Morning Report for Wednesday 12 December 2018

6:00 AM.Crisis talks as Air New Zealand engineers plan to strike for three days next week, Queenstown holds a candlelight vigil for Grace Millane, and Have truck and bus inspectors been bending the rules on… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.Kane Williamson has become the first New Zealand batsman to break the 900-point barrier in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen following a stellar performance in the third Test against Pakistan… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.For the latest on the UK-EU Brexit negotiations, Guyon Espiner talks to our correspondent in Brussels, Kevin Ozebek. Audio

6:16 AM.A Kaikohe kaumātua says it's time for women to take charge of steering Ngāpuhi towards a Treaty settlement. About 70 percent of hapū have voted "no" to a new mandate model, put together by a… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.People on the streets want to see action as well as words from the government as their communities struggle with the problems of drug abuse, lack of mental health services and housing shortages… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.An early look at the day's business news and overnight action on global financial markets. Audio

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

6:39 AM.Renters rejoice - letting fees are gone. From today, the law that bans letting agents and property management companies from charging a fee to tenants for their services comes into effect. But some of… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.A fire that has destroyed a large two storey house in Remuera overnight. It is being treated as suspicious. Fire and Emergency is asking the police to investigate how the fire started in the house -… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.Fast food operator stakes future growth to Taco Bell. Kiwisaver hardship applications on the rise. Huawei 5G ban could affect revamp of NZ-China free trade deal. Financial markets remain skittish.  Audio

7:06 AM.Kane Williamson has climbed to number two in world cricket's test batting rankings and has a prime opportunity to usurp India's Virat Kohli from the number one spot. Audio

7:13 AM.The best friend of one of Grace Millane's older brothers was among the crowd at a candlelit vigil in Queenstown last night to remember the 22-year-old British backpacker. About a hundred people… Read more Video, Audio

7:16 AM.The justice sector's chief science advisor has singled out early intervention as a crucial way to combat New Zealand's staggering family violence statistics. A report into family violence was… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.In the wake of the death of UK backpacker Grace Millane in Auckland, many people on social media have expressed anger and sadness at the problem of violence in New Zealand. Vigils are being held… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.The British Prime Minister Theresa May embarked on an EU charm offensive to save her Brexit deal - a day after she suspended a parliamentary vote on the current arrangements - a vote she was very… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.More on our lead story - the threatened strike by Air New Zealand engineers. Crisis talks are under way this morning to try to avert the industrial action. We're joined by Brent Thomas from the House… Read more Audio

7:39 AM.There's concern buses and trucks are also caught up in the road safety crisis centred on dodgy warrants of fitness for cars. Transport industry players say truck and bus inspectors have also been… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.A new study has found one in three nurses have fallen asleep at the wheel while driving home from work. Massey University's Sleep/Wake Centre says fatigue is fact of life in a work environment like a… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.The National Party wants to know if taxpayers are paying for a chief executive who is not showing up to his job. The head of KiwiBuild, Stephen Barclay, has not been at work since early last month… Read more Audio

7:56 AM.The SPCA is investigating after a video surfaced on Facebook of a man punching a possum in the head. In the video the man can be seen approaching a possum sitting on a fence post - he then delivers a… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The Black Caps cricket captain Kane Williamson is closing in on the world number one ranking for test batsman. Audio

8:10 AM.The Health Minister David Clark has hailed the government's medicinal cannabis bill as the most progressive legislation of its type ever passed in Parliament. But National is calling it… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Back now to Phil Pennington's story about truck and bus inspectors bending or breaking the rules when it comes to issuing certificates of fitness. National's transport spokesperson Paul Goldsmith… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.Hiwi Tauroa, the educator, rugby coach and former Race Relations Conciliator, has died aged 91. He held the post of Race Relations Conciliator during the 1981 Springbok tour, struggling to heal the… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.Ngāpuhi hapū are calling a hui in the new year to discuss how to advance the Ngāpuhi Treaty settlement. This time, they say, women will be leading the process. Audio

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

8:41 AM.Towns around New Zealand are struggling to cope with growing drug problems, a lack of mental health services and a severe housing shortage. That's the message six communities want to give the the… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The European Court of Justice has ruled that Britain can cancel Brexit without the consent of the other EU member states. The judges say a country is free to change its mind until the withdrawal… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Engineers working for Air New Zealand have voted to strike for three days before Christmas over ongoing pay and working conditions disputes. E Tū union organiser Savage tells Susie Ferguson it's not… Read more Audio