Morning Report for Wednesday 14 July 2021

6:07 AM.Imports of some of the dirtiest, lowest grade coal have rocketed in each of the last four years.

Most of it comes from Indonesia and last year, and for only the second time in 20 years, New Zealand… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.The UK has slashed its foreign aid by more than four billion pounds a year for the foreseeable future.

MPs voted narrowly this morning in favour of the cut - from 0.7 of the country's GDP, to 0.5… Read more Audio

6:37 AM.Aotearoa's hooked on coal, importing more than one million tonnes of low grade coal from Indonesia last year.

The fuel was burnt at the Huntly power station to keep the lights on, as gas fields… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.The Grand Mercure in Wellington has opened up a second floor to house the infected mariners from the Viking Bay.

So far, 15 of the 20 crew members have tested positive for the virus, at least one of… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.In the same year that the government declared a climate emergency, imports of dirty coal from Indonesia topped a million tonnes.

That's only the second time it's happened in two decades.

Imports of… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.A medical specialist says 15 foreign fishermen, who are in MIQ in Wellington, pose a risk and should be kept locked in their rooms.

The men, one of whom has the Delta variant, are among the crew of… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.Large blue billboards bearing the face of National Party leader Judith Collins and the message: "He Puapua? Demand the Debate" have sprung up around the country.

This is a reference to the… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Farmers are being encouraged to bring their Ute and their dogs to protests at towns up and down the country.

They're taking aim at the Government's increasing interference in farmers' lives and… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.In South Africa at least 45 people have now died in the violence that has been engulfing parts of the nation since the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma last week.

This toll includes ten people… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.Texas Democrats have left the US state en masse in an effort to prevent Republicans there from passing a law to tighten voting rules.

Fifty House Democrats boarded two private jets to Washington… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.Watercare's $145 dollar water treatment plant is opening in Tuakau today and the company insists it is one of the last times it will dip into the Waikato River.

The facility will provide Auckland… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Despite declaring a climate emergency last year, Aotearoa imported more than one million tonnes of low grade coal from Indonesia.

Imports of the fossil fuel in 2020 were six times larger than in… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.Dairy exports earned New Zealand almost $16 billion last year, but can it continue?

Dairy giant Fonterra has flagged milk production is likely to flatten, or even decline.

So what's the plan?

… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Fifteen crew from the Viking Bay, who have all tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, are now in MIQ in Wellington. But unlike Jetpark in Auckland, the Wellington MIQ hotel is used by both sick and… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.The mission to reunite a young orca with its family has become an international effort.  

Up and down the country, whale watchers are on the lookout for the orca pod, and the Department of… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Plunket looks set for a shake-up, as the government promises to make significant changes to health services for under-fives.

A review of the Well Child Tamariki Ora programme has found it's falling… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.As the government prepares to replace the Mental Health Act, Maori mental health practitioners want to see major changes to compulsory treatment.

Community treatment orders for patients at home are… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.The Government is copping criticism for denying funding to students with special needs and then blocking parents from paying for it themselves.

A mother who has an eight year old son with ADHD and… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Hospitality workers say that it's no longer a viable career path in New Zealand due to low wages, long hours and few incentives.

This comes as cafe and restaurants across New Zealand call for the… Read more Audio

8:56 AM.The owners of over 20,000 properties in Hawkes Bay could be about to find out they live within a tsunami evacuation zone.

With a large tsunami likely in the next 50 years, not everybody knows the… Read more Audio