Morning Report for Wednesday 25 October 2023

8:55 AM.Visitors to the Taranaki Garden Festival this year are being encouraged to go a bit troppo.

Long famed for its rhododendrons and magnolias, it's taking a step closer to the equator and embracing… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Tropical cyclone Lola is pelting Vanuatu this morning, having made landfall on the country's eastern Pentecost Island.

The ferocious wind gusts - forecast to reach up to 205 kilometres per hour -… Read more Audio

8:31 AM.The University of Otago this morning has named Moana Theodore as the new director for its famous research programme, the Dunedin Study.

The Otago epidemiologist is only the third director the study… Read more Audio

8:27 AM.Records are set to tumble this coming weekend when respective three-time champions New Zealand and South Africa meet in the World Cup final.

And there may be a few records set in local ticket sales… Read more Audio

8:15 AM.The government's cyber security arm, CERT, is urging consumers to be especially cautious when responding to online or text offers from anyone - including legit financial services.

The warning comes… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.After Sunday's four-wicket loss to hosts India in the Cricket World Cup, the Black Caps face Australia this Saturday.

And with South Africa and Sri Lanka also still to play, former Black Cap Ronnie… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The All Blacks pack have improved dramatically from last year and even from the start of the World Cup, with the players crediting forwards coach Jason Ryan for their lift in performance.

They'll… Read more Audio

7:46 AM.National Party leader Christopher Luxon says he is getting daily briefings on the growing conflict in Israel.

That's while government formation talks continue with his party talking separately to ACT… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.The Chief Ombudsman says some local councils have been holding closed-door meetings to protect councillors from reasonable scrutiny.

Judge Peter Boshier has reported back on his review of eight… Read more Audio

7:34 AM.The country's largest bank, ANZ, is lifting its mortgage and deposit rates from today by as much as thirty basis points.

ANZ says global markets are expecting inflation to remain a problem, hence the… Read more Audio

7:27 AM.A packed court in Christchurch has seen harrowing footage of the 2019 mosque attacks during an emotional first day of inquest into the killings.

Described as one of Aotearoa's darkest days, 51 people… Read more Audio

7:19 AM.Business owners in Auckland's city centre say anti-social behaviour has gotten out of control and they want rough sleepers and those drinking and drug dealing on the streets to be trespassed and moved… Read more Audio

7:14 AM.Tropical Cyclone Lola is the strongest, earliest storm ever observed in the south eastern Pacific.

It peaked at a Category Five yesterday, and is now closing in on Vanuatu as a Category Four.

Niwa… Read more Audio

7:10 AM.Thousands are hunkered down in Vanuatu this morning amid a massive storm.

The now category four Cyclone Lola is currently passing over the eastern Pentecost Island, while residents in other areas… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.The Chief Ombudsman is reminding local councils official information should be available to the public, unless there's good reason to withhold it... not the other way around.

It follows years of… Read more Audio

6:18 AM.World Rugby has overhauled its international calendar, introducing a Nations League concept from 2026 in which the top 12 nations will play each other in a round-robin style competition every second… Read more Audio