Morning Report for Wednesday 19 October 2022

8:55 AM.Nelson artist Luke Dell is the mastermind behind a framed McDonald's combo selling as art on TradeMe. He spoke to Guyon Espiner. Read more Audio

8:48 AM.The government will scrap many of the extraordinary powers used during the pandemic such as lockdowns, mandates and managed isolation.

Just a small number of baseline measures will remain in place to… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Delegates to this week's Water New Zealand Conference broadly agree that reform in the sector has been a long time coming.

But while the government's Three Waters plan has merit - it has neither been… Read more Audio

8:25 AM.Protest action bought the southbound lane of Transmission Gully north of Wellington to a standstill this morning.

Up to 20 people are understood to be involved in the climate protest. Police are… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.Economists say rising unemployment is the new pain set to hurt New Zealand's economy on the back of unexpectedly high inflation figures.

Data for the September quarter shows prices rose by 7.2… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma, who was kicked out of Labour's caucus, has resigned from the seat and is starting his own political party.

The Prime Minister says she urged Mr Sharma to stay as an… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.Those infectious beats by Ka Hao and Rob Ruha were blasted across Auckland's Spark Arena last night.

Their waiata '35', an ode to State Highway 35, took out the coveted 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Award.

7:51 AM.Auckland Council has run out of funds to continue its part in an own-your-own-home scheme it set up in the 1970s for those over 65.

One hundred and fifty flats will be affected and already 60 are… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Inflation has now become embedded within the economy.

That's the view of the National Party after the latest inflation figures were announced yesterday - the annual rate was point-six of a percent… Read more Audio

7:36 AM.Inflation numbers released by Stats NZ on Tuesday could have a big impact on homeowners next year, with the Official Cash Rate now expected to rise above 5 percent.

Loanmarket director Bruce Patten… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.Creative New Zealand insists it doesn't "hate Shakespeare" as the Prime Minister steps in to save a secondary-school Shakespeare programme.

The funding agency's received fiery backlash for not… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.Consumer prices increased 2.2 percent in the September quarter, driven by higher food and housing costs.

The annual inflation rate was 7.2 percent, marginally lower than the record 7.3 percent rate… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The Finance Minister says the government will continue to support people on low and middle incomes in the face of cost of living pressures.

Consumer prices increased 2.2 percent in the September… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.New Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has delivered his "expectations" to another of the city's council-owned entities - putting Ports of Auckland in the firing line.

In a move that has become familiar… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Labour has been forced into contesting a by-election in Hamilton West, that could be a litmus test for next year's election.

Independent MP Gaurav Sharma has quit Parliament in what he's calling a… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Labour inspectors are investigating far fewer complaints of worker exploitation with a drop of nearly 70 percent over the past five years.

Some migrant workers are struggling to have their grievances… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky says nearly a third of the country's power stations have been destroyed, causing mass blackouts.

Ukraine is in a critical situation following more attacks by… Read more Audio