Morning Report for Friday 19 October 2018

6:10 AM.The National Party and its executive have yet to respond to claims its president brokered a confidentiality agreement that stopped a woman speaking out about harassment allegations against Jami-Lee… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.A truck carrying chemicals has rolled on State Highway One north of Wellington, and the road is closed in both directions. A Fire and Emergency shift manager Belinda Beets said about 50 firefighters… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.The Trade Minister, David Parker, says he will be pushing for an exemption for New Zealand exporters from the US tariffs on steel and aluminium when he meets his American counterpart next week. Mr… Read more Audio

6:37 AM.Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says the Jami-Lee Ross saga represents a new low in New Zealand politics. And he says it raises serious questions about whether people can buy their way into New… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.Bus drivers are set to go on an indefinite strike in Wellington from Tuesday, but it's unclear how many will actually walk off the job. The Tramways Union and bus company Tranzurban are at odds over… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Crash investigators are expected to arrive at the scene of a fatal helicopter crash near Wanaka Airport early on Friday morning. Three people are dead, including two Department of Conservation staff… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says National's opened itself up to the accusation influence in politics can be bought. In a phone recording Jami-Lee Ross released this week of a conversation… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.The National Party has opened itself up to the accusation that influence in politics can be bought, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. In the phone recording Jami-Lee Ross released this week… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Plans for a 50,000-seat waterfront stadium with a roof in downtown Auckland that would replace Eden Park have been revealed. A group of Auckland businesses have formed the Waterfront Consortium to try… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.A Hamilton mother says she hopes her three-year-old daughter will grow up to forget the night an intruder broke into her room, held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her. Akita Pio's… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.The Silver Ferns hopes of finishing a disastrous year on a positive note were dashed last night by a slick Australian Diamonds side. The Ferns couldn't back up their break-through win last weekend… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A truck carrying chemicals has rolled north of Wellington, closing State Highway One in both directions. RNZ reporter Emma Hatton is overlooking State Highway 1 on the Paekakariki Hill Road. Audio

7:51 AM.Teachers fear the Ministry of Education is underestimating a looming teacher shortage in Auckland. The Ministry is forecasting a 2,000 teacher shortfall by 2025, but the Auckland Secondary Principals… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The helicopter that crashed on Thursday in Wanaka was carrying two Department of Conservation staff members on a tahr control operation. Both DOC workers and the pilot Nick Wallis died when the leased… Read more Audio

7:56 AM.Did Jeffrey the rooster survive the night after his less-than-stellar performance at a pet show in Taranaki on Thursday? Zeth Blair told RNZ that Jeffrey, who he said was a bit bitey and not that… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.The Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand says he's deeply hurt and disappointed by comments from Jami-Lee Ross and Simon Bridges that Chinese MPs are more valuable than Indian MPs. On Wednesday, Mr… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.The conversation between Mr Bridges and Mr Ross has sparked fresh debate about the level of Chinese donations to political parties. Anne-Marie Brady is a University of Canterbury professor who studies… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.A group of businesspeople have unveiled a plan to build a new stadium at the Auckland waterfront. The 50,000-seat stadium would be privately funded in exchange for development rights at Eden Park and… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.White House is giving Saudi Arabia a few more days to explain what happened to missing and presumed murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Saudi Arabia and then… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Mate Ma'a Tonga face their biggest test yet in a sold-out clash against rugby league world champions Australia in Auckland tomorrow night. Almost a year on from their stunning victory over New Zealand… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Resistance appears to be growing in the Far North to a new proposal to negotiate Ngapuhi treaty claims. The Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has been working for months to break through the… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.A drug court set up to deal with addicted offenders is showing positive signs of turning lives around, but one of the judges running it says it needs to be able to tighten up its offender… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.A paddock in central Taranaki has been transformed into a massive open air studio after Stratford sculptor Tai Meuli invited a few of his mates over. About 30 artists from around the country have been… Read more Audio

8:53 AM.The new A-League football season starts this weekend with the Wellington Phoenix hosting the Newcastle Jets. For a long time it appeared this could be the last rising for the Phoenix who have… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.It's Friday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio