Morning Report for Friday 9 July 2021

6:08 AM.Olympic organisers have announced spectators will be banned from the Olympics, as Japan extends its Covid-19 state of emergency in the host city Tokyo.

The games are due to begin on 23 July, just two… Read more Audio

6:14 AM.The former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma has started his jail term after handing himself into police on Thursday (NZT).

He was sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court on 29 June.

6:19 AM.Microplastics have been found in high levels in shellfish across the Bay of Plenty prompting concern for both the marine environment and human health.

The tiny plastic particles, range in size from 5… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Covid-19 case numbers in Fiji are still mounting and are likely much higher than reported.

The flow-on effects are dire, with people unable to work and put food on the table, and the impact on the… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.A New Zealander who tried in vain for three weeks to book a room in MIQ has admitted using what he calls unethical methods to successfully cheat the system.

Chris Ruscoe says for those in the know a… Read more Audio

6:51 AM.The Environment Minister says banning bottom trawling in areas that haven't been trawled before may be a good idea.

Conservation group, WWF, says virgin sea bed covering an area three times the size… Read more Audio

6:55 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Olympic organisers have announced spectators will be banned from the Olympics, as Japan extends its Covid-19 state of emergency in the host city Tokyo.

The games begin on 23 July, and already… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Tech savvy New Zealanders are effectively locking others out of MIQ booking systems by using a computer programming code to snap up available spots within seconds.

One man who admits to using the… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.The Ministry of Health is being told to scrap the Covid-19 "close plus" and "casual plus" contact classifications.

The recommendation is among several made by an independent advisory group in a… Read more Audio

7:34 AM.A consent botch up has delayed work on a desperately needed upgrade to Middlemore Hospital's babies' unit - just as the winter rush hits.

Work was underway for a month with no building consent before… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Whanau are leaving the farm trucks in the carpark and their gumboots on the doorstep to get vaccinated at the top of the country.

After initial lags, the Northland DHB is well ahead of its… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Auckland Airport is preparing for its busiest day since the pandemic began.

The July school holidays are here, and today around 28000 travellers are expected to use the domestic terminal - the… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.The potentially fatal respiratory illness RSV sweeping hospitals around the country isn't slowing, with medical professionals warning there's worse to come.

Children's wards are under extreme… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.It's all hands on deck in the north Canterbury town of Rangiora as volunteers race to replace one hundred traps washed away in last month's floods.

They are crucial in defending some of the world's… Read more Video, Audio

7:56 AM.As the English celebrate their win against Denmark, Italian football fans are gearing up for the Euro final of England vs Italy on Monday.

For Italian fans in Rome, the match will be shown on giant… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Olympic organisers have banned spectators from the Tokyo Games, as Japan extends its Covid-19 state of emergency in the host city.

The Games begin on 23 July, and already hundreds of athletes and… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.Spectators will be banned from the Olympics, as Japan extends its Covid-19 state of emergency in the host city Tokyo.

The games begin on 23 July, and already hundreds of athletes and officials from… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.The Ports of Auckland has agreed to allow a foreign fishing vessel with two Covid-19 infected crew to use its quarantine anchorage.

The Viking Bay, with 20 crew on board, is off the Taranaki coast… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.An NZ Post worker in Christchurch says he had to take a day off work after a racist message appeared on his scanner.

The abusive message popped up on his screen when he scanned the parcel he was… Read more Audio

8:30 AM.A new report has found New Zealanders on low incomes found the lockdowns particularly challenging.

The study by the University of Otago found they were scared and felt isolated - but were also… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.The Flying Fijians touched down in Dunedin last night ahead of the first test against the All Blacks at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.

The city's Fijian community were on hand to welcome them… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.The All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick is back in the team for the first time in 18 months and the engine room enforcer admits to having some nerves.

The 2014 World Rugby player of the year hasn't… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.There's been a spike in cases of Covid-19 in Australia's New South Wales - the biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of the virus this year.

Sydney is in its second week of a lockdown, and… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.An insurance lawyer is rubbishing the Earthquake Commission's new disaster response model, saying it reinforces a power imbalance.

Instead of dealing with EQC as well as an insurer, customers will… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Today marks the 10 years since South Sudan gained independence.

It's a significant anniversary for the world's youngest country, but one which is mired by instability, corruption and one of the… Read more Audio