Morning Report for Tuesday 19 December 2023

8:55 AM.If you're a man with a big bushy beard, who perhaps consumes a little too much eggnog and cookies, December might be the month for you.

Men fitting that description have found a way to make some… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.New research from the University of Otago shows our early primate ancestors were just like us.

Analysis of tooth chipping patterns and cavities on 29-million-year-old Egyptian fossils suggests the… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.The EU has launched formal infringement proceedings against social media platform X, under its wide reaching Digital Services Act.

The law, which passed late last year, requires major companies to… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.A noted doctor who flouted ADHD prescription rules for hundreds of patients will have to wait until next year to find out whether he will be stripped of his right to practice.

Auckland GP and expert… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.Police have charged six people following a three-year investigation into criminal activity at Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt.

One prisoner, a current employee, a member of the public and three former… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Local Government New Zealand is warning ratepayers they need to get used to double-digit rates increases.

The council umbrella group and the lead group of infrastructure management professionals, now… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Housing Minister Chris Bishop is putting Kāinga Ora, under the microscope with rapidly growing debt of more than $12 billion.

He says he's also received worrying and commercially sensitive advice… Read more Audio

7:56 AM.Authorities are advising holidaymakers to prepare before hitting the highways this summer.

Those in the parts of the North Island still recovering from storm damage are urging visitors to take it… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The Prime Minister is in hot water over getting taxpayer funded te reo Māori tuition while at the same time planning to axe allowances for public servants who speak the language.

Christopher Luxon… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.Te Pūkenga has announced the departure of its chief executive Peter Winder as it heads for its biggest deficit yet.

A document obtained by RNZ shows it is expecting to lose about $93 million this… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.New modelling suggests hospitalisations from the country's latest Covid-19 wave will peak this week. There have been 7,417 new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand last week with a further 27… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Winston Peters says his government's priority for the Pacific is to bring unity and engagement to every country, and to see that the Pacific Island Forum works cohesively.

The deputy Prime Minister… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Sitting at number 47 of 49 things in the government's 100-day plan is beginning work to repeal the Therapeutics Products Act.

It was part of the NZ First and ACT party's coalition agreements and NZ… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.The Housing Minister is launching an independent review of Kāinga Ora, citing his concerns about growing debt which has reached $12.3 billion.

Former Prime Minister Sir Bill English will lead the… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Drivers are more likely to be fined for speeding, talking on their cellphones, or not wearing a seatbelt than ever before.

In last four years the number of infringement notices doled out by police… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is being warned if he wants to strengthen New Zealand's security relationship with Australia, he'll need to boost defence spending.

Luxon will fly to Sydney on… Read more Audio