Morning Report for Thursday 16 August 2018

6:00 AM.Police emergency call workers say they're coming to work even when they are ill because they are scared of being punished for taking sick leave, Teachers say more strikes are likely if their pay… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.Brodie Retallick and Kieran Read return to the All Blacks starting lineup while Jack Goodhue gets the nod at centre for Saturday night's Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Sydney. Audio

6:16 AM.Many remote villages in Papua New Guinea's Highlands region remain in desperate need of help nearly six months on from a major earthquake. February's magnitude 7.5 quake in Hela province, killed at… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.A Ngāruawahia resident with strong ties to the Kīngitanga says she can understand why a scathing letter was sent to the Māori King. King Tuheitia's former adviser, Tukoroirangi Morgan, penned the… Read more Audio

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

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

6:42 AM.The clock is ticking on whoever leaked Simon Bridges' travel expenses as a forensic expert is being brought in to identify the person responsible. The Speaker, Trevor Mallard, has made it clear the… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.After a two year hiatus, Laura Langman will finally play netball for the Silver Ferns again. Last year the midcourter was ruled ineligible for New Zealand because she was playing club netball in… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.The Crusaders Jack Goodhue has won the contentious centre berth in a near-full strength All Blacks team to face the Wallabies in Saturday night's Rugby Championship opener in Sydney. Audio

7:11 AM.Police staff who handle emergency calls and send officers to jobs are so scared of being punished for taking sick leave they're working despite being ill or in extreme pain. The police use a formula… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Primary and intermediate teachers may strike again if their demands for more pay and better working conditions aren't met. Nearly 30,000 teachers belonging to the Educational Institute walked out of… Read more Audio

7:30 AM.Waikato-Tainui woman Brenda Maxwell says concerns about spending in the Kīngitanga are not new and she's glad they've come to light. King Tuheitia's former representative Tukoroirangi Morgan has sent… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Fonterra's new chief executive will be paid "substantially less" than the outgoing Theo Spierings. Mr Spierings finishes up next month, saying goodbye to his $8 million-a-year pay deal. Miles Hurrell… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.The New Zealand dollar is at or close to its weakest point against the US dolar in two years, but is it really a cause for concern? This morning one New Zealand dollar buys around 65 and a half US… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.Iwi leaders have walked away from the Government's bid to set up a Maori freshwater advisory group. They say the government hasn't consulted with it and that's not reflective of a treaty partnership… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Iwi leaders have walked away from the Government's bid to set up a Maori freshwater advisory group. They say the government hasn't consulted with it and that's not reflective of a treaty partnership… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Sir John Kirwan has warned the Wallabies they'll face a more potent All Blacks team with Brodie Retallick at his intimidating best. Audio

8:10 AM.A poverty action group says there is a surge in families needing government help to put food on the table. Official figures from the Ministry of Social Development shows 26,000 more hardship grants… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.Nearly all foreigners have been banned from buying most Kiwi homes as the Government moves to crack down on overseas speculators. The contentious legislation passed its final hurdle to become law last… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.The South Island was the big winner in an eight-million dollar handout from the government to improve freedom camping infrastructure. Freedom camping has been a divisive issue with many regions… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.A woman who suffered severe pain and hair loss after being fitted with the Essure sterilisation device is disgusted no one is being held accountable for the suffering it has caused countless women… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.NBR's latest Rich List has been published, and while it included some familiar faces, what has dramatically changed is the total value of the rich listers. It was a record year for wealth creation -… Read more Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:38 AM.We return to our earlier story about the huge surge in families needing government help to put food on the table. Official figures from the Ministry of Social Development shows 26,000 more hardship… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Twenty percent of New Zealanders are heavy drinkers who are responsible for drinking three quarters of the country's alcohol, yet they aren't paying the costs of cleaning up their mess. That was one… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Facebook, in a protracted battle to keep its users safe from abuse, says it is investigating the case of a Samoan woman who claims she received death threats on the platform. Samoan author Lani Wendt… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.The Silver Ferns may still be without a coach but the squad for the 2018 international season has been bolstered by two of New Zealand's most experience players. Veteran midcourter Laura Langman and… Read more Audio

8:57 AM.Tūī have started to be sighted in the port town of Lyttelton. Once a common sight around Banks Peninsula, the birds have been absent for about 40 years and are only now starting to gain a foothold… Read more Audio