Morning Report for Monday 22 June 2015

8:57 AM.It took five years to organise, 3-million dollars and 11-thousand kilometres of flying, but Auckland Zoo's newest elephant is finally here. Audio

8:50 AM.As Auckland grapples with rising prices and ways to limit urban sprawl, Sydney's government is also acting. Audio

8:48 AM.The MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Kelvin Davis says the continued plundering of Far North wetlands for swamp kauri is a disgrace and reflects badly on the government and local councils; Two highly regarded… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.An outspoken children's health campaigner has regained confidence in the management of an Auckland school after raising concerns it wasn't properly dealing with allegations of bullying. Audio

8:35 AM.Five new faces will get a chance to wear the All Blacks jersey this season. Audio

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

8:27 AM.Staying with the Prime Minister and the Government is coming under increasing pressure to boost the refugee quota of 750 a year. Audio

8:23 AM.The Prime Minister John Key says it is to soon to say whether the weekend of heavy rain, on the heels of flooding this winter in Wellington, Dunedin and the West Coast is symptomatic of climate… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The Transport Agency's regional performance manager, Mark Owen, is on the line. Audio

8:15 AM.Shane Bayley is Civil Defence's national controller. Audio

8:10 AM.At least 800 households are without power, dozens of roads remain closed and the East of Whanganui is cut off after the city's biggest ever flooding. Audio

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

7:57 AM.The New Zealand dollar continues to track down after years of being overvalued. Audio

7:55 AM.And with us now is the Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce. Audio

7:48 AM.The Association of Scientists says more scientists are coming forward saying they are being gagged or pressured. Audio

7:45 AM.Our correspondent, Patrice Howard, is in Charleston. Audio

7:37 AM.Nikki Kaye is the Civil Defence Minister, she says the Government and local government officials will be looking at whether infrastructure is up to the task but those talks can wait. Audio

7:28 AM.Colin Craig's demanded a retraction from a Conservative Party board member over a stinging attack at the weekend. Audio

7:27 AM.The Horizons Regional Council will meet this morning to decide how long to keep the state of emergency in place in Whanganui. Audio

7:22 AM.Further north no vacancy signs in South Taranaki and confusion around evacuation centre opening times forced some flood victims to sleep in their cars. Audio

7:15 AM.The Whanganui District Council's mayor, Annette Main, says she is most concerned about the hundreds of people who have been completely cut off in the east of the city. Audio

7:10 AM.Whanganui is facing the fallout from the city's biggest ever flooding. Authorities will decide later this morning whether to keep the state of local emergency in place. Audio

7:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:59 AM.Morning markets for 22 June 2015. Audio

6:57 AM.In economic news, tourism and migration figures for May are due later this morning, while trade data for the same month is out on Friday. Audio

6:56 AM.Across the Tasman, and Australia's lucky country status has taken another blow with news that growth in real wages is collapsing. Australia correspondent Jim Parker reports. Audio

6:54 AM.The head of the stock market, Tim Bennett, says more companies will list on its new NXT market, but it won't be till the end of the year. Audio

6:52 AM.Air New Zealand could face pressure to cut its long-haul fares as lower oil prices and larger and more efficient planes prompt global airlines to expand, increasing competition. Audio

6:47 AM.An advocate of a Pacific-wide trade deal says the pendulum has swung back in favour of the American President, Barack Obama, getting the power he needs to revive the Pacific-wide trade talks. Audio

6:40 AM.Authorities in the Whanganui region will meet at ten o'clock this morning to decide how much longer to keep a state of local emergency remains in place. Audio

6:35 AM.A sign of respite for water-soaked central and lower North Island residents. The weather system which has wreaked havoc across the country in recent days has now mostly passed. Audio

6:27 AM.The MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Kelvin Davis says the continued plundering of Far North wetlands for swamp kauri is a disgrace and reflects badly on the government and local councils; Two highly regarded… Read more Audio

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

6:16 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:14 AM.A state of local emergency remains in place in the Whanganui region after the district's worst recorded flood. An evacuation centre has been open all night for almost 320 evacuees who don't know when… Read more Audio

6:10 AM.As many as 100 water-logged homes along Wanganui's Anzac Parade could remain inaccessible until next week. The city was cut off for a time after wild weather closed access to the north and south on… Read more Audio

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

6:00 AM.Whanganui is facing the fallout of the biggest flood to hit the region;Whanganui's mayor says it'll be a slow recovery;Evacuation chaos forces flood victims to sleep in cars;State of local emergency… Read more Audio