Morning Report for Thursday 18 April 2019

6:00 AM.Capital gains tax u-turn a failure for Ardern - National; Capital gains tax scrapped - the reactions; Capital gains tax plan scrapped - Finance Minister responds; Auckland City Rail Link cost goes up… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.The former All Black first five Aaron Cruden is reportedly set to take a massive pay cut, in an effort to get his rugby career back on track. Audio

6:10 AM.The Prime Minister has abandoned plans for any capital gains tax in a shock move that demonstrates the power of her coalition partner New Zealand First. Jacinda Ardern made the announcement on… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.When students of Manurewa High School in South Auckland were told earlier this year the school would participate in this week's international hip-hop dance championships, more than 100 children signed… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

6:27 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

6:41 AM.The Prime Minister has abandoned any plans to implement a Capital Gains Tax - not just under this government, but for as long as she's in charge. That's disappointed people who struggle to get access… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.The infrastructure sector says political pressure may have contributed to low-ball estimates of Auckland's major City Rail Link. The country's largest ever transport project will cost one billion… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew says he'd like to see promotion/relegation in the next incarnation of the Rugby Championship. Audio

7:11 AM.The National Party is calling the u-turn on a Capital Gains Tax a massive failure for the Prime Minister but Jacinda Ardern says she's delivering what the public asked for - or in this case, didn't… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.The government had to weigh up costs and benefits of a diluted Capital Gains Tax, Finance Minister Grant Robertson has said, refusing to pin the backdown on New Zealand First's opposition to it. Read more Audio

7:27 AM.The cost of building Auckland's City Rail Link has blown out by $1 billion to a total cost of $4.4 billion. The price hike is being pinned on a number of factors. These include accommodating longer… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.The Green Party co-leader James Shaw has been dealt two hefty blows - not only the confirmation the capital gains tax has been ditched but that Jacinda Ardern has also taken it off the table as long… Read more Video, Audio

7:42 AM.National's finance spokesperson Amy Adams discusses the government's announcement it has abandoned plans to implement a capital gains tax. Audio

7:46 AM.At least 18,000 people stood united at Christchurch Stadium last night, during the second of two benefit concerts for the mosque attack victims. You Are Us brought a star studded lineup to the stage… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Easter in New Zealand has become as unfortunately as synonymous with road fatalities as it is with chocolate eggs. Since 1980, 318 people have died on our roads during the easter road toll period… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The parents of aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was kidnapped in Syria, say dealing with ISIS was mentally devastating, and the family of New Zealand nurse Louisa Akavi should stay hopeful that they will… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.One of the most frenetic starts to a Champions League match in recent memory has Manchester City leading at halftime - but needing at least one more goal to beat Tottenham and advance to the… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.The National Party is calling the u-turn on a capital gains tax a massive failure for the Prime Minister and it's raising questions again about who really holds the power in the coalition government… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.To discuss the abandonment of a proposed capital gains tax, we are joined by former Green MP Sue Bradford and NZME business editor Fran O'Sullivan. Audio

8:25 AM.French President Emmanuel Macron says Notre-Dame cathedral will be rebuilt "even more beautifully" - and that he wants the work done within five years. A massive fire on Tuesday ravaged the… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.The stage is set in Washington for the release of the report by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who has spent more than two years investigating claims of collusion between President Trump and the… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.A New Zealand theologian's argument that Jesus was sexually abused by being stripped for crucifixion is gaining international attention. Professor David Tombs of Otago University says people are… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.Forty young women from around the country got a taste of Air Force life at Woodbourne Base, near Blenheim, this week. The year 13 high school students were taking part in the School to Skies programme… Read more Video, Audio

8:49 AM.Three Whangarei women who dreamed up a unique attraction for the city are elated it's been funded at last. The Camera Obscura project has been granted the $459,000 it needed, from the Provincial… Read more Audio

8:53 AM.Napier teenager Charlie O'Brien has been on a swing at the Taradale playground for nearly 27-hours straight in an attempt to make the World record. Armed with a support crew, sea-sickness tablets and… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.It's the end of the week so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio