Morning Report for Friday 1 September 2017

6:00 AM.Tax, water and housing concerns were all debated at length by Bill English and Jacinda Ardern in last night's TVNZ leaders debate. The debate came just an hour after shock 1 News Colmar Brunton poll… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.Another round of Brexit talks have wrapped up, with the European Union and United Kingdom apparently at odds over how successful they were. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator says both parties remain… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.Sixteen fire crews were called to a fire at an unoccupied apartment block in Auckland early on Friday morning. Firefighters using breathing apparatus went inside the three-storey building on… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Tax, water and housing concerns were all debated at length by Bill English and Jacinda Ardern in last night's TVNZ leaders debate. The debate came just an hour after shock 1 News Colmar Brunton poll… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Last night's TVNZ Colmar-Brunton poll saw Labour ahead of National for the first time in twelve years. Soon after, the National and Labour leaders faced off for their first debate, going blow for blow… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.A block of flats in Aro Street has been evacuated after a large slip has come down behind it. Audio

7:29 AM.There have been fires and explosions at a flood damaged chemical plant near Houston forcing the evacuation of people in nearby homes. US correspondent Rory Carroll describes the scene. Audio

7:37 AM.It's been revealed that not a single one of New Zealand's 315 police buildings constructed before 2011 have had a full earthquake safety check. Canterbury's district health buildings and a central… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.The Government has begun urgent talks with Australia over the Queensland's state government's "discriminatory" trade policy which takes effect today. Trade Minister Todd McClay joins us. Audio

7:41 AM.People who've bought houses in Canterbury since the September 2010 earthquake and are still battling with insurance companies over repairs, have been told that if they want to take the matter to… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.Dozens of floral tributes, photos and messages laid at the gates of Kensington Palace in London have marked the 20th anniversary since Princess Diana's death. LBC reporter Rachael Venables is in… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.The former Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei is back on the campaign trail telling a crowd in Christchurch last night she wants to be back in parliament. Audio

8:21 AM.A North Canterbury councillor says the district's water is going to be chlorinated, not because of safety concerns, but because the council is worried about its liability. Audio

8:27 AM.Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared victory over the Islamic State in tel Afar. IS fighters have been holding onto the northern Iraq city for the last three years but it has now fallen… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Almost two years after Solid Energy collapsed and many fraught arguments since, the last significant sale of its assets formally concludes today. The new company takes over from today and 99 percent… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.West Coast dredging ship Kawatiri has been used to keep the local port open, but now the Buller District Council has decided to sell it; and one councillor says that decision is the beginning of the… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Just one percent of all Fire and Emergency NZ staff are Pasifika, and one of Auckland's first Pacific Island firefighters is urging more to join the ranks, saying they could be lifesavers for the… Read more Audio