Morning Report for Tuesday 1 March 2022

8:56 AM.They're known as "bunker babies" - children born during the pandemic who have spent their short lives in and out of lockdown.

While New Zealanders are now learning to live with the virus, some… Read more Audio

8:53 AM.Chief Victims Advisor to the Government Dr Kim McGregor is calling for more support for children navigating the court system when they make a sexual violence complaint.

Children were the victims in… Read more Audio

8:48 AM.A Russian foreign policy expert says Russia  could resort to mass civilian bombing if it conitinues to fails to gain ground in its war with Ukraine. 

University of Otago Associate Professor in… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Shortly before the death of Dr Selwyn Leeks, the former head psychiatrist at the Lake Alice child and adolescent unit, police said there was enough evidence to charge him but for his poor health.

… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.If you happen to be wandering around the Wellington waterfront today, you will probably notice something interesting in the Whairepo Lagoon: a BIG octopus.

The creature is one of six installations by… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.The climate change minister says the next 10 years will be make or break for the planet.

James Shaw says while we have to adapt to new climates, emissions must also decrease to lessen the impact.

It… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.The National Party says all travellers should be allowed to come into the country now without isolating if they test negative for Covid-19 on arrival.

New rules are about to kick in this week, with… Read more Audio

8:20 AM.President Vladimir Putin says aggressive statements by the west are behind his decision to put Russia's nuclear weapons on "special alert".

The US says this signals an "unacceptable escalation".

So… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.Olha Viazenko has spent every minute of the past week worrying about her relatives in Ukraine, who can't leave their home.

The Ukranian living in Dunedin has two teenage stepsons in Kyiv, plus her… Read more Audio

7:58 AM.Victims groups are calling for more support for children having to navigate the court system when they make a sexual violence complaint.

They say children giving evidence are frequently… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, has found human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting people's lives -… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.Restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores are expecting gaps on shelves and in menus as Omicron spreads.

They say most stores have the products they need for now, but they doubt that will last… Read more Audio

7:28 AM.A top Covid-19 advisor to the government says opening the borders will now have a minimal effect.

All vaccinated New Zealanders overseas will be able to return home and head straight into the… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.The government has scrapped the seven day self isolation requirement for vaccinated New Zealanders returning from overseas from later this week.

RNZ talked to some of those overseas about what this… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.A significant new trade agreement has been signed between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It ends tariffs on 99.5 percent of all New Zealand goods entering the UK.

The government estimates it… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.A Ukranian in New Zealand is in a constant state of anxiety, as she waits to hear if her family in Kyiv have managed to survive another day of the Russian onslaught.

Every night, Lana Burns' family… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.Russia's invasion of Ukraine brings back painful memories for Olga Pushkar, who watched Russian insurgents sweep the streets of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine eight years ago.

She now lives more than… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.New Zealand has signed a significant trade agreement with the United Kingdom.

The new deal means virtually all New Zealand's exports into the UK will not carry a tariff.

The government estimates it… Read more Audio