Morning Report for Thursday 3 February 2022

8:56 AM.Next month New Zealand hosts the women's Cricket World Cup.

It's almost 50 years since the first tournament.

Reporter Jimmy Ellingham looked back at the 1973 edition and its highlights, on and off… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.A growing number of young New Zealanders are heading overseas: sick of waiting for the pandemic to end and preparing to roll the dice with Covid-19.

Migration figures show there have been more people… Read more Audio

8:46 AM.The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development is the latest economic authority to predict New Zealand faces the risk of a large fall in house prices.

The OECD's latest survey offers a… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.An historic agreement that recognises Māori interests in radio spectrum has been signed at Parliament. 

The agreement, designed in partnership with the Māori Spectrum Working Group, is a chance to… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Community lawyers say the government is effectively blocking scores of Afghans from escaping the Taliban in their country.

They say there has been slow processing of some visas, and worse still, no… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.The NZOC is relieved a New Zealand athlete who tested positive for Covid-19 in Beijing has since tested negative.

In order to enter Beijing, team members must provide two negative Covid-19 tests… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Residents in Buller continue to be warned evacuations are very possible in coming days.

The heavy rain is expected to ramp up today and continue through to the weekend.

A state of emergency is in… Read more Audio

8:12 AM.The government is looking to introduce an unemployment insurance scheme that will offer ACC-like payments to people who lose their jobs because of redundancy or illness rather than just accidents.

It… Read more Audio

7:58 AM.For the first time in its 34-year history, the West Coast's Wildfoods Festival has been postponed.

Festival organisers say it hasn't been cancelled, only put off until 11 March next year.

Festival… Read more Audio

7:53 AM.Scientists are working on a groundbreaking screening test that could predict the risk of four cancers from samples collected from a routine cervical screening.

Researchers say the test will be a game… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.Boosters are being bolstered around the country, with the wait time between second and third doses shortened to 3 months.

More needles are going into more arms and the bravest of us can feel a little… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.The US President Joe Biden has approved sending troops to Romania, Poland and Germany as tensions build up at the Russia Ukraine border.

Around 2000 soldiers will be sent from North Carolina, to… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Families enduring five-week MIQ stays after testing positive for Covid-19, are among the voices calling for a shift to self-isolation for returnees.

Some are purposely trying to make each other sick… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.State house tenants who terrorise their neighbours can now be moved on faster after Kāinga Ora changed its complaints process.

The state landlord came under scrutiny last year over its 'sustaining… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.China's capital Beijing is poised and ready for the launch of the 24th Winter Olympics tomorrow.

Two-hundred-and-fifty people have tested positive on arrival in China, but so far that's within the… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.As of tomorrow, the wait to get a Pfizer booster dose after a second jab will drop from four months to three.

The change makes another million people aged 18 and over eligible for the third shot.

… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.State Highway 6 in South Westland is closed, as heavy rain continues to pile onto the West Coast.

Overflow from the waterfalls in the Haast Valley is running down the highway at the Mahi Tahi River… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.An overseas recruitment campaign targeting specialist nurses will go live this week, but critics say two years into the pandemic, and with Omicron on the doorstep - it's far too late.

Last November… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.As Tonga begins its lockdown, three new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed bringing the total number to five.

The outbreak could not have happened at a worse time with Covid-19 restrictions… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.State Highway 6 south of Fox Glacier is closed due to flooding on the West Coast of Te Waipounamu - the South Island.

There's also minor flooding between Hokitika and Fox Glacier, and Westport to… Read more Audio

6:10 AM.Later today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to announce plans for the border re-opening.

Among the many anxiously awaiting the news is Tim Goodman - a Melbourne-based business operator in… Read more Audio