Morning Report for Thursday 8 February 2024

8:56 AM.New research suggesting the planet has already exceeded 1.5 degrees of warming has come under fire from scientists around the world.

Morning Report spoke to a scientist involved in the study on… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.New research suggests three times as many gay and bisexual men could donate their blood, if New Zealand adopted rules like those of the UK or Canada.

At the moment, men must not donate for 3 months… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.Point Chevalier locals fear major housing developments, including Kāinga Ora homes, are going ahead without community facilities and support for vulnerable people.

About a month ago a man, thought to… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and the Minster for Health and Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti are in Rarotonga on Thursday as part of their Pacific region tour.

It is Peters' second trip to… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.The owner of the Green Gorilla recycling and waste processing plant has claimed there was not enough water for firefighters to tackle the blaze at her business in Auckland.

Elaine Morgan earlier told… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Young New Zealanders with autism are more than twice as likely to die before their 25th birthday, than their non-autistic peers.

The Otago-University led research shows the risk is even greater for… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.Schools have opened for the year with a new challenge to tackle, how to enforce the ban on mobile phones.

While the government's policy won't come into force until the start of term two, plenty of… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.An Auckland cancer patient was forced to go to Australia for an urgent scan because the country's only producer of radioactive medical material had shut down for two weeks.

The man's whanau is asking… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Smoke is still coming from the waste processing business, Green Gorilla.

Earlier the company's chief executive, Elaine Morgan, told Morning Report fire fighters did not have enough water to properly… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.The Black Caps are celebrating their victory against South Africa's Proteas at Mount Maunganui.

New Zealand wrapped up the first test late on day four in Tauranga by 281 runs after South Africa… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.NZ Customs says it has seen a significant and worrying increase in illicit tobacco seizures.

The size of imports has grown steadily in the past six years and smuggling techniques have become more… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.The government is following through on its plan to cut funding for cultural reports used in sentencing.

The reports give judges background information about a defendant's circumstances and can lead… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.Some school students are finding the government's ban on mobile phones a bit of a shock.

Schools have been open for just a few days, but many have already revised their rules to meet the new… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.Starting Thursday, up to 25 New World and PAK'nSAVE supermarkets across the North Island will be testing facial recognition software.

Foodstuffs says their North Island stores had more than 4700… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Firefighters in the Tasman district have been battling a fire in a pine plantation which broke out Wednesday afternoon.

Eleven properties were evacuated in Lee Valley by police, and the blaze spread… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.New facial recognition software is be being rolled out in New World and PAK'nSAVE supermarkets across the North Island from Thursday.

Up to 25 stores will be part of a six-month trial. Foodstuffs… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.Iwi leader Mike Smith is celebrating that he can pursue a court case against seven big polluters for helping cause climate change.

In a 70-page judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled his case can go… Read more Audio

6:42 AM.More bus routes, and the passengers who use them, in Auckland are set to benefit from a so-called 'bus booster', or 'green wave'.

That's when traffic lights switch to green to help delayed buses make… Read more Audio

6:31 AM.Firefighters have been working to put out a huge timber fire which broke out at a rubbish and recycling plant in Onehunga on Wednesday.

FENZ has closed Victoria Street, and crews are expected to… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.Fire Crews in Onehunga have spent the night at the scene of Wednesday's huge rubbish and recycling plant fire and will remain there for most of Thursday.

Wednesday's fire at the facility resulted in… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.US Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer is expected to force a vote on a stripped-down aid package for Israel and Ukraine.

The bill originally contained provisions to address security at the… Read more Audio

6:07 AM.The United States' top diplomat has sat down with Israeli and Palestinian officials as he continues efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.

Antony Blinken has already visited Egypt and Qatar to… Read more Audio