Morning Report for Wednesday 16 July 2014

9:51 AM.The hole in the Maori dental workforce is starting to be filled. The Ministry of Health is reporting an increase in the number of applications for Hauora Maori Scholarships to study at the country's… Read more Audio

8:58 AM.It is every little girl's dream - to be a princess. But one dad, from the American state of Virginia, has gone the extra mile to make it happen for his seven-year-old daughter. Jeremiah Heaton… Read more Audio

8:57 AM.The already cash-strapped Auckland Council is splashing out a hundred thousand dollars for an artsy curtain for one of the city's libraries. The Devonport Library, on Auckland's North Shore was… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.A former South Auckland officer is defending police actions over crime figures, in the face of claims that hundreds of burglaries were downgraded to make for more politically palatable reading. Audio

8:41 AM.An initiative to provide more beds for the homeless in Christchurch is unlikely to benefit many of the people sleeping rough on the city's streets. The Christchurch City Council and the Government… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.A suicide blast in the eastern province of Paktika in Afghanistan has killed at least 89 people. The attacker targetted a market crowded full of people doing their shopping at the time of the attack. Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:30 AM.Northland farmers say they need urgent help to repair roads after storms hammered the region. The Federated Farmers Northland president, Roger Ludbrook, says local councils in cannot afford to fix the… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.A community worker in Opotiki says the town's still shocked and alarmed by the death of a young man at the weekend, and violence that has erupted in the town since his killing. The Police have… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.Twenty-one people have died after a train derailed in Moscow's packed metro during rush hour. It is the worst accident ever to hit one of the world's busiest subways. Audio

8:18 AM.Dairy prices have plunged an average 8.9 percent in the latest international auction overnight, contributing to a 34 percent slump since February. Audio

8:13 AM.The Labour Party says the Prime Minister should front up to New Zealanders and explain exactly what he knew about Kim Dotcom and when he knew it. Mr Key has repeatedly said he had not heard of Mr… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:59 AM.Comments by the Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellan sent Wall Street into the red after the blue-chip Dow Jones index earlier hit an all-time intraday high of 17 thosuand 120 points on… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.The Minister for the Environment Amy Adams joins Morning Report to discuss swimability. Audio

7:55 AM.The Green Party is accusing the government of trying to hide how swimmable New Zealand's waters are. The suitability for swimming indicator is usually released annually, and shows how contaminated the… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.Israel has mounted a fresh wave of airstrikes on Gaza as attempts to introduce a ceasefire in the territory falter. The attacks came as Palestinian militants continued to fire rockets and missiles on… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.The Whangarei Council is considering prosecuting dairy farmers who cut into a stopbank to let flood waters out following recent storms. Audio

7:41 AM.A structural engineer says problems in the industry go well beyond the man who designed the Southland Stadium, which collapsed four years ago after a snow storm. Public notices are appearing in the… Read more Audio

7:29 AM.Mr Collier, who was 21, died in Whakatane hospital after being found injured after a brawl between people from two neighbouring Opotiki houses. His death has inflamed tensions in Opotiki, with violent… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Dairy prices have taken a king hit overnight, with an average 8.9 percent fall in the latest international auction. The GlobalDairyTrade auction saw milk fat down 10 percent on its previous figure… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.The Labour Party says it defies belief that information about Mr Dotcom was not passed on within the Government. The Labour Party's associate security and intelligence spokesperson Grant Robertson… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.The internet tycoon, Kim Dotcom is adamant there has been Government interference in his immigration case, and he claims to have proof. He argues the government wanted his residency granted in order… Read more Audio

7:08 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:58 AM.Cooks Global Foods has opened a third franchised store in Kuwait, taking its stores in the Middle East to 18. The company says the 120 square-metre store is trading well above expectations and that it… Read more Audio

6:56 AM.Z Energy says its retail marketing margins have expanded as it seeks to recover refining losses. Industry-wide figures show the average retail margin expanded from 28.2 percent in the March quarter to… Read more Audio

6:54 AM.Helping to facilitate trade with China and supporting investment in infrastructure will be the major focus of New Zealand's newest bank. China Construction Bank has gained a banking licence to operate… Read more Audio

6:51 AM.A European dairy cooperative, Arla Foods, says its very large home market of 380 million consumers and its strong brands mean it's relatively insulated from the current volatility in global dairy… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.Ammerland will be the first to sell sweet whey powder through the GDT when it begins taking part in the fortnightly auction in September. Audio

6:48 AM.Dairy prices have plunged in the international auction, and that means prices have dropped 34 percent in the Global Dairy Price index since February. Audio

6:41 AM.Mr Dotcom says he has proof the Prime Minister, John Key, lied when he said he did not know about Mr Dotcom before January 2012. And he says he will release that evidence the week before the election.

6:27 AM.A Hamilton-based health provider bidding to establish a charter school is rejecting a claim that kura hourua set Maori up to fail. The national association of kura kaupapa Maori says total immersion… Read more Audio

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

6:16 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:11 AM.Notices are being placed in newspapers today, warning the owners of buildings signed off by the engineer involved in the design of Stadium Southland to get their structures checked. Audio

6:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:00 AM.Immigration denies ministerial involvement in Dotcom case. Labour questions government involvement in Dotcom case. Big slump for dairy prices overnight. Man charged with Opotiki murder appears in… Read more Audio