Morning Report for Thursday 18 December 2014

8:56 AM.The game between Auckland City and the South American champions, San Lorenzo, is underway. Audio

8:53 AM.A Canterbury emergency services first has taken place at Christchurch's gondola on the steep, windswept Port Hills. Audio

8:47 AM.Auckland lawyers are rallying to keep a court social worker in her job; Housing New Zealand says it's not to blame for the small number of loans issued to Maori to build houses on their shared land… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Petrol prices have dipped below $1.70 a litre in some areas as oil companies rush to match a Gull Christmas promotion. Audio

8:35 AM.Phillip John Smith's lawyer says a further accomplice in his client's escape could be in front of a court early in the New Year. Audio

8:32 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:29 AM.Auckland's rescue helicopter pilots are celebrating a new state-of-the-art flight simulator that staff largely built themselves. Audio

8:27 AM.Original flight paths proposed for aircraft coming into Auckland airport have been altered after angry feedback from people not keen on the noise from planes constantly flying overhead. Audio

8:20 AM.The government's been called on to ban alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport. Audio

8:17 AM.A report calling for the ban of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport is being labelled a feel good piece that will do little to tackle New Zealand's binge drinking culture. Audio

8:11 AM.Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has promised to rid his country of terrorism after the massacre at a school in Peshawar which killed 141 people, 132 of them children. Audio

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

7:55 AM.Russian president Vladimir Putin is planning new measures to stabilise the slumping ruble. Audio

7:52 AM.The father of an Opunake man who was murdered by a man on parole wants laws tightened. Audio

7:48 AM.A New Zealander accused of planning a trip to Syria to join jihadist forces is back in a Melbourne court today after a two month break. Audio

7:45 AM.The Australian government has launched an urgent review into the fatal Sydney siege. Audio

7:38 AM.The Auckland City football team are an hour away from the biggest match in the club's history. Audio

7:36 AM.Petrol has dipped below $1.70 a litre in some areas as oil companies rush to match a Gull Christmas campaign Audio

7:27 AM.Phillip John Smith has told police the name of the Corrections officer who helped him get a passport. Audio

7:21 AM.The United States and Cuba are taking historic steps to end a more than 50-year standoff. Audio

7:18 AM.Pakistanis living in New Zealand are reacting with outrage, sadness, and shock at the Taliban attack. Audio

7:11 AM.Mass funerals and candlelight vigils have been taking place in the Pakistan city of Peshawar, after yesterday's Taliban attack on a school in which at least 140 were killed, almost all of them… Read more Audio

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

6:58 AM.Looking at the markets. Audio

6:56 AM.Intueri Education Group says it's still looking for other businesses to acquire. Audio

6:53 AM.New capital raised by Comvita will go towards paying off bank debt built up from acquisitions and infrastructure projects. Audio

6:51 AM.Ports of Auckland says incidents such as the strikes which crippled its operations and the Canterbury earthquakes which disrupted the Port of Lyttelton's operations shows New Zealand needs a resilient… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.Pyne Gould has topped off the year with a fiery annual shareholders meeting, where the issue of transparency and accountability were front and centre. Audio

6:47 AM.The amount New Zealand owes the rest of the world fell in the September quarter to its lowest level since December 2003. Audio

6:27 AM.Auckland lawyers are rallying to keep a court social worker employed; A Far North iwi leader says valuation is the key to sorting the vexed question of whether councils should be charging rates for… Read more Audio

6:25 AM.A new report is calling for a crackdown on alcohol sponsorship and advertising saying at times, a complete ban on advertising is needed. Audio

6:20 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

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

6:07 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:00 AM.Funerals, vigils for children killed in Peshawar massacre; Pakistanis in NZ outraged, shocked, by school attack; US restrictions against Cuba eased; Phillip Smith names officer he says helped him flee… Read more Audio