Morning Report for Friday 3 September 2021

8:57 AM.It's Friday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Read more Audio

8:54 AM.Six beers, six brewers - you get to taste as you listen, and there's even a live music set at the end.

Homegrown virtual beer festival Canapalooza livestreams tomorrow.

Those who signed up have been… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Swedish pop band ABBA has announced its return almost 40 years after splitting up.

They've reunited for a new album, titled "ABBA Voyage" and plan to hold a series of concerts fronted by their… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is calling on people to pressure their local MP about Afghanistan.

As well as the dramatic return to power by the Taliban, the country faces severe food shortages… Read more Audio

8:38 AM."Whatever it takes", except, well, no, not really.

Ashburton has turned its back on its famed slogan and has now given up on finding a better one.

At its meeting held via Zoom on Wednesday, the… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.A Wellington sound engineer has turned the current Covid-19 lockdown to his advantage in an unusual way.

Andrew Dalziel was disappointed after the last lockdown, last year.

He hadn't taken advantage… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Te Tai Tokerau is waking this morning to looser Covid-19 restrictions than yesterday.

Northland has been released from its ties to Auckland which remains at alert level 4.

But there is much to be… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.The Greyhound Industry has been told to make changes or face closure after a scathing review found it unnecessarily obfuscated information and failed to implement new policies.

The government report… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A man who escaped a quarantine facility had a risk assessment done on him before he absconded from the facility, the joint head of managed isolation and quarantine has confirmed.

The man, who… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.Have you ever looked at your family and wondered who would be the best at pole vault?

Or which sibling might have the knack for equestrian?

Maybe it's not the top of mind question, but for one… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The third and final Bledisloe Cup test is in Perth on Sunday.

The All Blacks have sealed the trophy, but there are still Rugby Championship points on the line, and an intriguing sub plot of a spat… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.An iwi leader says it's about time there was a hard border between Auckland and Northland.

Checkpoints on the border of the two changed last night, before lockdown rules ease in Te Tai Tokerau.

Hone… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A Dunedin nurse who's on his way to help fight Covid-19 in Auckland says he never hesitated to step up.

Southern DHB infection prevention and control specialist Mike O'Brien is one of more than 100… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.An attempt will be made today to lift the 50-tonne locomotive that fell into Picton Harbour on Wednesday.

A remote-controlled shunt locomotive and a wagon with two tank containers sank in the harbour… Read more Audio

7:34 AM.Deadly flooding has paralysed the states of New York and New Jersey, as Tropical Storm Ida continues to steamroll across the United States.

A toddler is among at least 14 dead, as a state of… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.One of the most sought-after comebacks in pop culture has actually happened: the return of ABBA.

The Swedish pop band has re-united for their first new album in almost 40 years.

The quartet split up… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.Mainfreight has labelled Doctor Ashley Bloomfield's announcement that essential workers crossing Auckland's border should be regularly tested for Covid-19 as 'out the blue and ludicrous'.

The head of… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.At midnight last night, Northland joined the rest of the country - south of Auckland - in alert level 3.

Auckland will remain at level four until at least 13 September, and police have set up five… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.The Government still doesn't have answers as to how a Covid-positive man was able to escape an Auckland quarantine facility for more than 12 hours yesterday.

It's still not clear how many people he… Read more Audio

7:08 AM.Answers are being demanded after a man infected with Covid-19 escaped from hotel quarantine for an extended period in Auckland early on Thursday.

The man was arrested at a house in Otahuhu yesterday… Read more Audio

6:52 AM.Greyhound racing in Aotearoa may be shut down if it can't pick up the pace on animal welfare.

A Government commissioned review accuses the industry of a lack of transparency and communication.

Tom… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.Bookings have opened for another upcoming mass vaccination event in Auckland, which will now be drive-through.

The event, on the weekend of 10-12 September, has been moved from the Vodafone Event… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Maori are calling on the government to trust them to lead Covid-19 vaccination efforts in their communities.

They say they can do a far better job and just need to be able to get on and improve the… Read more Audio

6:38 AM.MIQ officials have revealed the man who fled a quarantine hotel in Auckland early yesterday morning left his room three times before finally making his escape.

The manv who is infected with Covid-19… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Australia's Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney is worsening, with seven more deaths reported yesterday alone.

That took deaths in New South Wales during the outbreak to 107, with close to 1000 people in… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.Pacific health providers say the government's $26 million funding boost is not just a recognition of the critical role they play in reaching Pasifika communities, but also of the urgent and sustained… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.The managing director of Mainfrieght says he's been blindsided by a government announcement over changes to rules for drivers crossing the Auckland border.

During Thursday's press conference, the… Read more Audio