Morning Report for Friday 23 October 2015

8:57 AM.Let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh Audio

8:54 AM.A hundred years ago today nearly thirty members of a New Zealand medical team drowned after their ship was sunk by a German U-boat in the Aegean Sea during the First World War. Audio

8:50 AM.A native plant has been nurtured back from the brink of extinction. Audio

8:46 AM.It's Labour Weekend tomorrow and a bit of DIY is on the agenda for many us, but for some that's now stretching as far as making our own coffins. Audio

8:43 AM.Charter schools have been pilloried for enrolling fewer students than they're being paid for this year, but some are talking about growth and expansion. Audio

8:37 AM.A woman's acute sense of smell may lead to a new way of detecting Parkinson's disease. Audio

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

8:28 AM.With a spot in the Rugby World Cup final at stake and despite friendly words from South African coach Heyneke Meyer, Sunday morning's clash between the All Blacks and the Springboks is shaping up as… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.So what do you do if you are South African and live here, Alex Ashton went out to meet some. Audio

8:22 AM.The All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen, says his South African counter-part is playing mind games in the build up to their Rugby World Cup semi-final clash. Audio

8:19 AM.Just a few months after the electrification of Auckland's commuter train network, brackets which keep overhead power lines under tension, are having to be replaced. Audio

8:15 AM.Three of New Zealand's most offensive and controversial place names will be replaced if the public supports a proposal before the Geographic Board. Audio

8:10 AM.The Government is reluctant to say whether it'll back Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Audio

8:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:57 AM.A Coroner's inquiry into the killing of a security guard in 2011 says a new code of practice is needed to ensure guards are trained properly before working alone. Audio

7:53 AM.Thirteen government MPs in Vanuatu have begun jail sentences overnight leaving more than a quarter of the seats in the country's parliament empty. Audio

7:50 AM.And listening to that is TV3 reporter Heather Du Plessis-Allan. Audio

7:45 AM.Gun City is vowing to take a private prosecution against TV3 reporter Heather Du Plessis-Allan after she flouted gun laws this week. Audio

7:41 AM.A teacher and a student are dead and other children are injured after an attack at a Swedish school by a masked man armed with a sword. Audio

7:38 AM.New Zealanders may be starting to be taken off Christmas Island. Audio

7:29 AM.And listening to that is Dr David Wells, a principal scientist in the reproductive team at AgResearch. Audio

7:24 AM.A report on the first fifteen years of genetically-engineered animals in New Zealand claims the experiments have been an expensive failure. Audio

7:21 AM.Daniel Vettori has been accused in court of lying in the Chris Cairns pergury trial. The former Black Cap captain is the latest in a long list of big cricketing names to give evidence at the Southwark… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Decontamination teams will begin work at Dunedin Hospital this morning as more areas are examined for asbestos. Audio

7:14 AM.The police national manager of road policing, Steve Greally, said the figures did not show police were choosing to flout the law. Audio

7:10 AM.More police officers are being caught speeding, sometimes clocking more than 100 kilometres per hour in suburban streets. Audio

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

6:59 AM.The fledgling Kiwi Regional Airlines which plans to fly several provincial routes has been given the thumbs up from Civil Aviation Authority to operate commercially. Audio

6:57 AM.American stocks are strongly higher after two days of losses, boosted by strong results from McDonald's and Dow Chemicals Audio

6:55 AM.And it was a similar sort of story from the operator of Bluff, South Port which also had its annual meeting yesterday. Audio

6:55 AM.A communication expert says tougher regulations have been driving a significant improvement in plain English documents, although some are streets ahead of others in spelling out the fine print. Audio

6:52 AM.The Port of Tauranga says it expects flat earnings this year because of soft dairy and log markets affecting cargo volumes. Audio

6:50 AM.Record numbers of tourists are forcing Auckland International Airport to up its capital spending to expand its airport infrastructure. Audio

6:43 AM.It's less than 48 hours before the All Blacks take on South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi final. Audio

6:40 AM.With wet weather forecast for much of the country police are urging motorists to take care on the road this Labour weekend. Audio

6:25 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:16 AM.US democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has faced a grilling by Republican opponents over her record as former secretary of state. Audio

6:13 AM.Decontamination teams will begin work at Dunedin Hospital this morning as more areas are examined for asbestos. Audio

6:10 AM.Labour MP Kelvin Davis is urging the Government to use Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nation Human Rights Council as a lever to get a better deal for New Zealand detainees. Audio

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

6:00 AM.A huge increase in the number of police being caught speeding. Decontamination teams search for asbestos at Dunedin hospital. - We ask what it means for patients and staff? Also, Daniel Vettori is… Read more Audio