Morning Report Essentials for Thursday 14 August

In today's episode, Public hearings in the Covid-19 Royal Commission have been abandoned after key witnesses, including Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, former Finance Minister Grant Robertson, refused to appear; Auckland's mayor is renewing his call for a bed tax for the supercity, as it deals with some serious economic troubles; For decades, rules around water quality under the Resource Management Act have protected waterways from scums, foams, colour or clarity changes and becoming unsafe for livestock; Tinā has surpassed Whale Rider at the box office.