Morning Report for Friday 15 October 2021

8:51 AM.With borders closed, the biennial Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts is aiming to spotlight more of New Zealand's artistic talent.

The festival premieres on 21 February, though organisers are… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.The country is jumping in boots and all to replace high carbon coal boilers with cleaner ones powered by wood pellets.

Hospitals, schools and the country's second biggest emitter, Fonterra, are all… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Friday 15 October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Parents around the world light a candle and say their lost baby's name to mark it.

Being in the southern hemisphere means New Zealand… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.A group of Chinese migrant workers helping authorities investigate an illegal migrant scheme have been excluded from the new one-off residence offer.

Some of their fellow colleagues who are not… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.The high profile court case of disgraced rich-lister Ron Brierley finally came to an end yesterday.

A Sydney judge sentenced the 84-year-old to 14 months jail with a seven-month non-parole period for… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.New rules leave it to principals to decide if their students should sit exams in alert level 3 regions.

The Education Ministry directive sets strict conditions and is being applied now by Auckland… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.Māori health leaders say the lives of their people are literally at stake as Auckland Covid-19 case numbers threaten to get out of control.

Dangerously low Māori vaccination figures and their… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Iwi elders in Tairāwhiti want to put a border around the region to prevent Covid-19 overwhelming its health system.

Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare visited the region covering the North… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.A UK bakery is embroiled in a bitter battle over the use of illegal sprinkles.

Get Baked was ordered to temporarilly close after a surprise visit from the Trading Standards, which found the sprinkles… Read more Audio

7:49 AM.Star Trek star William Shatner took a historic space trip on Thursday.

A lot of people asked about the environmental impact of his outing. Well, the answer might surprise you.

Physicist and… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.The Hawke's Bay DHB is questioning the future employment of an anti-vax doctor working at the region's main hospital.

Dr Elena Bishop works for Southern Community Laboratories and is one of a handful… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.Retailers say staff face rising levels of abuse from customers suspected of fraudulently claiming health reasons for not wearing a mask.

At the same time, disability advocates say vulnerable people… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.One of the Super Saturday events planned for tomorrow is the Pasifika Youth Vax Festival in Porirua East.

It's on from 9am to 5pm at the Cannons Creek shops, and is being organised to encourage young… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.As Covid-19 case numbers climb, officials are begging Aucklanders to follow the rules.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson says a large number of new infections are down to unlawful gatherings… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says vaccinated people may be able to self-isolate for a shorter period if they catch Covid-19.

It comes as Auckland's Covid-19 Delta variant oubreak… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.Middlemore Hospital's chief medical officer says he would support an increased alert level in Auckland if it helps vaccination rates.

The hospital has been gearing up for a surge in cases that's… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Middlemore Hospital is planning to have a tent set up to triage Covid patients as early as next week, as Auckland braces for a surge in cases.

Daily case numbers are expected to double with in a… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.A tech firm behind a Covid-19 antibody test being fast tracked for sale in the US, says changes to funding left it scrambling for cash.

In April, the government scrapped a quarterly cash research and… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.Super Saturday kicks off tomorrow - a public health push to get as many people vaccinated against Covid-19 as possible.

Vaccination sites will be running promotions and giveaways, some sites will… Read more Audio

6:16 AM.The global shipping situation is being called a global crisis, and United States president Joe Biden has now intervened to try and save Christmas.

The first intervention is for Los Angeles ports will… Read more Audio

6:10 AM.Limited quarantine capacity has been blamed for the cancellation of Bay Dreams, one of New Zealand's largest music festivals.

Event organisers say the difficulty of securing space for international… Read more Audio