Morning Report for Thursday 15 October 2020

8:56 AM.Now the most important news of the morning - we can reveal the winner of the third annual penguin of the year, which was announced a few minutes ago. The third edition of the event run by the National… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.A discovery that kea might be able to detect toxic 1080 bait by how it looks, could be a breakthrough in teaching them not to eat it. The controversial poison is used widely to control pests on… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.After a four-year fight an energy sector watchdog has won a precedent-setting battle to have safety buffer zones around oil and gas installations included in the South Taranaki district plan. The… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.The police have seized luxury cars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, in a sting against a suspected money-laundering operation. $5 million worth of assets were impounded as part of the… Read more Audio

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

8:13 AM.More disruption looms for international rugby with news the Springboks are close to pulling out of the Rugby Championship. The South Africans say they will be sending a vastly under-prepared side to… Read more Audio

8:12 AM.An Auckland developer says while the housing market is red hot he has noted a drop off in demand for buying apartments off the plan. Monthly figures released by the Real Estate Insitutute of New… Read more Audio

8:08 AM.People in managed isolation are calling for an end to the avalanche of takeaway containers, bottles and cutlery sets sent from their hotels to landfills every week. No rubbish is being recycled from… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The All Blacks forwards coach John Plumtree believes the Wallabies got away with a lot of illegal and dangerous off the ball tactics in the drawn first Bledisloe Cup test and he hopes it was a case of… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Quicker and more dependable public transport from Auckland's city centre to the airport and back is moving closer. Construction is beginning on a $14 million investment to upgrade Puhinui Road and… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.Half of the firms in Napier allowed to discharge pollutants into the city's waste water system breached agreed limits in the past year. They include well-known brands such as AFFCO, Mission Estate and… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.New Zealand cricket is mourning one of its most revered figures - John R Reid, who has died at the age of 92. Reid was captain when New Zealand won its first ever test, against the West Indies in… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.We're in the home stretch to polling day. And this week we're catching up with the leaders as they wrap up their campaigns to see how things have gone. The Maori Party was swept out of parliament in… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.Anti-cannabis campaigners say slapping a 20-year-old-age limit on buying weed won't stop the drug from harming young people. Studies show marijuana can halt motivation for young people, even leading… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.France has declared a state of emergency as a severe second wave of Covid-19 sweeps across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced night time curfews in Paris and eight other major… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.An ex-prisoner, housed at a child sex offender unit at Rimutaka Prison, claims fellow residents are smoking synthetic cannabis while authorities turn a blind eye. He says Corrections staff are… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.The Green Party says it is the voters who decide what gets discussed at any coalition talks following the election. Labour's Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly ruled out any talks over the Greens 'Wealth… Read more Audio

6:55 AM.Two days out from the election and National is facing the prospect of losing around a dozen MPs. With support for the party stagnating in the low 30s leader Judith Collins has been trying to shore up… Read more Audio

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

6:50 AM.A recent guest in managed isolation is calling on the government to start recycling waste from the country's border hotels. To reduce the handling of waste or dishes and the potential spread of… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Germany has recorded more than 5,000 daily new coronavirus infections for the first time since April. New restrictions have been announced by chancellor Angela Merkel. Our German correspondent, Thomas… Read more Audio

6:36 AM.For the first time in a decade, prisoners serving less than three years can vote in the general election. A 2010 move to restrict prisoner voting rights was reversed last year following criticism by… Read more Audio

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

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

6:12 AM.Sexual exploitation of children has become rife in Fiji according to Save the Children, and the organisation End Child Prostitution and Trafficking International. Their joint survey has also found the… Read more Audio

6:00 AM.How divided is the National Party two days out from the election? Claims authorities are turning a blind eye to sex offenders smoking synthetic cannabis at their unit at Rimutaka Prison. A new wave of… Read more Audio