Morning Report for Friday 22 May 2020

8:55 AM.It's Friday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Read more Audio

8:51 AM.New Zealand's live lobster industry is bouncing back after it was one of the first hit by Covid-19.

The industry is worth around $320 million annually, much of it sold to China.

Back on 24 January… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.Dairy farmers may have to tighten their purse strings, as they are due to get a lot less for their milk next year.

The dairy giant Fonterra has battled through the coronavirus pandemic, reporting a… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Four months out from the election the National Party has slumped in the polls and now the caucus must choose between a leader who's not well liked and the alternative who's not well-known.

Politics… Read more Audio

8:31 AM.Students and teachers will be getting some Friday feeling today, as the first week back for schools draws to a close.

Attendance across the country on the first day was around 80 percent, although… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Level 2 has brought an end to seven weeks without any in-store retail therapy. Shops are taking up a large brunt of the contract tracing efforts - with registrations and bar codes present on entry to… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.Some of the biggest queues we're seeing under Alert Level 2 are outside hairdressers and barber shops.

Those with scissors and the shavers in hand are still social distancing rules - many wearing… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.From the opening of restaurants, cafes and shops last Thursday, followed by the re-introduction of schools on Monday, and then the re-opening of bars last night, Level 2 is now fully operational.

So… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.Bob Clarkson, a former National Party MP for Tauranga is still backing leader Simon Bridges as he heads into a challenge today.

Bridges will face off against Bay of Plenty leader Todd Muller in a… Read more Audio

8:09 AM.In four hours the National party MPs will decide who will lead it into the September election.

But is there enough time to stage a comeback from the grim numbers in last night's poll?

On top of… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.The rate of people dying in road accidents has jumped back up, following a record low during lockdown.

Drivers are being urged to slow down, check their cars and to take extra care as more traffic… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The Canterbury DHB has revealed it asked for $438 million dollars to rebuild its terribly overcrowded and rudown hospital - but had no choice but to settle for a third of that.

The chair Sir John… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.A damning review into the country's aviation watchdog has recommended a complete overhaul of how staff are trained and how complaints are managed.

The ministerial review into the Civil Aviation… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Simon Bridges and Todd Muller will face off at midday after Muller made clear he intends to challenge Bridges for the leadership of the National Party.

MPs were called back to Wellington for the vote… Read more Audio

7:31 AM.Pubs and bars are reporting a sluggish first day back after the lockdown, with the "Fear Of Going Out" or, perhaps, the joy of staying home, thought to be a reason for the low numbers.

Venues which… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.A lifelong friend of the man shot and killed by police in Waitara this week says he doesn't bear a grudge against the officers involved in the death of Alan Rowe - who he simply knew as Snow.

… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.The National Party is due to decide its leadership at midday today, after it was revealed Todd Muller was planning to challenge Simon Bridges for the role.

Bridges revealed he knew about the… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.It's high noon for the National Party and MPs decide at midday who will lead them into the September election.

Simon Bridges called the bluff of contenders Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye, forcing a vote… Read more Audio

6:53 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

6:39 AM.It was another bad poll result for National Party leader Simon Bridges last night ahead of today's leadership vote.

The One News/Colmar Brunton poll laid bare the scale of Bridges' popularity… Read more Audio

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

6:20 AM.Māori business advisors are worried that the government has no vision for the future of the Māori economy.

Before Covid-19, the Māori economy was worth more than $50 billion.

But many… Read more Audio

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

6:11 AM.Navy veterans who witnessed the French atmospheric nuclear explosions in 1973 have higher rates of cancer while many of their children are also suffering fertility problems.

That's the conclusion of… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.A nurse from a busy Covid-19 testing centre says the work is stressful and she deserves a pay rise.

Primary care nurses, who work in GP surgeries and community testing centres, are seeking the same… Read more Audio