Morning Report for Wednesday 13 October 2021

8:55 AM.Lego is removing gender stereotypes from its toys - and it means no more pink just for girls.

It comes as a global survey reveals attitudes to play is inequal, and restrictive.

Girls are becoming… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Māori health services in Te Tauihu - the top of the South Island - are connecting with youth through social media in the drive to improve vaccination rates.

In Nelson Marlborough, 16 percent of Maori… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.The Silver Ferns showed signs of a tumultuous netball year catching up on them - as they faded to a four-goal loss to Aotearoa men in Wellington last night.

In what was almost certainly their last… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Parents of immigrants seeking residency say they feel invisible after they were left out of the latest immigration reprieve.

It's five years since the immigration parent category was suspended.

Two… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Schools in Tāmaki Makaurau were supposed to open for term four next week but distance learning will continue for the forseeable future.

Auckland mum Farheen Hajira works from home and for eight weeks… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Political leaders in the South Island say there is little appetite to break away from the team of five million, and getting the nation vaccinated is top priority.

However MPs do want to know why the… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.Twenty-five years after the country's first MMP election, there are now more Māori in parliament than ever. 

Greater diversity and better representation for Māori was one of the promises of the… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.It's 'no jab, no job', for people working in the education sector and already a small number of teachers have said 'thanks but no thanks.'

New Zealand Principals' Federation president, Perry Rush… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.New Zealand will be running a 'Vaxathon' on Saturday to try an encourage the public to get their Covid-19 shots.

Who better to discuss the youth- and cultural-adjacency of the 'Vaxathon' than one of… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.The country's first-ever 'Vaxathon' takes place this weekend on what's been dubbed Super Saturday.

It's a national day of action in which everyone who hasn't, will be urged to get their Covid-19… Read more Audio

7:57 AM.ACC is being accused of having a widespread problem of staff accessing the files of sexual abuse survivors without good reason.

One advocate believes her own privacy has been breached about 30 times… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.A new select committee report in the United Kingdom has found the country's failure to prevent Covid-19 spreading early in the pandemic was one of that its worst ever public health failures.

Its… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.The government's financial books for the first half of 2021 have showcased an economy bouncing back from the uncertainties of 2020.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson is cheering a deficit of $4.6… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Uncertainty about reopening Auckland's schools is denting the confidence of secondary students and raising doubts about NCEA exams.

Principals say they are running out of time to prepare teenagers… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.National Party leader Judith Collins wants the Government to release the advice it received that prompted Auckland's move to alert level 3.

Collins told Morning Report she believes the government… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.The Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says the Ministry of Social Development approved - and then revoked - the border exemption of two women who went to Northland from Auckland.

Both have… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.A psychiatrist who has been employed in the Wellington region for more than a decade has promoted anti-vax views in multiple videos online.

The Hutt Valley DHB has confirmed he is still in the job… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.MIQ hotels have recorded 117 escapes, attempted escapes, or residents wandering about in off-limits areas of their hotels in just 10 months.

The breaches have all happened since September last year… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.Information remains in thin supply for Northlanders hoping their region will be released from level 3 restrictions.

The government will announce this afternoon if Northland and areas of Waikato can… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Covid-19 vaccination rates in rural communities are more than 10 percent behind those in urban centres.

Research from University of Otago's School of Medicine finds that low accessibility, longer… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.In California, the 12th annual surf dog competition has been held at Huntington Beach.

Yes you that's right - dogs are riding ruff waves.

This year about 40 dogs from around the world took part in… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.The government is mandating a Covid-19 vaccination for people working in the education sector, and already a small number of teachers have said 'thanks but no thanks.'

New Zealand Principals'… Read more Audio