Morning Report for Thursday 11 July 2013

8:52 AM.New Zealanders chomp through more bananas than any other fruit. Craig McCulloch reports. Read more Audio

8:50 AM.People in Britain are getting ready to go bonkers over the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby. Audio

8:48 AM.A Maori consultancy firm is teaching the autonomous Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville how to boost its mining industry; The Federation of Maori Authorities has signed up to a collaborative… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.A new report has found liquid soaps and anti-bacterial toothpastes threaten human health, the environment, and sewerage treatment systems. Audio

8:40 AM.New Zealand officals will this week try, for a second time, to have Antarctica's Ross Sea declared the world's largest marine protected area. 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

8:24 AM.A defamation case brought by a journalist against the Defence Force and its chief is continuing today, with the chief of the Defence Force expected to give evidence in the next week. Audio

8:22 AM.The Associate Minister for Social Development Chester Borrows says that Labour is wrong to call for a review of the baseline funding for social workers dealing with vulnerable children. Audio

8:18 AM.Urban planners in Christchurch are hoping a Government review of the City Council's resource consent team will speed up the process up. Audio

8:12 AM.The Boston Marathon bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has made his first public court appearance since his arrest for the April 15th blast. Audio

8:10 AM.The Retailers' Association says taxing all items bought from overseas websites will create an even playing field for New Zealand companies. Audio

7:56 AM.The Far North council's gone a little potty - it's using toilet bowls, long drops, and even the odd four-letter word, in a novel campaign to get Kerikeri people talking about the need for a new… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.The line of photographers and royal watchers is growing outside St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, as the birth of Prince William and Kate's baby draws nearer. Audio

7:48 AM.The first Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England is underway, and day one has been dominated by the bowlers from both teams at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Audio

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

7:40 AM.A coalition of public transport advocates says Auckland could have an efficient bus and train network much sooner than planned and for billions of dollars less than currently budgeted. Audio

7:35 AM.Police in Canada are now looking at whether criminal negligence led to the weekend's catastrophic train derailment in Lac Megantic. Audio

7:28 AM.A small group of volunteers is battling to save hundreds of oak trees planted across North Otago at the end of the First World War in memory of soldiers who died. Audio

7:22 AM.There appears to be no respite for the troubled Christchurch City Council following fresh concerns about its ability to issue consents, and an investigation into the chief executive Tony Marryatt. Audio

7:18 AM.Political opponents of the Sky City convention centre legislation have ramped up their efforts to discredit it, as Parliament prepares to debate it for the first time this afternoon. Audio

7:12 AM.Customs Minister, Maurice Williamson has serious reservations over whether the taxing of online shopping can be done. Audio

7:10 AM.Shopping online for books, DVDs and clothes from overseas will get more expensive if a Government plan to tax all items bought on overseas websites is introduced. Audio

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

6:42 AM.Disgraced former Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is to make a comeback to the cycling circuit later this month. Audio

6:40 AM.The Christchurch City Council's resource consenting is the latest aspect to come under fire with the Environment Minister Amy Adams suggesting problems with the system. Audio

6:35 AM.The Government is exploring ways of charging tax on all items bought on overseas websites - and New Zealand retailers approve. Audio

6:27 AM.A Maori consultancy firm is teaching the autonomous Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville how to boost its mining industry; The Federation of Maori Authorities has signed up to a collaborative… Read more Audio

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

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

6:10 AM.In a little over an hour, the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will make his first public court appearance since his arrest for the April 15th blast. Audio

6:00 AM.Online shopping tax, Sky City, Christchurch consents, War Memorial Oaks, Canadian train disaster, Auckland public transport. Audio