Morning Report for Wednesday 29 September 2021

8:55 AM.Twelve brown bears in Alaska are getting their claws out, as they go head-to-head to see who will take home the title of the Fattest Bear.

But don't worry, there's no fat-shaming here.

The "Fat Bear… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.NZ Top Dog competition organisers say it's been the ulti-MUTTcompetition. 

The competition proved a welcome lockdown distraction, a leash of life, for the organisers at Frog Recruitment in Auckland… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.Conservation groups are joining forces to make Farewell Spit at the top of the South Island predator free.  

The 30 kilometre sandspit is home for thousands of endangered shorebirds. 

An ambitious… Read more Audio

8:41 AM.The Ministry of Health doesn't recognise Covid vaccines a person has received overseas, and they can't be added to a vaccination record.

It's understood hundreds of people have been in contact with… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.It's a battle of the borders.

Today, the National Party will reveal its plan for reopening the border - they're touting it as the most comprehensive and well-researched plan to date.

It comes as… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.Sexual assault survivors calling up for mental health support were rejected more than 10,000 times over the past year.

The people were told there was simply no capacity.

Waitlists are also growing… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.The Local Government Minister may allow for more council influence in the contentious water reforms, but still refuses to rule out changing the law to force councils to sign up.

Under Three Waters… Read more Audio

8:12 AM."There's only one game in town, and that's vaccination. Everything else is stop gap measures".

That's the view of Auckland epidemiologist Professor Rod Jackson.

Jackson says politicians should be… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.
Tauranga is on high-alert after the city's wastewater tested positive for Covid-19.

Anyone in Bay of Plenty with coronavirus symptoms is now being urged to get a test after Covid-19 was detected in… Read more Audio

7:59 AM.Want to make the Morning Report theme tune your alarm?

Here is an exciting version of the theme tune made specially to get you up and at em. Read more Audio

7:56 AM.A sleep expert says Auckland's Covid-19 lockdown may have made adjusting to daylight saving time harder for the city.

The clocks wound forward on Sunday morning, meaning the entire country… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.The mayor of Auckland has added his name to those of leaders worried about a protest against covid restrictions planned for Auckland this coming weekend.

The leader of Destiny Church, Brian Tamaki… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.A top US General is being grilled on the country's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

US troops had to accelerate their withdrawal after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August, which officials say… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.New houses will be exempt for 20 years from new tax rules that prevent residential property investors claiming interest payments as an expense.

The aim is encourage investors to build new homes -… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.The school holidays start next week but for many Auckland parents it will be more of the same - being at home with the kids.

Into their seventh week of lockdown they have the unenviable task of… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.The Associate Minister of Health is not aware of any recovered cases from the delta outbreak having travelled to Bay of Plenty.

Covid-19 was detected in a wastewater sample collected last Thursday in… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.More than 3000 lucky New Zealanders stranded abroad snapped up a ticket to MIQ last night - but tens of thousands more have missed out on the draw.

While there will be another room release coming… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Anyone in Bay of Plenty with coronavirus symptoms is being urged to get a test after Covid-19 was  detected in wastewater in Tauranga.

Follow up samples collected on Tuesday are still being processed… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The National Party is poised to unveil its plan for reopening the border as pressure mounts on the Government to clarify what life looks like beyond the elimination strategy.

National MPs won't… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.From today, people will be able to move across the Auckland boundary if they are relocating permanently. 

That includes people who need to get to a hall of residence for tertiary study.

Victoria… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Retail and hospitality industry leaders are pushing back on new government advice that Auckland workers get two PCR tests in the next fortnight, regardless of whether they have any Covid-19 symptoms.

6:18 AM.It's finally here, the much-anticipated world premiere of the latest installment in the James Bond series, No Time To Die.

The release, which has been pushed back numerous times due to the Covid-19… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.The school holidays start next week but for Auckland parents it will be more of the same.

Now into their seventh week with children learning from home, parents in the city are faced with the… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.A little under 4000 MIQ rooms were up for grabs on Tuesday night - but many thousands more wanted to get their hands on them and didn't.

More than 25,000 people logged into the virtual lobby to try… Read more Audio