Morning Report for Thursday 30 September 2021

8:54 AM.It's feared a huge slice of the population is being let down when it come to accessing the Covid-19 vaccine.

Health authorities are accused of failing to get inside the homes of thousands of disabled… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Fewer beneficiaries are being probed about their relationship status by the Ministry of Social Development.

Advocates welcome the change but say there should be no difference between what couples and… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Four new species of lizard have been confirmed for Aotearoa.

The findings are in a report from the Department of Conservation - which reassesses the threat status of 135 reptiles.

Samantha Gee… Read more Audio

8:24 AM.A new report finds Oranga Tamariki is not fit for purpose - and lacks vision and strategy.

However, the same report has also been criticised for not going far enough to prompt the needed… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.South Island tourism operators are crossing their fingers ahead of the October school holidays as they wait to hear if Aucklanders can travel again.

Businesses have been looking forward to these… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.The government is scouting locations for purpose-built MIQ facilities - but construction of a new facility would take longer than six months.

Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins says the… Read more Audio

8:09 AM.The government has this morning announced a one-off immigration package that will allow more than 14,000 health care workers, aged care workers, teachers and primary industry workers to enter the… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Giant rats have been invading homes across the UK over the past year, and more and more of them have been sneaking into buildings through the toilet.

The infestation began in the country's first… Read more Audio

7:52 AM.A Ministry of Health insider worries people will easily be able to get the new vaccine certificate without ever having got a shot.

The person told RNZ that the level of identity checking when people… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.Matariki is one step closer to being recognised as a public holiday.

Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill had its first reading in Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.The Department of Internal Affairs says a new scam sent through text messages has affected an 'unprecendented' number of people.

The scam messages include fake information about a parcel delivery… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.New Covid-19 cases in the community jumped up to 45 yesterday, the highest daily figure since 2 September. All of the new cases are in Auckland.

Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins says that the… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.National Party leader Judith Collins says the country and the Government need to accept that the elimination strategy no longer works.

 She told Morning Report there have been 17 weeks of lockdowns… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.As health authorities battle to bring the Covid-19 outbreak under control, the focus for testing has turned to Aucklanders in emergency housing.

Cases spiked to 45 yesterday and the Health Ministry… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The government has annouced a major one-off visa to help up to 165,000 migrants currently in Aotearoa.

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi says the plan offers a residency path to provide certainty for… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.Tighter rules for medicinal cannabis come into force tomorrow cutting possibly thousands of patients off from accessing their preferred treatment.

Medsafe has only verified four drugs for use from 1… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.The daily number of people getting their first Covid-19 vaccine dose has tumbled.

Only a quarter of the number that were going for shots in early September have been rolling up their sleeves this… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.The rural advocacy group Federated Farmers is praising Immigration New Zealand's plans for a residency visa pathway for approximately 9,000 agricultural workers.

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.A petition calling on the government to change what's been labelled a "broken" MIQ system is closing today, with more than 22,000 signatures.

The petition argues all New Zealanders should be allowed… Read more Audio

6:10 AM.Official forecasts show secondary schools will need 260 more teachers next year just to meet increased enrolments.

The schools are expected to grow by more than 7000 students in 2022 and will also… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.Encouraging people to talk to their own doctors, and making the jab compulsory, has led to a big turnaround in the number of vaccinated port workers.

Just last month the Covid-19 Response Minister… Read more Audio