Morning Report for Wednesday 14 August 2019

6:00 AM.Terror in downtown Sydney as a man attacks people with a knife, killing one woman, Riot police and protesters clash after another night of chaos at Hong Kong airport, concern the Census botch up means… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.The former Sri Lankan batsman helping the Black Caps for their Test series in the island nation says New Zealand are well placed to handle the spin bowling challenge coming their way. Audio

6:12 AM.Almost 50 boats were damaged due to the wild weather in Auckland on Monday night. Lynne Halliburton, who lives onboard a boat that was moored in Westhaven Marina when a squall hit, says it was the… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is travelling to Tuvalu today, for this year's Pacific Islands Forum. The theme is Securing Our Future in the Pacific - and how to deal with climate change is expected to… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.A couple living next to one of the country's busiest State Highway intersections say they will not give up the fight for major improvements - because lives, including theirs, are at risk. The… Read more Audio

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

6:42 AM.Riot police have clashed with protestors at Hong Kong's airport overnight. This follows Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam saying the on-going protests were pushing the territory down what she… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.Confusion and concern remains after five Russian nuclear scientists died in a missile explosion at sea. Moscow has confirmed the deaths of what it calls "national heroes", but until now has only said… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.The Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson admits he hasn't seen the Galle wicket for today's first cricket Test against Sri Lanka. Audio

7:10 AM.The police say a Sydney man suspected of stabbing a woman to death yesterday in the city centre had material on him about terror events around the world, including in New Zealand and the US. The… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.A New Zealand woman caught up in the disruption at Hong Kong airport says no one is begrudging the protesters' actions. Britt Carroll's flight back to Melbourne on Monday was cancelled because of the… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.The census botch-up may have done long-lasting damage to public trust, with one economist warning it could take as long as a decade to rebuild. Officials insist key aspects of the data are robust, but… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Opposition leader Simon Bridges says the outgoing head of Statistics New Zealand, Liz MacPherson, should not be a scapegoat for the botched census. He says the Minister for Statistics James Shaw… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.A guide was dragged hundreds of metres downhill when he was caught in an avalanche on Aoraki Mt Cook yesterday. Five people were helicoptered off the slopes near Tin Hutt Stream, with the guide taken… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.The FBI reportedly raided financier Jeffrey Epstein's private island off the coast of St. Thomas, days after he died in prison. Mr Epstein was found dead in an apparent suicide two days earlier while… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.The leaders of Pacific countries have been putting together a case to present to Australia when the Pacific Islands Forum meets in Tuvalu on Thursday. The countries want a stronger commitment to… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.An investigation into the Pigeon Valley forest fire has found a perfect storm of conditions were at play allowing the fire to cause widespread damage.The fire in the Tasman district was started on 5th… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The New Zealand pole vaulter Eliza McCartney has delayed her return to competition by a week. Audio

8:10 AM.There have been more violent scenes in Hong Kong with riot police clashing with protesters at the airport this morning. Chaos reigned in the departure lounge, where police used pepper spray against… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.The country's biggest iwi says the botched 2018 census has left Maori without accurate data, which will affect how much government funding iwi can get. Stats New Zealand has admitted it's failed Maori… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.In the wake of the 2019 census botch-up, there are concerns it could take decades for the public to regain trust in statistics. Statistics Minister James Shaw is allaying those fears, saying officials… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Moriori leaders hope a settlement with the government will bust the myths that circulate about Moriori. The Moriori people of Rekohu, or the Chatham Islands, have initialled their Deed of Settlement… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is travelling to Tuvalu for this year's Pacific Islands Forum, where climate change is top of the agenda. Political Reporter Yvette McCullough will be on the trip. Corin… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Inmates at Auckland Women's Prison at Wiri are backing calls for prisoners get the right to vote back. The Waitangi Tribunal has told the government it should urgently repeal the ban and the Justice… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.Public health experts have heard that alcohol abuse is costing the country $7.8 billion a year, and yet barely any action is being taken. A seminar organised by Alcohol Action New Zealand in… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.A councillor is ramping up a fight against a bottle store in Flaxmere by taking it to the High Court. Hastings District councillor Henare O'Keefe was among local leaders and kaumatua who opposed the… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Whitebaiters on the West Coast are worried they're being unfairly targeted by the government as it attempts to bring in tighter rules around indigenous freshwater fish. The bill would stop some… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.A month to the day since the gut-wrenching result of the Cricket World Cup final, the Black Caps are set to start the first of two Test matches in Sri Lanka. Nine of the 15-man Test squad were part of… Read more Audio