Morning Report for Friday 22 October 2021

8:54 AM.The small township of Mangaweka is known as the gateway to the genuine thrills of the Rangitikei River, but once a year it brings in many visitors keen to experience the pleasures of fake art.

Now in… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.The new free trade deal with post-Brexit Britain is almost certainly this country's most significant with our former colonial power since the early 1970s.

The deal promises zero tariffs on all UK… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.RNZ Concert's annual countdown of New Zealand's favourite classical music, Settling the Score, will take place on Labour Day.

Aotearoa Overture by Douglas Lilburn is one of the most popular pieces… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.The Bay of Plenty of town, Murupara has one of the lowest rates of vaccination for Covid-19 in the country.

Just 32 percent of have had the first dose.

This compares to just over 80 percent first… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.Leading medical voices are warning that the majority of Covid-19 cases will need to treat themselves at home unless there is a serious need for hospital care.

Dr John Bonning says for every Covid-19… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.The All Blacks play the United States in Washington DC in a one-off test on Sunday morning. While World Rugby has big plans for growing the game North America, the reality on the ground paints a… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.An Auckland high school student who tested positive for Covid-19 has criticised the delay in moving him into managed isolation - something he believes caused his 74-year-old mother to also contract… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Auckland businesses are eagerly waiting for the curtain to be pulled back later this morning on the Government's enhanced business support package for the Supercity.

The announcement was flagged by… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Wellington City Council is calling for whoever stole part of the city's famous bucket fountain to return it.

Council spokeperson Richard MacLean told Morning Report that sometime over the past couple… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the free trade deal with the UK, few were paying closer attention than the local dairy sector.

The deal, which is expected to be ratified over the coming… Read more Audio

7:39 AM.Auckland secondary schools are double-checking their stocks of hand sanitiser and facemasks in preparation for Tuesday's partial reopening of classes.

Principals say the move will help teenagers in… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Two Shots For Summer.

That's the edgy, and somewhat boozy, tag line the government's relying on to encourage better vaccination rates in our younger population.

Especially low numbers are found in… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is defending the response to Covid-19 lockdown breaches in alert level 3 areas, as a long weekend approaches.

It's been a busy week for Police on the Covid front… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Alert level 3 restrictions are sticking around in parts of Waikato until at least the end of next Wedneday - the same day the decision will also be reviewed.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.GPs in Auckland are worried about how to deal with the increasing number of Covid-19 patients who need to be cared for at home.

It comes as the daily number of Covid-19 cases in the community hit… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.None of Auckland's hospital emergency departments have finished their Covid-19 preparations more than nine weeks into the outbreak and with patient numbers set to surge.

Some won't be done until the… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.The bones of a dinosaur named "Big John" have sold for nearly 11 million New Zealand dollars at an auction house in Paris.

Somebody is now the owner of the fossilised remains of the largest and most… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Police are ramping up their presence in coastal King Country towns ahead of the long weekend.

Kawhia Community Board chairman Dave Walsh is concerned about people travelling to their baches in his… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.Covid-19 could be slipping south of Waikato, as Kmart in Napier gets added to the list of locations of interest.

A case reported yesterday has been deemed infectious while they travelled between… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.Millions of 5-11 year olds in the US will receive their first shot of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in a few weeks.

A similar announcement can be expected out of Canada, where the health authority is… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.For many exporters, a new deal with the United Kingdom couldn't come at a better time.

New Zealand has agreed in principle to the UK's second free trade deal since Brexit.

The agreement will… Read more Audio