Morning Report for Friday 12 December 2014

8:56 AM.Let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio

8:52 AM.A just finished six year study has found there are more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world's oceans. Audio

8:48 AM.The government has refused a request by the Waitangi Tribunal to hold off on negotiations for the Ngapuhi treaty settlement; The Kohanga Reo National Trustboard is retaining its leadership, and… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Unlike in Australia, it is legal in New Zealand to sell raw milk as a drink - but only at the farmgate. Audio

8:41 AM.A 3-year-old girl has died from kidney failure and a blood condition associated with E-Coli infection after drinking a raw milk product in Melbourne. Audio

8:37 AM.The Government is investing more than 130 million dollars in top level sport ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, with the biggest amounts going to the most likely medal prospects. Audio

8:31 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:27 AM.75-years ago New Zealand sailors helped strike the first blow at the enemy at the beginning of the Second World War at what has become known as the Battle of the River Plate. Audio

8:24 AM.Moscow had planned to celebrate the final instalment of Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Hobbit, by putting an Eye of Sauron-style light on top of a skyscraper. But now, that plan has been… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.The Counties Manukau District Health Board is apologising to the family of a man killed by a schizophrenic patient in their care, and also to the patient's family who tried to warn them. Audio

8:11 AM.A man is believed to have been charged following an axe attack in Upper Hutt. Audio

8:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:57 AM.An Auckland business group is rallying support for a campaign to have the council take over the two billion dollar assets of the Auckland Energy Consumers Trust. Audio

7:53 AM.The drug-buying agency Pharmac says district health boards will save more than 100 million dollars over the next five years because of its work. Audio

7:51 AM.Antony de Malmanche, the New Zealander who is in prison in Bali for suspected drug smuggling, is now on suicide watch after consular officials passed on information about his mental health history to… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.The sole South Canterbury Finance director found guilty of charges relating to the company's collapse will be sentenced in Timaru this morning. Audio

7:41 AM.Unions are urging the Government to stop misleading the public about how much the average New Zealander earns. Audio

7:36 AM.The number of public servants now earning more than 100 thousand dollars is rising. And so too are the salaries of the highest paid public servant chief executives. Audio

7:28 AM.Human Rights Watch is calling for an independent investigation into why police and military personnel in Papua fired on 800 peaceful protestors, killing six people. Audio

7:24 AM.Police in Hong Kong have arrested more than 200 people, as they dismantled a protest camp in the centre of the city more than two months after demonstrations began there. Audio

7:20 AM.A senior manager at Counties Manukau District Health Board admits if his team had listened to the family of a schizophrenic man, they may have been able to stop him killing his friend. Audio

7:10 AM.One person is dead and three people injured after an axe-attack in Upper Hutt last night.. Audio

7:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:58 AM.The Dow Jones Index is up 200 points to 17 733 Audio

6:56 AM.A functional-drink manufacturer is hoping to raise 1-and-a-half-million dollars to take its high flying drink to new heights. Audio

6:53 AM.The Financial Markets Authority will be keeping a close eye on the sales tactics used by financial services advisors, as part of a strategic plan to focus its limited resources on areas of great… Read more Audio

6:52 AM.Powerhouse Ventures is looking to raise about 40 million dollars and is considering an initial public offering of shares. Audio

6:50 AM.An analyst says plummeting oil prices are likely to mean dairy prices won't recover as quickly as the Reserve Bank is forecasting. Audio

6:47 AM.The Reserve Bank's inflation forecasts for next year are likely to be significantly higher than the actual rate. Audio

6:42 AM.The drug-buying agency Pharmac says competition from new versions of highly expensive drugs will help it make savings in the coming years. Audio

6:38 AM.The Public Service Association is calling on the Government to ditch their rhetoric about the average wage. Audio

6:36 AM.One person is dead and three people injured in what residents have told us was as an axe-attack in Upper Hutt. Audio

6:25 AM.The Kohanga Reo National Trustboard is retaining its leadership, and intends to consider any changes to its make-up in the new year; The government has refused a request by the Waitangi Tribunal to… Read more Audio

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

6:18 AM.The Police and Customs are working on how to better spot packages from overseas that may be linked to drug production and supply after busting a sophisticated cannabis operation in the lower North… Read more Audio

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

6:00 AM.One person is dead and three others are injured after an axe attack in Upper Hutt last night. Our reporter's at the scene. We also speak to a neighbour. Counties Manukau District Health Board… Read more Audio