First Up Podcast Options

5:25 AM.Time now to check in with the neighbourhood of Rotorua... local democracy reporter Laura Smith joins us. Audio

5:16 AM.To Europe now, Dr Anita Purcell-Sjölund joins us from Sweden. Audio

5:06 AM.Let's kick Thursday off in the UK, joining Nathan Rarere from London is Henry Riley. Audio

5:53 AM.It's long been described as "the race that stops a nation", but is the Melbourne Cup as popular as it once was? Whilst it's been criticised for exploiting horses and their jockeys, it's also the TAB's… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.If you're a horror movie fan then Auckland's Silo Theatre has got the show for you with a twist. George Romero's 1968 cult classic Night of the Living Dead will be performed live with actors providing… Read more Audio

5:39 AM.Faith Vui dreams of becoming the first Samoan to play on the LPGA Tour and the 18-year-old took a step towards that by writing her name into New Zealand golfing history on the weekend. Vui became the… Read more Audio

5:26 AM.This week on TradeMe - a classic Ford Mustang, stripes and all .. and a palatial Waiheke property complete with infinity pool. But we can't forget it's Movember and you have a chance to name… Read more Audio

5:18 AM.To Africa now - our correspondent in Ghana is Nabil Ahmed Rufai. Audio

5:13 AM.To the Middle East now where Israel's war against Hamas is intensifying. Joining First Up from Doha is our correspondent Alex Baird. Audio

5:06 AM.As we do every Wednesday, our first stop is Australia, joining the programme from Brisbane is Pam Corkery. Audio

5:49 AM.It's Melbourne Cup Day, and to finish the show we've got a special treat for you. Titus O'Reily is the co-host of Sports Bizzare podcast, who made a must listen episode about the outrageous history… Read more Audio

5:43 AM.To politics now, and everyone's waiting for that puff of white smoke that signals a new coalition government of New Zealand. But in our regular catch up, National's deputy leader Nicola Willis told… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.We're about to meet an Invercargill woman who's mission is to become the first blind wahine toa to cycle the length of Aotearoa. Hannah Pascoe will also be fundraising for future blind athletes… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.To find out what's been happening in the neighbourhood of Ashburton I spoke with local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask from the Ashburton Guardian. He told Nathan Rarere about the illegal dumping… Read more Audio

5:16 AM.To Japan now, where foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations are starting two days of talks in Tokyo. And as our correspondent Chris Gilbert tells Nathan Rarere - top of the agenda is conflict… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.We begin this morning in the UK - our correspondent Henry Riley is on the job and joins us from London. Audio

5:52 AM.To politics now - and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters plans to meet face to face with ACT leader David Seymour as their two parties hold coalition talks with the National Party. On Friday the… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.It's been nearly 20 years since the Boxing Day tsunami, which left nearly 230 thousand people dead around the edges of the Indian Ocean. And who can forget the quake and tsunami in Japan which caused… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.Former New Zealand jockey Michael Walker says the Melbourne Cup was a great race to be involved in but not one that he ever got nervous about. Walker retired from racing earlier this year after… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.Joining Nathan Rarere from the Nation's fresh produce markets is the Minister of Fruit and Vegetables Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:14 AM.To Europe now, correspondent Anita Purcell-Sjölund is in Sweden. Audio

5:09 AM.Newshub's North America correspondent Mitch McCann is in New York and joins us now. Audio

5:52 AM.So who could win another seat? Will National and ACT lose their combined majority? What kind of coalition will emerge? The man with perhaps the best insights into this kind of situation is former MP… Read more Audio

5:50 AM.Well today's the day... the moment of truth at 2 o'clock this afternoon. The Electoral Commission will release the final election results, with all the special votes counted. We asked people which way… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.A Coromandel man, whose wife needed urgent treatment for a back injury on Monday night, says Waikato Hospital was so overwhelmed, patients were waiting up to ten hours for treatment in the emergency… Read more Audio