First Up for Thursday 24 February 2022

5:49 AM.The Government has brought in new payments to help businesses affected by covid. As cases climb many hospitality businesses are having to close as staff isolate. Nathan Rarere asked the Deputy Prime… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.The Reserve Bank has raised its official cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 1 percent. The central bank says the increase is needed to combat strong inflation pressures. Infometrics Chief… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.Rapid Antigen tests will now be used as the primary test around Auckland to help meet demand as the Omicron outbreak grows. The move, which is part of the government's planned testing strategy, has… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.It's Thursday and time to talk to our Local Democracy Reporter and today joining Nathan Rarere from South Auckland is Justin Latif. Audio

5:09 AM.Since we last talked to the UK on Tuesday, Russia has "soft-launched" it's invasion of Ukraine - joining Nathan Rarere from London is our correspondent Henry Riley. Audio