Morning Report for Friday 18 September 2020

8:54 AM.It's Friday so we cross the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Activists who led the historic 1972 Māori Language Petition are still fighting for te reo to be compulsory in schools. 

They gathered 30,000 signatures asking for the language to be taught in all… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.A pop-up testing centre has been set up at Chapel Downs School in Auckland this morning after health officials recommended all students and staff be tested for Covid-19.

It's in response to a student… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.The battle for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate is heating up with several candidates fancying their chances against Labour's Kelvin Davis, including the controversial leader of the co-leader of the… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.There are fears an outbreak of measles or whooping cough could re-emerge once borders open, if thousands of children who have missed vaccinations because of Covid-19 are not caught up quickly.

… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Security at Hamilton's Covid-19 isolation hotels has been boosted significantly with the arrival of 57 defence force staff.

That brings the number of military working at the city's three quarantine… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.Fonterra's just released its annual results. 

Business Editor Gyles Beckford gives Corin Dann the details. Read more Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Elbow bumps, physically distanced public meetings and a liberal dousing of hand sanitiser - it's all part of the new normal out on the campaign trail.

It seems some politicians are adjusting better… Read more Audio

8:08 AM.A former student at Dilworth school in Auckland has spoken of his grief and anger at the abuse that went on there and says it was the seven, eight and nine year olds who suffered the most.

Seven men… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Golf world number three Justin Thomas fired his lowest first-round score in a major to grab the early U.S. Open clubhouse lead while New Zealand's Ryan Fox and Tiger Woods are well off the pace. Audio

7:56 AM.Ever think you're paying too much for your mobile phone plan?

Well, a new report released by the Commerce Commission, shows a third of post-pay customers are paying too much.

Consumer NZ's chief… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.A nurse working at a detention centre in Georgia has claimed a doctor at the facility is performing hysterectomies on detainees at an alarmingly high rate.

Dawn Wooten says the surgeries are being… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.Nearly 50 years on - the activists who led the historic 1972 Māori Language Petition are still fighting for te reo to be compulsory in schools. 

It's a debate that continues to divide the political… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.New Zealand's economy has slipped into recession but software company Xero says the small business sector is surviving relatively well.

Xero's data shows that, despite experiencing a large drop in… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.New Zealand is officially in its first recession in a decade - gross domestic product shrunk 12.2 per cent in the three months to June.

Growth went into sharp reverse following the strict nationwide… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.Principals are blaming conspiracy theories about the pandemic and economic turmoil for persistently low school attendance in Northland.

Education Ministry figures show average daily attendance in the… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Auckland Regional Public Health Service says Chapel Downs School families were alerted as soon as it was confirmed that a pupil who tested positive for Covid-19 attended the school on Monday morning… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.An agricultural economist is hoping for no surprises from dairy giant Fonterra today.

The company will report its annual earnings result as well as confirm the payout for the season just finished.

… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Farmers and growers say if agriculture is to drag the country's economy back into shape, they'll need help to fix labour shortages.

While urban New Zealand went into a strict lockdown in April and… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.A former student at Auckland's Dilworth School has described how he was caned by the headmaster when he tried to report that two boys had been sexually abused.

The police have arrested seven men as… Read more Audio

6:51 AM.The activists behind the historic 1972 Māori Language Petition have not given up on their dream to have te reo taught in all schools. 

Jim Bolger entered parliament that same year.

He doesn't recall… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Britain has imposed tougher restrictions in parts of northeastern England as the nation attempts to stem the spread of Covid-19 before the colder winter months.

Almost two million people will be… Read more Audio

6:37 AM.Northland principals have warned that conspiracy theories about the pandemic and economic turmoil are harming school attendance in Northland.

Education Ministry figures show average daily attendance… Read more Audio

6:26 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Read more Audio

6:22 AM.A brief update from the business sector. Read more Audio

6:10 AM.Auckland's water authority is taking a softly softly approach to people who breach water restrictions introduced in May.

Between September 1st and September 14th, Watercare has received 232 reports… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.Fruit growers and dairy farmers say a shortage of workers will hamper agriculture's role in reviving a punch-drunk economy.

Yesterday New Zealand went officially into its first recession in a decade… Read more Audio

6:04 AM.American Justin Thomas has the early clubhouse lead after carding opening round 5 under par 65 at the US Open in New York. Read more Audio