Morning Report for Monday 4 December 2023

8:52 AM.It's December - the Christmas music has well and truly begun trickling over the speakers at the mall, people are counting down the days until the end of the year.

It's the season for people to pop up… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.An energy researcher thinks the government's decision to scrap a pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow is presumptuous.

Energy Minister Simeon Brown told me the choice to pull back government investment… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.Forestry owners hit by devastating cyclones this year have been given extra time to replant so they won't have to repay millions of dollars in carbon credits.

The land can stay bare for an extra… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.A collection of highly sought-after, classic cars, motorcycles and automotive memorabilia went up for auction over the weekend.

It was part of Webb Auction's December collectors' live auction, which… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.The new Trade Minister hopes to visit India before Christmas, as he begins work to lock in a free trade agreement within three years.

During the election campaign, Christopher Luxon committed to… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Some former charter schools are interested in leaving the state system and returning to charter or partnership school status.

The government is reintroducing the publicly funded private schools which… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.Police have arrested a Te Whatu Ora staffer accused of leaking large amounts of vaccination data.

The 56-year-old man has been charged with accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes and will… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.She checks on homeless people in doorways on her way to work and responds to texts for help in the dead of night - after 31 years as a social worker at the Auckland District Court, Michelle Kidd is… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.A complaint against an engineer whose firm designed the CTV building that collapsed in the Christchurch earthquake will be heard by a disciplinary committee on Monday.

One-hundred-and-fifteen people… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.The National-ACT-New Zealand First coalition is in, and a number of things are out.

The government revealed its 100-day plan last week with 49 items to tick off - most of which will cancel or… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.The new government is stopping work on investigating pumped hydro energy storage at Lake Onslow in Otago.

The project was floated as a solution to New Zealand's "dry year" problem - which happens… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.A group of Northland emergency doctors have written to the Health Minister urging him to keep the Smokefree 2025 legislation intact.

The new government wants to keep the number of stores selling… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.It's 3-days into the nearly two-week conference, New Zealand has so far signed up to one international agreement - to adapt agriculture and food production to the changing climate. 133 other countries… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.On the sidelines of the talks in Dubai, activist groups have just awarded New Zealand the ignominious "Fossil of the Day."

It's the first time the dud-prize has been given out at this round of talks… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Israel's army radio says the Israel Defence Force has begun its ground offensive in Southern Gaza, north of the city Khan Younis.

It says there are armoured forces in the area, and they've begun… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.A southerly front is moving up the country - bringing cooler temperatures and forecasts of heavy rain.

Christchurch reached 29 degrees on Sunday, but the temperature has dropped to 13C on Monday.

… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Labour's health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says the new government is misleading the public to justify repealing smokefree laws and she wants them to "debate" the issue.

On Sunday, Prime Minister… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.The president of COP28 in Dubai, Sultan Al Jaber, says there is "no science" indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

He says such a… Read more Audio