Morning Report for Thursday 23 June 2022

8:56 AM.It's the end of our week so let's have a chat to our Canberra correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh. Audio

8:53 AM.NIWA says the top time to check out the Matariki cluster is early morning on Friday or Saturday. And the best views will be from the lower North Island and the east of the South Island. But if you… Read more Audio

8:47 AM.The third and final test between the Black Caps and England gets underway in Leeds tonight. And World test champions New Zealand are desperate to win. A 3-0 series would make this their worst losing… Read more Audio

8:44 AM.Wellington's historic St James Theatre reopens today after earthquake restrengthening that began three years ago. The Category One Heritage building in Courtenay Place was built in 1912 and houses the… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Transpower is asking people to reduce their power consumption if possible this morning, with insufficient electricity currently being generated to comfortably meet demand. A spokesperson says… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.Korora, or little blue penguins, are at increasing risk as weather patterns change and sea temperatures rise. In recent months, masses of the birds have washed up on North Island beaches… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Tomorrow the country celebrates the rise of Matariki, but for a good many iwi and hapu, the new year was a couple of weeks ago. Along the west coast and in parts of the far north and the south their… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.An employment advocate who crusades for bullied workers is facing bankruptcy and the liquidation of his company after refusing to pay a long list of penalties for breaching client confidentiality… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A woman whose son was killed by a driver on a restricted licence says adults must take the law more seriously to save young people from themselves. Police last year caught 5,000 drivers breaking their… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The sea of red returns this weekend when the New Zealand men's and women's league teams take on their Tongan counterparts in Auckland. Tongan fans will again be out in force - and in full voice - for… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.A petition calling for student nurses to be paid during their placement hours has gained almost five-thousand signatures. Petition creator Arya Zale says the workforce shortage affects nursing… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.Air New Zealand has resorted to offering cash incentives of up to $1400 dollars to entice people to work for the airline, as chronic staff shortages at airports cause travel industry turbulence. The… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Scientists now fear that the mass bleaching of native sea sponges in Fiordland is the largest event of its type in the world. And there's emerging evidence that an ongoing marine heatwave is also… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.A new report out this morning says that this year is the worst time in 65 years for first-home buyers trying to get into the housing market. The Infometrics study says it's often debated who faced… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.The country will be celebrating Matariki for the first time as a public holiday tomorrow - a time to reflect, celebrate and to look ahead. Five wahine from the Haweti whanau will get their moko kauae… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.The police are responding to concerns they are not adequately enforcing breaches of driving licence conditions. A woman whose son was killed by a driver on a restricted licence says adults must take… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Harrowing stories of death and injury are emerging from some of the poorest and most remote regions of Afghanistan, following yesterday's earthquake which has killed at least one thousand people… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.A woman whose son was killed by a driver on a restricted licence says adults must take the law more seriously to save young people from themselves. As we told you yesterday on Morning Report police… Read more Audio

6:53 AM.This Saturday, the Māori tradition of kite-flying will be celebrated at a family kite day in the Auckland suburb of Ōrākei. It's just one of over 100 free events events across Tamaki Makarau in the… Read more Video, Audio

6:50 AM.The earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Wednesday is a major setback for an area already facing a major humanitarian crisis. The population is mostly impoverished, and experiencing chronic… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.The Ministry of Justice has released a range of options to overhaul New Zealand's 67-year-old adoption law. In a shift in focus away from the interests of parents, the proposed changes put the rights… Read more Audio