Morning Report for Monday 4 March 2019

6:00 AM.Akl mayoral race heats up as Goff announces new tilt at job; Chch cops ditch guns following wanted man's arrest; Greens want prisoners given right to vote; Capital gains tax would hit Kiwisavers hard… Read more Audio

6:06 AM.The White Ferns have suffered a cleansweep loss against Australia in their three-match ODI cricket series. Audio

6:11 AM.The Labour MP Ruth Dyson is quitting politics at the next election, after spending her entire adult life involved in some way. She joined the Labour Party as a teenager, before holding a series of… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.Scientists from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research have identified more than 130 new types of illicit drugs entering the country between 2014 and 2018. ESR's Cameron Johnson says they… Read more Audio

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

6:40 AM.Aucklanders have a mayoral fight on their hands - and it looks like it's going to get scrappy. After staying coy for weeks, the current mayor Phil Goff has finally made it official - he will run… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being accused of trying to shield an engineering company from a corruption trial. The former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould says Mr Trudeau pressured… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.The White Ferns captain Amy Satterthwaite says New Zealand has some work to do if they're to compete with a professional side like Australia. Audio

7:10 AM.Aucklanders have a mayoral fight on their hands - and it looks like it's going to get scrappy. After staying coy for weeks, the current mayor Phil Goff has finally made it official - he will run… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.Police won't be carrying guns on themselves in Christchurch anymore, after the arrest of a 20 year old man. The district commander made the decision for officers to be armed because on two occasions… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.The Green Party wants to give prisoners the right to vote, change the 5 percent party vote threshhold to 4 percent and ban overseas donations to political parties. The recommendations are part of… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.The leader of the National Party says the proposed Capital Gains Tax would reduce retirement savings for an average earner's KiwiSaver by $64,000 over the course of their working life. Simon Bridges… Read more Video, Audio

7:52 AM.New Zealand Catholics are being called on to adopt zero tolerance to sex abuse by clergy. Audio

7:56 AM.The UK is moving closer to the Brexit door and there's still no deal in sight forcing New Zealand businesses to join their global counterparts in packing the sandbags in the event of worst case… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The Black Caps captain Kane Williamson admits most things are going well for his side at the moment, but they have to continue to challenge themselves. Audio

8:12 AM.In Wanaka, only five out of the original ten Kiwibuild homes at the Northlake subdivision have sold, while more than 200 homes are due to be built over the next two years. Our Otago-Southland reporter… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Questions are being raised about what will happen to Kiwibuild homes that don't sell. Underpinning the Kiwibuild programme is a commitment for the Crown to take the financial risk, as an incentive to… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The long-time Labour MP Ruth Dyson is quitting politics at the next election, saying it's time for something new. By mid-2020 she would've been a Member of Parliament for 27 years, and that's without… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.The overnight closure of the main route between the Wairarapa and Wellington is causing headaches for truckies and shift workers, who are losing money or having to change work schedules. The narrow… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.Hundreds of firefighters are battling two out-of-control bushfires blazing near Melbourne. On Friday lightning strikes sparked several fires in Bunyip State Park, which has already destroyed several… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Young people are being turned away from bars and bottle stores because staff don't recognise their new-look 18-plus identity cards. The Kiwi Access card was released by Hospitality New Zealand in… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.Highschool teachers have named April the 3rd as a national day of action, if an agreement on pay and working conditions cannot be reached in time. The question remains whether it will escalate into a… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Dan Carter's return to French club Racing 92 has hit a road block after he's failed his medical. Carter was signed in mid-February as a replacement for South African Pat Lambie who was forced to… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.Engineering companies are pushing for diversity, but while they're hiring more female graduates, they're struggling to recruit from a range of specific groups. They say they simply can't find Maori… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.Thousands of fans danced and sang their way through the tenth annual Elvis in the Gardens Concert in Auckland yesterday. Elvis tribute acts travelled from all over the world to perform at the 8 hour… Read more Audio