Morning Report for Wednesday 25 February 2015

8:54 AM.Scientists in Sydney have discovered rats which are given the hormone oxytocin and then alcohol remain completely sober. Audio

8:50 AM.A Crown-run indigenous food brand has missed its takings target - earning four times less than it wanted; The Qualifications Authority is defending criticism from a kura body over how two Maori… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.The Government is defending the effort being put into protecting New Zealand's biosecurity. Audio

8:41 AM.Dame Thea Muldoon has died. The widow of the late former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon was 87. Audio

8:37 AM.Drones have been seen flying over several sensitive landmarks in Paris in a night-time mystery that French police say is being taken seriously. Audio

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

8:27 AM.KPMG figures out this morning show banks in New Zealand made record profits last year, 20 percent up and totalling 4.8 billion dollars. Audio

8:21 AM.Joining us is Dr Will Hoverd from Massey University's Centre for Defence and Security Studies. Audio

8:16 AM.Last week, before the deployment was announced, we spoke with a former commander of New Zealand troops in Afghanistan, retired Colonel Richard Hall. Audio

8:11 AM.The Prime Minister is continuing to defend the decision to deploy military personnel to Iraq, saying it will help protect New Zealanders from terrorists with a 'death wish.' Audio

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

7:55 AM.The trial of Mark Lundy is continuing at the High Court in Wellington. Audio

7:52 AM.The taps at South Canterbury's Opuha dam will be turned off today. Audio

7:48 AM.There is an early setback to the Auckland Council's ambition to curb urban sprawl, with only limited backing from an independent panel considering the city's development blueprint. Audio

7:42 AM.Staying with Bio-security, officials are sounding an early warning about a pest that could do more damage to horticulture than the Queensland fruit-fly. Audio

7:39 AM.Auckland's first fruit fly was found 10 days ago, but neighbours of the property where it was found say they are still in the dark, despite the discovery of more bugs. Audio

7:28 AM.Rates in Christchurch could rise 26 percent over the next three years as part of a proposal from the city council to meet a 1.2 billion dollar budget shortfall. Audio

7:25 AM.Grounding breaking research from Australia has found that two thirds of smokers there will die from a smoking related illness. Audio

7:21 AM.The training mission has been described by Labour's defence spokesperson, Phil Goff, as a futile sacrifice. Audio

7:19 AM.The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating, has detailed the plans for New Zealand's deployment to Iraq. Audio

7:11 AM.One hundred and forty-three defence force personnel will travel to Taji, just north of Baghdad, in May to train the Iraqi army for their war against Islamic State. Audio

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

6:58 AM.The Dow Jones Index is up 70 points to 18,187. Audio

6:57 AM.Favourable economic conditions and less red tape are expected to attract more firms to list. Audio

6:55 AM.Summerset is looking to buy further retirement village sites, even though its landbank gives it another five to six years of building. Audio

6:53 AM.PGG Wrightson is expecting its earnings momentum to help boost its full-year results, despite the risk of lower dairy prices and drought conditions. Audio

6:52 AM.The latest KPMG survey has found banks made record profits last year, rising more than 20 percent to 4.8 billion dollars. Audio

6:51 AM.The central bank pays particular attention to the two-year figures as a gauge of inflation pressures. Audio

6:49 AM.Genesis Energy says it may struggle to achieve its forecast full-year operating profit, despite tripling its profit to 68.2 million dollars in the six months to December. Audio

6:47 AM.Mighty River has lowered the guidance on its underlying full year operating profit to between 480 and 500 million dollars. Audio

6:39 AM.The Prime Minister is using past deployments under a Labour Government to justify the imminent New Zealand mission to Iraq. Audio

6:27 AM.A Crown-run indigenous food brand has missed its takings target - earning four times less than it wanted; The Qualifications Authority is defending criticism from a kura body over how two Maori… Read more Audio

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

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

6:11 AM.The Prime Minister, John Key, faced fierce opposition in Parliament yesterday after he announced New Zealand would be sending a deployment of soldiers to Iraq, to train the local security forces. Audio

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

6:00 AM.The opposition slams the decision to send soldiers to Iraq, Andrew Little think they won't be able to stay safely 'behind the wire'. New Australian research suggests two thirds of smokers will die… Read more Audio