First Up for Thursday 11 February 2021

9:40 AM.Turning to Europe now which is battling not only outbreaks of new COVID strains but some of the chilliest temperatures in a decade. Catherine Walbridge speaks with Nathan Rarere from Vienna, Austria.

5:52 AM.A bit of a palaver in parliament this week with Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi being booted out of the house by speaker Trevor Mallard for refusing to wear a tie - but who exactly is the man… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.Some property owners in the small West Coast town of Reefton are in for whopping rates increases of more than 200 per cent if the Buller District Council adopts a proposed new rating formula. LDR is… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.Zoom call too boring? Want to see if everyone is really listening? For a mere $10 you can have a goat from Cronkshaw Fold Farm 'butt' into your Zoom call and thousands of people around the world are… Read more Video, Audio

5:35 AM.Auckland teenager Fran Jonas was doing typically teenage things when she got a rather untypical phone call this week. The 16-year-old spin bowler was yesterday named for the first time in the New… Read more Audio

5:26 AM.It's time for us to catch up with one of the ace reporters from the Local Democracy Reporting programme, the free public-interest news service dedicated to strengthening coverage of parts of New… Read more Audio

5:16 AM.For many New Zealanders, the idea of one day owning a home is little more than a dream. But in growing numbers, they're joining a global movement aimed at getting people on the property ladder despite… Read more Audio