Morning Report for Friday 5 August 2022

8:41 AM.It's no longer compulsory indoors, but if you're heading to a gig, should you be masking up?

Some artists and promoters are encouraging their audiences to wear face coverings to help keep them safe.

8:41 AM.It's time now for our new Friday feature on Morning Report in which we dissect, discuss and analyse the political stories of the week.

They might be big issues, they might be small, nothing is off… Read more Audio

8:37 AM.Decorated helicopter pilot Alan Beck can add a further string to his bow - Swiss alp horn player.

The 73 year old - who became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in January - is the driving… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.With all the excitement at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, a big All Blacks Test in South Africa has gone under the radar for many.

Just recapping, the New Zealand team is coming off a historic… Read more Audio

8:23 AM.The government is defending the length of time it will take to make building supplies cheaper, following a Commerce Commission report that's found the sector isn't as competitive as it should be.

The… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.A man's death as the result of a suspected dog attack is the latest tragedy to befall the Panguru community this year.

About 100 people live in Panguru. Many were still coming to terms with an… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.The New Zealand Army Band for the first time in three years will be performing at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland.

The show will feature Maori cultural elements, humour and intricate… Read more Audio

7:45 AM.A watchdog group has discovered that a former patient of Lake Alice's child and adolescent unit was just five when he was sent to the notorious psychatric hospital near Marton.

The man's medical… Read more Audio

7:41 AM.Tensions are growing increasingly fraught between China and the rest of the region, with Japan reporting overnight that five Chinese missiles have landed in the waters of its exclusive economic zone.

7:38 AM.It's getting to the business end of the Commonwealth Games now, with the team sports all about to reach the semi-finals stage.

The New Zealand cricketers are currently playing England in their final… Read more Audio

7:34 AM.Hamish Kerr became the first New Zealander to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the men's high jump, when he won gold in Birmingham on Thursday.

It's one of three medals New Zealand has won in field… Read more Audio

7:26 AM.Businesses in Auckland are bracing themselves ahead of a protest led by Brian Tamaki's Freedom and Rights Coalition on Saturday.

Its previous protest spilled onto roads and motorways, causing… Read more Audio

7:24 AM.Radiation oncologists in Aotearoa work at least 50 hours a week delivering therapy to combat cancer.

A new study predicts their number will decline over the next few years unless urgent action is… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.Cancer specialists are warning the country is at a point of no return when it comes to investing in more workers and better treatment.

New forecasting tools revealed at a high-powered medical… Read more Audio

7:17 AM.The All Blacks have escaped the fish bowl of New Zealand but they remain under immense pressure.

They're preparing for back to back tests in South Africa to kick off their Rugby Championship title… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.The Rescue Co-ordination Centre says conditions are too dangerous for searchers to reach the crash site in the Southern Alps where a small plane went down on Thursday.

Air Traffic Control notified… Read more Audio

7:12 AM.A street in Levin remains cordoned off this morning as police deal with what they're calling an "ongoing incident" which resulted in the evacuation of many of the street's residents last night.

… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.A man in Northland is believed to have been mauled to death by dogs on a Panguru property in Hokianga in Northland.

One dog was shot dead by police, two were captured and three remain on the loose… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.Ten thousand residents are facing hour long delays because slips are blocking the only road out of their Hutt Valley suburb.

Hutt City Council has warned Stokes Valley's only exit lane will be… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.Despite an unemployment rate of just 3.3 percent, National Party leader Christopher Luxon is questioning why there is a rise in the number of people receiving a Job Seeker benefit.

If you found the… Read more Audio

6:44 AM.Firefighters are set to strike in two-weeks time, after the Union rejected the latest pay offer from Fire and Emergency.

The one-hour strike will take place between 11am and 12pm on 19 August, and… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.The American basketball star, Brittney Griner, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after Russian airport officials found traces of drugs in in her luggage.

Griner's detention and subsequent… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.New Zealand added another bronze medal to its Commonwealth Games medal haul overnight, with cyclist Georgia Williams claiming third in the women's time trial.

The 28-year-old finished a minute and 20… Read more Audio