Morning Report for Thursday 5 September 2019

6:00 AM.Boris Johnson wants to hold a snap election on October the 15th after MPs pass a bill blocking a no-deal Brexit, A witness describes the awful first minutes after arriving at yesterday's tour bus… Read more Audio

6:05 AM.The Black Caps will be without opening batsman Martin Guptill for Saturday's third and final T20 cricket international in Sri Lanka. Audio

6:09 AM.MPs have backed a bill to block a no-deal Brexit, which could trigger Boris Johnson to seek a general election. Opposition MPs and Tory rebels ensured the bill passed its first stage by 329 votes to… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.Māori who work to protect freshwater are hoping the government's new policy statement on freshwater - due out today - will endorse Māori having authority as kaitiaki. They've been meeting in Whangarei… Read more Audio

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

6:38 AM.One of the first people on the scene of a bus crash near Rotorua in which five Chinese tourists died says the situation was awful. The bus was on its way to Rotorua yesterday morning when police say… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.The National Party says the government has broken its promise by scrapping its KiwiBuild targets. Yesterday the new minister responsible for Kiwibuild, Megan Woods, ditched the target of building… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.A child and an adult with measles are in a critical condition in intensive care and health authorities says deaths are likely if the outbreak centred on Auckland is not contained. As of yesterday… Read more Audio

7:06 AM.Switzerland's Belinda Bencic is through to her maiden Grand Slam tennis semi-final. Audio

7:11 AM.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to hold a snap election on October the 15th after MPs passed a bill to block a no-deal Brexit. MPs are currently debating whether they should go to the polls. Mr… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.A witness has described the awful first minutes after arriving at the scene of the tour bus crash near Rotorua, in which five Chinese tourists died. The police say the bus driver failed to navigate a… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to get Parliament to agree to a snap election on October the 15th. Earlier, Opposition MPs and Tory rebels voted in favour of a bill, 327 to 299, which will… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.Farmers and developers will have to budge the most on the way they use land with the government set to announce a moratorium on activities that are destructive to New Zealand's wetlands. Later this… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.The Kiwibuild reset is promising to right the wrongs of the previously failed programme, but experts say the devil will be in the detail - which is yet to be seen. The government has stripped… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.Housing Minister Megan Woods announced the Kiwibuild reset yesterday, which sees Kiwibuild stripped back to its bare bones. The govt has scrapped its 100,000 new homes target and is putting hundreds… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.Candidates on the Kāpiti Coast - including the mayor - are refusing to share the stage with the convicted sex offender and former councillor David Scott. The 73-year-old, who was convicted of indecent… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Author Lynley Hood, whose book A City Possessed argued that the child abuse trial of Peter Ellis was deeply flawed, hopes a final appeal will still be heard by the Supreme Court. Peter Ellis served… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.With the World Cup in Japan fast approaching, the New Zealand Rugby Union has sent a clear message to its sponsors to treat the haka Ka Mate with respect and acknowledge the iwi who created it. In… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Rainbow Auckland held a mayoral forum last night with John Tamihere and Phil Goff topping the bill, joined by Craig Lord and comedian Tom Sainsbury, whose alter ego Fiona the Wine Critic is also… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.The All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith says his focus and intent are miles ahead compared to the build up to the last Rugby World Cup. Audio

8:11 AM.There's turmoil in the UK parliament where MPs are debating PM Boris Johnson's attempts to call a snap election next month. He wants to go to the polls on October the 15th after British MPs earlier… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.The government has drastically dialled back its KiwiBuild programme. Housing Minister Megan Woods has ditched the long-standing target of building 100,000 homes over a decade - in fact the KiwiBuild… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.The government has drastically dialled back its KiwiBuild programme. Housing Minister Megan Woods has ditched the long-standing target of building 100,000 homes over a decade - in fact the KiwiBuild… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.Transport Agency emails reveal a flurry of activity by officials anxious to avoid embarrassment and blame after problems emerged with cameras installed in taxis. The emails from 2014 show staff had… Read more Audio

8:34 AM.Māori midwives say a workforce strategy is desperately needed as the number of midwives fails to keep up with rising Māori birth rates. There has been no Māori midwifery recruitment strategy for the… Read more Audio

8:39 AM.MPs in the UK have rejected the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attempts to call a snap election. London correspondent Olly Barratt has the details. Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Authorities are confirming the identities of five Chinese tourists killed in a bus crash near Rotorua yesterday morning, and say it could take some time to notify their next of kin. Rotorua mayor… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.The Tall Blacks insist the pressure is on Greece, not them, ahead of tonight's showdown for a spot in the second round of the Basketball World Cup in China. New Zealand will need to overcome the… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Candidates for Christchurch's mayoralty went head to head for the first time last night. Incumbent mayor Lianne Dalziel, veteran social activist John Minto and entrepreneur Darryll Park came together… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.The government has outlined its plan for how it hopes hydrogen fuel will be used in New Zealand. As part of that commitment, the Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced a quarter… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.It's been billed as the country's newest 'great walk', and money from the Provincial Growth Fund is expected to allow thousands more people to get a chance to check out the sights on the Taranaki… Read more Audio