Summer Report for Thursday 14 January 2016

8:51 AM.Each summer students from around the world leave behind regular lives and head to a school beneath Nelson's rugged eastern ranges. Audio

8:44 AM.Common garden weeds are taking over good pasture land and causing huge damage to the local eco-systems, says the Department of Conservation, which has released a list of 12 of the worst offenders that… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Dozens of volcanic river boulders weighing hundreds of kilos each are being transformed into works of fine art in New Plymouth this month. Audio

8:37 AM.Businesses selling goods on Trade Me say the site's new fees are going to eat into their bottom line. Audio

8:29 AM.With our business editor, Gyles Beckford Audio

8:25 AM.As the mercury tipped past 40 degrees celsius in bushfire ravaged Victoria yesterday, firefighters were forced to down tools. Audio

8:21 AM.Stop-smoking groups are warning the Government will not reach its goal of a smoke free New Zealand by 2025 unless it introduces a long-term plan. Audio

8:18 AM.Emergency departments all around the country see first hand the damage alcohol does and Hawke's Bay Hospital emergency doctor Scott Boyes is one of them. Audio

8:16 AM.Auckland University researchers are hitting back at a study which downplays alcohol's link to violence. Audio

8:11 AM.A scrub fire on Mt Maunganui is under control after a busy night for fire fighters. Audio

8:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:57 AM.Green Ideas Magazine editor, Greg Roughan, says children raised outdoors are cleverer, kinder, and more resourceful. Audio

7:52 AM.Priceless artefacts and art-works from museums and galleries around New Zealand have made their way home to Waitangi. Audio

7:48 AM.In an increasingly cashless society, with online and give-a-little appeals seemingly everywhere you turn, mainstream charities are having to think outside the square to get a slice of the charity… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A trustee of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust wants complete transparency over the planned sale of Shelly Bay in Wellington. Audio

7:42 AM.Talks to keep the Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League are positive says the football club, but it's not yet finalised a deal to get a ten-year licence extension. Audio

7:38 AM.With our business editor, Gyles Beckford Audio

7:26 AM.A top international football boss has been sacked amid corruption allegations. Audio

7:22 AM.The benefits to New Zealand from the Trans Pacific Partnership look set to outweigh those to countries like Australia and the United States Audio

7:19 AM.Māori are demanding assurances that customary fishing rights will not be extinguished by plans to create marine protected areas. Audio

7:14 AM.Iran has released 10 US sailors held for entering its territorial waters, in an incident that tested relations between the countries. Audio

7:08 AM.Firefighters have been working through the night battling a scrub fire on Mount Maunganui. Audio

7:00 AM.Firefighters battle a blaze on Mount Maunganui. Iran releases American sailors caught in its waters and FIFA sacks its secretary general over accusations he tried to profit from the sale of World Cup… Read more Audio