First Up for Friday 22 March 2024

5:51 AM.One race, one race to rule them all. Fifteen hundred Lord of the Rings fans from 26 countries are converging on Matamata tomorrow to run in a unique sold-out race - the third annual Middle-earth… Read more Audio

5:46 AM.The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a measure to force TikTok to split from its owner ByteDance or face a national ban. Beijing's influence on the app has concerned US lawmakers… Read more Audio

5:26 AM.Glenn Forsyth, the Minister of Fruit and Vege joined us in the Auckland studio this morning. Fruit of the Week: Diana's Peacherines Jazz Apple & Rhubarb Crumble For the filling: 500g rhubarb stems cut… Read more Audio

5:17 AM.We shift our focus from the peaceful Pacific to the muddle in the Middle East, joining us from Doha is correspondent Alex Baird. Audio

5:12 AM.We head to our tropical backyard of the Pacific ocean - joining Nathan Rarere from the Kingdom of Tonga is Kalafi Moala. Audio

5:06 AM.We begin this Friday morning as we do most weeks in the USA - from New York we're joined by Bevan Hurley. Audio