Morning Report for Wednesday 21 February 2018

6:00 AM.Roads are closed, power's cut and people are out of their homes after last night's big storm, it's been revealed hundreds of drivers have been caught out bribing testing officers to get a licence, and… Read more Audio

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

6:09 AM.First up the weather, the remnant of Cyclone Gita lashed the upper South Island and Taranaki overnight. It has now moving offshore to the south-east, allowing wind and rain to ease in many areas. In… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.Paul Sangster is a Takaka dairy farmer and district councillor. He was out and about last night checking on the river levels as ex-cyclone Gita brought heavy rain.

He tells Susie Ferguson he was… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.The remnants of tropical cyclone Gita lashed the upper South Island and Taranaki overnight. The wild weather is expected to ease on Wednesday morning but many roads remain closed, including SH1 on the… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.Cyclone Gita has brought heavy rain and wind, downing trees and causing slips on roads around the South Island. Also SH1 on the Kapiti Coast is closed after a high tide washed water over the road… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.It was a busy night at the Whataroa pub with dozens of tourists heading there to shelter during the storm. Two tour buses, with about 45 tourists on board, were forced off the road by strong winds and… Read more Audio

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

7:12 AM.Thousands of people are without power and Kaikoura and Collingwood are cut off after the tail of Cyclone Gita lashed the South Island and Taranaki last night. Winds gusting up to 140km/h brought down… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Thousands have been left without power and states of emergency remain in place after former tropical cyclone Gita whipped through New Zealand. Christchurch City, Taranaki, Nelson Tasman, Westland… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.The Nelson-Tasman region has been amongst the worst-hit areas of New Zealand as ex-cyclone Gita swept over the country. The state of emergency remains in place on Wednesday morning. RNZ reporter Tracy… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.RNZ reporter Charlie Dreaver is in Westport, one of the areas hit hard by ex-cyclone Gita. The sun is shining there now but more wild weather is expected, she says. Looking at the debris washed up on… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.In Christchurch the flood-prone Heathcote river had been expected to burst its banks around high tide on Tuesday night and residents were warned to be ready to evacuate. But less rain fell than… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.Investigations into toxic firefighting foam contamination have spread to the Hobsonville Point development in northwest Auckland, and to Devonport and Whenuapai. The state-owned company building 1600… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.The number of homeless in Tauranga has jumped by almost 20 percent in the past year. The steep rise in house prices and the competition for jobs in the Bay of Plenty city has led to the number of… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.The lobby group Hobson's Pledge is confident it will have the numbers today to force referendums in four districts that are looking to introduce Maori wards. Its spokesperson Don Brash says there's no… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.A win tonight over Australia in the tri series Twenty20 cricket final will not only give New Zealand some much overdue success against their trans-Tasman rivals, but also deny the Australia the mantle… Read more Audio

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

8:15 AM.It's been a rough night on the West Coast, as ex-cyclone Gita headed across New Zealand from the Tasman Sea. Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn tells us there's a huge amount of campers up and down… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Buller District Mayor Garry Howard tells Susie Ferguson they're checking for damage in the area on Wednesday morning, but they've got away relatively unscathed. Audio

8:46 AM.The text of the revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership and the effects of the trade deal on the economy will be revealed on Wednesday. The government will release the wording of the Comprehensive and… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Fletcher Building has just released its half year result. To tell us about it we're joined by our business editor Gyles Beckford. Audio

8:52 AM.Cabinet has given the final sign-off for the billion-dollar-a-year Regional Development Fund, and the checks and balances that will be put in place for any money allocated. The details of contestable… Read more Audio