Morning Report for Friday 4 February 2022

8:49 AM.Moana Pasifika are playing for the people of Tonga affected by the devastating tsunami, in their pre-season match tonight against the Chiefs at Mt Smart Stadium.

Auckland's red-light status prevents… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.Pharmacies, GPs and vaccination centres are gearing up for a big weekend of Covid-19 booster shots after the government reduced the waiting period earlier this week.

The gap after the second shot is… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Hawke's Bay leaders may take the transport agency to court because they're enraged about the decision to drop the speed limit on the Napier-Taupo Rd to 80 kilometres.

In a meeting late yesterday… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.The brother of a forester killed on the job says his brother gave up a fishing trip to keep felling trees because he knew crews were relying on him.

Walter Collier was a top-performing tree faller… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Facebook's daily active users have dropped for the first time in the social media giant's 18-year history.

Parent company Meta says revenue growth is slowing thanks to competition from rivals like… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.The industry body representing international airlines in this country says the requirement for travellers to self-isolate must be removed as soon as possible.

The Government yesterday unveiled a… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.An Australian epidemiologist is warning New Zealand's Omicron approach is overcautious and the timeline is stretched.

Professor Tony Blakely from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A US special mission in northern Syria has ended in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.

The operation targeted a safe house in the rebel held Idlib province.

… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.Māori, Pasifika, and younger people are most at-risk of dying from breast cancer, despite improvements in overall survival rates.

That's according to a new report by the Breast Cancer Foundation… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.For the first time in decades Waitangi won't be flooded with the usual influx of people at this time of year.

While Aotearoa is in the red light setting due to the threat of Omicron, all… Read more Audio

7:44 AM.Two of New Zealand's youngest athletes on the slopes have been named as the Nga Pou Hapai, or flagbearers, for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Skiers Finn Bilous and Alice Robinson will jointly carry… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.For the first time New Zealand has athletes at the Winter Olympics that can be considered real medal contenders.

The 24th Winter Olympics will officially open in Beijing tonight, with the possibility… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.West Coast residents are waking up to day three of heavy rain warnings, with further downpours forecast for this afternoon.

State Highway 67 north of Westport is closed due to a slip, and both rivers… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.The Government yesterday unveiled its long-awaited plans to reopen the country to the rest of the world.

From 28 February, vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia will be able to self-isolate and skip… Read more Audio

7:20 AM.The Covid-19 Response Minister says there could well be "quite significant" rates of Covid-19 in the community once returning New Zealanders can self-isolate at the end of the month.

In just over… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.The MIQ lottery is about to end - and thousands of New Zealanders are on their way home.

Those stuck in Australia are first in line when the border starts to open in just over three weeks.

A… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.The leader of Islamic State has been killed in an overnight US special forces raid in northern Syria.

The operation targeted an IS safe house in the rebel held Idlib province. President Joe Biden… Read more Audio

6:48 AM.Australians and other travellers who don't need a visa will be the first tourists allowed back in with a promise they'll have bags on airport carousels no later than July, while other international… Read more Audio

6:45 AM.Tourist operators are keen to roll out the welcome mat for international visitors but say the current isolation rules will keep many away.

The Prime Minister has unveiled a five stage plan for… Read more Audio

6:15 AM.The Government's announcement on when the border will open for New Zealanders has been met with relief by many of those who've been stranded overseas.

Sinead Aldrich, an occupational therapist, left… Read more Audio

6:10 AM.The government's plan to re-open the border allowing people to bypass what the Prime Minister is describing as the anguish of MIQ is being shot down by the opposition as both too slow and too fast.

… Read more Audio