Morning Report for Wednesday 17 December 2014

8:56 AM.New Zealand's food safety watchdog wants to ban the sale of raw apricot kernels, which are advertised as an alternative treatment for cancer. Audio

8:53 AM.A farming leader says Worksafe New Zealand is out of control after a farming couple in Marlborough were fined 20-thousand dollars each for failing to wear helmets while riding quadbikes. Audio

8:49 AM.A Waitangi Tribunal judicial conference to set the boundaries for claims made by Maori military veterans will be heard in just over an hour's time; A call for tangata whenua to pay millions in unpaid… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.Health researchers say Maori are more likely to suffer from an increase in diseases brought about by climate change than other New Zealanders. Audio

8:40 AM.New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew says he needed only a 'nano-second' to reappoint Steve Hansen as the All Blacks coach. Audio

8:34 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:32 AM.Another Bush is considering a tilt at America's top job. Audio

8:28 AM.When Auckland police pulled over a Mercedes driven by two teenage boys from Northland last month and found two and a half million dollars worth of methamphetamine, they took it as a sign a big drug… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Auckland woman Golnaz Bassam-Tabar says already her mother and sister feel like they've been on the receiving end of offensive comments as a result of the siege. Audio

8:20 AM.Here New Zealand Muslims are bracing for a backlash in the wake of the Sydney siege. Audio

8:16 AM.An acquaintance of the Martin Place gunman, Man Haron Monis, says the Iranian cleric was very secretive and harboured fantasies of being linked to the Iran government. Audio

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

7:55 AM.The disgraced former lawyer Davina Murray has claimed she's never been convicted for smuggling contraband to a convicted rapist and murderer inside Mt Eden prison - despite being found guilty and… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.Police say yesterday's raid on a meth factory near Whangarei will have done serious but not terminal damage to a highly profitable drug ring run by the Headhunters' motorcycle gang. Audio

7:48 AM.The Government has been accused of sacrificing public services in its obsession on returning to surplus next year. Audio

7:43 AM.Police in Pennsylvania are still searching for a man suspected of killing six family members in a shooting spree in near Philadelphia. Audio

7:39 AM.A scathing report over the case of a Malaysian diplomat charged with attempted rape might still be months away from publication, but it's already causing ripples at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Global dairy prices have increased overnight, rising 2.4 percent in the final auction of 2014. Audio

7:29 AM.And our reporter Kate Newton is in Martin Place. Audio

7:26 AM.Sydney's mayor is confident the siege in Martin Place won't change the city's multi-cultural, welcoming feel. Audio

7:21 AM.The two hostages who died in the Sydney siege are being hailed as heroes. Audio

7:15 AM.Shahzeb Jillani is a BBC correspondent in Pakistan. Audio

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

6:58 AM.The Dow Jones Index is up 158 points to 17 339. Audio

6:56 AM.Mighty River Power says New Zealand has enough future geothermal capacity to run 3-million electric cars, but it isn't planning to build anymore plants until demand increases. Audio

6:55 AM.Goodman Property Trust's asset-recycling strategy is going much better-than-expected, with strong demand for its properties. Audio

6:52 AM.The accounting firm, KPMG, says the mainstream banks are increasingly competing in the non-bank finance space, attracted by the higher profit margins. Audio

6:49 AM.The Government and The Treasury are at odds over whether the promised budget surplus can be achieved. Audio

6:48 AM.The global dairy price index has risen 2-point-4 percent in the latest overnight auction, following three successive drops. Audio

6:44 AM.Kate also spoke to these two lawyers who had come to lay flowers in memory of lawyer Katrina Dawson. Audio

6:42 AM.Thousands of people have been lining up at a makeshift memorial in Sydney's Martin Place to pay tribute to the victims of the fatal siege at the Lindt cafe. Audio

6:28 AM.The Labour Party says a letter to an Iwi Leaders Group reprimanding its representative at the Climate Change hui in Peru, is a heavy handed attempt at shutting down differing opinions; A Waitangi… Read more Audio

6:25 AM.The country's editors say a major review into how Official Information Act requests are handled must address the government's deliberate delaying tactics. Audio

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

6:19 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

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

6:00 AM.Horror in a Pakistan school as Taliban fighters kill more than 130 children, Pakistan's government vows to keep fighting terrorism. Sydney's mayor tells us the city is unbowed by yesterday's fatal… Read more Audio