Morning Report for Tuesday 29 June 2021

7:09 AM.The SIS has been using an agreement set up under outdated laws to use CCTV cameras in Auckland to carry out surveillance of people of interest.

It's been going for four years but the Minister in… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.The Chinese Embassy has hit back at claims spies are infiltrating New Zealand universities, calling the accusations groundless and hearsay.

University lecturers in Chinese politics and history have… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.A polar blast is sweeping up the country.

Snow and ice has closed some roads in the South Island and the east coast is  set to be smashed by huge swells from Wairarapa as far south as Foveaux Strait… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.Owhiro Bay residents are preparing for the worst this morning as six metre high swells batter Wellington's south coast.

The worst waves are predicted to hit in about an hour - as high tide reaches… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.The government will deliver its verdict today on both the trans-Tasman travel bubble and Wellington's alert level status.

Quarantine free travel from all Australian states and territories was paused… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.The prospect of finding any more survivors in the rubble of the collapsed apartment building in Miami appears to be fading following a fruitless day for rescuers.

The painstaking process has… Read more Audio

7:39 AM.We don't need a handout, we need a vaccine rollout.

That's the message from Queenstown businesses to the government.

As the suspension of the trans-Tasman bubble starts to bite in the tourist… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.While Wellington waits to see if the region will move back down to alert level 1, there is growing frustration from some older people over the time it is taking to get them vaccinated.

So far city… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.Gisborne Police say the large number of people who helped search for three-year-old Axle near Tolaga Bay last month may have made the search chaotic.

They're looking at ways to improve managing… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.Some prisons are banning a newsletter that offers inmates advice on human rights and peaceful protest.

Corrections say they fear the pamphlets could pose a threat to the security of the prison.

But… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.Residents of a small eastern Bay of Plenty town remain hopeful for the future despite its paper mill shutting up shop. Kawerau's Tasman Mill has been operating for 66 years.

It is set to close for… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.Ice, snow and strong winds have closed roads across the country as a blast of Polar air rolls over Aotearoa.

More than eight routes are closed completely, chains are required in several areas in the… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.People living along Wellington's south coast are being urged to be packed and ready in case they need to evacuate their homes.

Heavy swells and strong winds are causing chaos across the region this… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.Relatives unable to mourn the deaths of family members and parents split from children are just two examples of the heartache brought on by the pause of the Trans-Tasman bubble.

With rising case… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.Universities are increasingly worried about a growing problem of young people gatecrashing lectures to watch and even photograph students.

Three university lecturers in Chinese politics and history… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Australia has tightened its vaccine, quarantine and testing rules.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an emergency National Cabinet meeting on the Covid-19 crisis with state and territory leaders on… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.2020's lockdowns damaged children's achievement in writing, but had little effect on reading and maths.

An Education Ministry report says by the end of last year, writing scores for children in years… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.Samoa's political turmoil may soon be coming to an end.

The nation's Supreme Court has ruled parliament must sit within a week, giving the elected FAST party the ability to declare government and be… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.Cabinet will next week discuss whether to make use of the Covid Tracer app mandatory.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association says that doing so would mean added costs for businesses, among other… Read more Audio

8:56 AM.Work on a new public media organisation continues at pace, but the head of the governance group says it's not about "smashing" RNZ and TVNZ together.

Momentum picked up in March with the creation of… Read more Audio