Morning Report for Friday 19 May 2023

8:42 AM.The South Canterbury district of Waimate has taken out the top spot for the best tasting tap water in the country. Every year, municipalities around the motu compete for top honours in the National… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Haka was given a financial boost in the budget. The biennial Kapa Haka Festival, Te Matatini received its biggest increase in funding since it first started 50 years ago. It is a part of the… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Ian Wright was in the command centre at Loafers Lodge during the fire, and he's the president of the Professional Firefighters Union. He spoke with Jane Patterson. Read more Audio

8:25 AM.A man has been arrested and charged with arson in relation to the fatal Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington on Monday night. He is scheduled to appear in the Wellington District Court this morning, and… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.More than $70 billion dollars has been set aside by the government for new and existing infrastructure projects over five years following yesterday's budget. Capital spending will average $18.5… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.The Green Party says the government is making a political choice not to move faster on climate change. It has applauded the $1.5 billion dollars allocated in this year's Budget to cutting greenhouse… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Early Childhood teachers are celebrating a nearly $2 billion boost for the sector, including funding for pay parity from November next year. The package includes $1.2 billion dollars to extend 20… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.A man has been arrested and charged with arson in relation to the Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington on Monday night. He is scheduled to appear in the Wellington District Court on Friday and police… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.Weather warnings and watches remain in place for much of the upper North Island and Nelson region after a night of heavy rain and high winds. In Auckland, periods of intense rain and strong winds are… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.The National Party says Labour is a party on a spending spree, saying this year's Budget will only increase debt and deficits. Finance Minister Grant Robertson disputed that, stressing none of the… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.Offering some political and financial analysis of the government's decisions, RNZ business editor, Gyles Beckford is with us and RNZ political editor, Jane Patterson. Read more Audio

7:25 AM.Finance minister Grant Robertson spoke with RNZ Political Editor Jane Patterson on his 'no-frills' Budget released on Thursday. Audio

7:21 AM.Napier mother, Anna Catley has three children under three and she's welcomed the Budget's big boost to funding for early childhood education. Last year, Anna garnered a huge response to a Tik Tok post… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Labour's delivered its election year budget. Young families are some of the biggest winners with cheaper childcare and free public transport for those aged under 13. And everyone gets a free… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Police have arrested a man in relation to the Loafers Lodge fire in Wellington on Monday night. He's been charged with two counts of arson and is scheduled to appear in the Wellington District Court… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.Young families, anyone needing a doctor's prescription and people under 25 who catch the bus or train are the winners in this year's election Budget. The Finance Minister has unveiled his "no frills"… Read more Audio

6:27 AM.The Government announced it is setting aside $6 billion to "build back better" from recent flooding and severe weather events in yesterday's budget. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the recent… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Greenpeace has called the Budget a gamble with the climate crisis. The Budget has allocated more than 3-billion dollars for climate initiatives - including 1-point-9 billion dollars for emissions… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.GPs say ditching the $5 charge for picking up prescriptions will be a huge help to the patients who need it most. But they say family doctors themselves have not been given enough in the budget. Tim… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.Young families, anyone needing a doctor's prescription and people under 25 who catch the bus or train were the winners in yesterday's election Budget. Let's go through the details : - At a cost of… Read more Audio