Morning Report for Thursday 4 May 2023

8:55 AM.There's a new sovereign in town, and he has decided what he wants for dinner. A quiche is the official dish for the coronation of King Charles III this weekend. It's full of seasonal English produce… Read more Audio

8:50 AM.Secondary teachers begin six weeks of strike action today. Members of the Post Primary Teachers Association are refusing to teach Year Eleven students, prompting many schools to ask that year group to… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Measles has closed an Auckland secondary school while health officials work to identify close contacts of the case. Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand says a student was at Albany Senior High School… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.A bad batch of jet fuel in Wellington means planes flying in and out of the airport are limited to 80 percent of what they usually use. The Board of Airline Representatives says airlines were advised… Read more Audio

8:42 AM.Heavy rain in the Bay of Plenty caused slips and flooding across the region yesterday, blocking roads and cutting off some small communities. Bay of Plenty regional council says the Whakatane River… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Unverified footage of a drone attack on the Kremlin has emerged overnight, with Moscow calling it an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin. But Ukraine's president Vlodymyr Zelensky says… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.Shock of Meka Whaitiri's switch to Te Pati Maori later turned to confusion, after the Speaker ruled she can remain in Parliament as an independent MP. RNZ political editor Jane Patterson spoke to… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.With Meka Whaitiri deciding to resign from the Labour Party, and immediately join Te Pati Maori, electoral law experts thought that would trigger her seat to be immediately vacated. Under party… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Kelvin Davis, denies his fellow Maori MPs are shackled in the party. Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri yesterday announced she was leaving Labour to join Te Pati… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.Trade unions are urging the Reserve Bank to halt aggressive interest rate rises, for the sake of the economy. In its half-yearly financial stability report yesterday, the bank said the country's… Read more Audio

7:47 AM.Jono Ridler has trumped the New Zealand record for open water swimming - going for 33 grueling hours without stopping. Swim4Gulf, Ridler's attempt to inspire urgent action to protect and restore the… Read more Audio

7:42 AM.Taranaki civil defence emergency management is encouraging people to take time get prepared ahead of expected heavy rainfall. MetService have issued an Orange- Heavy Rain warning for the Taranaki… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.King Charles' Coronation will take place on Saturday night New Zealand time. But everyone watching will see quite a different ceremony from what took place in 1953 at the coronation Queen Elizabeth… Read more Audio

7:35 AM.Far from the scandal embroiling his party back home...Prime Minister Chris Hipkins met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace overnight. Mr Hipkins, who is in the United Kingdom for Saturday's… Read more Audio

7:15 AM.Former Labour Party MP and government minister Meka Whaitiri says her whakapapa was calling her home, sparking her switch to Te Pati Maori. The 58-year-old MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti says the decision… Read more Audio

7:13 AM.The Prime Minister says he's still not heard from Meka Whaitiri a day after she walked from the Labour Party. Chris Hipkins says he does not believe Ms Whaitiri's snap defection indicates the Labour… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.The opposition is demanding more information from the Speaker to explain why the former Minister Meka Whaitiri has not been expelled from Parliament over her shock defection to the Maori Party. Adrian… Read more Audio

6:49 AM.Hawke's Bay growers are relieved the government is putting $172 million into cleaning up silt and debris from Cyclone Gabrielle. $102 million will go towards clearing up residential properties… Read more Audio

6:43 AM.Meka Whaitiri's defection from Labour has thrown wide open the contest for the normally safe Labour seat of lkaroa-Rawhiti. Ms Whaitiri remains in Parliament as an independent MP - but intends to… Read more Audio

6:21 AM.Additional CCTV cameras are on the cards for the Waimakariri District as crime rates are up and retailers are hit hard. Businesses and community leaders will meet this month to talk about solutions… Read more Audio

6:17 AM.Whakatāne has been hit with unrelenting heavy rain, slips and surface flooding since Monday. Te Uruwera Councillor Andrew Iles says he can't wait for some wind to dry the waterlogged ground. He spoke… Read more Audio