Morning Report for Thursday 22 February 2024

8:55 AM.Fear not the Taniwha, but the great Chinese dragon coming to Auckland Thursday night.

The handmade fire-breathing beast spanning the length of two buses has been specially commissioned for this… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Public health experts are reiterating that urgent action is needed if New Zealand is to avoid a measles epidemic.

Falling immunisation rates, immunity gaps, and an increasing risk of imported cases… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.Latest modelling shows almost half of Wellington's waste waterpipes are in a 'poor' or 'very poor' condition.

The research was completed in May and was presented to the city council at a Long Term… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.As the Palestinian death toll in the war in Gaza nears 30,000, questions continue to be asked as to what Israel's end goal really is.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long said he wishes… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.A financial columnist thinks Australians will see a connection between the retirement of Woolworths' boss and his disastrous appearance on ABC's Four Corners programme.

Woolworths' Australia's chief… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.Forget about high decile and low decile when you are talking about schools.

From now on the words to use are fewest barriers and most barriers.

That is the way government agencies are grouping… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A long-time friend and colleague of Fa'anānā Efeso Collins says his death will send shockwaves through the Pasifika community and leave a leadership void.

The Green MP collapsed and died while taking… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The star-spangled banner is flying proudly in Taranaki this week as the annual celebration of chrome and the internal-combustion engine, that is Americarna, takes over the province.

More than 750 gas… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Australia needed four off the last ball to beat the Black Caps and they got exactly that as Tim David swung Tim Southee to the leg side boundary to win the opening match of the Chappell Hadlee Trophy… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.Woolworths New Zealand has reported a 42 percent drop in pre-tax earnings to $71 million in the 6 months ending in December.

The result came the same day as the company's Australia-based chief… Read more Audio

7:39 AM.Green candidate Geordie Rogers has come from behind to win the Wellington City Council by-election for the Pukehinau/Lambton ward.

Seen as a test of the Green led council's performance, Rogers won… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Ten months after a highly critical report on cancer services in Southland and Otago some patients are still waiting too long for treatment because there aren't enough specialists.

The investigation… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Businesses in the Auckland suburb of Devonport say they are gutted long-awaited upgrades to the grid-locked main road are on the chopping block now the regional fuel tax is going.

Lake Road is the… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.A scathing Chief Ombudsman's report into Oranga Tamariki is another reason to disestablish the government agency.

That's the blunt assessment of Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, chair of the Whānau Ora… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Auckland City councillor Lotu Fuli is a long-time friend of Fa'anānā Efeso Collins and was elected to the Manukau Ward in 2022 when Fa'anānā ran for the mayoralty.

Fuli spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.  Read more Audio

7:09 AM.He was warm, kind, and a strong voice for Māori and Pasifika communities, particularly rangatahi. 

Tributes are pouring in for Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins who died during a charity event in… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.Air New Zealand says Auckland Airport's allegedly "reckless spending" could make flying unaffordable for some passengers.

The airline's boss Greg Foran says airlines haven't been given any… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.A pillar of the Pacific community Fa'anānā  Efeso Collins is being mourned and a legacy remembered. 

The 49-year-old Samoan-Tokelauan leader and Green MP has been described someone who embodied the… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.Air New Zealand is seeking an urgent inquiry into Auckland Airport's upgrade spending.

It says new charges at the airport could make flying unaffordable for some passengers, expecting to add about… Read more Audio