Summer Report for Monday 4 January 2016

8:55 AM.It is a Friday night in New Brighton in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, and a crowd is starting to gather at a small cafe on a side street at the shopping area. Audio

8:46 AM.Now we continue our series where we try to get a better understanding of some of the big international conflicts. I talked to Professor Robert Patman, head of international relations at Otago… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.At the Wairarapa Eco Farm weeds are welcome and so are visitors who want to come and see how the farm works. The organic farm, which is run using the community supported agriculture model, allows… Read more Audio

8:33 AM.Customs says Auckland Airport's on-site scientists are cutting the time it takes to test suspected drugs that have been confiscated from weeks to days, and are helping speed up prosecutions and police… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:21 AM.The property tycoon Donald Trump has today defended his call for a ban on Muslims entering the US after it was used in a propaganda video by the Somali militant group al-Shabab. Audio

8:18 AM.Origin Energy intends to vigorously defend itself in court, against allegations it's covering up gas field leaks and spills. Audio

8:14 AM.Saudi Arabia conducted more than 150 executions last year. Audio

8:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:55 AM.The film reviewer for the Sunday Star Times, Sarah Watt, is here to talk summer movies. Audio

7:47 AM.New Zealand's infant formula industry has been heavily in the public eye because of major security scares like Fonterra's 2013 botulism false alarm and last year's 1080-poisoning threat. Audio

7:43 AM.Many of the big names in women's tennis are in Auckland this week for the ASB Classic. Audio

7:38 AM.The housing stock in Wellington and Dunedin is in for a shake-up with confirmation a rental warrant of fitness scheme will go ahead this year. Audio

7:25 AM.Some New Zealand tobacco researchers are calling for the Government to allow e-cigarettes containing small amounts of nicotine, to be sold here in the same way the nicotine patches are. Audio

7:21 AM.Rural firefighters from New Zealand this morning begin helping their Australian counterparts fight the devastating Victorian bushfires. Audio

7:18 AM.Taranaki Energy Watch is calling for closer monitoring of oil and gas fields, after allegations that Australian company Origin Energy is covering up leaks and spills at its wells here and across the… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.And the New Zealand Shia Muslim community is in shock following news of the prominent cleric, Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr execution by Saudi authorities. Audio

7:10 AM.Iran is warning Saudi Arabia it will face "divine revenge" for its execution of a prominent Shia cleric. Audio

7:00 AM.Outrage in the Middle east as a prominent Shi'ia cleric is executed. Allegations that gas leaks in Taranaki are being covered up and should e-cigarettes be legal. Audio