Morning Report for Wednesday 8 September 2021

8:55 AM.If it sounds like a duck and walks like a duck...but what if it talks like a person?

A recording has been unearthed of an Australian musk duck imitating speech - specifically "you bloody fool" -… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Beauty and wellness companies are cashing in on Covid-19 as video-calling makes people more self-conscious about how they look.

Trade in lipstick may be suffering as masks hide our mouths but sales… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Getting jabs in the arms of homeless people is regarded as a major challenge in our Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

One doctor in West Auckland is using the relationships he has built up over time with… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Some factories will be allowed to fire up under level four in Auckland to help combat a nationwide shortage of building materials.

The Government will cherry-pick essential building product… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.The Government is dismissing calls for more protection of personal information in the Covid-19 contact tracing system.

As of midnight last night, it is mandatory for most businesses and event… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.New Zealand is split along Covid-19 lines from level 2 to level 4.

RNZ reporters hit the streets to see what it was like. Read more Audio

8:19 AM.It's not easy being in Auckland - the team of 1.6 million are doing it tough for the rest of us.

Kaiora Tipene, who runs Tipene Funerals with her husband Francis, and NZ Herald senior writer Simon… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Four wards are closed at Middlemore hospital in Auckland and nearly 30 staff have been stood down after a Covid-positive patient was unknowingly admitted to a non-Covid ward on Saturday.

Health… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.From karaoke to TikTok, Auckland's teachers are using every trick they can think of to keep their pupils interested in learning.

They say motivation is a big problem during lockdown for some… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Is the property market booked for a rerun of the big surge we saw after last year's big lockdown?

Probably not, according to the latest QV House Price Index, which appears to be showing a significant… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.Truckers say they still don't have clarity about a new requirement that they be tested every week if they travel through Auckland, fearing it could result in costly delays.

The government introduced… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.An Aucklander who may have got a saline shot instead of the Pfizer vaccine at an Auckland vaccination centre still hasn't been contacted by the Ministry of Health and the designated helpline had no… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Some factories will be allowed to fire up under level four in Auckland to help combat a nationwide shortage of building materials.

The Government will cherry-pick essential building product… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.The National Party says rapid testing for Covid-19 would be particularly useful for testing patients presenting at hospitals and essential workers crossing alert level borders. 

Judith Collins told… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.The Covid-19 split has just got deeper. Most of the country - 3.2 million - have slipped into level 2 restrictions - while 1.6 million Aucklanders continue to hunker down at level 4.

Reporters were… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.The Nurses Organisation says more rigorous screening of patients presenting at hospitals is needed after an exposure event at Middlemore. 

Four wards are closed, patients are being isolated, and… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.The impact of a mishandled Covid-19 case at Middlemore Hospital is becoming clearer as staff are stood down and wards are closed to new admissions.

Health officials have admitted a Covid-positive… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop.

While he wasn't injured, this is the latest disruption by demonstrators on the campaign… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.A man who's been vaccinated against Covid-19 in China has been refused work in MIQ here - because they're only accepting people who've had the Pfizer jab.

He says there has been confusion among his… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Schools and iwi trusts have stepped in to buy devices and internet for families struggling with distance learning over the past three weeks.

They want to stop a new wave of children falling behind… Read more Audio

6:37 AM.Nurses make up almost half of the 29 staff at Middlemore Hospital being forced to isolate after contact with a Covid-19 case.

Eleven doctors and 13 nurses cannot be at work for a fortnight after a… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.Mangrove management has been a long-debated issue for many North Island coastal areas, now fresh eyes have been considering how we control these important eco-systems.

Our Changing World producer… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.As Auckland's lockdown continues, teachers are figuring out how to keep a quarter of a million children engaged with their school work.

Glenfield College teacher Rena Zhu told education correspondent… Read more Audio