Morning Report for Monday 29 April 2013

8:57 AM.We catch up on things Australian with Brisbane correspondent Donna Field. Audio

8:54 AM.With submissions on reform closing later this week, Wairarapa residents remain divided on whether to break away from the greater Wellington local authority umbrella. Audio

8:48 AM.An engineer says the Government and some local councils are ignoring the capability of marae in a crisis; An independent trustee has been appointed to run blocks of customary land in Hawke's Bay -… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.US Correspondent Simon Marks updates us on the arrest in Mississippi of martial arts instructor Everett Dutschke for attempting to send poisoned letters to president Obama. Audio

8:42 AM.The New Zealand Olympian Andrew Nicholson has won the prestigious Kentucky Three Day Event, but not without a major fright. Audio

8:38 AM.The author of a new book on the break-up of the ANZUS alliance says New Zealand went into Afghanistan to help re-establish its security relationship with the United States, a claim which is disputed… 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

8:22 AM.A call from some Pacific Island leaders, for parliamentary and city council seats to be set aside for Pacific people, has been heard at three consultations with the government-appointed Constitutional… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Labour's welfare spokesperson Jacinda Ardern speaks about the Salvation Army's claim that it could lose more than a third of its budgeting advisors if the government stops funding a programme designed… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.Opposition parties say proposed changes to New Zealand's labour laws will drive down wages and conditions, and result in more work being contracted out. Audio

8:09 AM.The Property Council of New Zealand says that a huge number of buildings are just not up to scratch, and it's a thin excuse for building owners to say they can't afford to earthquake-proof them. Audio

7:56 AM.The New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards supreme category has been re-named after the acclaimed children's author Margaret Mahy. Audio

7:52 AM.Unions and families who have lost loved ones working in New Zealand's forestry industry are calling for an inquiry into what they say is the country's deadliest line of work. Audio

7:48 AM.Police officers have been shot at outside the prime minister's office in Italy, as the country's new government was sworn in. Audio

7:45 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:41 AM.Pacific leaders in Auckland are calling for changes to the electoral system to give their communities similar representation to Maori in central and local government. Audio

7:37 AM.Social services agencies are scrambling to raise money to replace a Government community funding programme set up to help people cope with the recession. Audio

7:35 AM.The mayor of Christchurch says locals don't need to fear another rates increase in the wake of the Government revising its estimate of the cost of rebuilding the city. Audio

7:27 AM.The Army is being taken to court over the death of Private Michael Ross who drowned when he fell from an inflatable boat into Lake Moawhango near Waiouru during a training exercise in September last… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.Auckland Mayor Len Brown talks about the proposed new road user and petrol levy for Auckland. Audio

7:15 AM.An Auckland council-commissioned group will this morning release its report on a range of options to plug what is estimated to be a $12-billion gap to pay for new road and public transport projects. Audio

7:12 AM.Minister for Building and Construction, Maurice Williamson, responds to claims of inexperienced engineers conducting assessments. Audio

7:09 AM.The Structural Engineering Society is warning that some engineers are too inexperienced to conduct important assessments and are closing buildings unnecessarily for fear of liability in the event of… Read more Audio

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

6:39 AM.Business New Zealand's chief executive, Phil O'Reilly, says proposed changes to collective agreements won't result in a widespread refusal to negotiate. Audio

6:37 AM.The president of the Structural Engineers' Society, John Hare, says since the Christchurch earthquakes, engineers have been too conservative in evaulations for fear of liability. Audio

6:27 AM.An engineer says the Government and some local councils are ignoring the capability of marae in a crisis; An independent trustee has been appointed to run blocks of customary land in Hawke's Bay -… Read more Audio

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

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

6:14 AM.The Malaysian government may be voted out of power for the first time in the country's existence and expat Malaysian people in New Zealand could be among those casting the deciding vote. Audio

6:10 AM.Former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Gerald Hensley, asserts New Zealand went into Afghanistan to help re-establish its security relationship with the United States. Audio

6:00 AM.Liability fears close buildings; tolls and taxes to unshackle super city gridlock, and; army charged over soldier's death. Audio