Morning Report for Thursday 21 December 2017

6:13 AM.A report by Refining New Zealand has shed more light on the Marsden pipeline rupture that stopped fuel supplies to Auckland in September. Experts have concluded the pipe was weakened after it was… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.Housing New Zealand tenants in Christchurch are welcoming news the government is scrapping plans to sell 2,500 state homes in the city. Housing Minister Phil Twyford says the announcement spells the… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Critics say the government has delivered a half-baked medicinal cannabis scheme and many people will be disappointed. The government plans to establish a regulated medicinal cannabis industry, and… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.An investigation has begun into toxic, banned firefighting foam to find out where it's still being used and stored. At the same time, a United States expert is warning that New Zealand's acceptable… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Health authorities say the mumps outbreak in Auckland is now an epidemic. They've written to the Ministry of Health urging it to launch a catch-up vaccination campaign, saying a national response is… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.Some medicinal cannabis users say the Government's plan to overhaul the law offers hope but no material changes for them. A new law will protect terminally ill people from prosecution if they use… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Some medicinal cannabis users say the government's plan to overhaul the law offers hope but no material changes for them. The new law will protect terminally ill people from prosecution if they use… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.The economic cost of shifting the vehicle import trade away from Auckland's downtown port could be as high as $1 billion. A report commissioned by the Auckland Council, but which it tried to keep… Read more Audio

7:34 AM.A principal who got a trip to Fiji and $550 to spend on his wellbeing is refusing to answer questions about other expense payments and practices at his school. David Wallis has confirmed Manurewa West… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.US House of Representatives Paul Ryan has past the biggest overhaul of the US tax code in 30 years into law. The sweeping US$1.5 trillion bill now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. The… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A United States expert is warning that New Zealand's acceptable levels for drinking water contamination from toxic firefighting foam chemicals are way too high. This comes as the Environmental… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.State house tenants in Christchurch have described the news their homes won't be sold as the best Christmas present. The Government has kept an election promise by putting an end to the mass sell-off… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.The eight iwi of Taranaki are one step closer to having their sacred mountain and ancestor, Taranaki Maunga, become a legal personality. Last night the Crown made a promise to iwi that they would be… Read more Audio

7:56 AM.We're about to head into that summer holiday period when a dip in the river or ocean is a top priority for many. And to make sure people know which swimming spots are safe, a website providing up to… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.Campaigners for medical marijuana are calling the planned new law a tiny step forward at a time giant strides are needed. But only terminally ill people with less than a year to live will be allowed… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Six political leaders began the year full of optimism but by the end their hopes had been dashed. Four of them - Metiria Turei, Peter Dunne, Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox - are no longer MPs, let… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The friend of a man electrocuted after cutting through a power cord at a campsite says a coroner's recommendations could save lives. Holiday parks across the country are working to install safety… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Taranaki is enjoying a tourism boom after the travel bible Lonely Planet named it the second best region in the world to visit in 2017. But while visitor numbers are up and they're spending more, not… Read more Audio

8:56 AM.'Jacindamania' is picked by Public Address readers as the 2017 Word of the Year. Last year readers of the blog, Public Address, picked an international array of words in the annual Word of the Year… Read more Audio