Morning Report for Wednesday 17 October 2012

8:56 AM.Australian women have come out tops in a global survey of equality, with New Zealand trailing in fifth place. Audio

8:52 AM.Glenorchy celebrates 150 years of European settlement this week. Residents have been planning for this for three years, raising 350 thousand dollars which they've used to extend the town's Lagoon… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.As we reported yesterday, a competition to design an Urban Village for Christchurch has been launched, asking architects and designers for a creative way to foster inner city living. Audio

8:46 AM.The Maori Council is relying on tribes to fund a legal case against the Government's decision to partially privatise the hydro electric power generator Mighty River power; One of the Maori Council's… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Taranaki's economic agency is predicting it needs at least 14-thousand additional workers by 2035 to keep up with economic growth, largely to cope with a boom in the oil and gas industry. Audio

8:39 AM.Blasting is continuing in Fiordland in an effort to clear the massive slip that closed the Milford Road last Friday. Audio

8:36 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

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

8:27 AM.The All Whites beat Tahiti 3-0 in Christchurch last night, as part of qualifying for the 2014 football world cup in Brazil. Audio

8:21 AM.The fracas began when John Key rose to make his statement - without calling a point of order, prompting a series of points of order from Labour MPs Trevor Mallard and David Parker and the New Zealand… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.The smallest annual increase in inflation for 13 years has prompted calls for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates. Audio

8:09 AM.The Government says it will do everything it can to prevent a repeat of the incident where the Defence Force placed potentially explosive cargo on a passenger flight. Audio

7:57 AM.One of the most popular walking tracks in the country, the Tongariro crossing, will re-open on Friday, after it was closed when the volcano erupted in August. Audio

7:54 AM.Inflation figures, published yesterday, show the cost of building a house is up 9 point 6 percent in Canterbury, compared with 3 percent nationally. Audio

7:51 AM.Labour MPs are standing by their leader after a testy exchange in Parliament over the Dotcom controversy. The Prime Minister has challenged the opposition leader, David Shearer, to produce evidence… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:42 AM.Another attempt will be made today to change the Reserve Bank's focus on inflation. Audio

7:38 AM.The pressure is on the United States president, Barack Obama, to put on a stronger performance in the second Presidential debate in New York this afternoon. Audio

7:28 AM.Documents show the Act party leader John Banks asked police through his lawyer not to publicly release his statement in their donations inquiry. Audio

7:25 AM.School principals say today is the last chance for the Ministry of Education to get its new payroll right. Audio

7:21 AM.We asked to speak to the Defence Minister, the Defence Force, and Air New Zealand over the gas canister incident, but all refused. The Labour Party's defence spokesperson, Iain Lees-Galloway, joins us… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.The Civil Aviation Authority is launching an investigation today into an incident in which the Air Force put explosive gas canisters on an international Air New Zealand passenger jet. Audio

7:13 AM.The former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, has opened his defence at his war crimes trial at the Hague, saying he should be rewarded for reducing suffering. Audio

7:09 AM.The Prime Minister says he's not going to put the brakes on the roll out of digital technology across the public sector, because of what he calls a one-off incident. Audio

6:46 AM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:40 AM.The former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, has opened his defence at his war crimes trial at the Hague, saying he should be rewarded for reducing suffering. Audio

6:38 AM.The Labour Party is questioning the point of holding IT security audits, if warnings are just ignored. Audio

6:26 AM.The Maori Council is relying on tribes to fund a legal case against the Government's decision to partially privatise the hydro electric power generator Mighty River power; One of the Maori Council's… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:17 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:13 AM.A report into how central and local government have performed in rebuilding Canterbury suggests both can learn from looking at how other countries respond to disasters. Audio

6:11 AM.The Airline Pilots Association says that the Air Force must adhere to basic protocols if it wants to transport equipment on domestic planes. Audio

6:00 AM.MSD breach doesn't deter John Key from digital roll out; Radovan Karadzic begins Bosnia war crimes defence; Calls for more openness from Air Force over safety scares; Labour demands answers about… Read more Audio