First Up Podcast Options

5:37 AM.For those of us of a certain vintage, watching Marty McFly zooming around on a hover board in the movie Back to the Future II was just about the coolest thing you could think of. And if you're able to… Read more Audio

5:11 AM.There was good news for the arts and culture sectors last week with the government announcing 121-million dollars in funding to help practitioners through the latest phase of the pandemic. With… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made a number of appointments to high-profile roles at Downing Street in a bid to rebuild his inner-circle after a slew of resignations last week. For more on that… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.Taran Singh and his wife Irvin Kaur have been trying to get home to New Zealand before Irvin gives birth in mid April. Nathan Rarere spoke with Taran just before the programme and asked him about… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.Meanwhile one of the most vocal critics of the government's MIQ system has been businessman Sir Ian Taylor. We caught up as he travelled to the United States last year to demonstrate how testing and… Read more Audio

5:44 AM.Thousands of Kiwis overseas will be able to return to New Zealand without MIQ from the end of the month. The news has garnered mixed reactions from people online, with some saying it's too little too… Read more Audio

5:31 AM.Beijing is set to become the first city to hold both a summer and winter Olympics, with the 2022 Winter Games kicking off today.. Nathan Rarere spoke with Sky Sport's Jeff McTainsh, who arrived in the… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.We're at tail of the berry season now - to talk berries is our Minister of Fruit and Veggies, Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:10 AM.We head to Washington DC now, where Nathan Rarere is joined by Simon Marks. Audio

5:06 AM.Breaking news out of the Middle East overnight with the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qureshi We start with a double hit in the USA - first let's head to New York to our correspondent… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.And as you'll have heard in Ella's report before the Prime Minister is due to announce changes to the country's border settings today. Nathan Rarere was able to discuss this with the Deputy Prime… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.Thousands of Kiwis stuck overseas are hoping for good news today when the Prime Minister announces changes to New Zealand's border rules. The Managed Isolation and Quarantine system has been making… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.It's official. American football star Tom Brady, who made history securing 7 superbowl championships in 22 seasons is officially retiring. The 44 year old brought the curtain down in a lengthy… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.It's that time of the week where we have a look around the country and hear the stories of our Local Democracy reporters. Joining Nathan Rarere this morning is Adam Burns in Ashburton. Audio

5:16 AM.As you've just heard, Vladimir Putin is accusing the west - specifically the US - of trying to draw his country into a war in Ukraine.. For more on that, Nathan Rarere was joined by Anita Purcell… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.We begin this morning in the UK where Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hanging in there, in the wake of the Sue Gray report. Our correspondent in London is Henry Riley and he spoke with Nathan Rarere.

5:48 AM.After a stoush which has made headlines around the world, pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis has been granted an emergency MIQ spot so can come home from Afghanistan. But of course there are more… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.There's a new player in the world of combat sports. Watch out boxing, get out of the way MMA, professional pillow fighting is here and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. This past weekend in… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.When we find out about news from around the universe - we love to speak to James Parr of the Open Space Agency and when we spoke before the show Nathan Rarere asked James about the amazing picture of… Read more Audio

5:25 AM.Just off the coast of Fiordland are a number of predator free islands that are home to some of New Zealand's rarest residents, the kakapo. There are currently around only 200 of the flightless parrots… Read more Audio

5:16 AM.Staying overseas and Qatar is in talks to supply gas to Europe - let's find out more with out Middle East correspondent in Qatar, Alex Baird. Audio

5:06 AM.We head West, joining First Up from balmy Brisbane is our correspondent Pam Corkery. Audio

5:50 AM.Many of us will remember bringing home the pencil case or jewellery box we made in the school wood work class. Imagine instead being able to say you built a house? Well that's exactly what's happening… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.It's the first of February, which marks the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations..which RNZ's World Watch producer and presenter Perlina Lau and her family will be celebrating. We've woken her… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Pregnant New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis has been making headlines this week after she was denied a spot in MIQ despite having to rely on the word of the Taliban for her safety. That's one of… Read more Audio