Morning Report for Thursday 1 February 2018

6:00 AM.Firefighters work through the night to contain a devastating fire in Dunedin. One witness says it was like a holocaust, the West Coast is braced for flooding as heavy rain starts falling, and Bill… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.A update from the team at RNZ sport. Audio

6:10 AM.Dunedin residents forced to leave their homes by a large fire in the suburb of Burnside will find out if they are allowed to go home on Thursday. One hundred homes were evacuated after the devastating… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.After a devastating fire on Wednesday night forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the Dunedin suburb of Burnside, firefighters managed to contain the blaze overnight. Audio

6:15 AM.A severe weather warning is in place for most of the country as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Fehi reach New Zealand. Nelson-Tasman Civil Defence started warning campers late yesterday to move away… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

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

6:40 AM.One of those evacuated was Dunedin lumber yard owner, Peter Chalmers, who told RNZ reporter Emile Donovan he'd had to watch the devastating fire force hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of damage… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.The heatwave has broken, and the rain is falling across New Zealand. A severe weather warning is in place for most of the country as ex-tropical cyclone Fehi hit overnight. MetService duty forecaster… Read more Audio

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

7:17 AM.It's been a week of weather extremes, and the deep south is bearing the brunt of it. On Tuesday drought was declared in Southland, while last night the region was preparing for flooding. A severe… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.National's leader Bill English has taken a battering in his return to Parliament on Wednesday as he delivered his 'State of the Nation' speech while being dogged by speculation about his leadership… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Donald Trump's first State of the Union address contained some concilliatory language but he was still talking tough on immigration and hitting out at political opponents. He also spent much of his… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:11 AM.Residents of Burnside will hear shortly if they will be allowed to return home. Up to 100 houses in Dunedin were evacuated on Wednesday after a huge fire swept through a timber yard, some industrial… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.Bill English's first big setpiece speech to give his thoughts on the state of the nation was overshadowed yesterday by speculation about the state of his leadership. The National Party leader… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Wellington is on track to reach record high rental prices, and one property manager says proposed plans to scrap letting fees could only make it worse. The government is promising an overhaul of the… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.The international education sector is pushing back against moves to crack down on the ability on overseas students to get job and then settle permanently in New Zealand. Immigration Minister Ian… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The government is finally taking steps to close a loophole that allows vehicles damaged overseas to be sold on the second-hand market without buyers knowing. Almost five years after calls for an… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.The dogwalking industry is booming but that's provoked warnings it is dangerously unregulated. One operator whose own dog was killed by another she was out walking for a customer, says she wouldn't… Read more Audio