First Up Podcast Options

5:35 AM.Extreme weather is sweeping through parts of the South Island bringing with it heavy rain and severe gales of up to 150 km per hour. There are severe weather warnings in place for several regions… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.A few weeks back we heard from Moana Ellis from the Local Democracy Reporting Programme about a Maori baker whose rewena bread has been recognised as culturally significant by The United Nations… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.Just like we are experiencing in New Zealand, Covid is running rampant through the population of Japan. In fact they've just recorded their highest number of daily cases since the start of the… Read more Audio

5:08 AM.For more on the heatwave, Nathan Rarere spoke with our correspondent in London, Ellie Jay. Audio

5:54 AM.Industry experts suggest Auckland is on track for another building material shortage due to a shortage of quarries in the region. Currently, one in six truckloads of quarried materials that come into… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.The Ministry of Health says the highly-transmissible BA.5 subvariant of Omicron will become the dominant strain of the virus in New Zealand in a matter of weeks. Yesterday there were nearly… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.A large cleanup operation is underway on several Pacific Islands after huge ocean swells caused widespread flooding, damaging homes and hotels over the weekend. A state of emergency was declared in… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.To the fresh produce markets we head - in Rotorua this morning is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:14 AM.Sri Lanka's parliament will gather to vote for a new president this week after Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation. The vote comes less than a week after the resignation, in the wake of a tumultuous few… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.U.S President Joe Biden has just wrapped up a tour of Israel, the occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia - his first ever visit to the region in his capacity as President. Joining Nick Truebridge from… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.Masks and rapid antigen tests will be free to the public, and Covid patients will have greater access to antiviral Covid treatments in the latest move to slow the soaring rise in case numbers… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.A new study shows Maori and Pasifika patients could be missing out on critical heart treatment because of diagnosis methods that are not fit for purpose. The University of Otago paper says the normal… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.To the weekend fresh produce markets now - joining Nathan Rarere from Taupo Nui A-Tia is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies Glenn Forsyth. Fruit of the Week: NZ Grapefruit Audio

5:13 AM.Marijuana, snake venom and a plan to export hyena testicles ... nope, not a music video but part of the election campaign in Kenya, for that and other news from Africa is Nabil Ahmed. Audio

5:07 AM.To the United States now - where the January 6 hearings continue as President Biden makes a controversial visit to the Middle East. Joining Nathan Rarere from New York City is Bevan Hurley. Audio

5:48 AM.The government is expanding police powers in a bid to crack down on gang violence. Under the new legislation officers will be able to search and seize gang properties, cars and motorbikes. Previously… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.Two Chinese officials were kicked out of a Pacific Islands Forum meeting yesterday, where US vice president Kamala Harris was being beamed in to address regional leaders . Today is the final day of… Read more Audio

5:12 AM.Europe continues to swelter under a heatwave - joining Nathan Rarere from a toastie Sweden is our correspondent Anita Purcell Sjölund. Audio

5:05 AM.We begin this morning in the UK, where the first round of voting in the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party is underway - joining Nathan Rarere from London is our correspondent Henry… Read more Audio

6:59 AM.The Reserve Bank looks set to increase the official cash rate for the third time in a row later today as the Reserve Bank tries to reign in inflation. Joining Nathan Rarere is Infometrics economist… Read more Audio

6:30 AM.US Vice President Kamala Harris is to address the Pacific Islands Forum later today to, as the White House puts it, "underscore the commitment of the United States to the Pacific Islands region". It… Read more Audio

6:29 AM.More than 35-thousand people will pack into Wellington's Cake Tin to watch the decider between the All Blacks and a rampant Ireland on Saturday. But, like workplaces across the country, Covid and… Read more Audio

6:27 AM.Senior citizens fear complacency around mask use is putting their lives at risk. This comes as the country battles a second wave and varient of Omicron as well as enslaught of other winter illnesses… Read more Audio