First Up Podcast Options

5:58 AM.We're all up very early in the morning, and we wanted to find out who else is up with us at 5am and what are they doing? Last week producer Ellie Jay and cameraman Dan Cook went to Leigh, about an… Read more Video, Audio

5:52 AM.Cash-strapped Auckland Council is preparing to unveil its draft 10-year budget as the fiscal hole caused by Covid-19 threatens to exceed a billion dollars within a few years. The council lost much of… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.If Mad Max was a kid, he'd be lining up for one of TradeMe's auctions this week. Dubbed the "Doom Trike", it's a classic Kiwi plastic trike, pimped for the apocalypse. But first, TradeMe's Logan Mudge… Read more Audio

5:10 AM.Nathan Rarere speaks with our correspondent Henry Riley in London about a new 'covid winter plan' just announced by Boris Johnson and a mass testing regime is to be rolled out across the country. Audio

5:53 AM.The National Party did some serious soul searching at its AGM over the weekend, reflecting on its disastrous election result and considering how to give itself a fighting chance come 2023. Former… Read more Audio

5:42 AM.Pets are often the forgotten victims of Family Violence, and are targetted by abusive partners as a method of control and manipulation. They can also prevent victims from leaving harmful relationships… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Seven-and-a-half thousand teenagers left school without a qualification last year. The figure represents 12 percent of 2019's school leavers, that's one percentage point up from the previous year. In… Read more Audio

5:23 AM.To the fresh produce markets now, we're joined by our Minister of Fruit and Veges, Glenn Forsyth - highlighting King Sweetie capsicums and what's in season in the lead up to Christmas. Audio

5:05 AM.Let's begin in the United States where there's been more bad news for Donald Trump over the weekend - a judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed yet another law suit aimed at up-ending the election. The… Read more Audio

5:55 AM.As spring welcomes summer an unwelcome season tags along. It's hayfever season. And Kiwis could have a pollen bomb on their hands this summer as its set to be extra dry and hot. Louise Ternouth… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.A landmark Australian military inquiry has identified a culture of secrecy and deceit and evidence Australian special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan over 11 years. The 4 and a half year… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.This weekend, thousands of beer lovers from around the country will descend on Wellington for 'Beervana'. This annual festival has been running since 2002, when around 200 of the country's most… Read more Audio

5:32 AM.Ladbrooks School on the outskirts of Christchurch is one of dozens of schools nationwide that are paying private providers thousands of dollars to teach their teachers how to teach reading. Principal… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.A hot new shoe has seen people camped outside shops for more than two days. Dedicated Nike Air Jordan 1 lovers are hoping to get their mitts on the latest design - which goes on sale at 8 am. Our… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.Joining us now from the Friday produce markets is our Minister of Fruit and Vege, Glenn Forsyth - he told Ellie Jay about the end of the kiwifruit season, kamo kamo and mandarins. Audio

5:10 AM.There's a new Sam Neill film out in cinemas, Rams, about a couple of competing sheep breeders. Country Life producer Carol Stiles was intrigued when she heard vets were asking farmers to book in for… Read more Audio

5:49 AM.Wairoa Mayor Craig Little speaks to Ellie Jay about Kiwirail reopening line to Napier taking hundreds of logging trucks off the roads. Audio

5:49 AM.This weekend the Wairoa to Napier rail line will re-open. The line - which sat mothballed for eight years, was opened earlier this year for just a week before being closed because of covid-19's… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Today marks ten years since the Pike River mine tragedy. On the 19th of November in 2010, 29 men were killed in a West Coast coal mine in a methane explosion - their bodies have never been recovered… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.Masks are now compulsory on all public transport throughout the Auckland region and on all domestic flights throughout the country. The changes came into effect from midnight. Taxi and uber drivers… Read more Audio

5:33 AM.Retailers and importers are grappling with lengthy wait times to bring products into the country - with no signs of relief before Christmas. A backlog of ships waiting to get into the Ports of… Read more Audio

5:22 AM.Sam Dakin was just six when he first pencilled down his dream of becoming an Olympian. Yesterday that dream became a reality when the 24-year-old Auckland was selected in the New Zealand track cycling… Read more Audio

5:07 AM.Countries across Europe are in lockdown again as coronavirus cases surge. Most countries are declaring more cases each day now, than they were earlier in the year. Our correspondent Catherine… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.The annual Women of Influence Awards were held in Auckland last night. The awards celebrate the stories of women who are making a difference to the lives of New Zealanders, and focus on the work Kiwi… Read more Audio

5:48 AM.Demand for second hand goods has skyrocketed, as 73 percent of Kiwis have bought something second hand in the last six months. Trade Me surveyed Kiwis on their motivations in buying, selling and… Read more Audio