4 Oct 2017

Top Stories for Wednesday 4 October 2017

From Morning Report, 6:00 am on 4 October 2017

Police are working to establish the motive behind a mass shooting which left at least 59 dead and another 527 injured in Las Vegas. Gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel towards an open-air music festival. Police found 23 guns in his hotel room, as well as "in excess of" 19 firearms and explosives at his Nevada home. As yet, no clear reason for the killing has emerged. But Las Vegas Sun reporter Adam Candee tells us stories of heroism are emerging about those at the concert. The White House has dismissed attempts to restart the debate over gun control debate, with Donald Trump saying "we will be talking about gun laws as time goes by". But that admonishment is cutting no ice with gun control advocates. Rebecca Peters from the International Action Network on Small Arms joins us to discuss the ongoing gun control debate in the US. Edgecumbe locals have been left looking for someone to blame with a new independent report into the town's disastrous flood falling short of pointing the finger. The long-awaited independent review by Sir Michael Cullen highlights a number of failings and the need for urgent planning to manage future flooding. But it says the reasons why a crucial stopbank collapsed are complex and no one thing would have prevented what happened. Seventy business have been banned from hiring migrant workers for breaking labour laws. Motel owners, restaurants and a major freight company feature on the blacklist of companies which have been convicted under new employment laws in the past six months. But some businesses say the Labour Inspectorate is being heavy handed with its new extended powers. Civil Defence has apologised for mistakenly sending smartphone test alerts in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A message sent at 1.32am on Wednesday read: "This is a test message for the Emergency Mobile Alert System that will be available by the end of 2017. Visit civildefence.govt.co.nz to find out more." It was a mistake, and joining me now to explain what happened is Director of Civil Defence Sarah Stuart-Black. Auckland's population is rapidly becoming less Pakeha and more diverse - and ethnic communities say attitudes need to change with it. The latest official projections show that within 16 years, Auckland will become the country's only region where Pakeha will no longer be the majority.