Midday Report for Friday 2 August 2019

12:35 PM.The woman charged with training agricultural workers says would-be farm students should enrol for their courses as usual, despite yesterday's radical overhaul of vocational training. Audio

12:26 PM.The Australia batsman Steve Smith says he "felt shivers down his spine" after his 24th test ton helped Australia recover from 122 for 8 to post 284 all out on day one of the first Ashes cricket test… Read more Audio

12:24 PM.For the latest from the markets we're joined by Grant Cotty Hobson Wealth Partners. Audio

12:22 PM.Booming sharemarkets in major economies have lifted KiwiSaver fund returns. Audio

12:20 PM.The company behind a medical device designed to help patients with gut diseases recover more quickly after surgery is looking to go global with its technology. Audio

12:19 PM.The honey producer and exporter, Comvita, is warning it will report a bigger full year loss in a couple of weeks partly because of the unrest and riots in Hong Kong. Audio

12:17 PM.Consumers have got the winter blues, with their confidence falling to the lowest in eight months on rising concerns about their long term outlook and the economy. Audio

12:00 PM.Māori rights activist Taame Iti backs protesters at Ihumātao. Fears severe weather could breach an old coalmining dump. Audio