Morning Report for Tuesday 27 February 2018

6:00 AM.Five in the running to replace Bill English -- who will National MPs choose today? Renewed demands the Royal Commission into abuse investigate the Catholic Church, And Immigrant workers say dodgy… Read more Audio

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

6:13 AM.Germany is getting close to reaching a deal to find itself a government which has been absent since the election in September. One of the big issues in negotiations has been how Angela Merkel has… Read more Audio

6:38 AM.A father and son who say Catholic Churchmen sexually abused them as schoolboys are joining the war of words over the Royal Commission into abuse in state care. The two say the inquiry is a one-off… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.The Road Transport Association is downplaying the problem of cracked truck towbars, comparing it to a lawnmower wearing out. Cracks that could cause crashes have been found in the towbars and… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.A question no one really wants to think about: what do you want done with your body when you die? Now, Cantabrians have a new option to consider, with the region's first ever eco-burial cemetery site… Read more Audio

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

7:10 AM.The new leader of the National Party will be chosen today, when the 56 MPs will lock themselves into a room and conduct a secret ballot. Simon Bridges has been considered a frontrunner right from the… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.A father and son who've accused leading Catholic clergymen of sexually abusing them as schoolboys are also accusing the Prime Minister of going back on her past assurances about an inquiry. The two… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.Three people are confirmed dead after yesterday's massive earthquake in Papua New Guinea, and there are fears the death toll could rise. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck in the Southern Highlands… Read more Audio

7:56 AM.Cashed-up Aucklanders are being blamed for pushing up property prices in Hawke's Bay to record levels. House prices and rents have risen dramatically over the past two years, while the number of… Read more Audio

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

8:10 AM.The owner of an Auckland dairy says security measures aren't working, after a staff member was attacked in broad daylight. Last year the government set up a $1.8 million fund for small business owners… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.National Party MPs hold their weekly caucus meeting this morning, but as we know, this one will be rather special. They will be farewelling their leader Bill English and voting in a new one. Simon… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.The hopefuls in the National Party leadership are arriving at Parliament for the vote on Tuesday to elect a new leader. The RNZ gallery team are there to talk to them. Audio

8:22 AM.MPs have rejected a petition calling for the government to exempt Māori land from the Public Works Act. Petitioners who include the author Patricia Grace argued in 2016 that the forced sale of… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.After New Zealand's best ever performance at a Winter Olympic games, the athletes are now arriving. There's a crowd gathering at Auckland Airport to see the team. RNZ sports reporter Ravinder Hunia is… Read more Audio