Morning Report for Thursday 26 August 2021

6:09 AM.A UK study suggests the effectiveness of full vaccination for Covid-19 with double doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines starts to wear off within six months.

The researchers looked at more… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.There are calls for alert level 4 rule changes so that specialist teachers can visit disabled children in their homes.

Principals have told RNZ that children with special needs need more support.

… Read more Audio

6:35 AM.The National Party says it's beyond belief that the Crowne Plaza passed all its infection control audits, including as recently in June.

The hotel, which is used for managed isolation, has been at… Read more Audio

6:38 AM.Australia's third-largest state - Queensland - was clocking up a similar number of new Covid-19 cases to New Zealand - at least if one adjusts for population sizes.

That has changed in recent days… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.Working from home during lockdown for many includes a little DIY, a touch of gardening, the odd walk around the block and more quality time with the children.

But for dairy farmers August is the… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.It's day two of the Paralympics and some more Kiwi athletes getting ready to compete.

Sophie Pascoe will be in the pool, followed by Wheelchair rugby and track cycling, and the Wheel Blacks match… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.The country's Covid-19 quarantine hotels are under increasing pressure with more than 200 people infected with the virus and predictions that could balloon to one thousand.

The Government is setting… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.A woman who hadn't been told she may have received just saline instead of the Pfizer vaccine wants heads to roll.

Yesterday, RNZ revealed that five people could have received a harmless saline… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Ashley Bloomfield was on waiting on advice as to what options they can offer the 732 people who were vaccinated at Highbrook on the 12 July after an error involving the Covid-19 vaccine.

An extra… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.A vaccine expert says Covid-19 booster shots are not needed right now, but they may well be in the future.

"Booster" shots are being considered in other countries.

The US is intending to roll them… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.We are heading into NZ Music Award season and the Top 5 finalists for the APRA Silver Scroll Award have been announced.

RNZ Music 101 host Charlotte Ryan lays out who's been in the running. Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Firefighters are warning that the country's largest fire trucks are showing dangerous signs of wear and tear.

The International Convention Centre fire in Auckland two years ago exposed the lack of… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.A New Zealander trying to move home from Australia says the news that red zone flights are returning is a glimmer of hope, but doubts she'll get an MIQ room for months.

Flights from some cities will… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.Time is quickly running out for those trying to escape Afghanistan as the Taliban are insisting all foreign forces must be out of the country by Tuesday.

Diamond Kazimi, a former interpreter for the… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.Working from home during lockdown might free up time for a little DIY, a touch of gardening, the odd walk around the block or more time with the children.

For other workers its business as usual, or… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.The vaccination rollout continues to ramp up with more primary-care workers coming into the programme.

It's planned that about 650 vaccination places should soon be up and running - a combination of… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.Blurry, beautiful, exotic or carefully curated?

What sort of background should you have on your Zoom, Teams or Google Meets calls as you try to continue doing your job in lockdown? It's a question… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A Covid-19 modeller is warning the current outbreak is much larger than initially suspected and is significantly worse than what NZ experienced last year.

Professor Shaun Hendy provides advice to the… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.The Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, says officials are considering booster injections for those who received their Pfizer vaccines at the start of the year.

A new study out from… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.People who may have been given mostly saline instead of the Pfizer vaccine at the Highbrook Vaccination Centre in July.

RNZ has revealed that five people may have received a harmless saline injection… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.More than 10,000 people have signed a petition asking the Government to increase the numbers of refugees being evacuated from Afghanistan.

The joint petition by Amnesty International, Oxfam and… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.East Coast hapū want authorities to declare a state of "regional emergency" to protect vulnerable Tairāwhiti communities from the highly infectious Delta variant.

Matakaoa Covid-19 response… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.Jenene Crossan was initially known as Covid-19 patient number 37, when the numbers in New Zealand's initial outbreak were small enough to keep tabs on.

Since then the situation has increased and… Read more Audio

8:53 AM.Whether it be training for the Olympics or simply learning to swim - Naenae Pool is full of fond memories for people, and soon they will be able to get their hands on a piece of that history.

The… Read more Audio

8:57 AM.Isolation is normal for people in the Chatham Islands but they're still having to don masks and remain at home like the rest of New Zealand in lockdown.

The community - 800 kilometres from the… Read more Audio