Morning Report for Monday 31 January 2022

8:55 AM.It's Monday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Read more Audio

8:53 AM.The Northern Royal Albatross has been a crowd favourite on the Department of Conservation's livestreamed "royal cam", and the stars of the newest colony in Otago have just been born.

All 36 pairs… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.It's Auckland Anniversary Day and although many events are cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, at least one business is making a licking.

The familiar tune of an ice-cream truck heading your way… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Rafael Nadal has made history with a record 21st grand slam last night at the Australian Open

The Spanish legend taking home the trophy after after an impressive recovery from two sets down against… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Canadian singer songwriter Joni Mitchell is the latest artist, after Neil Young, to want her music pulled from Spotify.

The nine-time Grammy award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee says… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.Some principals are approaching the start of the school year with some trepidation after struggling to find teachers to fill jobs left by those unvaccinated last year.

Most schools start back this… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker says his heart goes out to Charlotte Bellis and others desperate to return to Aotearoa.

Bellis is currently pregnant and stuck in Afghanistan after missing out… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.The lawyer representing pregnant New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis says more New Zealanders have been asking for his help to return home to give birth.

Auckland barrister Tudor Clee says he has… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.Sophie Devine had a near-perfect performance which saw Wellington Blaze take cricket's Super Smash Twenty20 title in Hamilton at the weekend.

The White Ferns skipper cracked 92 from 62 balls which… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.Relationship counsellors are seeing some families falling apart because of differences over Covid-19 vaccinations.

Some have received numerous referrals of couples near breaking point, and there are… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.The North Canterbury town of Kaiapoi has been hit hard by a huge fire that destroyed the premises of a major employer.

Sutton Tools went up in smoke early yesterday, causing up to 40 nearby homes to… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.About 70 firefighters have been working to extinguish a vegetation fire near Meremere that broke out last night.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Thomas Harre says the fire has covered about… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Pregnant New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis says she could have kept quiet about her predicament but felt "infuriated" after failing to gain an MIQ spot and seeking refuge in Afghanistan.

She… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.National MPs will spend today and tomorrow in Queenstown navigating the best way forward under the leadership of Chris Luxon, as Aotearoa readies for a third year battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Shopping is about to become even more expensive, whether you're at the supermarket or a mall.

A report out by Retail NZ shows three quarters of retailers expect to put prices up by 7.5 percent over… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.This week will probably mark the end of the golden weather for low Covid-19 case numbers in Aotearoa.

Te Punaha Matatini modeller Dr Dion O'Neale forecasts 200 cases in the community a day - by… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.There's a push in this long holiday weekend in Auckland to get as many tamariki as posible vaccinated before they head back to class.

Northern Regional Health Co-ordination Centre clinical director… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Many schools and kura across the motu are starting back for the year today, but it won't be like anything they've faced before.

Staff are battling with how to enforce mask mandates and are dealing… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.The equivalent of at least 60 Olympic swimming pools' worth of wastewater and faeces has been leaching into Auckland's Hobson Bay every year since 2017.

Locals are worried their health is in peril… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.It's been a scorcher of a start to the year and one town in particular has had a stand-out summer.

Taumarunui is set to crack 32 degrees today, a temperature that's been reached several times this… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.It's back-to-school for many across the motu - but it won't be learning as you know it.

Children from year four and above will be masked up, and interactions between different groups of students will… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.The UK is considering sending extra British troops to Eastern Europe as the tension between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate .

This would double the current British deployment in the region.

6:10 AM.As the wheels get turning on the 2022 school year, a group is pushing for the Government to bring in a law that would see speeds capped at 30km/h outside every school in the country.

It's a speed… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.About 70 firefighters have been working to extinguish a vegetation fire near Meremere that broke out last night.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Thomas Harre says the fire has covered about… Read more Audio