Morning Report for Thursday 23 February 2017

8:54 AM.Is the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on subsidising foreign students to do PhDs in New Zealand well spent? RNZ's education correspondent John Gerritsen canvasses the differing views. Read more Audio

8:53 AM.Australia is loosening rules around medicinal cannabis and there are moves to grow its own supply. Medical cannabis campaigner, Shane Le Brun, says there's no political will to do the same here, and… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.The Commerce Commission has turned down the planned Sky merger with Vodafone. MediaWatch's Colin Peacock sets out the commission's reasons. Audio

8:35 AM.Australia's Government is loosening importation rules around the use of its medicinal cannabis, hoping to fast-track delivery and even grow a domestic market. NZ is also reconsidering some of its… Read more Audio

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

8:29 AM.The Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says they are considering a total package of $100,000 which people who are very badly affected after drinking contaminated can apply to have a share of. He accepts… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Five people with gunshot wounds have had surgery after a shooting in Whangarei last night. Lois Williams is at the scene and says it is a quiet family street and the house in question is a rental… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Ian Telfer is on Enderby Island, south of Bluff, where efforts to increase the sea lion population appear to be working. Audio

8:16 AM.Thousands of the country's charities are not meeting the new rules for financial reporting. Audio

8:09 AM.Dr Chris Wilkins is a leading drug researcher at Massey University says the supply of methamphetamine has increased in New Zealand and we need to address it as a health problem "we can't just arrest… Read more Audio

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

7:56 AM.A warning from NZIER that NZ's economy could falter if the tide of protectionism continues to rise, and countries shy away from global trade. Audio

7:54 AM.Growth in bank deposits is slowing, forcing banks to borrow more on volatile international markets, and raising their risk profile. Audio

7:51 AM.The Environment Minister, Nick Smith, is expected to make a freshwater announcement in Auckland today. However environmentalists are not holding their breath that it will address the plight of the… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.New Zealander Patrick Rose, who is based in UNICEF's Senegal office, explains the dire famine hitting South Sudan. Audio

7:41 AM.Media commentator Paul Spain explains the twists and turns of Sky's potential merger with Vodafone, as the Commerce Commission is poised to reveal its decision on the proposed deal. He says changes… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.E Tu union says there's a glimmer of hope that Dunedin's Cadbury's factory might not be closed. Audio

7:28 AM.Ross Taylor finished yesterday's one-day-international on 102 runs, helping the Black Caps to level the ODI series 1-all with South Africa. Audio

7:22 AM.It's the fourth day of the big push to drive Islamic State out of the Iraqi city of Mosul. New Zealand journalist Campbell MacDiarmid is in nearby Erbil and says it's getting down to the real last… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:49 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

6:44 AM.Waiheke Island clinical psychologist Paora Joseph talks with RNZ News police reporter Carla Penman about the wide reach of methamphetamine Audio

6:40 AM.Eight people are being treated at Christchurch hospital after a tourist bus smashed into a car near Akaroa. The bus was carrying 31 guests from the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship. Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

6:18 AM.In the midst of a building boom many in the industry are looking for ways to address the shortage of skilled workers. Increasing the number of women in construction is one avenue being explored. Audio

6:06 AM.A update from the team at RNZ sport. Audio

6:00 AM.Surge in addicts prompts Waiheke Island's own war on meth, Motorcyclist describes bus crash scene near Akaroa, Council to debate financial help for campylobacter victims, Many civilians in Mosul on… Read more Audio