Morning Report for Thursday 6 July 2023

8:54 AM.The grand final for the Young Farmer of the Year competition starts today in Timaru.

The competition has been around for 55 years.

Ingrid Hipkiss spoke to last year's winner, Tim Dangen. Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Having a high body mass index (BMI) in itself probably won't lead to an early death if you are otherwise healthy.

That's according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Mothers-to-be are being warned that the most common infectious cause of permanent disabilities in newborn children is one they're likely to have never heard of.

Campaigners want more support for CMV… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.Principals are worried about changes to the way the Education Ministry allocates millions of dollars for children with high needs.

From next term Auckland schools will get In Class Support based on… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Excitement and tensions are high ahead of the third Ashes Test at Headingley in Leeds.

For the first time in the series' history, England now need to come from 2-0 behind to win an Ashes, and English… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.The National Party says the medical course it has committed to opening at Waikato University would have a faster and more modern approach to doctor training than the current ones.

But the two… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.The union representing Oranga Tamariki youth workers says they're being sent into challenging environments without enough training.

Public Service Association organiser, Joe McCroy, says the work is… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A former resident of Oranga Tamariki youth justice facilities says the agency is out of touch with its own services.

The last week has seen revelations of staff mistreating rangatahi, a two-night… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.The grand final of Young Farmer of the Year competition kicks off today.

It's the competition's 55th year - and will be held over the next three days in Timaru with $70,000 in prize money up for… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.The Manaaki Rangatahi Collective has been working with the Human Rights Commission on a two-year-long Housing Inquiry, which was released today.

Jackie Paul, an adviser to Manaaki Rangatahi in… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.Non-Māori science teachers are questioning how they'll teach mātauranga Māori in a proposed new curriculum.

It follows a leaked draft of the new science curriculum - which caused a stir because it… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.At least 11 staff members have been stood down at Oranga Tamariki as the government agency faces mounting evidence of severe problems at its youth justice units.

Four of the staff stand-downs relate… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.A midwifery student says she was horrified at how much responsibility she was expected to take on, as trainees are used to plug the profession's 40 percent workforce shortage.

With more than four out… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.Health officials in charge of getting massive hospital projects built have been making basic, costly mistakes for years around budgets, timings and design.

That's according to a newly released report… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.An anti-nuclear activist is pointing the finger at New Zealand's silence over Japan's plan to discharge more than one million tonnes of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.

Japan may… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Chief human rights commissioner, Paul Hunt, says extra help is urgently needed to fix the country's deeply flawed housing system.

The Commission released a Housing Inquiry report today in conjunction… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.The National Party has for the second time taken up a proposal to open a medical school Waikato University.

The University and Waikato District Health Board initially bid to establish the country's… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.A New Plymouth emergency housing provider says a council survey asking what can be done about the city's housing crisis feels like a cruel joke.

The council is asking residents for feedback on five… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.The Rural Health Network says a proposal for a new medical school could be a lifeline for some practices.

The National Party announced yesterday that if elected, it would establish a medical school… Read more Audio