Morning Report for Friday 9 February 2024

8:41 AM.The duty lawyer system is under review.

It's a fast-paced, demanding job. Duty lawyers turn up on the day to represent anyone who needs legal assistance but doesn't qualify for legal aid and can't… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.Auckland art gallery has been gifted 15 masterpieces worth $178 million, in what is considered to be one of the most significant philanthropic gifts in local history. 

Included are works by Pablo… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.The New Zealand Bar Association wants more done to improve safety for lawyers working in the country's courtrooms.

The response comes after a judge was forced to leave a courtroom in the Wellington… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.The education minister has forced the chief executive at the Ministry of Education to apologise to a school over a delayed building project.

Kaipara College is one of the schools where major… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Auckland's mayor is warning that cancelling the region's fuel tax will consign major transport projects to the scrap heap.

The Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed the government will end… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A transport commentator says the government's plan to scrap the region's fuel tax is ideologically motivated and Aucklanders will suffer.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the government will… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.Lee Valley resident Nicola Reif went to bed last night not knowing whether the works of art she has spent the past year creating for a Christchurch exhibition would be in ashes or not on Friday… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.The future of Whakapapa ski field is veering off course, and locals are blaming the government for not exploring broader funding alternatives.

The Crown's top bidder has backed out of negotiations… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Projects to build well over a hundred classrooms, two teaching blocks and two school gyms are in doubt.

The Education Ministry admits it has pushed pause as it embarks on a nationwide cost-cutting… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.The Southland regional council says it wanted to carry out emergency works at an endangered coastal community much sooner but couldn't because of environmental laws.

The tiny settlement of Bluecliffs… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Southland residents are worried their homes and baches at a small beach community will be swept into the Waiau River as swift waters claw into the banks.

A local state of emergency has been declared… Read more Audio

7:08 AM.The Transport Minister and Auckland's Mayor seem set for a fierce debate over how some of the city's major transport projects will be paid for, as a date is set to axe the regional fuel tax.

… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.A NIWA forecaster says we're in for an active cyclone season in the South Pacific.

Cyclone Nat developed near Papeete in French Polynesia a few days ago, a the same time as another called Osai East… Read more Audio

6:42 AM.An Auckland Councillor says scrapping the regional fuel tax will kill off billions-of-dollars' worth of transport projects.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed the government will end the… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.The Automobile Association says while most Auckland motorists will be pleased the government's going to scrap the regional fuel tax, the issue now is how it will be replaced.

Transport Minister… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a crucial case that will decide whether Donald Trump is eligible to run for President.

The justices are considering a ruling by Colorado's top court which… Read more Audio