Morning Report for Monday 13 September 2021

8:56 AM.People in South Waikato say the tight nature of their community got them through lockdown.

The district gratefully went into Alert Level 2 this week along with most of the country.

Tokoroa became a… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.The neighbours of a controversial composting and worm farming business in North Taranaki have had their noses put out of joint by a regional councillor questioning whether their olfactory organs are… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.For the last 20 years Amina Hassanpoor has worked to improve women's rights in Afghanistan.

Right now, she is sitting in an MIQ hotel with her husband and two teenage children.

She was one of the… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.At least 15 rest homes are turning down new admissions because the migrant nurses they've hired can't get into the country.

Short-staffed care homes are regularly firing out official notices to the… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.Kaupapa Māori vaccinators and testers are being forced to take breaks while Pasifika contact tracers are described as "frayed at the edges".

In the fight against Covid-19, burnout has become a… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Queenstown's mayor says he is "intensely angry" with the Auckland couple who flouted lockdown rules for an illegal jaunt to Wanaka.

Jim Boult says the escapade has put the town's health and economy… Read more Audio

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

8:25 AM.Schools outside of Auckland reopened their doors last Thursday after nearly three weeks of classes over Zoom.

Principals across the country have said that few students are arriving to school with… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.Urgent retrofitting of older building stock is needed to reduce the risk of Covid-19 in New Zealand's schools, according to several of the country's leading public health experts.

They say that New… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.The mayor of Auckland thinks moving down alert levels this week is looking increasingly unlikely after mystery cases of the virus were found at Middlemore Hospital.

But if the alert level coming down… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Wind gusts reached 211km/h an hour at the top of Lambs Hill in Otago yesterday, Corin Dann spoke to Elizabeth who works at a farm near Hindon, north of Dunedin.

She expects some of their new lambs… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has heaped praise on Quade Cooper after the recalled first five kicked 23 points, including a penalty on the stroke of fulltime, to lift the Wallabies to an upset 28-26… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.Many Auckland students, still under Lockdown Level 4, are pulling out all the stops to keep focused.

More than half a million young people returned to classrooms last week as schools outside of… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.All Blacks coach Ian Foster credited his side's patience and decision-making for its Rugby Championship win against Argentina last night.

The five-try victory built a dominant 39-nil score at the… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.Restaurants, bars, eateries and other dining venues across much of the country opened their doors for customers for the first weekend in a month.

Under the new Alert Level 2 rules, they are allowed… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Men's tennis world number one Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are about to face off in the U.S. Open final.

Djokovic is looking for the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 and… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.It's Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week. And those behind the reo's revitalisation say the language is at a point it hasn't been in generations.

But with huge waitlists for classes and a… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Severe gale northwesterly winds slammed the Canterbury high country and foothills yesterday evening and early this morning.

The highest gust was recorded at Lamb Hill weather station 25km northwest… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.In mid-Canterbury, the winds did not get as strong as predicted - but it was still a fairly wild night.

More than 1000 properties have lost power in the region. Orion spokesperson Linda McGregor… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.At least 1500 homes in Canterbury are without power, after a stormy night for the region.

And a MetService red warning, issued for only the most severe weather events, still applies as a front moves… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.After a weekend in which tens of thousands of Aucklanders were vaccinated against Covid-19, health officials are gearing up for surveillance testing in several city suburbs.

Ahead of today's Cabinet… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Seven Auckland suburbs will be the focus of testing and contact tracing this week as health officials try to crack the mystery Covid cases likely to keep the city at Alert Level 4.

The government… Read more Audio

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

6:49 AM.The cafes are closed and the shops are shut - and experts say it could stay that way in Auckland for some time yet.

Today, Cabinet will decide whether the city remains at level four after midnight on… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.A leading immunologist says that although widespread vaccination is the only long-term way to curb Covid-19, the immunisation rate should not be the only factor in ending the elimination strategy.

… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.More than 1000 people are still without power in Canterbury, after winds of up to 120km/h were recorded in the High Country overnight.

Roger Sutton, chief executive of Electricity Ashburton Networks… Read more Audio

6:38 AM.For the second time in a week Canterbury has been hit by gale force winds.

The worst of the weather hit last night.

Thousands lost power and have had to navigate fallen trees and road closures.

… Read more Audio

6:26 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Read more Audio

6:25 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Audio

6:18 AM.Universities and polytechnics are being told they could be doing more to help their students through the pandemic.

The Union of Students Associations says some institutions have not provided… Read more Audio

6:14 AM.Auckland businesses are struggling under Alert Level 4 - and there are fears some won't survive the city's fifth lockdown.

Nick Hill, the chief executive of economic development agency Auckland… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.Cabinet Ministers will meet today to decide if any part of the country is ready to change Alert Levels.

Tāmaki Makaurau remains at Alert Level 4 until midnight Tuesday, while the rest of the country… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.More than a thousand homes are without power in Canterbury after strong winds and heavy rain battered the region overnight.

Last night MetService issued a red warning, reserved for only the most… Read more Audio