Morning Report for Friday 20 December 2013

8:55 AM.Let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio

8:51 AM.The European Space Agency has launched a mission that it's calling one of the most ambitious in the history of space exploration. Audio

8:48 AM.The Independent MP, Brendan Horan, is accusing Te Puni Kokiri of blowing the budget on contractors and consultants; A major roading project in Rotorua opposed by three hapu has been put on hold; The… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.The annual hunt for Antarctic toothfish is now under way in the Southern Ocean. Audio

8:39 AM.A Dunedin city councillor is filing a criminal complaint against the Otago Daily Times, over an article which he says cost him votes in this year's local elections. Audio

8:34 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.Early childhood groups say a pay rise won by kindergarten teachers will make it harder for other early childhood centres to attract and retain staff. Audio

8:22 AM.Hopes of a new year pay rise for many Auckland council staff were dashed yesterday when councillors voted to put off adopting the so-called living wage of 18 dollars 40 an hour. Audio

8:19 AM.Rising construction activity and high dairy prices are expected to underpin robust economic growth next year, strengthening the case for interest rates rises in the first half of the year. Audio

8:13 AM.The mayor of Auckland Len Brown and some key councillors believe they can get back to work, after a rare public censure of the mayor for breaching a code of conduct. Audio

8:09 AM.The independent MP, Brendan Horan, says Te Puni Kokiri is blowing its budget by hiring contractors to provide core services. Audio

7:55 AM.The community in Ruatoki say a long awaited human rights commission report into the 2007 Urewera raids, wasn't actually worth the wait. Audio

7:48 AM.Listening to that was the chief executive of Internal Affairs, Colin MacDonald. Audio

7:45 AM.The Labour Party says a plan to move the Treaty of Waitangi to a new, purpose built facility was a huge waste of taxpayer money from the start. Audio

7:42 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:28 AM.Christchurch woman Helen Milner, dubbed the Black Widow, will be sentenced in February for the murder of her husband, after she spiked his food with a drug to which he was allergic. Audio

7:24 AM.China has overtaken Australia as New Zealand's biggest export market, with growth in trade in the past year described as 'stunning' and 'phenomenal'. Audio

7:18 AM.Dick Quax joins us. Audio

7:14 AM.Auckland councillor Dick Quax says Len Brown is a lame duck mayor and is asking whether the city can be governed effectively under his leadership. Audio

7:09 AM.A review of the Christchurch council's finances has confirmed what the new mayor, Lianne Dalziel, says were her worst fears. Audio

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

6:40 AM.While some Auckland councillors are describing Len Brown as a lame duck others say they are keen to put the mayor's indiscretions in the past and carry on after his formal censure yesterday. Audio

6:37 AM.The Christchurch mayor, Lianne Dalziel, says the interim findings of a report into the council's finances confirm some of her worst fears. Audio

6:27 AM.The Independent MP, Brendan Horan, is accusing Te Puni Kokiri of blowing the budget on contractors and consultants; A major roading project in Rotorua opposed by three hapu has been put on hold; The… Read more Audio

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

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

6:13 AM.Two fanatical muslims have been found guilty of murdering a British soldier, Lee Rigby, on a busy street in southeast London in May. Audio

6:10 AM.China has overtaken Australia to become the number one export market for New Zealand. Audio

6:00 AM.Bad news for Christchurch City Council, the rebuild will cost more than they budgetted for and they haven't got the money to pay for it. Len Brown wants to move on but one of his main accusers says… Read more Audio