Morning Report for Friday 8 October 2021

8:53 AM.People with chronic health conditions are still waiting on an alternative vaccine to the Pfizer shot.

For several weeks, the Ministry of Health has suggested it is looking at providing a vaccine that… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.An overseas research team has linked soot preserved in Antarctic ice to fires set in Aotearoa New Zealand, by Māori settlers, 700 years ago.

The researchers say the finding is a dramatic example of… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Live music, concerts and festivals will be back this summer, but fans will need to get vaccinated.

By November, vaccine certificates will be compulsory to attend large-scale events.

In support, the… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Imagine being able to 3D-print a new kidney or heal burns with stem-cell infused dressings.

Sounds like science-fiction right?

Our Changing World's Claire Concannon visited the University of Otago… Read more Audio

8:19 AM.A family doctor in a disadvantaged part of Porirua, near Wellington, says a huge mobilisation is under way there to lift lagging Covid-19 vaccination rates.

The government yesterday released… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.A health expert who will front a Waikato Mongrel Mob vaccination event next week says there is a duty of care to help inform all New Zealanders.

Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā (the National Maori… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.With the green light for double-bubble outdoor gatherings, Aucklanders are getting ready to fire up their barbeques and pack picnic hampers for their first weekend meet-ups in a long time.

Since… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The Canterbury and Waikato rugby teams both believe they can overcome the loss of their Black Ferns players in tomorrow's Farah Palmer Cup final in Christchurch.

Canterbury are aiming for their fifth… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.The first repatriation flight from New Zealand to the Cook Islands has landed in Rarotonga.

Eighty-seven people departed Christchurch last night after pre-departure medical checks and arrived home in… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Rapid antigen tests will play an important role in the future fight against Covid-19, and it's critical the country is prepared.

That's the view of a technical advisory group on testing for the… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.To the US, Drug company Pfizer has submitted an emergency request for the authorisation of its Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged from five to 11.

The Food and Drug Administration has promised… Read more Audio

7:25 AM.A coalition of 25 firms contacted the Government on Tuesday, pleading for clearance to import 370,000 rapid antigen devices within the next week.

Ministers and officials will meet representatives… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.The Government is bowing to pressure from business leaders who want fast acting Covid-19 tests available in workplaces.

A coalition of 25 firms contacted the Government on Tuesday, pleading for… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Communities in Waikato and King Country now in lockdown are trying to turn their vaccination rates around.

Vaccination centres have sprung up across the region after positive cases were detected in… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Wairoa - with a population of almost 70 percent Māori - was ahead of the game with its Covid-19 vaccination rollout but seems to have hit a roadblock.

Although it's fully vaccinated rates are the… Read more Audio

7:08 AM.Northland is holding its breath after confirmation of a positive Covid-19 case in Whangarei.

An Auckland essential worker discovered to have a small trace of the virus while in Whangarei has now… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.The West Coast is falling behind when it comes to uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine, sitting stubbornly low at 71 percent for first jabs.

That compares poorly to the rest of Te Wai Pounamu where the… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.The Chair of the Medical Council says it has a zero tolerance for anti-vaccination messages.

In Northland, where the positive case of Covid-19 has just been confirmed, the DHB has confirmed two… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.A federal judge has temporarily blocked a near-total ban on abortion in Texas.

Texas wants to prohibit people from obtaining an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

The action by US District Judge… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck Japan's eastern coast, shaking the Tokyo area.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said no abnormalities have been detected at Japan's nuclear facilities, including… Read more Audio

6:11 AM.The Supreme Court has called a jailed man's sentence "well beyond excessive punishment" - and a breach of the Bill of Rights.

The sentence comes down to the Three Strikes Law - and his lawyer says he… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.A Southland surgeon has been twice declined twice an emergency spot in MIQ, forcing his patients to either travel to other hospitals or delay surgery.

Dr Jim Faherty is the clinical director of the… Read more Audio