Morning Report for Wednesday 9 September 2020

6:08 AM.Secondary school principals are pleased the government has made NCEA easier for Auckland students.

The city's teens will be allowed to earn more bonus credits than those in other parts of the country… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.Celebrants might soon be required to do a practice wedding, before they are allowed to conduct real ceremonies.

They're among several changes being considered, following a review looking at the… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Read more Audio

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

6:38 AM.As the election campaign gears up, so too are the spending promises from politicians. The debate has already started about which party is the best economic manager - each one of course claiming the… Read more Audio

6:53 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Health Minister Chris Hipkins says it has become apparent some close contacts of the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship church sub-cluster were not previously disclosed.

A student at St Dominic's… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.Politicians are travelling the length and breadth of the country making big spending promises - but when will the public know if it all stacks up?

The Covid-19 response has already cost the country… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Promises, promises, the National Party and the Labour Party are slugging it out over who is promising what, how much it will all cost, and how it will be paid for.

Labour's finance spokesperson Grant… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.The Automobile Association wants drink-drive testing to return to previous levels.

About a third of all fatal crashes in New Zealand involve someone under the influence, but roadside testing has… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Doubt is being cast on whether an investigation into the head of the United Fire Brigades Association will be independent enough.

The chief executive, Bill Butzbach, has been stood down while… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.'For Lease' signs are popping up in empty shop fronts and office blocks in Auckland as the effects of the second lockdown grip the city.

During August's Alert Level 3, around 3000 people started… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.Three teenage girls yesterday pleaded guilty to the murder of 90-year-old Grace Virtue, who died of a brain injury following a home invasion in Levin last year.

The pleas brought an early end to a… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.Auckland principals are confident changes to the NCEA have not undermined the qualification's credibility.

The government is allowing the city's students to earn more bonus credits than teens in… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Fatherhood, fewer pies for breakfast and a focus on the future have helped Asafo Aumua return to the black jersey. Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles says its not surprising people sceptical of Covid-19 have become caught up in a cluster in NZ.

The Health Minister Chris Hipkins has asked for police help to ensure the… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.Winston Peters has just met with Tiwai Point workers to remind them of New Zealand First's promise to keep the aluminium smelter open for another two decades.

In July Rio Tinto announced production… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.Hundreds of people are coming off the government's12-week Covid-19 Income Relief Payment, without having found a new job.

Some of them will be eligible for the benefit, but that means a big drop in… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Two newly released reports have predicted legalising cannabis could generate more than $1.4 billion dollars in public money every year.

The reports suggest decriminalizing cannabis would create up to… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.Water pistols were deployed and hecklers encouraged at the famously raucous Aro Valley candidate debate in inner-city Wellington last night.

Strict social distancing made the Wellington Central… Read more Audio

8:29 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:37 AM.An emphasis on informed, enthusiastic and ongoing consent, inclusion, and shifting social norms in relation to gender will be some of the things teachers share with students when teaching sexuality… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Travel agents will receive up to $48 million in government funding to try and claw back money spent by New Zealanders on overseas travel that was cancelled due to Covid-19.

The fund will pay a fee to… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Parents and caregivers are being urged to keep their children off social media after footage of a man dying by suicide went viral on TikTok.

The social media platform has been attempting to remove… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Political parties outside of parliament feel hard-done-by for being excluded from TVNZ's election debates.

TVNZ yesterday announced it had changed the criteria for its leaders debate, paving the way… Read more Audio

8:55 AM.Descendants of soldiers who fought in the Māori Battalion say they were blown away to learn their family members never received their war medals.

A list of 134 soldiers from the battalion's C company… Read more Audio