Morning Report for Monday 18 October 2021

8:53 AM.Some Hong Kong film makers are already being censored under the new political regime, and there are fears worse is to come.

Voices producer Liz Garton spoke with Vicci Ho a film festival programmer… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Business leaders say while quarantine-free travel for South Islanders to Australia is encouraging, it'll have little impact without the arrangement being a two-way street.

From Wednesday, travellers… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.New South Wales residents will face fewer Covid-19 restrictions from today, as the state hits a significant milestone.

It's become the first in Australia to have 80 percent of its eligible population… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.There are dire warnings a decade of economic development in the Pacific region could be wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A new report by World Vision reveals 60 percent of households in the… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.The Hawke's Bay district of Wairoa hasn't had a dentist for adults in nearly two years.

The problem's been worsened by a huge dental need because of high rates of drug addiction.

Hawke's Bay… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.Dozens of people from around the south gave up their time at the weekend to test and improve how Milford Sound Piopiotahi will respond to an emergency, such as a magnitude 8 earthquake along the… Read more Audio

8:17 AM.New Zealand's Pacific neighbours are in for a climate aid boost.

The government's committing $1.3 billion over four years to support countries most vulnerable to climate change - at least half of… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.There's no doubt that Super Saturday was a success - but is it the circuit-breaker the Government needed after weeks of battling the Delta outbreak?

Lawyer and National Party member Liam Hehir, and… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.Church lawyers are pressuring the Royal Commission of inquiry into abuse to narrow the scope of its investigation.

In response, the commission has asked for submissions about its scope, infuriating a… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.An organiser of a Givealittle campaign for mobile vaccinations in Tairāwhiti is stunned New Zealanders contributed more than $100,000 to the campaign.

With only 912 jabs, the Tairāwhiti region had… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.The new school term starts today, but the experience will be very different for pupils in the south compared with the north.

Nearly 400,000 children in Auckland, Northland and Waikato are starting… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Re-engaging children and preparing teenagers for NCEA exams are top of mind for Auckland schools as they start the fourth term today.

The city's 250,000 school children have been remote learning… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.Compliance is on the mind as Auckland's lockdown drags on.

Thousands attended an anti-lockdown protest at the Auckland Domain on Saturday, and videos on Instagram show dozens apparently gathering for… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.An Auckland councillor says weekend partygoers were only thinking about themselves with a gathering that has infuriated people.

Footage has been circulating on social media of the event, which was… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the Ministry of Health expects it will take Auckland just over a month before 90 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Around 70 percent… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Auckland is being told it's not vaccinated enough to relax restrictions but there are calls to reward the vaccinated with small freedoms.

Eighty-nine percent of eligible people in the city have now… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.Cabinet will review alert levels for Northland and parts of Waikato today, but cases are still appearing south of Auckland's border.

Four new cases were reported in the Waikato on Sunday, taking the… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.Cabinet will review alert levels for Northland and parts of Waikato today, and there's hope north of Auckland's border will exit lockdown.

There are currently no cases in Northland.

Kaipara District… Read more Audio

6:41 AM.Where to from here for Auckland?

The government has held up a 90 percent vaccination rate as the key milestone to ease restrictions.

Now in Auckland 89 percent of eligible people have had at least… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.It's been a wild weekend of weather for many parts of the country and warnings are still in place for some areas including the Bay of Plenty east of Opotiki and Gisborne.

Metservice meteorologist… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.The British home secretary Priti Patel will consider offering police protection for MPs after the brutal killing of David Amess.

The Conservative MP was stabbed to death in his constituency.

Police… Read more Audio

6:13 AM.Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare admits there's still more to do to lift Māori vaccination rates.

Henare told Morning Report work was being done to analyse the Super Saturday vaccination drive… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.Cabinet is set to review alert level three for Auckland, Northland and parts of Waikato on Monday.

There were 92 Covid-19 cases reported over the weekend, while the country held a mass vaccination… Read more Audio