Morning Report for Thursday 9 September 2021

8:56 AM.After 10,000 years of inbreeding, Rakiura/Stewart Island kākāpō have been found to be in surprisingly good genetic health.

A major international study reveals the kākāpō have lost harmful mutations… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.It's a story which has gripped the entertainment industry the past few years - and now, it might be drawing to a close.

Britney Spears's father James Spears has filed to end the court conservatorship… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The AOG in Auckland, like many churches right now, are on the move - moving online, that is, with zoomed services the order of the day.

Religious institutions and buildings have been a big part of… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Schools outside Auckland are reopening their doors, and probably windows, on Thursday.

Wellington College is one of those welcoming back its students.

Wellington College principal Gregor Fountain… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Schools outside Auckland are reopening their doors, and probably windows, on Thursday.

Wellington College is one of those welcoming back its students.

Education correspondent John Gerritsen is… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.Landowners in Manawatu are anxious their plots will be swept up in plans for the country's largest wastewater-to-land treatment system.

So called highly productive land is caught up in the Palmerston… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.The Tongan community has organised a mass vaccination event in the Auckland suburb of Favona.

It's part of Tongan Language Week and will run for the next three days.

Organisers are hoping to… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Buyer beware: The runaway price of building materials is shattering the illusion of a fixed price housing project.

A shortage of materials and delivery delays are shifting the ground under home… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Middlemore Hospital now has the results back for most of those at risk of contracting Covid-19 from a man who was in a shared room at the hospital. 

Results from 149 people's day three tests have… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.A proposed 12-a-side rugby competition has been described as a lucrative new frontier by some - but critics say it's a pipe dream that will never work.

The quickfire franchise style tournament -… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The first group of people evacuated out of Afghanistan during the dramatic takeover by the Taliban, will be released from MIQ over the next few days.

The New Zealand Defence Force managed to get 370… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.A cyber-intelligence expert fears disruption to New Zealand websites is just the start of a campaign of attacks.

Websites for some government agencies and banks have been targeted over the last… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.It's snowing again, and skifields have been able to reopen, even if only for non-Aucklanders, and without Australians.

But they have to abide by level 2 measures.

Ruapehu's Whakapapa ski area… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.Essential workers have been given another week to provide proof they've undergone a Covid-19 test and can cross Auckland's boundary - and the delay has earned the ire of a leading epidemiologist.

… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Home ownership is disappearing from reach for even more New Zealanders following the release of the latest housing affordability figures.

CoreLogic's biannual report shows the average property value… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.The escalating costs of building materials are jeopardising a first home buyer's $20,000 Kiwisaver grant.

The speed with which costs are rising is pressuring builders to invoke escalation clauses… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The school bells will chime again today - outside Auckland that is - as thousands of primary and secondary school students return to class.

More than three weeks of lockdown learning is over and with… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.A major freight firm expects all its employees crossing the alert level boundary with Auckland will comply with a requirement to have regular Covid-19 tests.

From tomorrow, a new law requires… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.Parents across much of the country are having to get back into the routine of making school lunches again this morning.

But bear a thought for those in Auckland who are facing a week or two more of… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.A Māori leader says a different approach is urgently needed to attract young Māori along for their Covid-19 vaccines. 

Data from the Ministry of Health  shows Māori are still behind in the vaccine… Read more Audio