Morning Report for Monday 9 December 2019

6:00 AM.A wild weekend of weather -Almost a thousand tourists are stranded in Franz Josef - The Timaru District remains in a state of emergency and roads north are cut by the flooded Rangitata River and many… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.New Zealand cyclists have has ridden away with eight medals five of them gold at the track world cup meet in Cambridge. Read more Audio

6:10 AM.Residents in the South Island are picking up the pieces after a wild weekend of weather. Heavy rain battered much of the West Coast since Friday, causing major slips on a 350 kilometre stretch of… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.Wild weather has caused chaos across New Zealand, after heavy rain caused slips and washouts, cutting off some communities.

Kim Hill speaks to NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino. Read more Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Read more Audio

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

6:43 AM.Wild weather hammered the South Island and the bottom of the North Island over the weekend bringing flooding, slips and road closures.

The Timaru District remains in a state of emergency with road… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.Both the New Zealand and Australian cricketers are playing down concerns about the state of the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch ahead of the Boxing Day Test. Read more Audio

7:14 AM.The earliest most of the 970 tourists trapped in Franz Josef are getting out is Friday. Slips and wash outs south and north of the tourist town mean the only way in or out is by helicopter.

Meanwhile… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.The West Coast is in chaos after wild weather over the weekend caused flooding, cutting access to many roads.

As of Monday morning nearly 1000 tourists are trapped in Franz Josef.

Friday is the… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.The Timaru District remains in a state of emergency with road access north to Christchurch blocked by damage to two bridges crossing the Rangitata River.

Hundred of tourists were left scrambling to… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.Wild weather on the West Coast has prompted a Civil Defence response, after flooding and washouts left many cut off.

Nearly 1000 tourists are trapped in Franz Josef as of Monday morning.

The only… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.Bus cancellations on routes operated by NZ Bus are going ahead in Auckland today after an eleventh hour meeting on Sunday night failed to solve a dispute between NZ Bus and the bus drivers' union.

… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Almost 150,000 children in New Zealand come from families that are unable to afford enough to eat, good shoes and warm clothes.

Those figures are included in the 2019 Child Poverty Monitor report… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Bus drivers in Wellington say they're forced to work 12 hour days, don't get proper breaks, toilet stops or time to do safety checks, and hardly see their families.

RNZ talked to drivers working for… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.Supermarkets and waste management companies are hoping the Government will adopt a National Plastics Action Plan, to combat plastic waste.

This is one of the recommendations in the rethinking… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.The government says it will phase out more single-use plastics like polystyrene meat trays, takeaway cups and containers, after a new report on plastic waste from the Chief Science advisor.

According… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.All Black Ardie Savea and Black Fern Charmaine McMenamin have been voted international men's and women's players of the year by their fellow New Zealand professionals. Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Extra food supplies will be flown in to Franz Josef over the next few days to ensure the 900 tourists trapped there and local residents don't run out.

The town is cut off from the north and the south… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.A weekend of flooding and slips has closed several state highways in the South Island.

The Transport Agency's Pete Connors speaks to Corin Dann after stepping out of a briefing about the state of… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.The Transport Agency is clearing up Wellington roads after flooding and slips throughout the region.

RNZ heard from a Moonshine Hill Road resident about the shock of discovering a large slip through… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.Samoa's Government says the two day shutdown of the country for a mass vaccination effort has resulted in a massive increase in coverage.

It says more than 20,000 people were vaccinated on Thursday… Read more Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update on the movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:31 AM.Urgency is giving way to frustration as this year's UN climate talks enter their second and final week in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

This week, ministers and country leaders arrive for the final… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.Critics of the cannabis legalisation bill are concerned about how drug driving will be controlled on New Zealand streets if the drug is legalised in next year's referendum.

A police sergeant in the… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Advocates say that a shocking lack of communication between the Ministry of Social Development and Corrections is putting former prisoners at high risk of reoffending.

Former inmates say they… Read more Audio

8:56 AM.Consumer New Zealand has announced the winners of its 'bad taste' awards, given to products that claim to be "wholesome" or "nutritious" when the evidence suggests otherwise.

There are three… Read more Audio