Morning Report for Friday 18 August 2023

8:41 AM.New Zealand's premier beer festival, Beervana, gets underway today, despite the industry as a whole facing some particularly challenging times.

Large increases in excise tax, ingredient costs and… Read more Audio

8:38 AM.How much would you pay for a burger and some fries?

What about if you knew it was all made with leftover or rescued food?

One restaurant is taking part in the Burger Wellington competition using… Read more Audio

8:28 AM.A fugitive pig known for blocking lanes on Auckland's North-Western motorway and evading armed police will be taken to a new home in Taranaki today.

The naughty porker known as Kevin Bacon was on the… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.One year ago, 26 massive landslides destroyed State Highway 1 in the Far North's Mangamuka Gorge.

Overnight the settlement of Mangamuka, about 30 kilometres south of Kaitaia, was transformed from a… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.As we've heard, National believes it's on to a winner for consumer choice with its new KiwiSaver policy.

The policy would roll back a number of measures brought in by Labour in order to allow people… Read more Audio

8:16 AM.Raising fuel taxes to pay for better roads is a necessary evil, according to the automobile association.

The government's draft transport policy statement outlines $20 billion worth of spending over… Read more Audio

8:11 AM.A migrants advocate doesn't think an investigation into the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme will not stop workers from being exploited.

Immigration is now under investigation over whistleblower… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.There's a whole lot of shaking going on at two of the capital's entertainment venues, or at least there could be unless both strengthen their structures.

Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre and the… Read more Audio

7:51 AM.Community Law Aotearoa says they are happy the government has imposed a list of standards to emergency housing providers.

Although they're not mandatory, if providers follow the standards they will… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.A former New Zealand soldier fighting in Ukraine is facing months of rehab after being hit five times by shrapnel and bullets while fighting in the Donestk Oblast region.

The former Defence Force… Read more Audio

7:33 AM.National is promising to allow people to split their KiwiSaver between different funds.

The party says this is about allowing greater consumer choice, but Labour argues that it erodes consumer… Read more Audio

7:22 AM.The government's putting the pedal to the metal on proposed roading projects - $70 billion worth of them over the next decade.

The latest transport policy statement would prioritise 14 new roads and… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.The cost of living might be the big issue for this election campaign, but it hasn't stopped Labour from announcing it's going to hike the petrol tax and road user charges.

The party wants to add an… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Immigration is now under investigation, after claims employers wanting to hire migrant workers under the Accredited Employer scheme aren't being checked properly.

The Immigration Minister, Andrew… Read more Audio

6:50 AM.An Auckland Councillor is frustrated with the suspension of several ferry services.

From October, Fullers360 will no longer operate the Birkenhead, Northcote Point and Bayswater routes.

Auckland… Read more Audio

6:46 AM.The Green Party believes Labour's new roading plan shows it's not serious about climate change.

The Government's draft transport policy statement outlines $20 billion worth of spending over three… Read more Audio

6:24 AM.2023 has been a standout year for New Zealand sprinter Zoe Hobbs, but as far as she's concerned it's not over yet.

With record breaking performances under her belt, Hobbs is brimming with confidence… Read more Audio

6:19 AM.Despite dairy farmers cutting costs where they can, the industry expects many of them will make a loss this season.

DairyNZ says farmers are looking at their budgets line-by-line to reduce… Read more Audio

6:09 AM.National is criticising the government's transport policies as expensive ideological projects that will inflict additional pain at the pump.

The latest transport policy statement would prioritise $20… Read more Audio