Morning Report for Wednesday 14 December 2011

8:57 AM.A seal pup has made himself at home in a Tauranga house. The youngster is thought to have wriggled through the cat door, before wandering through the kitchen and curling up on the couch. Audio

8:54 AM.A British politician, who was born in New Zealand, has been caught partying at a French ski resort with a group that chanted pro-Nazi slogans. Audio

8:51 AM.The debate about where to locate a CT Scanner in Central Otago is getting heated, with direct lobbying of the population now underway. A review by the National Health Board has recommended the scanner… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.A Treaty of Waitangi negotiator says the appointment of Chris Finlayson as the associate Maori Affairs Minister, shows National is taking the portfolio more seriously; The Nelson Mayor, Aldo Miccio… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Papua New Guinea is in political deadlock today, with two rival prime ministers claiming the right to exercise power. The speaker of Papua New Guinea's parliament is ignoring a Supreme Court order to… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.The Auckland Council wants to nearly double the region's tourism economy over the next decade. The ambition would turn around years of decline in real terms, but not all in the industry believe the… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:26 AM.A lack of building inspections and the engineers to carry them out has come under further scrutiny at the Royal Commission of inquiry into the Canterbury earthquakes. Audio

8:23 AM.A government audit has found that only half as many dairy farmers as Fonterra claims have fenced off steams on their properties. According to Fonterra, 84% of farmers have fenced off streams under its… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.The so-called God Particle may be a step closer to discovery. Scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research say they have found some evidence of the elusive particle, also known as the Higgs… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.The new Labour Party leader, David Shearer, will now turn his attention to the make up of the party's front bench and how to allocate portfolios. Audio

8:09 AM.The decision that rebuilding in Christchurch's central city can go ahead is reassuring business leaders the central business district will regenerate. The Christchurch City Council has just released a… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.It's a hundred years today since the first explorers reached the South Pole. The Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, and his team of four, arrived at the Pole on this day a century ago, beating a… Read more Audio

7:54 AM."It's not the Bay of Plenty for nothing." That's the new catchphrase for the region that's got a new feature: a container ship wedged on a reef, 12 nautical miles offshore. Audio

7:51 AM.On the West Coast, Tai Poutini Polytechnic is planning to open a New Zealand school of mines, the first since a university course closed almost 25 years ago. Audio

7:47 AM.The Earthquake Recovery Authority is knocking on the door of every red and orange zone resident in Christchurch to check on their welfare and offer them temporary accommodation if they need it. Audio

7:44 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:38 AM.A gunman has opened fire and thrown grenades into a square packed with children and Christmas shoppers in the Belgian city of Liege. At least four people were killed, including the gunman, with about… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.The Labour Party's new leader, David Shearer, is promising to tour the country seeking views on how to make his party more relevant to voters. The Mt Albert MP beat his rival, David Cunliffe, to win… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.In what could be a major scientific breakthrough, particle physicists in Switzerland have found signs of what's called the Higgs Boson particle. The theoretical concept is thought to give atoms their… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.The Retailers' Association says Transpower's refusal to compensate businesses affected by a major power failure is unacceptable. Audio

7:16 AM.The all-clear for rebuilding in Christchurch's central city is reassuring business leaders the CBD will regenerate. A report by engineering consultants Tonkin and Taylor cleared the land in the… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.The police are looking for a nineteen-year-old man in connection with the killing of the Radio New Zealand journalist, Phillip Cottrell. Audio

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

6:42 AM.Pacific community leaders and educators are giving a cautious welcome to Hekia Parata as the new Minister of Pacific Island Affairs. Their disappointment that a Pacific MP didn't get the job is… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.Christchurch's business community is welcoming news that the whole of the city's CBD will be open for rebuilding. Audio

6:27 AM.A lead Treaty of Waitangi negotiator says the appointment of Chris Finlayson as the associate Maori Affairs Minister, shows National is taking the portfolio more seriously; The Principal of an Otaki… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

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

6:11 AM.The Labour MP, Shane Jones, says there's disappointment among the Maori members of Labour's caucus that the David Cunliffe-Nanaia Mahuta ticket for the party's leadership was not successful. Audio

6:00 AM.Post mortem shows RNZ journalist beaten with blunt object; Christchurch business leaders welcome CBD land all clear; Businesses count the costs of major power cut; Shearer aims to bring voters back to… Read more Audio