Morning Report for Thursday 23 July 2020

8:56 AM.A team of vets is trying to work out why a juvenile kōkako found in Auckland's Hunua Ranges appears to prefer hopping over flying.

People out walking spotted the apparently injured bird and reported… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Today marks a year to the Tokyo Olympics and if you think it's Ground Hog day you'd be right.

It was supposed to be the first day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but COVID-19 put paid to that with the… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.The government continues to urge New Zealanders to make use of its CovidTracer App - despite very few dowloading it and criticism that the app is difficult and unwieldy to use.

But other… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.News that an airport could be constructed near the town of Tarras in Central Otago has taken locals by surprise.

Christchurch Airport yesterday revealed it had already spent $45m on the project… Read more Audio

8:32 AM.A spat has broken out over how the international Super Rugby circuit should be organized in 2021.

New Zealand Rugby is under fire for directly approaching a select group of Australian Super Rugby… Read more Audio

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

8:27 AM.Melbourne is now two weeks into its six-week lockdown, and the rate of confirmed Covid-19 infections shows no sign of slowing.

The state of Victoria reported 484 cases yesterday - leading Australia… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.Consumer NZ is slamming funeral insurance as predatory and overpriced, after an 85 year old woman paid nearly $19 thousand for a policy worth $10 thousand.

It says customers are losing money on the… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.The Prime Minister's plan to announce a roughly $100 million recovery package for Southland, in the wake of the likely closure of the Tiwai Smelter, was scuppered by New Zealand First at the eleventh… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.It's just under two months until the election and the political scandals just keep coming.

Lockdown misdeeds, leaks of private patient information, and unsolicited pornography have cut careers short.

7:56 AM.The government has been accused of taking the foot off the pedal getting electric vehicles on the country's roads.

An industry leaders group set up to advise the government and convince people to buy… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.A new quota system for airlines is being worked on to ensure that New Zealand has enough isolation rooms available at any one time to match the number of people flying back into the country.

The head… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.ACT leader David Seymour says Winston Peters' claim he was involved in leaking his superannuation details is baseless.

Peters used Parliamentary Privilege to claim former National Party press… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Shane Jones is questioning why Kiwibank ruled out doing business with companies that deal with the extraction, production and manufacturing of coal.

The New Zealand-owned bank launched a responsible… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.A Te Anau farmer accused of burning down 800 hectares of native forest in two years, has been told by the Environment Court to stop.

Southland District Council says Peter Chartres caused irreversible… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.A Taranaki-made bleach water touted by some as a cancer cure is still for sale.

That's despite the deregistration of a GP for testing Te Kiri Gold on patients, and Medsafe stepping in to ban its… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.It's just under two months until the election and the political scandals just keep coming.

Leaks of private patient information, pornography and an affair have cut careers short.

First-term MPs… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.It's just under two months until the election and the political scandals just keep coming.

Leaks of private patient information, pornography and an affair have cut careers short.

Over the last three… Read more Audio

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

6:48 AM.Kiwibank has bowed to pressure and dropped a ban on doing business with brothels and strip clubs.

It launched a responsible business banking policy this month which put parts of the adult… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.The Government's plan to recover from the fiasco of the 2018 Census is under fire.

Maori say its $210 million budget for Census 2023 is an insult and ignores iwi who backed the Statistics… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.It's just over two months until the election and the political scandals just keep coming.

Lockdown misdeeds, leaks of private patient information, and unsolicited pornography have cut careers short.

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

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

6:20 AM.Opponents of a proposal for a big mussel farm in Auckland's Hauraki gulf are worried the project will destroy the local sea environment.

They are going to fight the plan for a 221-hectare farm east… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Scientists are asking for the public's help in tracking Tohorā or southern right whales as they return to New Zealand waters. 

After being hunted to the brink of extinction by the early 20th century… Read more Audio