Morning Report for Friday 20 May 2011

8:56 AM.Let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio

8:52 AM.The spread of the disease that kills the kiwifruit vine has seen the value of kiwfruit orchards tumble and sales in Bay of Plenty all but dry up. Audio

8:50 AM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

8:47 AM.New runway lights will be switched on for the first time at Queenstown International Airport next month as the resort gears up for night flights. Audio

8:44 AM.First time finalists, the Northern Mystics and the Queensland Firebirds play off for transtasman netball supremacy in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon. Audio

8:42 AM.We've heard budget reaction from our three main cities, but what about the heartland? Audio

8:38 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:32 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:26 AM.The government has pledged five and half billion dollars over the next six years for Canterbury's Earthquake Recovery Fund. Audio

8:25 AM.We have more of your reaction to the budget now, this time from the streets of Christchurch. Audio

8:20 AM.Business and the Unions were both anticipating changes in the Budget, and there's been a typically mixed reaction from them. Audio

8:13 AM.The Labour Party says yesterday's budget is bleak and will hurt hard-working Kiwis struggling to get ahead. Audio

8:09 AM.The Labour Party is criticising the Government for pushing through its budget cuts to Kiwisaver and Working for Families under urgency. Audio

7:55 AM.A British man has been found guilty by a Scottish jury of murdering his wife and attempting to murder his second, a New Zealander, in Auckland five years later. Audio

7:49 AM.President Obama has outlined a comprehensive new policy towards the Middle East in the wake of the momentous events of recent months. Audio

7:46 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:43 AM.Extra funding for health in the Budget is being applauded within the sector, but some also say there's also a lack of vision for the future. Audio

7:41 AM.Education was one of the winners in the Budget, but education groups say the funding increases will not keep up with rising costs. Audio

7:39 AM.Our reporter Ben Robinson spoke to people who were shopping at Kilbirnie's Pak and Save. Audio

7:25 AM.The Government has achieved its immediate aim for the Budget - avoiding a credit rating downgrade that could have pushed up the country's borrowing costs. Audio

7:23 AM.On the streets of Auckland, the Budget is causing some concern. Audio

7:19 AM.And joining us is Radio New Zealand's political editor Brent Edwards. Audio

7:15 AM.So has the government presented a Budget that will be good enough to win National the next election? Audio

7:13 AM.So with some of those critics saying families and lower income earners have been hit too hard, and others saying he's been too cautious in stimulating economic growth, the Finance Minister Bill… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key, says it is a budget for serious times. But the Labour leader, Phil Goff, says the budget is bleak. Audio

6:47 AM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:41 AM.The Public Service Association says frontline services will be reduced and jobs will go, as the government claws a further billion dollars of savings from the public sector over the next three years. Audio

6:37 AM.The Finance Minister concedes middle income families will be 20 dollars a week worse off under changes in this year's Budget. Audio

6:28 AM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:23 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:18 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:15 AM.In the budget the government announced that if it wins the next election, it will sell part of four publicly-owned energy companies and reduce its majority shareholding in Air New Zealand. Audio

6:13 AM.The Budget has achieved the government's aim - avoiding a credit rating downgrade that could've pushed up the country's borrowing costs. Audio

6:10 AM.MPs will resume debate on the Budget in just under three hours, as the Government pushes through cuts to KiwiSaver and Working for Families under urgency. Audio

6:00 AM.Is the budget "balanced and responsible" or a blow to the average New Zealander? We put the Budget under the microscope. How will selling state assets, changing Kiwisaver and cutting the public… Read more Audio