First Up Podcast Options

5:49 AM.Entire Northland towns remain entirely cut off due to the rain that's been pelting down for the past 48 hours or so. Schools were closed yesterday to allow children to get home before being blocked by… Read more Audio

5:46 AM.The Environment Minister David Parker has opened the Ohakea Rural Water Scheme, ending years of uncertainty for local residents. In 2017, households near the Manawatu town of Sanson were told their… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.The government has allocated almost 15 million dollars towards upgrading the country's last four remaining Maori boarding schools. The Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson announced the final… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.Up early as always - because that's when the produce is freshest - is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:16 AM.To Africa now where Kenya finally has a result in their presidential election - for more on that - and the other stories making headlines,Nick Truebridge was joined from Ghana by our correspondent… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.We begin this morning in the USA - where more than a year and a half after losing the 2020 election, former president Trump and his minions are still leading the news. Joining Nick Truebridge from New… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Well it's been a tough week in politics for the governing Labour Party with Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma suspended for publicly accusing colleagues bullying ... something that's been stringently… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.Nelson is in a state of emergency and a welfare centre has been set up for people needing to leave their homes. The Matai River breached its banks on Wednesday afternoon and around 70 properties were… Read more Audio

5:29 AM.The Chatham Islands have a population of just under 8 hundred. But, this week there may be a few more people roaming around. That's because researchers and science professionals from more than a dozen… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.Kiwibank customers will be able to track how much what they buy is contributing to the climate crisis. The bank has partnered with carbon management organisation Cogo to help people reduce their… Read more Audio

5:15 AM.To Europe - Nick Truebridge was joined from Sweden by our correspondent Anita Purcell Sjölund. Audio

5:53 AM.Some Rotorua locals say it's only a matter of time before businesses take the law into their own hands to combat a spate of ram raids and other crimes. Frustrated residents and shop owners met with… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.NIWA is warning parts of the country will experience well over month's worth of rain thanks to an "atmospheric river". Meanwhile, MetService has issued a red warning for the South Island's west coast… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.A new partnership has been formed to adequately fund and grow Maori sport. Sport NZ and the National Maori Sport Authority will work together to try to increase capability and resources. But as Liam… Read more Audio

5:28 AM.Few of us need a fourteen car garage - but for those who do, and have a spare six mill or so, 38 Porterfield Road, Whitford might be your next address. And to fill that garage you'll need cars and a… Read more Audio

5:19 AM.To news from the Middle East - Nick Truebridge spoke with our correspondent Alex Baird. Audio

5:13 AM.To the US where in the State of Georgia, where investigators have their sights on one of former President Donald Trump's closest advisors as part of their probe into his efforts to overturn the 2020… Read more Audio

5:05 AM.There are widespread calls for former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to resign from Parliament after revelations he appointed himself to 5 ministries during his last two years in office… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.Politics now and the Labour caucus is due to meet this week to deal with the allegations of bullying levelled by Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma against his own party. As Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern… Read more Audio

5:44 AM.The University of Auckland say their latest trial is likely to have a direct impact on future treatment of tinnitus. The results were positive, with the majority of trialists in citing improvements in… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.The upper South Island is on high alert this morning with some areas forecast to receive more than 500mm of rain over the next couple of days. There's an orange rain warning in force for Buller… Read more Audio

5:27 AM.We head to Taranaki now and Nick Truebridge spoke with Local Democracy Reporting Programme journalist Craig Ashworth who's been looking at how the fight is shaping up for the new Maori seats at… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.A new documentary series about young queer New Zealanders with disabilities will start streaming today on AttitudeLive.com and via Tahi. Justin Scott is one of the producers of the series called… Read more Audio