Morning Report for Wednesday 27 January 2016

8:55 AM.Things are getting serious at the Australian Open as the tournament goes into the last of the quarter-finals today. Audio

8:51 AM.Karamea might be losing its only constable. New Zealand police have issued a consultation paper which would see eight roles throughout the West Coast disestablished and another eight created. Audio

8:47 AM.Staff working at the Nelson-based fish processing firm Sealord, fear for their futures as they wait to find out who has lost their job. Audio

8:40 AM.The annual stocktake of doctors shows we have more of them, they're getting older, more are female and more are Maori. Audio

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

8:28 AM.As you heard 71 refugees are already here, another 11 are due to arrive soon. Audio

8:26 AM.The imminent arrival of Syrian refugees in the capital is encouraging more Wellingtonians to volunteer to help the newcomers settle into New Zealand. Audio

8:22 AM.The plumbing watchdog has brought in a former police detective to crack down on cowboy tradespeople and is poised to employ a second investigator next week. Audio

8:18 AM.Winston Peters says National's concessions to the Maori Party to gain support for its resource management reforms are leading the country down the path of separatism. Audio

8:12 AM.The Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her businessman husband Hugh Fletcher could face a 750-dollar fine for giving cattle access to a high country Canterbury lake. Audio

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

7:58 AM.The Airforce's 50-year-old Hercules planes are being put through their paces as part of an exercise in the Hawke's Bay. Audio

7:54 AM.A 20-year-old man who drowned yesterday at a popular swimming hole in the Far North is the thirteenth such death this year. Audio

7:46 AM.Upset and frustrated Port Vila locals are worried about the economic fallout from Air New Zealand continued boycott of Vanuatu's main airport. Audio

7:41 AM.The first of a series of public anti-Trans Pacific Partnership meetings has been held in Auckland with critics arguing it's not yet a done deal. Audio

7:38 AM.The International ratings agency Fitch has revised down its assessment of New Zealand's economic outlook. Audio

7:36 AM.Returning now to reports of a shooting at the Naval Medical Centre in San Diego in California. Audio

7:28 AM.The Danish parliament has just passed a bill that will make its rules for asylum-seekers the strictest in Europe. Audio

7:24 AM.Auckland's downtown rail tunnel is likely to be finished years earlier than first planned because of a funding commitment expected today from the Prime Minister. Audio

7:19 AM.Samoa's Ministry of Health says a government travel warning to pregnant New Zealand women planning to visit Samoa are an over reaction. Audio

7:11 AM.The Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, and her businessman husband Hugh Fletcher are being investigated by the Canterbury Regional Council after cattle from their farm were photographed standing in a… Read more Audio

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

6:58 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

6:57 AM.Growth in the manufacturing and services sectors points to the economy having sped up at the end of last year, with enough new orders to keep the momentum going over the first part of the year. Audio

6:55 AM.The global workplace provider, Regus, says there's an old world solution to the new business challenges posed by Auckland's unaffordable housing and inadequate infrastructure. Audio

6:53 AM.The specialist recruiter, Robert Half, says strong confidence in the economy is driving demand for finance and accounting staff -- and creating wage pressures as well. Audio

6:51 AM.Air New Zealand says it's likely it will engage in further big discounting of fares to fill its planes on domestic and international routes. Audio

6:41 AM.The Chief Justice and her businessman husband are being investigated by the Canterbury Regional Council after cattle from their farm were seen standing in a high country lake. Audio

6:26 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:17 AM.Business reporter Jonathan Mitchell joins Morning Report with what's happening in the financial world. Audio

6:12 AM.The Democratic candidates for President sparred yesterday afternoon in their final television town hall event, ahead of the first vote in the United States primaries, which take place in Iowa on… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.The Trade Minister, Todd McClay, is rejecting accusations the benefits from the Trans Pacific Partnership are exaggerated. Audio

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

6:00 AM.ECan to investigate chief justice's cattle. Samoa questioning New Zealand's zika travel advice. Government expected to confirm funding for $2.5 billion Auckland rail link. Danish parliament passes… Read more Audio