dividend of more than 360 million dollars. Audio

7:48 AM.At least three people have died and hundreds of homes have been destroyed in flash flooding in the southern United States. Audio

7:42 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key, says the Government will not follow Australia's lead and consider cancelling foreign fighters' citizenship, because it does not want to leave people stateless. Audio

7:38 AM.Decomposed human remains have been collected in bags and taken away from grave sites found in Northern Malaysia. Audio

7:30 AM.An adventurous seal, complete with its own twitter handle, (@papakuraseal) has been visiting a carwash in the south Auckland suburb of Papakura overnight. Audio

7:25 AM.The public gallery at the High Court in Wellington is expected to be packed full for a second day, as a terminally ill woman continues to argue her request to die on her terms Audio

7:20 AM.Despite scoring more than 500 in its first innings the the Black Caps have lost their first cricket Test against England. Audio

7:15 AM.Twenty nine years after he disappeared in mysterious circumstances, the family of Wellington man, John Smith, finally have some answers. Audio

7:11 AM.Iraq's Prime Minister has responded to criticism from the US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter that his troops lack the will to fight IS. Audio

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

6:59 AM.In Europe, shares have fallen, with Spanish and Greek stock markets hit by investor concerns about Greece's debt. Audio

6:57 AM.Now to firm that may fly under the radar, the app firm, Intilecta, has its eyes on the United States to sell its technology. Audio

6:56 AM.The shower and tapware maker, Methven, is forecasting annual profit growth of up to a quarter, thanks to new products and expansion in China. Audio

6:54 AM.Trilogy International will pay its first dividend after tripling its profit. Audio

6:53 AM.Separately, the Authority is also warning firms that it expects them to file their financial statements on time. Audio

6:52 AM.Pacific Edge will pay some investors half a million dollars in compensation as part of an agreement with the capital markets regulator over potential breaches of continuous disclosure rules. Audio

6:50 AM.Sanford's first half-year profit has fallen almost a fifth, due to one-off costs and writedowns. Audio

6:47 AM.Shares in Contact Energy have jumped 11 percent after investors cheered its decision to drop plans to invest in power stations overseas in favour of paying more in dividends. Audio

6:43 AM.The seal is back in the South Auckland suburb of Papakura. Audio

6:41 AM.A bitterly cold southwest flow over New Zealand which brought snow and freezing temperatures to much of the country is finally easing. Audio

6:26 AM.A Tauranga historian is backing one of Māoridom's leaders in calling for a commemorative day to recognise the battles that helped shape Aotearoa; The head of a Māori health provider says the… Read more Audio

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

6:19 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:10 AM.The Labour Party is cautioning the Government not to be too hasty in bringing in any legislation against foreign fighters attempting to return to New Zealand. Audio

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

6:00 AM.Islamic State is winning the psychological as well as the miltary war in Iraq -- will New Zealand troops be drawn into the battle? A 29 year mystery is solved with the discovery of a skeleton in a… Read more Audio