Morning Report for Tuesday 26 October 2021

8:56 AM.We are halfway through the voting for Bird of the Year and the campaigns are heating up.

From tinder profiles for birds, to fashion advice to look like a Tarapuka, to a song in honour of the… Read more Audio

8:51 AM.The Black Caps insist they're not bothered by any extra attention on their opening match at cricket's T20 World Cup.

New Zealand start their tournament against Pakistan in Sharjah early tomorrow… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.Riverton's pride and joy has been rescued from an uncertain fate by a local woman determined to save the Southland town's icon.

The giant pāua shell - that's lined with of sheets of real pāua - sits… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Senior school is back.

RNZ reporter Katie Todd spoke to Susie Ferguson from outside Mount Roskill Grammar School. Read more Audio

8:38 AM.The victorious New Zealand women's rugby sevens team has been named the best female team to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The women's sevens team claimed it's first ever gold medal at the… Read more Audio

8:35 AM.The All Blacks' thumping of the United States in their one-off test in Washington came as no surprise to American fans.

It's the first time the two sides have faced off since 2016, but history… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Major changes are looming for the forestry sector as the deluge of raw log exports fades amid dwindling supplies and demands increase from the building industry and other users.

An industry report by… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.After months unsuccessfully trying to get a space in MIQ, an Auckland woman has decided to sail home home across the Pacific.

She and three other Kiwis are on a 40ft yacht taking a 2000 nautical mile… Read more Audio

8:13 AM.The Whānau Ora commissioning agency is in the High Court today, fighting the Ministry of Health for data they say could ramp up the vaccination campaign for Māori.

The chief executive for the agency… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A Covid-19 modeller is asking the government to consider requiring people travelling into the South Island to first provide a negative Covid-19 test.

The top of the South Island's had a Labour… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.More than a century after the huia was hunted to extinction, Dannevirke museum is hunting for the return of its own prized specimen of the bird.

A man convicted of the theft of the huia said in a… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.Facebook is "unquestionably making hate worse".

That's the scathing claim from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who's been giving evidence to UK politicians working on the country's Online Safety Bill.

7:41 AM.While some across the nation might have been relaxing at the beach yesterday, a team of Maori doctors and community leaders traversed South Auckand to encourage unvaccinated whanau.

With the star… Read more Audio

7:38 AM.Auckland primary school principals are relieved they are not reopening their classrooms to more children today.

They say it is not worth risking people's health even though the ongoing lockdown is… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.Immigration officers admit that for three years they've held onto the passport of a woman now stuck in Afghanistan fearing for her life.

The woman is appealing to the Government for help on… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson is confident it is safe for senior students to return to school on Tuesday.

Robertson said it is understandable some students will be anxious about returning… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.Auckland students who are heading back to school this morning, including year 13 Krish Patel, who is head boy at Howick College, and year 12 Rosie Risbrook, from Whangaparaoa College.

When Auckland… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.Across Auckland this morning, almost 60,000 students are heading back through the school gates to classrooms for the first time in ten weeks.

Students from years 11, 12 and 13 are allowed back -… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.Eight people have died on New Zealand roads over the Labour Day long weekend.

On Sunday, a truck and motorcycle collided in Canterbury, killing the motorcyclist.

Two people also died on Saturday… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.The mayor of Ōtorohanga is meeting with community leaders and health officials today to decide on extra vaccination clinics after the Ministry of Health announced two cases of  Covid-19 in the King… Read more Audio

6:40 AM.South Waikato is kicking its Covid-19 response up a gear with the revelation a person who later tested positive for the virus spent the night in Tokoroa. 

Two new cases were also reported yesterday… Read more Audio

6:20 AM.Alec Baldwin says he is heart-broken over firing a live round from a prop gun that fatally wounded his film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Film director Joel Souza who was standing behind her was… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.Massey University researchers talked to more than a 170 children in years four to eight after last year's lockdown.

They've produced a report which has found there have been positive learning… Read more Audio

6:08 AM.Across Auckland this morning, senior students are packing their school bags and putting on their uniforms to return to classrooms, after 10 weeks of learning from home.

Years 11, 12 and 13 can return… Read more Audio