Morning Report for Wednesday 11 August 2021

6:10 AM.A rural school south of Auckland has changed its name from Mercer to Te Paina - the original name of the area. 

The school has spent years consulting with students, whānau, iwi and hapū about… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.Schools are worried the government plans to cap or rein in their enrolments of foreign students.

A draft statement on high-value international education says it doesn't want the eventual return of… Read more Audio

6:37 AM.Energy Minister Megan Woods and power company Genesis are meeting today to thrash out what needs to change following Monday's rolling power blackouts.

Thousands of people in the lower and central… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.The Corrections Minister is denying there's a resourcing problem which leaves inmates for years without knowing when they might have access to rehabilitation.

The chair of the Parole Board, Sir Ron… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.A Chinese court has upheld the death sentence of a Canadian man for drug crimes.

Separately, another court is reportedly expected to deliver a sentence against another Canadian - Michael Spavor, a… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.A new report on reopening New Zealand's borders, written by a Covid-19 health advisory group for the government, warns there'll be further outbreaks to come.

The group suggests with high vaccination… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.So far just one power company caught-up in Monday's blackout say they will reimburse customers who were cut off from heat and light.

Mercury says it isn't fair that thousands had to go without and… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.Mercury says it isn't fair that thousands had to spend a night in darkness on Monday and all their affected customers will receive a payout.

Chief executive Vince Hawksworth spoke to Corin Dann. Read more Audio

7:23 AM.It's been a week of power outages for the parts of the country - and power struggles for the National Party.

National Party leader and former energy minister Judith Collins spoke to Susie Ferguson. Read more Audio

7:27 AM.The finger pointing continues as to who was to blame for the estimated 28,000 people losing power on Monday.

Energy Minister Megan Woods told Morning Report there was a clear failure in the market on… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.A longer gap between the first and second Pfizer vaccine jabs looks increasingly likely.

The government is examining the case for changing the three-week delay between the two doses to up to eight… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced he will resign.

It comes a week after the release of a report by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed eleven women.

He said he will… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.Restaurant and bar owners say a plan by the Department of Internal Affairs to publish the amount of cash taken in by pokie machines at each venue creates a public "shopping list" for thieves, and the… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The Parole Board says the Department of Corrections is making inmates wait years for rehab programmes and psychological help.

The situation is so serious that the board's chair, Sir Ron Young, wrote… Read more Audio

8:06 AM.Former Black Caps all-rounder Chris Cairns is reportedly on life support in Australia after collapsing with a heart problem. Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A new report out this morning is calling for a phased reopening of New Zealand's borders once the vaccination programme is fully rolled out.

The report's cautious approach is welcome news to public… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.New vaping laws come into force today aimed at making it much harder for teenagers under 18 to get their favourite nicotine fix.

Dairies, supermarkets, and service stations across the country will… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The first shelter for pets harmed by, or at risk of family violence is opening its doors.

The purpose-built Pet Refuge will be able take up to 75 animals at a time, keeping them until they can be… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.Big money investors and urbanites are moving into small town New Zealand, snapping up properties and driving rentals to exorbitant prices.

The Salvation Army's State of Our Communities Report, which… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.The Parole Board is frustrated inmates are being left waiting in prison for help with rehabilitation.

The board's chair, Sir Ron Young, wrote to Minister Kelvin Davis in January spelling out his… Read more Audio

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

8:36 AM.A draft government document warns the return of foreign students could worsen housing and teacher shortages, enrich some institutions but not others, and create over-reliance on students' fees.

… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.The chief executive of Mercury says the alert sounded by Transpower on Monday could have been more intense.

Mercury's chief executive, Vince Hawksworth, told Morning Report that Transpower that… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Hurricanes Rugby says it can't control the views of one of its owners after he accused a tech entrepreneur of 'sucking up to the left-loving Māori agenda'. 

Animation Research founder Sir Ian Taylor… Read more Audio

8:52 AM.Saving the life of a wanted man by rolling him on the ground after he caught on fire, is not something police officers expect to do on the job.

But, that's what Constable Scott Higby did a year ago… Read more Audio