First Up Podcast Options

5:28 AM.From the money markets to the war being waged by Russia against Ukraine. The Ukrainian defence Minister has met with Russian counterparts for talks and has asked for a ceasefire. For the latest Nathan… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.It's time to cast our eyes around the country and lock into our network of Local Democracy Reporters. This week Nathan Rarere asked Emily Ireland of the Wairarapa Times Age about why the Chief… Read more Audio

5:16 AM.As war burns brightly in Ukraine, people in New Zealand are glued to the international news too, desperately worried for loved ones Nina Brilstra is anxiously awaiting news from her family in North… Read more Audio

5:11 AM.We're off to the UK, where Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been blamed by Russia for President Putin's move to put the country's nuclear forces on "special alert". For more on this Nathan Rarere was… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.First Up in Japan, the government has joined the United States and European Union in blocking access by some Russian banks to the international SWIFT payment system; used by banks around the world to… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.Back to the conflict in Ukraine - and Russian President Vladimir Putin has put the country's nuclear deterrent on "special alert" - to find out more about what that means for both the people of… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.From midnight New Zealand Citizens and Residents can travel from Australia without having to go into MiQ on arrival, Travellers will still have to isolate for 7 days and will be given RAT tests to… Read more Audio

5:37 AM.With thousands of new cases of Covid-19 emerging in the community everyday, there are concerns about what the surge is going to do to our already-stretched healthcare system. This was laid bare by… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.It's time to cast our eyes across the fresh produce section with our Minister of Fruit and Veges Mr Glenn Forsyth. Read more Audio

5:10 AM.To Tonga now where a blanket of ash continues to cause major problems for farmers more than six weeks after the volcanic eruption and tsunami. We're joined once again by Simana Kami from the Oholei… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.An energy sector lobby group says applying the 'Crown Minerals (Amendment) Act' retrospectively to deals done years ago is 'bad public policy'. The Act passed in December is casting a shadow over… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.The move to Phase 3 could be a lifesaver for hospitality venues closed across the country due to isolating staff. Good Spirits Hospitality own venues across Auckland's city centre including Danny… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.Back to the conflict in Ukraine now, joining the programme from Moscow is our correspondent Stuart Smith. Audio

5:31 AM.As of this morning we're at phase three of the red Covid traffic light setting, which requires far greater self-management for covid positive cases and their contacts. If you find yourself testing… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.It's a fruity Friday as Nathan Rarere is joined from the markets by our Minister of Fruit and Veggies, Glenn Forsyth - Fruit of the Week PLUMS! Audio

5:14 AM.The tenticles of the Ukraine-Russia conflict are reaching far and wide, with a number of Ghanaian students based in Ukraine calling for evacuation from the country as tension escalate.. Joining Nathan… Read more Audio

5:10 AM.To the US we head with Ukraine in mind and Nathan Rarere spokew ith our correspondent in New York City, Bevan Hurley. Audio

5:49 AM.The Government has brought in new payments to help businesses affected by covid. As cases climb many hospitality businesses are having to close as staff isolate. Nathan Rarere asked the Deputy Prime… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.The Reserve Bank has raised its official cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 1 percent. The central bank says the increase is needed to combat strong inflation pressures. Infometrics Chief… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.Rapid Antigen tests will now be used as the primary test around Auckland to help meet demand as the Omicron outbreak grows. The move, which is part of the government's planned testing strategy, has… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.It's Thursday and time to talk to our Local Democracy Reporter and today joining Nathan Rarere from South Auckland is Justin Latif. Audio

5:09 AM.Since we last talked to the UK on Tuesday, Russia has "soft-launched" it's invasion of Ukraine - joining Nathan Rarere from London is our correspondent Henry Riley. Audio

5:54 AM.And we head to Wellington now where the protest outside of Parliament is heading into its 16th day. We join our reporter on the ground Nick Truebridge. The Mayor of Wellington Andy Foster also joins… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.For more on the Ukraine crisis, Nathan Rarere spoke with Simon Marks in Washington.. Audio