Morning Report for Friday 18 March 2016

8:57 AM.Police investigating the murder of a gangland lawyer on a Melbourne street say they suspect a pizza store owner who's said to be the city's mafia boss. Audio

8:51 AM.Female artists from around the Pacific region are reviving lost cultural art forms and reinventing creative traditions that have existed for generations. Audio

8:45 AM.Maori claimants remain unconvinced the Government has acted in their best interests in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Audio

8:40 AM.A community housing umbrella group says it's concerned an overseas consortium has made it on to a shortlist of providers bidding to take on 15-hundred state houses. Audio

8:36 AM.Dunedin's economy is sailing out of the doldrums for the first time in 10 years. Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:24 AM.The New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is claiming some ethnic restaurants are in fact operating as fronts for illegal immigration. Audio

8:20 AM.The Health Ministry is being accused of rushing through major changes to a vital screening programme for cancer in New Zealand women. Audio

8:17 AM.It's been another week of bad news for the dairy industry as yet more indicators point to an end of the white gold rush. Audio

8:11 AM.Owners of new high rise buildings in Christchurch are demanding assurances that steel reinforcing used in their construction is up to standard. Audio

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

7:55 AM.The 2016 Auckland Arts Festival has three days left but reviewer Justin Gregory has already seen his last show. Morning Justin! What was it? Audio

7:50 AM.Listening to that in our Wellington studio is Green Party Finance spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter. Audio

7:44 AM.The Finance Minister Bill English has conceded that on a per person basis, incomes are dropping. Audio

7:39 AM.Donald Trump winning the US presidency has been named one of the top ten risks currently facing the world. Audio

7:35 AM.The New Zealand Olympic chef de mission Rob Waddell says he's confident everything will be ready in time for the Olympic Games despite behind-the-scenes chaos in Rio. Audio

7:20 AM.An RNZ Insight Investigation has uncovered evidence the Transport Accident Investigation Commission has been underfunded for more than a decade, despite repeated warnings to the Government that public… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.The Whangarei council's in a race against time to save a dwindling eel population from destruction. Audio

7:15 AM.Dairy farm prices have fallen more than 20 percent in a year. Audio

7:11 AM.A top laboratory says Steel and Tube's test results for critical quake strengthening steel mesh cannot be trusted Audio

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

6:59 AM.Todd Corporation, the privately held Wellington based company, has made a takeover offer for small scale Australian iron ore mining company Flinders Mines. Audio

6:58 AM.American stocks are firmer after the Fed, rises in commodity prices .. Audio

6:55 AM.Water that's up to 30,000 years-old has become a signature ingredient in the beer, ciders and soft drinks made and bottled at Nelson's McCashin's Brewery. [tags ] McCashin's Brewery Audio

6:53 AM.A delegation of more than 30 chief executives and representatives of French listed companies and smaller businesses are in New Zealand looking for investment and partnership opportunities. Audio

6:52 AM.The executive recruitment arm of labour firm, AWF-Madison, says businesses should consider quitting Auckland and relocating to the regions where there are a growing number of skilled people looking… Read more Audio

6:51 AM.The New Zealand dollar grew wings yesterday under the combined influence of a soft talking U.S. Federal Reserve and stronger than expected local economic growth figures. Audio

6:49 AM.On the surface the economic growth numbers for the fourth quarter that were published were respectable. Audio

6:42 AM.The Prime Minister denies New Zealand's intelligence and security agencies is being politicised, in the wake of the debate over jihadi brides. Audio

6:39 AM.The owner of a company which scrutinises laboratory testing equipment says you cannot trust the results from a lab that is not independently audited. Audio

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

6:22 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

6:17 AM.The first major housing subdivision in Dunedin for years is filling up unexpectedly fast. Audio

6:14 AM.The sugar industry in Fiji is set for a difficult year of recovery in the wake of cyclone Winston, with the industry as a whole looking at a loss of about US $60 million. Audio

6:09 AM.The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has accused the Islamic State group of committing genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East. Audio

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

6:00 AM.Can Steel and Tube's quake strengthening steel mesh be trusted? Dairy farm prices plummet by 20 percent. An RNZ Insight investigation uncovers evidence the Transport Accident Investigation Commission… Read more Audio