First Up Podcast Options

5:27 AM.Joining Nathan Rarere from the fresh produce market is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies, Glenn Forsyth. Fruit of the Week: Pears! Audio

5:17 AM.It's day 22 of the war in Ukraine with Russia's onslaught continuing overnight. We wanted to find out what it's like for ordinary Ukrainians who've found themselves at the centre of the conflict, so… Read more Audio

5:12 AM.To Africa we head - where an audit has found the national oil company has misplaced 100 million barrels of oil. Nabil Ahmed spoke to Nathan Rarere from Accra. Audio

5:06 AM.Just over 24 hours ago, Ukraine's President Zelensky addressed the US Congress - making a plea for more help from the Americans. Joining Nathan Rarere to tell us if those pleas have been heard is our… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.Back in November of last year a couple of First Up staff went to check out a very interesting piece of technology that tells you how protected you are against Covid-19. Sure enough, the device… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Our Aussie correspondent Pam Corkey told us about the horrific issues with the rising prices for coffee - perhaps going up to 7-dollars for a latte. We asked for feedback yestrday and as you heard… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Every week we like to take a trip around the nation to find out what's happening in our beautiful regions, and our LDR correspondent this week is Moana Ellis from Whanganui's Awa FM. Nathan Rarere… Read more Audio

5:14 AM.In Europe, a delegation of three EU Prime Ministers have made a high-level visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The PMs of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia took a train on Tuesday evening… Read more Audio

5:10 AM.To the UK now where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his delight at the news that British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori are on their way to the UK after… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.We begin today in the USA, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed Congress on a video link from Kyiv - once again appealing for more direct help from the US government. Just prior… Read more Audio

5:51 AM.Parents and wider family members will be able to join Ukrainians in New Zealand under a new policy covering about 4000 people. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said yesterday the policy will enable an… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.Later today The government is expected to announce that they are bringing forward the date at which the country's borders reopen to international visitors. Our tourism operators are, as you'd expect… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.This week on TradeMe another spectacular thing you can live in, AND an exciting thing you can bid on But first producer Jeremy Parkinson talks with TradeMe's Ruby Topzand about a fundraiser called To… Read more Audio

5:13 AM.From Germany, Nathan Rarere spoke with our roving reporter Alex Baird. Audio

5:52 AM.To the war in Ukraine now - where peace talks have resumed, with Ukrainian negotiators hoping for a ceasefire - but with no indication so far that the Russians are prepared to compromise on their… Read more Audio

5:43 AM.And we return to our lead story now that the cost of fuel was reduced by 25 cents a litre overnight as the government acts to counter soaring petrol prices arising from Russia's invasion of Ukraine… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Fuel taxes will be slashed by 25 cents a litre for the next three months - and public transport fares halved - as the government acts to counter soaring petrol prices. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.New Zealand is leading the world by supplying female soldiers with menstrual cups and reusable pads. The idea was first proposed by Private Thomson - a soldier based at Linton Military Camp. Read more Audio

5:10 AM.Two weeks on from devastating floods in Australia many residents are still waiting to see if they have houses to go back to. The ABC's Gavin Coote is in Mullumbimby in the Northern Rivers region of… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.Twenty-two people with Covid-19 have died in New Zealand in the past three days - that's nearly a 5th of the country's total death toll since the virus arrived here more than two years ago. We've… Read more Audio

5:47 AM.Our First Up studio is situated on Hobson St in central Auckland so our staff spend a fair amount of time travelling through the central city to and from work. And even though we're not in a lockdown… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.We first talked with Harvard University student Avi Schiffman around the beginning of the pandemic, when he developed one of the world's most popular covid-19 information hubs. Now - with Russia's war… Read more Audio