First Up for Thursday 9 September 2021

5:49 AM.Nathan Rarere asked Minister of Sport and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson why it's so hard for some athletes to book an MIQ spot and come home. Audio

5:44 AM.With so many rooms in managed isolation facilities currently being occupied by people with Covid-19 or their close contacts, the government has stopped taking new bookings ... and it's unclear when… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.If you were watching the daily 1pm press conference yesterday, you might have noticed Covid 19 response minister Chris Hipkins sporting a new accessory.. As he took a sip of water, he looked chuffed… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.Animal groomers who've just moved to Alert Level 2 are preparing for a busy few days as the furrier members of the family head in for a wee spruce up. Nathan Rarere spoke with Jim Westwood the owner… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.It's that time of the week where we taking a look around the country through the lense of our Local Democracy reporters. Nathan Rarere spoke this week with Auckland based Justin Latif. Audio

5:17 AM.Over the past few weeks, we've been asking our listeners how they've been handling lockdown - but we sometimes forget not all of you are in Aotearoa. Radne Ardern is one of those listening many miles… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.Covid has once again put a dampener on Tongan Language Week celeberations, with most of our Tongan population in locked down-Tamaki Makaurau. However in quintessential Mate Ma'a Tonga fashion, the… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.Nathan Rarere spoke from Sweden with our Europe correspondent Dr Anita Purcell-Sjölund. Audio