First Up for Wednesday 19 February 2020

5:10 AM.Those trying to make a living from selling wild rabbits to restaurants and for pet food say they are being driven out of business by high compliance costs. Shooters and processors spoken to by RNZ say… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.Freedom is close for those on the Diamond Princess cruiseship - but the number of cases of Covid-19 among passengers and crew continues to climb. 544 people from the ship have now been diagnosed with… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.Black Caps pace bowler Trent Boult concedes his latest injury lay off has been one of the more frustrating of his career and is raring to return to the international scene after almost two months off… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.A Southland pub will be transformed into a charity hospital fulfilling the dream of patient advocate Blair Vining, who died last year from bowel cancer after being told to wait eight weeks for an… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.A distrust in the justice system is continuing to prevent victims of family harm reporting it to police, support services say. A new survey by the Minstry of Justice found almost 80,000 adults were… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.Kaikohe residents say things are getting dire in the Northland town, as level four water restrictions remain in place. Some have resorted to bathing in rivers, while others have been waiting days to… Read more Audio