First Up Podcast Options

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

5:45 AM.They say you eat with your eyes and one Kiwi in managed isolation has been doing just that. Barista Sam Low has been transforming the meals delivered to him in managed isolation. Ella Stewart spoke to… Read more Audio

5:36 AM.The summer of cricket is just about upon us with a T20 series against the West Indies starting later this month. Both the 20/20 team and the Test side were named yesterday. Joining Nathan Rarere for… Read more Audio

5:30 AM.One of New Zealand's largest flower markets has gone on-line. United Flower Growers has launched their virtual flower auctions in a bid to revive the local flower industry in the wake of the two… Read more Audio

5:09 AM.To the US now where, President-Elect Joe Biden says the longer President Trump waits to concede the election and begin the transfer of power - the more people will die of covid-19. The Biden team is… Read more Audio

5:06 AM.Some businesses in central Napier are still struggling to pick themselves up after last week's devastating floods. One business, Lift, on Emerson St, believes it was one of the worst affected. Lift is… Read more Audio

5:53 AM.Masks will be compulsory on all public transport in Auckland and on all domestic flights from 11.59 tomorrow night. Cabinet made the decision yesterday following a community infection scare in… Read more Audio

5:45 AM.Over 100 graduates from the New Zealand Management Academies Manukau have received their level 4 certificate in Early Childhood Education home-based teaching - all of whom are Pasifika. The graduation… Read more Audio

5:38 AM.Meanwhile, the Leonid meteor shower will be in full effect over the next few mornings, joining Nathan Rarere from the Dunedin observatory is astronomer Ian Griffin. Read more Audio

5:33 AM.Last year he launched a car into Space, and yesterday Elon Musk successfully sent 4 astronauts up to the International Space Station in his SpaceX Dragon Crew-1 capsule, just days after the the… Read more Audio

5:24 AM.Earlier this year, the Variegated Monstera came out of nowhere to be one of the most sought after and highly prized pot-plants ever listed on TradeMe. In January, one example reached 5-thousand… Read more Audio