Morning Report for Wednesday 2 September 2015

8:54 AM.In a major shift by the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is to give all priests discretion to forgive women who have had an abortion during a forthcoming Holy year Audio

8:50 AM.An East Coast family are fighting to keep their ancestral land not once, but twice; Ngati Paoa in Auckland says it's with a heavy heart that the iwi considers court action to affirm its mana whenua… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.And further south, they feel they're getting second class travel. Audio

8:42 AM.Rapidly rising patronage on Auckland's rail network could prompt a rethink about buying additional trains. Audio

8:39 AM.As the votes roll in, Hawke's Bay's amalgamation debate is heating up with shots being fired from both sides of the camp. Audio

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

8:28 AM.On the line now are writer and commentator David Slack and comedian Pinky Agnew. Audio

8:22 AM.Two former refugees say the country could easily accept more refugees - and should be more generous. Audio

8:19 AM.Thousands of migrants have been locked out of the train station in Budapest, Hungary. Audio

8:15 AM.Global markets are again in retreat after soft Chinese manufacturing data showed the woes affecting the world's second largest economy are not confined to its stock market. Audio

8:11 AM.Dairy farmers are becoming increasingly optimistic following another rise in the overnight Global Dairy Trade auction. Audio

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

7:56 AM.A former accounting and economics teacher at one of Auckland's top schools has admitted applying for credit cards in the name of a missing man and running up thousands of dollars in debt. Audio

7:52 AM.An East Coast family fears they could lose their ancestral land not once, but twice. Audio

7:46 AM.The head of a Northland charter school which two Labour MPs were rapped across the knuckles for supporting, says they did the right thing. Audio

7:44 AM.One of the Government's support partners Peter Dunne is at odds with the Prime Minister over the country's refugee quota. Audio

7:40 AM.A Syrian in New Zealand working with new migrants fleeing the Syrian civil war thinks the country's refugee quota is embarassing. Audio

7:35 AM.The police are urging victims to come forward as they look into allegations of sexual offending among students at Opotiki College. Audio

7:25 AM.The hottest debate in New Zealand at the moment is which flag you prefer. Audio

7:18 AM.Prisoners were involved in more than 12 hundred assaults in the year to June, according to figures obtained by Radio New Zealand. Audio

7:14 AM.But while there was some good news for New Zealand from yesterday's Global Dairy Trade auction, the economic headwinds facing China's economy have again weighed on markets throughout the rest of the… Read more Audio

7:11 AM.International dairy prices have risen again in the global dairy trade auction, overnight. Audio

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

6:58 AM.The Dow Jones Index is down 388 points to 16,140. Audio

6:56 AM.A slowing Chinese economy is not detering some local mayors from heading to China next week with the aim of strengthening economic ties between the two countries' regions. Audio

6:55 AM.International stockmarkets have plunged after renewed fears over growth in China. Audio

6:53 AM.One in four New Zealanders heading towards retirement are unsure about how to manage their KiwiSaver nest-egg when they hit 65. Audio

6:52 AM.Sanford is expecting to complete its exit from the tuna industry in the next couple of months. Audio

6:51 AM.Separately, economists say the country's purchasing power with the rest of the world will resume falling again, after a surprise gain in the last quarter. Audio

6:50 AM.In a sign that dairy prices may have hit the bottom, there's been a second consecutive rise in the dairy price index. Audio

6:47 AM.A shift by the Reserve Bank to reduce the number of its interest rate reviews from next year has sparked a warning from at least one economic researcher. Audio

6:39 AM.Yesterday three ferns and a black and white koru were unveiled as the four designs from which one will be chosen by referendum to go head-to-head with the current New Zealand flag in a vote next year.

6:26 AM.An East Coast family are fighting to keep their ancestral land not once, but twice; Ngati Paoa in Auckland says it's with a heavy heart that the iwi considers court action to affirm its mana whenua… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. 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.Have international dairy prices bottomed out? Prices are up more than 10 percent for the second time in a row. Political pressure grows to lift the refugee quota. New figures reveal more about the… Read more Audio