First Up Podcast Options

5:46 AM.A gregarious chicken has been appointed carpark monitor at a Waikato pre-school. Henry, as the female chook was dubbed by the children, has just been bestowed with her very own hi-viz jacket to make… Read more Video, Audio

5:44 AM.It is nearing the end of the school holidays, still a few days left and we're all being encouraged to explore our own backyard and get out and about, but what is that looking like around the country… Read more Audio

5:31 AM.One of New Zealand's leading voices through the Covid-19 pandemic, Michael Baker, believes the British public have had enough of "inept pandemic management". The University of Otago epidemiologist has… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.The billionaire space race between Branson and Bezos heated up this morning when Jeff Bezos took his Origin Blue craft to a higher altitude on the edge of space than Richard Branson's Unity 22 went 9… Read more Audio

5:12 AM.It's that time of the week where we have a look at one of New Zealand's small businesses. Trained jeweller Helen Nuttall showcases organic textures in her business is called Helen Elizabeth Jewellery… Read more Audio

5:07 AM.South Australia is on the trans-Tasman travel red list after the state recorded five cases of Covid-19 yesterday. The state is now in lockdown, joining New South Wales which had 78 cases yesterday and… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.Sixty-five homes in Westport have been red stickered after the weekend's devastating floods, meaning residents can't return home. Just over 300 have been yellow stickered and about 1800 have no or… Read more Audio

5:44 AM.The National Party's deputy leader Shane Reti says the Government should release its advice on opening the country's borders. The Government is understood to have received a report from an independent… Read more Audio

5:35 AM.To Afghanistan now where the Taliban is on the march as the official withdrawal of US forces nears its end. Charlotte Bellis is a New Zealand journalist working for al Jazeera and she is in… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.After being postponed for a year, the still-named '2020 Tokyo Olympics will officially open this Saturday. The action starts 2 days early for both the Football ferns who play Australia, and the men's… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.This week on TradeMe a piece of original Star Wars memorabilia, from a time when Star Wars merch was few and far between in New Zealand - and the ultimate in male mid-life crisis cars. But first… Read more Audio

5:14 AM.The Covid-19 vaccination campaign is working its way up one of the most remote reaches of the North Island. The settlements of the Whanganui River Valley are isolated, and mostly inhabited by kuia and… Read more Audio

5:11 AM.Having won New Zealand's first ever canoe slalom medal at the Rio Olympics, Luuka Jones is hoping to go one better in Tokyo. Her silver medal in 2016 was a surprise, as she only qualified seventh for… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.From the West Coast is the Mayor of Buller, Jamie Cleine. Audio

5:48 AM.Many houses in the upper South Island remain underwater this morning after devastating flooding which led to hundreds of people fleeing their homes. The Buller, Marlborough and Tasman districts bore… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.The Cloud on Auckland's Waterfront will be the place to be for fans friends and family of New Zealand's Olympic athletes to watch our team in black. Tens of thousands of people are expected to head to… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.Joining Nathan Rarere now from the fresh produce markets is our Minister of Fruit and Vegetables Glenn Forsyth. Audio

5:16 AM.38-year-old Nick Willis is counting down to his fifth and final Olympic Games after making the cut for the 1500 meters when two higher-ranked competitors opted to compete in different distances Willis… Read more Audio

5:11 AM.Covid-19 cases continue to surge across Sydney, with the state reporting 109 more cases in the last 24 hours. Many patients have been admitted to hospital where some have been transferred to ICU… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.We begin this morning in the United Kingdom where England is poised to loosen all of its Covid-19 restrictions despite the UK recording the highest number of new infections in the world over the past… Read more Audio

5:52 AM.A baby orca has been centre of media attention this week after being found stranded and separated from its pod on Sunday afternoon. Animal rescue teams have been caring for the Orca named Toa for the… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.Is your cat's diet more exotic than your own? After looking through decades worth of data, RNZ In-Depth journalist Farah Hancock has found that we're importing cat food from far flung places. And… Read more Audio

5:43 AM.Quarantine-free travel between Victoria and New Zealand is on hold for at least four days as the State is plunged into lockdown after 18 new Covid cases were recorded there yesterday. The travel pause… Read more Audio