Morning Report for Thursday 14 February 2019

6:00 AM.Govt dismisses claims China stalling on ministers' visas; Auckland homes delayed by airforce base noise; Industry trainers warn govt over proposed polytech merger; Merger proposal to give trainers… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.An unbeaten century to opener Martin Guptill guided the New Zealand cricketers to a comfortable eight wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one dayer in Napier. Audio

6:08 AM.A developer says he's ready to lay the groundwork for hundreds of new homes but he's having to wait at least a year while the Auckalnd Council sets rules about noise from the Defence Force air base at… Read more Audio

6:11 AM.Building product fears fuelled by the Grenfell Tower fire in London are taking a toll here. SkyCity is replacing panels similar to those used on Grenfell, at the international convention centre being… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.Thirty Vietnam War veterans will have their bravery and exceptional service formally recognised in ceremonies at Government House in Auckland and Wellington over the next two days. Veterans' groups… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.An early look at the day's business news and a catch up on overnight action on international finance markets. Audio

6:24 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:38 AM.The Foreign Affairs Minister has outright dismissed any suggestions from the Opposition that Government ministers are being blocked from visiting China. The National Party leader Simon Bridges used… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.The government is proposing a mass merger of the country's 16 polytechnics amid concerns about their financial stability and enrolment numbers. The new entity would also become responsible for… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.Reserve Bank disappoints the doves, and says proposals to make banks hold bigger reserves could help lower lending rates rather than raise them. SkyCity looks for hotel partners. Wine industry… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.The Black Caps batsman Martin Guptill has hailed the side's complete performance as the eased to an eight wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one-day cricket international in Napier. Audio

7:10 AM.The government is under pressure to reveal whether New Zealand Ministers are being blocked from visiting China as concerns grow about the health of the relationship. Simon Bridges put the question… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.Work on hundreds of new Auckland homes is being delayed by a year or more because Auckland Council is worried about noise from engine testing at the airforce base. The council is having a second go at… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Industry training organisations are worried a government proposal to merge all sixteen of the country's polytechnics will result in fewer apprentices being trained. Most polytechnics are seeing… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Industry training organisations are worried a government proposal to merge all 16 of the country's polytechnics will result in fewer apprentices being trained. But Minister of Education Chris Hipkins… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Children and the elderly are among the fifty-five patients who may have been exposed to surgical equipment that wasn't properly sterilised at Hawke's Bay Hospital. It was discovered on Monday that a… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.People who'd spent weeks preparing to make submissions to a parliamentary select committee are furious a spat between MPs denied them the opportunity on Wednesday. The Finance and Expenditure select… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.The committee chair Labour's Michael Wood says National could have made up the numbers but refused. National MP David Carter joins Susie Ferguson with his response. Audio

7:49 AM.Patience is wearing thin among some Tasman residents who still don't know when they might be allowed to return home. Many of more than 3-thousand people evacuated by a wildfire that has razed about… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.More than four decades after the Vietnam War ended, soldiers who were mentioned in dispatches will be honoured at ceremonies this week. The Minister for Veteran Affairs Ron Mark says it will give them… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The New Zealand batsmen Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls put on 103 for the opening stand in last night's win over Bangladesh - the first century opening partnership of the summer in ODI's for the… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Junior doctors are back at work after their latest two-day strike in a deep dispute with district health baords. The doctors returned to work at 8am. Both sides say the strike went as planned at… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Back to the Education Minister's proposal to merge the country's 16 polytechs. Earlier we spoke to Chris Hipkins who said the merger will create efficiencies, save money and end the financial woes of… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.Earlier we spoke to Chris Hipkins about the proposed merger of polytechnics in New Zealand. He says it will create efficiencies, save money and end the financial woes. The new entity would also become… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Former comedian turned mental health advocate Mike King has been named the New Zealander of the Year. Mr King has been working with health professionals and charities to bring issues like depression… Read more Video, Audio

8:32 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:37 AM.Hanmer Springs in north Canterbury is going smokefree for six months, starting Thursday. In a New Zealand first, public property in the town centre is going smoke and vape free, including on… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.After a bad week for wildlife, Forest and Bird says the government should crack down on fishing companies and ban trawlers from fishing in waters where endangered species live. This week four… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.Officials in Papua New Guinea are looking for nearly 300 cars imported for November's APEC summit that have gone missing. The police have even gone as far as creating a special unit to recover the… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Council officers in the Far North have seized the dogs they suspect attacked an elderly man in Kaikohe this week. Jim Morgan - who's 95 - was bitten on the hip by one of two unregistered dogs that… Read more Audio

8:53 AM.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will reopen the Christmas Island detention centre which closed in October last year. It comes in response to a government defeat in Parliament, when a… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.A thick dust cloud that's been causing problems with visibility and air quality in the south east of Australia is expected to arrive in New Zealand later on Thursday. MetService says it will be blown… Read more Audio

8:58 AM.US space agency NASA has called time on its Mars Rover, Opportunity. The robot known as 'Oppy' and its twin robot, called Spirit, landed on Mars in January 2004 with the goal of investigating whether… Read more Audio