Midday Report for Thursday 10 June 2021

12:46 PM.It's the sounds - rather than the sights - of New Zealand's great outdoors which motivate the Blind Mice to walk the trails of Otago. This is a group of blind and partially sighted walkers hailing… Read more Audio

12:43 PM.Today is the first day of the Māori lunar calendar year, or maramataka, - which means it's two weeks until the Matariki star cluster rises over Aotearoa. The country's foremost expert on Matariki, Dr… Read more Audio

12:35 PM.It was announced this morning that 50 general practice vets will be allowed to enter the country - to fill acute skills shortages - including in isolated rural practices. Audio

12:28 PM.The rowing great Mahe Drysdale hangs up his oars. Audio

12:20 PM.A new sharemarket prepares for launch Audio

12:17 PM.One of the Climate Commission's key proposals - and its final advice - is to mostly i­mport and register new electric cars by 2035. But there's been criticism about whether more can be done to reduce… Read more Audio

12:15 PM.As Fiji battles the latest outbreak of Covid-19, a food crisis in the country is also reaching a critical point. Some vulnerable families are living on as little as a few biscuits a day - as the… Read more Audio

12:11 PM.The Restaurant Association is warning the industry's very survival is in jeopardy unless the government does more to encourage skilled migrants to stay. What has been announced today is the ability… Read more Audio