Morning Report for Friday 19 December 2014

8:55 AM.Let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio

8:50 AM.The pioneers will come ashore, the cannon will fire and the best beards will be chosen this weekend as Hokitika celebrates its 150th birthday. Audio

8:46 AM.The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association is backing a move by the Maori military veterans seeking compensation, but says that everyone who served should be entitled to the same thing; A… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.A new code of practice for the use of fluoride in drinking water supplies has been released by Water New Zealand. Audio

8:38 AM.Players in the telco industry say a planned new trans-Tasman data cable should've happened years ago. Audio

8:33 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:30 AM.As we reported last hour, hundreds of people will gather this Sunday at a tiny Bay of Islands beach -- to celebrate New Zealand's first bicentenary. Joining us is Samuel Marsden, the great, great… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.A former Peshawar resident now living in New Zealand is in disbelief over the Taliban's barbarity following Tuesday's school massacre in Pakistan. Audio

8:22 AM.The government is moving to regulate small airfields in the wake of a fatal air accident over Paraparaumu airport in 2008. Audio

8:19 AM.Amnesty International says the charges against three men, including a New Zealander, in Myanmar are an excessive restriction on freedom of expression. Audio

8:15 AM.The Boston bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has appeared in court after spending almost a year and a half in solitary confinement. Audio

8:11 AM.The Somali-born New Zealander accused of trying to fight with jihadist forces in Syria will stand trial in Australia. Audio

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

7:56 AM.Hundreds of people will gather this Sunday at a tiny Bay of Islands beach -- to celebrate New Zealand's first bicentenary. Audio

7:52 AM.An Auckland family with a severely disabled daughter says they have been waiting two years for a small change to be made to their state house that would dramatically improve their lives. Audio

7:49 AM.Environmental group Sea Shepherd wants the Australian authorities to impound a suspected Nigerian poaching vessel called Thunder. Audio

7:43 AM.An advertising expert is warning that sport will be the loser if a ban on alcohol sponsorship and advertising is imposed. Audio

7:39 AM.And listening to that in France is the L'Equipe newspaper's rugby journalist, Richard Escot. Audio

7:35 AM.All Blacks first five Dan Carter is set to be the highest-paid rugby player in the world. Audio

7:26 AM.Three men, including a New Zealander, have gone on trial in Myanmar on charges of insulting Buddhism. Audio

7:22 AM.Hollywood stars have reacted with dismay to the cancellation of the release of the film. Audio

7:17 AM.North Korea ordered cyber attacks on Sony according to federal investigators in the United States.. Audio

7:11 AM.President Vladimir Putin has held a marathon "end of year news" conference in an attempt to reassure Russians not to panic as their economy slides towards recession. Audio

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

6:59 AM.The Dow Jones Index is up 267 points to 17 624. Audio

6:57 AM.Ratbag-as-a-service is the kind of computer hacking service anyone can hire to do significant damage to an information system. Audio

6:54 AM.The consortium led by the businessman Mark Stewart is hoping the corporate regulator will make a speedy decision on its latest application for regulatory clearance to take over Acurity Health. Audio

6:53 AM.Spark's internet TV business has formed a joint venture with Coliseum Sports Media to offer premium sport content to subscribers. Audio

6:51 AM.Finzsoft's managing director and major shareholder has set up a company to takeover the banking software firm. Audio

6:49 AM.The economy grew 1 percent in the September quarter with spending growing an even stronger 1.3 percent. Audio

6:27 AM.A Far North iwi is planning to buy back its ancestral maunga - Whakakoro; The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association is backing a move by the Maori military veterans seeking compensation… Read more Audio

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

6:20 AM.The latest from the Pacific region Audio

6:14 AM.The Dunedin City Council is being slammed for not picking up the Citifleet fraud sooner than it did. Audio

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

6:00 AM.President Putin spends two hours reassuring Russians the collapsing rouble does not mean economic doom. No laughing in Hollywood as Sony bows to North Korean threats and pulls the plug on its latest… Read more Audio