Morning Report for Monday 15 December 2014

8:56 AM.Our Melbourne correspondent Phil Kafcaloudes. Audio

8:52 AM.The elderly are drinking less - or not at all - according to Auckland University research. Audio

8:47 AM.Early retirement appears as though it might just be a pipe dream now for many. Audio

8:44 AM.The Maori Trustee says it has accumulated five million dollars in unclaimed dividends. The Crown has failed to pay tribes to use Lake Waikaremoana for hydro-electric generation and caused damage to a… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Christmas and new year festivities could be banned in Sierra Leone as authorities clamp down on the spread of Ebola. Audio

8:35 AM.The deadline for Chinese authorities to decide whether to charge a New Zealand man with serious drug offences has passed. Audio

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

8:27 AM.The Waitangi Tribunal has ruled the crown's refusal to pay to use Lake Waikaremoana for hydro-power generation breached of the Treaty of Waitangi. Audio

8:22 AM.On Wednesday Auckland City Football Club will face South America's biggest club in the FIFA Club World Cup semi finals. Audio

8:19 AM.It's back to the drawing board for both the Mana Movement and Internet Party - now that the alliance has been officially dissolved. Audio

8:16 AM.Petrol prices are continuing to slide, with petrol stations selling 91 octane at under $2 a litre for the first time in more than two years. Audio

8:12 AM.United Nations member countries, including New Zealand, have reached what appears to be an uneasy truce on tackling climate change. Audio

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

7:56 AM.Police in Upper Hutt will today continue their investigations into last week's fatal axe attack. Audio

7:53 AM.It's not exactly beach weather yet but not everybody is upset. The constant rain has put a smile on the face of farmers in drought-prone Northland. Audio

7:46 AM.The iwi guardians of Lake Waikaremoana say a Waitangi Tribunal report paves the way to compensate for decades of Crown mis-use of the lake. Audio

7:41 AM.Trains across the Auckland rail network were grounded on Saturday night after a fight at the transport hub; Britomart. Audio

7:38 AM.Auckland City Football Club has just days to prepare for the club's next historic match after becoming the first New Zealand club to reach the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals. Audio

7:28 AM.The Internet Mana alliance has folded, a letter has been sent to the Electoral Commission to formally close off the relationship after the party failed to secure any seats in this year's general… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Ministry for Primary Industries Director of Fisheries, Dave Turner, speaks with Guyon Espiner. Audio

7:19 AM.Commercial over-fishing in Hawke's Bay is being blamed for a steep decline in the recreational take, a decline that is angering those on the end of a line. Audio

7:11 AM.United Nations members meeting in Peru have reached what's being regarded as an underwhelming agreement on how countries should tackle climate change. Audio

7:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:59 AM.In New Zealand the Top 50 Index ended up 13 points to 5515. Audio

6:56 AM.Across the Tasman, and a landmark inquiry into the Australian financial system has recommended major changes to banking and superannuation. Audio

6:55 AM.Restaurant Brands says it has been maintaining profit margins at similar levels to those reported in its first-half results, despite its costs rising. Audio

6:53 AM.Meridian Energy says it won't proceed with its Northern Queensland hydro project because of the de-stabilising revisions to Australia's renewable energy policy. Audio

6:52 AM.In vetoing the takeover of Acurity Health, the Commerce Commission is treating Sydney-based Evolution Healthcare, as if it will own all of Acurity. Audio

6:50 AM.Consumer confidence has rebounded leading into the summer holiday season, following a few months in the doldrums. Audio

6:47 AM.Economists, on average, are expecting the economy grew slightly slower in the September quarter than the Reserve Bank has forecast. Audio

6:42 AM.Yesterday in the north, severe weather warnings were issued and the region was lashed by wet and wild weather with winds forecast last night of around 120 kilometres an hour. Audio

6:27 AM.The Crown has failed to pay tribes to use Lake Waikaremoana for hydro-electric generation and caused damage to a significant taonga in Tuhoe territory. The Maori Trustee says it has accumulated 5… Read more Audio

6:23 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:20 AM.Motorists are starting to see some relief at the petrol pump but the AA says there is room for prices to fall even more. Audio

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

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

6:00 AM.Motorists find some relief at petrol pump, Winter weather has arrived .... In summer, Climate change expert says lack of progress no surprise, HB recreational fishers say ocean fish catch in steep… Read more Audio