Summer Report for Tuesday 6 January 2015

8:51 AM.The familiar "whup-whup" of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's fleet of Iroquois helicopters will soon to be a thing of the past as the choppers are phased out in 2015. Audio

8:45 AM.Most teenage babysitters will have a good working knowlege of your pantry, and the TV remote, and are bound to have figured out what your Wifi password is, but how much do they actually know about… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Around 65 thousand babies were born in New Zealand last year and according to the latest top ten, the perennial favourites - Charlotte, Olivia, Oliver, Jack and James, all features once again. Audio

8:39 AM.According to a poll, almost half of all New Zealanders would support shifting the summer holidays to February when the weather's usually warmer. Audio

8:35 AM.Aucklanders are about to take part in an unprecedented debate, over whether they are happy to pay new taxes and motorway charges totalling hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Audio

8:26 AM.Investors in the European economy are keeping a close eye on its central bank, as the euro slid to a nine-year low against the US dollar yesterday. Audio

8:21 AM.In the United States, the man accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 has appeared in court at the beginning of his trial. Audio

8:18 AM.At Pines Beach near Kaiapoi, fire crews and a helicopter with a monsoon bucket battled for hours to bring the blaze under control, after it broke out early yesterday afternoon. Audio

8:13 AM.While firefighters keep watch at the scene of a pine plantation blaze in Christchurch, authorities in other parts of the country are declaring total fire bans. Audio

8:09 AM.South Islanders have been woken by a series of earthquakes - the strongest measuring magnitude 6.4 north of Methven. Audio

7:51 AM.Community workers say teen fathers are being ignored. Audio

7:48 AM.Scientists say it could take hundreds of years to reverse damage to the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers brought on by climate change. Audio

7:45 AM.The Takapuna Countdown supermarket will have its licence suspended for a week after selling two six packs of beer to a man who was so drunk that he struggled to speak and stand up. Audio

7:39 AM.Rainbows End is standing by its roller coaster, saying it did what it is was supposed to do - despite leaving 30 riders stranded mid air. Audio

7:28 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:26 AM.An 11-year-old boy has died, after being pulled from the water at a Northland river mouth yesterday -- bringing the number of drowning deaths since Christmas Day to eight. Audio

7:23 AM.There have been a series of earthquakes this morning near Arthur's Pass. Audio

7:18 AM.Warnings are being sounded from across the ditch about New Zealand's reliance on dairy exports. Audio

7:15 AM.South Canterbury's on the brink of a serious drought, and already farmers are being forced to sell off stock. Audio

7:10 AM.More fire crews will arrive at Pines Beach near Kaiapoi this morning to dampen down hot spots, following yesterday's forest fire. Audio

7:00 AM.Investigators try to work out the cause of yesterday's Pines Beach fire. How long will the dairy boom continue? And an eighth drowning death since Christmas. Audio