Morning Report for Monday 31 May 2021

6:08 AM.A state of emergency remains is in place in Canterbury as heavy rain which has caused widespread flooding continues to fall.

The worst hit areas are Ashburton and Timaru Selwyn district and… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.A code red warning is in place for Canterbury with the downpour continuing overnight.

The deluge is expected to bring up to 400 millimetres to the high country by late Monday morning.

A red warning… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.Three army trucks and soldiers from the Burnham Army base rolled into Ashburton on Sunday ready to help if the call went out to evacuate people.

The local marae also swung into action - preparing… 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. Read more Audio

6:39 AM.The Selwyn District Council has also issued a 'Do Not Consume' notice for the Springfield water supply.

People can get urgent bottled water at the Springfield Fire Station.

Evacuation and welfare… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Mid-Canterbury farmers look set to face another harrowing day with floodwaters showing no sign of letting up yet.

Some are describing yesterday's flooding as being more severe than the most extreme… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.Mid-Canterbury farmers look set to face another tough day.

Between 300 to 400 millimetres of rainfall have fallen about the High Country over the past 24-hours.

Mid-Canterbury dairy farmer Rhys… Read more Audio

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

7:10 AM.A local state of emergency has been declared for the Canterbury region, following extraordinary levels of rainfall over the weekend.

Between 300 and 400 millimetres of rain have fallen about the… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Timaru will have had a nervous night after heavy rain across Canterbury throughout Sunday.

Roads around the district were impacted and residents near water were warned to be ready to leave throughout… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown had a sleepless night on Sunday after his district was hit by flooding.

On Monday morning the river was running at 1400 cumecs, when it would usually run at 10.

Brown… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Residents north of Canterbury were asked to leave their homes on Sunday due to flood risk.

People living close to the Eyre River in Waimakariri, just north of Christchurch, were told the river stop… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.It's been a grueling time for farmers across Canterbury.

As many across the region hunkered down at home, farmers forged out in the rain to check on their livestock and fields.

Between 300 to 400… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Jacinda Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are meeting in Queenstown for their first face-to-face meetings since early 2020.

The meetings come as relations between the two nations… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Jacinda Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are meeting in Queenstown for their first face-to-face meetings since early 2020.

The meetings come as relations between the two nations… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.People are waking up this morning at Hakatere Marae on the outskirts of Ashburton, after being evacuated from their homes last night.

Across the region, 30 houses were evacuated in Springfield, in… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.Flooding forced Peter Schouzen was to evacuate his home in Wakmakariri on Sunday night.

Schouzen owns three farms on the banks of the Eyre river. He spoke to Susie Ferguson from his parents place in… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Ashburton's river is riding high, but has not burst just yet.

RNZ reporter Conan Young has just returned to Ashburton after speaking to evacuees in Hinds.

He spoke to Susie Ferguson. Read more Audio

7:53 AM.New Zealand Rugby's current chair Brent Impey will step down from his role on Monday.

There are three current board members vying to replace him.

They are Stewart Mitchell, a former Canterbury Rugby… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Sports star Sonny Bill Williams is turning his hand to politics this week - visiting Queenstown to lobby Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison over refugees.

Eight years ago, New Zealand offered… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Brazilian Helio Castroneves has won a record-equalling fourth Indianapolis 500. Read more Audio

8:11 AM.Rain has continued to fall overnight in Canterbury, as the region enters its second day in a Local State of Emergency. Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group declared the emergency… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Waimakariri residents are on high alert this morning due to dangerous river levels.

On Sunday night the local council ordered hundreds of residents living near sections of the Eyre and Ashley rivers… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The weather is still having a huge impact on services across the Canterbury region.

Some recycling and rubbish collection services are on pause, and there are numerous road closures.

Schools, kura… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.Cantabrians will be hoping for an easing of rain in the region after downpours caused flooding throughout Sunday.

MetService forecaster Peter Little spoke to Susie Ferguson. Read more Audio

8:28 AM.Covid-19 cases are still increasing in Fiji.

Forty-six people have tested positive, taking the national total to 195 active cases.

Funerals have been pointed to as super spreader events.

… Read more Audio

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

8:36 AM.Victorian health authorities have confirmed five new community Covid-19 cases - including one mystery case.

This takes the number of this latest outbreak to 40.

One of the new cases is a heathcare… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.Brazilian driver Helio Castroneves has won the Indianapolis 500 this morning after a late move to the lead.

The 46-year-old held off Spaniard Alex Palou and Frenchman Simon Pagenaud to take home a… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Hundreds of people have had to be evacuated in Canterbury on Sunday due to flooding.

The deluge has continued overnight, and it's expected up to 400 millimetres of rain will fall over the 24-hours.

… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.The Climate Change Commission will present its final report to the government today.

It will outline a plan to slash emissions to tackle the looming climate crisis.

More than 15,000 public… Read more Audio

8:57 AM.The three board members who resigned from NZ Opera last week have pushed back at suggestions their decision was linked to a planned show based on the antics of a group of unruly tourists.

Last week… Read more Audio