Morning Report for Wednesday 4 September 2019

6:09 AM.Economist and housing specialist Shamubeel Eaqub says Kiwibuild is a distraction and was never going to solve the problems that caused a housing crisis. Today the Housing Minister Megan Woods will… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.Conservative MP Phillip Lee has defected to the Liberal Democrats ahead of a showdown between Boris Johnson and Tory rebels over Brexit. His defection means that Boris Johnson no longer has a working… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.A veteran Green Party feminist and lesbian activist has sparked a storm among party members by warning that MPs' attitudes to transgender issues risks undermining women's rights. Jill Abigail wrote an… Read more Audio

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

6:40 AM.The Minister for Children says she won't consider changing the law allowing teenage offenders to be held in police cells - despite ongoing calls to do so. Latest figures this week revealed seven young… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.A youth counselling service that concentrates on people dealing with suicide and trauma says it's had to turn people away because of a lack of funding. Skylight says it provided 13,000 counselling… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Two housing experts have given up on Kiwibuild before the reset has even been announced. Today, Housing Minister Megan Woods will unveil the government's recalibration - seven months and one demoted… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Anti-abortion counselling organisations have received more than $330,000 of taxpayer money in the past 15 years. The government grants are for organisations that benefit communities but they are not… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.The Green Party has gone into damage control mode over a flare up among members about the party's attitude to transgender rights. An opinion piece in the party's newsletter has outraged some members… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lost his majority in the UK Parliament. Conservative MP Phillip Lee defected to the Liberal Democrats ahead of a showdown between Mr Johnson and Tory rebels over… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.A review of the health and disability system is pointing to a debilitating lack of leadership, co-operation and equity. It has also raised questions about the role of District Health Boards and… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.An interim report of the government's review of the health system is pointing to widespread and systemic flaws. It says healthcare organisations do not co-operate well, many professionals resist… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.The Minister for Children Tracey Martin will not outlaw youth detention in police cells - despite widespread agreement it's an unsuitable practice. She says everyone agrees police cells aren't right… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.The jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering his former girlfriend's daughter resumes its deliberations this morning. Two-year-old Ariah Roberts died from a brain injury while in the care of… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.The Tall Blacks beat Montenegro 93-83 overnight to keep alive New Zealand's hopes at the Basketball World Cup in China. The most dramatic action happened off the court, with Montenegro's fiery coach… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Works by the feminist, pacifist and modernist painter Rita Angus are destined for a world first exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts next year. Hers will be the first solo show of a New… Read more Video, Audio

8:10 AM.Top doctors in Waikato and Northland are making an urgent call for a national immunisation programme against measles. Measles cases continue to climb in Auckland, with an extra eight in the past day… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.The government's re-jigged plan for Kiwibuild is due to be announced this afternoon. The flagship policy promised a 100,00 homes in ten years, with 1000 coming in the first year - but so far only 258… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.Anti-abortion counselling organisations have received more than $330,000 of taxpayer money in the past 15 years. This is despite the rules for Community Organisation Grants Scheme specifying that… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Hurricane Dorian is moving very slowly north west over the Bahamas leaving devastation and flooding in its wake. Five people are confirmed dead but this number is expected to increase. Susie Ferguson… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.Former prime minister Helen Clark wants New Zealanders to vote yes in next year's cannabis referendum. The recommendation comes off the back of a report released by her foundation, The Case for Yes… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Tourism industry leaders say it's inevitable security screening will be introduced at regional airports. Screening currently takes place for aircraft with more than 90 seats. But there was general… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The opening of the $850 million Transmission Gully motorway north of Wellington is likely to be delayed. It is supposed to open in May next year, but the Transport Agency says delays to some "critical… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.UK MPs are about to vote on taking control of the parliamentary agenda from the government. If the vote passes, tomorrow morning they will bring forward a bill that would force Prime Minister Boris… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.The quarter-finals are underway at the US Open in New York, where Daniil Medvedev is leading Stan Warwrinka two sets to one on centre court.The big matches will take place this evening though, with… Read more Audio